Holdah nods at the corrupted catfolk, keeping her hands on them as she guided them back towards the stairs up. "You can let the other one go as well." She told the sorceress, giving the gemini bound on the floor another look as well. "Right?"
She left the door downstairs closed as the group all went back upstairs and into the open courtyard. First thing she did was wave down a gruff. "These three wanna apologise, and help us out. What should we do with them?" She asked, before noticing Solidyn and a couple others were already entering the larger tower. "Oh, they didn't go in there already, did they?" She asked the same gruff, pointing at the open door in what seemed like a rhetorical question.
Huldah flipped out a bit when the gruff told her they had. "Ooooh, they're too fast. You take care of these guys, come on Zahra, we're gonna miss it all!" SHe said, before sprinting off to join the group in the tower.
A pleasured mewl escaped the death knight's lips as the prone gemini began to work. She had no compunctions when it came to guiding his actions. "A little to the left," she muttered breathlessly, cooing. "That's it, right there. Harder," she offered, rocking her hips against her captive's face. The marvelous effects of the slime were almost instantaneous. The cat-man's efforts made her nerves tingle with excitement. As wonderful as it was, in the back of her mind she wished for a consort who could be trusted enough to lavish attention on her entire body. For now, though, the half-vampire chose to settle for the attentions on her nethers, which were enough to sate her needs for the day.
And for his every effort, the gemini was rewarded by the touch of a woman who had bathed in depravity before her fall. Her fingers wrapped around the base of the presented cock. She offered an amused chuckle at the fully erect phallus. "How pathetic," she derided the Su-Ku-Ta. "Afraid for your life and you still get hard. How can you be so weak and still so brazen? I'll just have to milk this irksome thing so that you don't have any distractions from terror." she explained with mock annoyance as her hand slid up the shaft and down again. While it was safe to say that Aurelia was frequently annoyed, this was not one of those times. The half-vampire was enjoying her experience with the gemini, but part of what she was enjoying was torturing them.
She gave a tut-tut as her hand continued its motions. The ashen woman's fingers remained firmly around the fallen cat-man's rod, sliding up and down it with practiced ease and the slimy lubrication available. She included a small rotation into her motions, with fluidity that spoke to exactly how many consorts she had taken before her several-centuries nap. Continuing without pause, she stroked the cock of an dangerous alien convert and rolled her hips into her helpless partner's mouth as he lapped at the sociopath half-vampire's wanting sex.
And when he hit a spot that really threatened to send her over the edge, she repaid him by including her left hand into the mix. In a favorite technique of hers, the noblewoman's right hand would stroke all the way to the base of the cat-man's shaft, then pull away and start again at the tip, sliding back down to repeat the motion. Her left hand, in the meantime, would mimic the actions of the right, following closely behind its counterpart. The stimulation never ended, there wasn't even a break in her movements. While she didn't have the equipment to test it herself, she, smirking as she considered it, imagined the sensation to be something close to having his cock sucked into an endless crevice, a warm and soft one, no less.
Aurelia's resistance to cramps might have been considered impressive in its own right, as she managed to continue all the way to the very end, pausing briefly only if he caused her to peak first, until it became obvious that the gemini was going to cum. When the telltale warning signs came, she halted her ministrations. Without missing a beat, she began to pump his manhood with both hands, preparing to milk him of all his seed. Aided by the slime, her motions took on such force that he might have had a friction burn if it hadn't been present. She continued, milking him for all she could. Afterward, the death knight would choose to continue mercilessly stroking his sensitive organ until she had climaxed, unless he had already succeeded in his task.
When both Aurelia and her captive were sated, she stood up and strode to the other gemini. There were no words for them yet, not until she had tested both contestants. The death knight leaned in over the second Su-Ku-Ta much as she had the first, her mouth snapped open, and she sunk her fangs in him. It was his time to shine.
I figure it's best to get this moving and out of the way quickly. Feel free to flip a coin on who orgasms first for both couplings if you want. They're, uh, probably both going to be "winners", regardless. >.> The only reason for the coin flip would be on how I'd write it.
Also, feel free to just gloss over this stuff and what happens with the second gemini if you'd like and nothing is going to interrupt her fun-times. She's pretty much going to do the exact same thing. I can just write some smut for what happens with the second gemini and have her get moving to catch up with the others. Then the Scooby Doo episode can be over.
'Course, if I've taken too many liberties then I'll just edit this stuff later.
When dealing HP damage: On a killing blow she makes a 21 + (Damage done/10)*Tier vs enemy resistance check against all opponents within 30 feet and in line of sight of her. If they fail they're unable to attack that round. If they fail twice they retreat or surrender.
When taking HP damage: 16 of her AV is due to Splint Mail, which has a DU of 6 and a TP of 50. She reduces damage dealt by /4 after armor due to her vampire mutation.
When dealing PP damage: She deals an additional +6 PP damage during penetrative sex due to Tight x3.
When taking PP Damage: She takes an additional +12 PP damage from Sensitive x3. She also has 5 fetishes but I'm not really sure how to list them here. >.>
Has Fertile (Pregnant on roll of 2 or more)
When taking EP damage: She takes an additional +4 EP damage from Open Soul.
She has foul aura, NPCs are more likely to distrust her.
Zahra put her arrow away as the Gemini gave up in unison, fear written all over their faces. The former Su-Ku-Ta probably wouldn't be all that willing to help them once they got over their fear, but for now they were at least not a threat at the current moment. They wouldn't need to be killed, anyway. The catgirl allowed Huldah to handle dealing with them, and in her own way the Gemini did a wonderful job, her short, somewhat threatening manner keeping them just as much in line as her powerful hands clasped on their backs.
When they had gotten up the stairs, Huldah flagged down a gruff and asked him what to do with their captives. Before he could answer, of course, the Gemini discovered that Solidyn and some of the others had gone into the central tower, and she ran off towards it, calling for Zahra to follow after her. The catgirl sighed and did as asked, running towards the tower. They probably should move to support the arachne, but Zahra wasn't particularly eager to do so. She didn't like getting into enclosed spaces to fight, especially when there were things like slimes about. It was hard enough to fight in a small space as an archer without the possibility that something would drop off the ceiling onto your head.
With the threat of something large and angry waiting for her in the tower defused, Solidyn's emptying reserves of spiritual strength started to worry her. There was always the threat of another one of those slimes hiding in here, ready to steal the last of it... she remembered the last time she'd over-extended herself and ran out. Not a good prospect.
She let the will shielding her and her comrades dissolve, and recanted her prayer once it had dissipated, making for the stairs as well.
"I do love valuables," she muttered, before raising her voice so the fey inside with her could hear. "Let's clear the place out - but be careful, there might be more a' those oozes we saw earlier still lurkin' around! Look out for anythin' one might be hidin' in, and keep watchin' the ceilin'!"
She was a little wary of the stairs, but it would be difficult for the gunners to reload if she walked on the walls, so there wasn't much she could do otherwise.
Aaa drop yon Blessing and recast at X = 2. That's an upkeepless buff, right? Then proceed, presumably up the stairs and not down a sudden pit trap or anything.
Someone who knows about those surrenderees and is not too deaf to have missed overhearing about their existence should totally grill them for info on this tower, yep.
Where did the xenoship crash again, also? In the walls?
Upkeep: 0 EP/turn
Final stats (with +6 to dodge and res due to buff)
Dodge: 61
Armor: 28
Perception: 13
Speed: 8
Resistance: 39
A bonus of +9 VS Prone and +5 VS Stun or involuntary movement, also
Huldah: HP = 58, PP = 33, EP = 33, Status = Fine
Kor'Ensiloth: HP = 17/68, PP = 78, EP = 0/89, Status = Napping
Zahra: HP = 54, PP = 40, EP = 38, Status = Fine
Solidyn-Nolu: HP = 60, PP = 50, EP = 24/80, Status = Fine
Aurelia Korort: HP = 104, PP = 43, EP = 12/105, Status = Fine, Has 1 Zombie Minion, 2 captive gemini
The fey that were subordinate to her nodded and fanned out in small groups following Solidyn's orders, as Ur-Wind said nothing to dispute them. They searched carefully for a few moments, Zahra, Huldah and the other summoned sorceress joining them a moment after they'd passed off their new prisoners to those still assembling their camp. It seemed that the first floor was as empty as it appeared, however, and by the time they'd finished searching it was abundantly clear that there wasn't anything of interest save for the door and the stairs leading up. Their group was largely assembled save for Aurelia who hadn't returned from the tower, Kor who was asleep outside and those among their soldiers who were outside prepping camp or keeping watch.
The kobold gunners quickly reported that the gun on Solidyn's back was ready to fire again before joining the search of the bottom floor, and when everyone had assembled again and reported that the room was empty, Ur-Wind spoke up; "Solidyn, take whoever you need and start securing the upper floors once you've had a good rest. And if you can, see about sending one of your friends here to tape Kor back together before you dismiss them, would you? Those of you not going with Solidyn, report back to the camp. We know for a fact that some of the enemy are unaccounted for as yet, as the hunters vanished in the middle of the fight. Anyone sees anything, shout a warning before you engage. Move out!"
His orders given, Ur-Wind started heading back toward the door leading out in the main courtyard of the fortress. Who she wanted to take with her, either from among her more eccentric allies (PCs) or from among the fey with whom she was so familiar (NPCs) was up to the heavily armored spider.
Meanwhile, in the depths of the tower below, Aurelia was quickly getting into her hedonistic stride. Despite being blatantly terrified, the captured gemini was also seemingly quite easy to excite as she felt his breath quickening against her petals as she worked his shaft. The corrupted cat-man's rough tongue lapped eagerly at her folds, and even though it wasn't possessed of any skill worth speaking of Aurelia still found herself growing increasingly aroused under his ministrations, and only part of that could be blamed on the slime he was excreting. It certainly made an excellent lubricant, and her expert handiwork didn't take very long at all to get the first of her partners off, particularly once she began her special technique. When he came, the spray of semen was powerful enough to splash up against her face for the first few shots, and he continued for far longer than any mortal lover that the ashen skinned death knight had ever taken.
When he had finished cumming in her hands, her continued the work of his tongue, purring softly against her folds as he worked to return the favor in an almost affectionate manner. Of course, her continued stroking occasionally caused him to jump in his bonds, but he continued licking Aurelia until she climaxed. By then, enough of his poisonous coating had soaked into her that the half vampire was nearly mindless with arousal, and as such the orgasm she experienced was like a glass of water to one dying of thirst.
Of course, it also didn't do nearly enough to slake her lust, and her second victim was already hard from watching the show she performed on his neighbor. Despite her evident fangs and looming figure over his helpless and prone form, the second gemini turned his head and allowed her to bite, not even bothering to resist her venom as she fed on his tainted blood.
(The ship crashed inside the walls, yes. And I figured I would at least give some sort of response to Aurelia, don't want all your hard work going unrewarded!)
Current number of allies:
Ur-Wind Ramel
12 kobold gunners
9 satyr scouts
10 gruff thugs
Bob the Quartermaster. He also does stand up. And cooks.
3 Su-Ku-Ta snipers
Solidyn confirmed the gunner's report that she was loaded again with a very pointy thumbs up.
"'A rest?' Pah! What do I need ta rest for? Haven't even broke a sweat yet today..." Solidyn grumbled to herself... though with her damaged ears, she couldn't really tell if anyone else could hear her. That, and, with her spider body easily larger than that of a horse, holding a cannon and six or so of her gunnery crew on her back at any one time... there was a lot of herself to grumble to.
"Aye, sir!" she said aloud, saluting. She started to think... Kor was still outside. The Su-Ku-Ta bow woman was here with them, as was her immense Gemini friend. They were from the Anudorian resistance faction, weren't they...? Well, either way, they'd both demonstrated usual skill at putting enemies down, so if there was anything nasty hiding up there for them, they should be enough...
...But, a proper plan was not formed with "should"s, and being overprepared was far preferable to being underprepared. She let the energy protecting her and her gunners unravel once more.
The spider eyed the two fey she had called. "You two, I want you ta go outside 'n get that mage of ours in here. Oughta be easy enough for us to wake him up - it might be a good idea, in case there's anything else up there like the barrier that was on the tower. Hopefully, he'll be able to deal with any of those in a less messy manner. Er... Hans!" Solidyn called, pointing out one of the gruffs with them in the tower's ground floor. "Go with these two and help them drag Kor's ass in here, outta the sun. Grab some a' that potion he drinks, too, n' give it to him if'n he starts ter freak out again."
"An' you two," she said, shuffling her bulk around to look at the gemini and her little kitty compatriot. "Since we're waitin' anyway, I wanna hear what ya found down in that tower ya went n' cleared... hold on a tick, where's that other one? With the armor?"
A trickle of the gemini's blood dripped from the half-vampire's lips as she rose from her captive's neck. She lazily dabbed the escaping liquid up with a single finger and brought it to her mouth, before lewdly sucking on it. When he provocative display came to an end, Aurelia smiled a lustful smile at her prisoner. The slime, that wondrous aphrodisiac, it made her want more, so much more. More blood and more sex and more violence... Well, that last one might have just been her, for now she'd settle for the first two.
The dangerous knight didn't make her turn as she had with the first gemini, instead she brought her hips back, hovering over the former Su-Ku-Ta's throbbing phallus. "That's a good boy. You understand your lot in life. Fate makes things easier on those who accept it." Why am I still talking? She idly wondered. It was part of some game that she didn't even care about anymore. But her pride, ever powerful even with the rest of her body desperately seeking the attention necessary to gain relief, demanded that she remain in control and that she let her captives know as much. "I reward loyal pets very well."
Aurelia barely fought off the urge to lance herself onto turned man's erection. Something else nagged at her, she couldn't do that. It would dishonor her house to carry another commoner's child. But, that didn't mean that she couldn't take the gemini in other ways. She braced herself with one hand and her second hand dropped behind her in order to hold her partner's manhood still. The ashen woman slowly lowered herself, until the cat prick was pressed against her sphincter. And she continued, sinking him further and further into the nearly crushing depths of her tight ass. It was a slow descent, having been an untold amount of time since she had done anything of the sort, but eventually, he was hilted inside Aurelia.
She began to slowly rock her hips back and forth, testing the feel of the gemini inside her backside. Aurelia was exceedingly careful, the memory of the fleshy barbs her hands had brushed against so many times on the other cat-man still fresh. The idea of requiring a healer's attention because she had shredded herself on cat cock was grim enough to even add caution to the aphrodisiac-fueled half-vampire's movements. She looked down on her prisoner, all but leering at him, as she advanced to short thrusts that wouldn't rake her insides. The self-proclaimed noblewoman doubted that he would last long, especially as she tightened and squeezed herself around him, and she, herself, was beyond restraint. Her free hand went for her clit and began to rub as she bucked herself against the Su-Ku-Ta's slimy prick.
The death-knight continued her ride, with no intention of stopping for anything other than her own orgasm or an outside interruption. Even if her partner came first, she would simply continue to use him with no concern for his sensitivity, until she was offered some relief from the power of the aphrodisiac slime that had seeped into her every pore.
Thoroughly inspect cat penis! After this, she gets to tell the (un)lucky winner(s) what they've won! And also put her armor band weapons back on.
Aurelia's applicable stats should something sneak up on her: 23 Speed, 40 Dodge, 2 Armor, 26 Resistance, 23 Perception, 23 Stealth, 52 Grapple.
Zahra was happy to find the bottom floor of the central tower empty except for her allies, and soon she and Huldah were helping them search for... something. What were they searching for? It didn't much matter, as she didn't see anything out of the ordinary to report. She gave a nod of acknowledgment as the commander of the mercenary outfit gave his orders to Solidyn and left, and then she turned to the giant arachne, waiting for her orders. A 'ope 'e don't pick me she thought, not wanting any part of moving up in the tower. It just wasn't an ideal situation for an archer to be in. When Solidyn asked her for her report she considered her words for a moment before slowly responding. "She went to a different tower. We found Gemini, nothing else."
Huldah grinned. "There was stairs down there and I found the gemini that had run away and i was about to convince them to come back up and apologize and then Zahra shot one so they got all angry but your friend pinned a couple down and Zahra shot a couple again and then i convinced the rest to come up and apologize after all. Then I noticed everyone was already in here so we came in too." She explained quickly. "What other one?"
Huh. The small one spoke slowly, and the big one, really, really fast. It took her a moment to process what she said...
"That other new merc we took up, ah, the one in big armor. Charged past you, big girl... killed everyone holding the gate with some crazy magic, I think. Took the other tower? She was real weedy lookin'... maybe she fell down the stairs and can't get back up?"
"Hold on... you said you found some gemini down there? Shit, maybe we should check on 'er..."
"Ah, screw it, she'll be fine. Oy, Bert!" she yelled out, at another one of the gruffs in the room with them. "Go get them surrenderees these two drug up from the other tower! We'll see if they know anything 'bout what they got in 'ere."
Huldah: HP = 58, PP = 33, EP = 33, Status = Fine
Kor'Ensiloth: HP = 17/68, PP = 78, EP = 0/89, Status = Napping
Zahra: HP = 54, PP = 40, EP = 38, Status = Fine
Solidyn-Nolu: HP = 60, PP = 50, EP = 24/80, Status = Fine
Aurelia Korort: HP = 104, PP = 43, EP = 12/105, Status = Fine, Has 1 Zombie Minion, 2 captive gemini
It couldn't be said that Aurelia had anything more than a captive audience in the form of the bound gemini, as he stared up at the ashen skinned half vampire with wide, heavily dilated eyes as she put on her display of licking up his blood. When she reached for his manhood, she found it already hard as stone and coated in a mix of precum and the aphrodisiac slime, both of which provided ample lubrication as she took him into her rear hole. The barbs along his length were no danger to her, being composed entirely of soft flesh and largely a residual feature that were no longer actually needed. If anything, they provided additional stimulation as her almost painfully tight rear slid over the creature's length. The slime did the same to her insides as it did to her outsides, setting her nerves alight and heightening her sensitivity, and with the added stimulation of the fleshy tendrils protruding from its length Aurelia found herself quite enjoying the feel of the gemini's rod.
The half vampire wasn't wrong in her assumption that her partner wouldn't last long, as she felt him throbbing barely more than a minute after she had begun riding him, and shortly thereafter Aurelia felt his seed erupt into her rear. His release was as impressive as that of his fellow, quickly filling Aurelia's bowels with seed, and he even remained fully hard even after he had cum. The mewls and moans of pleasure coming from the corrupted cat-man didn't seem to slow any either, and as she finally reached her own climax some minutes later she felt him cumming inside of her again. Thanks to the poisonous slime that she was even still coated in, her orgasm was long and powerful enough that it very nearly knocked her out in the process, though she managed to hold onto consciousness in the end.
As she pulled off of him, the exhausted, blood drained creature laid in a heap within its bonds, tendrils twitching occasionally and releasing spurts of their own. A flood of semen rained out of her ass as she stood, but that wouldn't stop her from donning her clothing and armor once more unless she deigned to try and clean it up somehow first. Regardless, her captives were still bound and still silent, largely awaiting what she would do with or to them next as they had long given up on the idea of struggling free of their bonds.
Outside, the two faerie women nodded at Solidyn's orders to go and retrieve Kor, and promptly walked out of the tower to do so. One of the gruffs followed as well a few seconds later, though that didn't reduce the strength of those in the tower by much.
A few moments later, Kor's unconscious body was carried into the room by a pair of kobolds, the gruff and the two sorceresses walking behind and the former carrying a bottle of the potion that Kor drank. "He's not dying. He's just exhausted. It'll be a while before he'll wake up, but we shoved some of his potion down his throat anyway," one of the faerie women report calmly.
When ordered, a different gruff went out and shortly thereafter returned with two of the gemini that Huldah and Zahra had captured earlier. The former cat-folk were bound with chains and had sealing collars on their necks, and were each guarded by a pair of satyrs. They stood calmly before the massive armored spider, waiting for her to speak. Ur-Wind was busy examining the stairs leading up, leaving the questioning to Solidyn, Huldah, and Zahra.
Current number of allies:
Ur-Wind Ramel
12 kobold gunners
9 satyr scouts
10 gruff thugs
Bob the Quartermaster. He also does stand up. And cooks.
3 Su-Ku-Ta snipers
The orgasm provided by the combination of slime and cat cock in her was far more powerful than the half-vampire had expected. It took her a few moments just to regain the strength in her legs necessary to stand and remove herself from her impalement. In the end, though, it was all fleeting; the pleasure, the satisfaction, and the burst of weariness that had followed it all. That was the issue with empty hedonism, she had found, the more she indulged in it, the more she wanted.
But she had other things to attend to on that day. She rose and and moved for the hairpins she had discarded earlier, bringing her long, black hair back up and into a tidy bun. The gemini were ignored for as she sought out a rag or piece of clothing, that wasn't hers, of course, to wipe up the mess that the two had left with her. Only once that search was over did she turn to regard them, giving them another look at the front of her naked body. "What a mess," she announced, sternly. "That was no way to treat a lady, you should have at least warned me. I've half a mind to drain you of absolutely everything, after that." She grinned wickedly as she surveyed them.
But it wasn't the same, they weren't struggling, they had no hope. It just wasn't as fun if they had no hope. Aurelia glared at them for a few moments before turning and putting on the bits of her armor, one by one, speaking as she did so. "But, I would say that we were all winners today, wouldn't you two? Well–" she threw her head in the direction of the dead one "–except him." She fastened her breastplate back into place, with some difficulty given her lack of assistance. "But you have both pleased me greatly and I am a woman of my word. You both get to live," she let that most precious gift of hope hang in the air for a moment, rising in their hearts as she finished replacing her armor and moved on to her sword and shield.
And once her weapon was at her side again and her shield in hand, she dashed those hopes. "As my slaves," she continued as if she had never even paused. "You will live in immortality with me, seeing to my every need. You will shine my armor, sharpen my steel, help me ready for battle each day," the knight stacked each task on top of the other, attempting to crush that little glimpse of hope she had given them with the force of a hammer blow. "You will heat my meals, fetch my bathwater, and generally provide any service I require of you."
"But don't fret, serving me isn't such a terrible thing. In my home and tent, you will not be permitted to wear clothes; because I have certain needs and you'll see to those as well whenever I wish to take you. I can be quite ... insatiable. Serve well and you might even become my concubine or squire—depending on where you excel, of course. Such a service to a noble is surely a step up from whatever you lot were before." The half-vampire didn't even bother to look back at them and discover how they were taking the news, it was far more satisfying to simply imagine their horrified expressions as she began to ascend the stairs. She did stop, however, as she remembered something.
"Oh, and while I won't kill you, as per my word, should you try to escape I'll give chase. And do not doubt that I will find you one day. And when I do, I'll break your arms and legs and drag you back with me. But I'll see that you're healed just enough to remain alive, but never walk or use your hands again. You won't need working limbs to sate my most pressing thirst. Don't bother struggling, someone will be down to get you shortly." With that, the half-vampire continued her casual stroll up the stairs, whistling a merry little tune as she went.
If she reached the top of the stairs without further issue, Aurelia would issue another order to her undead thrall, assuming it was still there; "Hand me my helmet. Go downstairs, there's a door without a padlock, hold it closed with all your might. Don't do anything to the two bound gemini. Shriek a few times if they break free of their bonds or something tries to open the door from the other side." She had considered checking the mystery door by herself, but decided against it with how much energy she had already used that day. "After the faeries or Su-Ku-Ta retrieve those two, you're to find me as soon as possible."
With her helmet in hand, she would step outside, and rest for a moment before flagging down some of the faeries and Su-Ku-Ta in the courtyard.
Tell them what they've won! Also, order her zombie to hold that door shut, then step outside and send some faeries in for her captives.
If it comes up, she's requesting that they keep them separate from the others as their safety was part of a deal to her.
Also, I dunno after that. Dick around and rest for a bit, head back into the tower to check mystery door #1, or go to meet the others as the plot demands, I suppose!
"Oooh, the dark armour lady... She didn't come down with us, didn't she go somewhere else?" She asked the spider-woman, watching the fae bring the passed out mage inside, and then the gemini they had captured. She just smiled at them reassuringly, letting the others do the talking. She wasn't even entirely sure what the arachne wanted to ask them, after all.
"Yeah, her. Well, I'm sure she can take care of herself, with that armor and that freakish magic of hers." A shiver ran down Solidyn's spine and exoskeleton, just remembering the whole squad that woman had taken down by herself. Maybe if not for her, there would've been something left for Solidyn by the time she reached the...
She stopped that line of thought almost immediately. It was stupid to dwell on it - they hadn't taken any significant injuries, and she'd be getting paid, practically for doing nothing at all! An easy job was alright, every now and then - she wouldn't go soft after just one, after all. She just hoped their employers didn't stick them on guarding this thing afterwards. Guarding holes like this was always boring, and without something to do to take her mind off of it, sitting around in these metal plates sucked.
But she had to get back to work, and regarded the still-slumbering Kor. After that big display outside, she wondered - was this the same sort of sleep she or the others in their company got? Was he dreaming? Nevermind. It didn't matter. "Good work, you three."
Solidyn then turned and assessed the two prisoners before her through the grille of her visor. They didn't seem afraid or panicky... perhaps they realized they'd lost, and would give up what she needed to know easily? Or... or perhaps they weren't afraid of her, and were gonna give her a hard time.
She hoped it was the former. She wanted to secure this tower quickly.
She beckoned with one of her bladed fingers for the gruffs to bring the Gemini on the left forward. She unhooked the metal plate that protected her mouth, and gave him a toothy grin. Lowering her body to rest it's bulk on the floor to better make eye contact, Solidyn started running her hands along the capturee, as if to inspect him. One hand caressed his neck - razor fingers brushing his cheek, while her sharp thumb drew itself against his neck. The other ran against his chest, up to his shoulder, down the arm - shaving the tiniest bit of fur off the man.
The tremendous, iron-clad spider never stopped grinning at the corrupted cat-man. "Let's make this simple. You tell me why you were here, and what you were guarding in this tower - or I eat you."
DIPLOMACY
Also did I ever start doing a thing to differentiate speech? I forget if I did. I guess I'll start now.
Upkeep: 0 EP/turn
Final stats (with +0 to dodge and res due to buff)
Dodge: 55
Armor: 28
Perception: 13
Speed: 8
Resistance: 33
A bonus of +9 VS Prone and +5 VS Stun or involuntary movement, also
Kor's mind was a twisted mess of screams and combat, the flames of his nightmares climbing ever higher as his family was destroyed, the entire grisly scene running through his mind in seconds before the leering face of the butcher himself came into focus. Kor's dreams were always like this, the day he had become bound to Ensiloth, every night reliving the struggle that had ended in the strangest of draws, and every night costing him another memory, another piece of himself, only to regain another lost long ago...
As the golden haired monster loomed into view Kor drew his sword and dove at the fay snarling and swinging, his blade matched with another as the fight once again played out. The two looked more like dancers then fighters, each blow neatly turned or dodged, their bodies flowing around eachother as each sought the killing stroke, spells thrown at close range going wide until both mages glowed with an aura of power as their magic was used to increase their own strength. There it was, the turning point... Kor's blade came in high and lashed down with every ounce of his increased strength, hoping to cleave Ensiloth in two, only to be parried again. Both blades shattered into small shards, drawing lines of blood where they struck before the two combatants hands locked together and the fight took on a more savage aspect as they tried to tear each other apart with their bare hands...
Zahra slowly edged herself away from the center of the room at the bottom of the tower, until she could lean against one of the walls ever so slightly to support herself. After a short while the fae sorceresses came back, along with a couple of kobolds who were carrying Kor. The catgirl looked on with interest, noting that while he wasn’t bleeding any longer, his clothing was torn to shreds and bloody. Glada didn’t stick round ‘im she thought, leaning a little more heavily against the wall. She still wasn’t sure what had happened to him, but judging from how badly off he appeared to be it was a good thing she hadn’t been around to find out. He had seemed like the tough kind, tougher than her anyway, so unlike him she might not have been worth carrying into the tower had she been at his side.
Zahra looked on with even more interest as the Gemini they had captured were brought into the room, chained and sealed, guarded by a few Satyrs. This would be her chance to learn something about one of the leaders of this mercenary band, as she watched the interrogation. The former Su-Ku-Ta seemed relatively calm, all things considered, though Zahra had a hunch that this might not last. Indeed, Solidyn quickly settled in to an attempt to intimidate their captives, running her dangerously sharp claws over the face and neck of one of them, as well as shaving just a bit of fur off of his chest. The threat she issued was simple. Talk, or die. The catgirl wondered just how well it would work against these Gemini. Perhaps if it did they weren’t so far gone as to be unsalvageable. Perhaps they could be convinced to create a new life for themselves, free of the aliens. The next few moments would be crucial to the endeavor.
Huldah: HP = 58, PP = 33, EP = 33, Status = Fine
Kor'Ensiloth: HP = 68, PP = 78, EP = 89, Status = Fine
Zahra: HP = 54, PP = 40, EP = 38, Status = Fine
Solidyn-Nolu: HP = 60, PP = 50, EP = 80, Status = Fine
Aurelia Korort: HP = 104, PP = 43, EP = 105, Status = Fine, Has 1 Zombie Minion
The two faerie women, not wanting to watch Solidyn interrogate the two gemini, moved over to Kor and began to heal him. The response to Solidyn's blade-like finger and ricktus grin on the part of the captive gemini, meanwhile, was perhaps less terrified than she might have liked. He stared blankly and with a modicum of concern, but it seemed more like someone staring at a dangerous animal than one on the verge of being eviscerated by a massive armored spider woman.
He did answer clearly and immediately, however, "We couldn't get into the tower. Masters tried, but never pierced the shield and survived. Stopped trying directly, tried to siphon off energy that powered the shield instead. Said it was working. We just guarded the tower, Masters wanted whatever was inside." He paused, blinking and waiting for Solidyn to reply.
Down in her tower, Aurelia's gemini were somewhat more coherent, and more emotional as well as the two of them demonstrated some degree of the horror she had sought to inspire. Of course, with her back turned the half vampire didn't actually see it, but they remained locked in place in the floor all the same, waiting for some of the fey to come down and retrieve them. The death knight arrived at the surface to find a satyr waiting just outside of the tower, who immediately instructed her to go into the main tower and join Ur-Wind and the rest of the commanders of the mercenary group. Having nothing better to do, once she had delivered her own instructions to the faerie goat man she set off.
The death knight arrived mere moments before Kor was suddenly torn from his dream duel, awakening with a start as one of the faerie women splashed cold water on his face. "Works every time," she said with a smirk. All of his wounds had been healed by then, and though he had a tremendous headache from expending so much energy so quickly Kor felt, by and large, alright.
Current number of allies:
Ur-Wind Ramel
12 kobold gunners
9 satyr scouts
10 gruff thugs
Bob the Quartermaster. He also does stand up. And cooks.
3 Su-Ku-Ta snipers
Kor's eyes snapped open, filled with a wild fury as he leaped open the faerie, snarling, his lips drawn back and his fangs bared before suddenly realizing where he was. Climbing back off of the woman he apologized quickly and rubbed at his temples. "I'm alive, so it worked. Good, was honestly worried there for a second, the barrier was a nasty piece of work. Sorry for that just now by the way, be a lot more careful when waking me up, its not safe." Moving around the room and looking at its current occupants, his eyes resting on the captives before moving on and taking note of everyone.
"No casualties and inside our objective, good. Tell me, What have I missed?" He asked in a clipped voice, his demeanor not made any better by the raging headache. He had won, the barrier was down and they were all alive, gods that was close. Whoever had designed that nasty thing was good, but he was better. As he mused on this fact his lips curled into a twisted smile, it was now official, He was the superior mage here and nothing this tower had to hide would stay hidden...
Breaking away from his musings he turned to Ur-Wind, and as more of a formality then anything he raised an eyebrow and asked "Orders?" He was being polite as far as he was concerned, Kor would have like nothing more then to get started on some rituals to keep everyone safe, but he didn't know if he had the time, and if what he was remembering right, Ensiloth had almost slipped his leash when he passed out and he doubted anyone would be happy with him drawing sigils on the ground and working magic they were most likely unfamiliar with. Suddenly and without waiting for an answer Kor remembered the captives and decided a ritual was in order and he would explain himself if necessary but it was being done.
Designating the area around the captives Kor quickly erected a Zone of Truth around them, Allowing Kor to know the instant a falsehood left their lips, the spiritual cost was trivial and he could replenish it using them if necessary. "Ask them whatever you want, Ill know if they lie, and if they do, well... Im sure I can think of something" Kor said in easy hearing of the captives, looking at them and revealing his fangs.
1 minute and 20 EP for Zone of Truth, easy enough to manage. get creative with the questions, we have no idea what kind of goodies they actually have
Behind her grin, Solidyn grumbled to herself. Damn cat. They scared so easily when the big girl got to them! Sure, the spider woman didn't have a tree to hit them with, but she was like, six times his size! In armor! Her fingers were swords! Did he think she wouldn't eat him? She totally would.
Perhaps the prospect just didn't compare to that whole "having their soul eviscerated" thing those gray freaks did to make their soldiers? That was probably it, she told herself. She wasn't sure if they actually remembered that whole process, but it was much more comforting than the notion that she just wasn't scary.
"So you don't know anything? Well, how useless of you. I suppose I could just eat you when I come back down, if you're lying."
Solidyn made to let the man go and parked her bulk on the stairs, but stopped when Kor woke up (rather alarmingly) and started preparing a truth spell. "I don't think that's... ah, what the hell. Hmm... were you lying?" she asked first. "You didn't overhear anything, no rumors, nothing? How long have you been trying to get into the tower? What exactly do you mean by your "masters"? Just how many of 'em tried getting past the shield, and how many died? How long have you been draining the power from it?" She paused between each of her questions, waiting for the mutated cat to answer. Shortly, though, she tired of her interrogation. The easiest way would be to just go up the stairs - her armor was strong and thick, and her allies were ridiculously good at making things dead. They could handle whatever it was, right? "Well, hell. You lot want to ask 'em anything? Kor?"
Once that had been handled, she looked over at the satyrs and gruffs in the tower with them. "I want you lot ta' close that door n' guard it until we've cleared the place," Solidyn said to the goat-man mercenaries with her. "Don't want anythin' tryin' ta sneak off with our loot, do we?" She looked over who else was there - the kitty and her big friend, and their wizard. "Well... I s'pose we're enough to handle anything, though if we had that other... ah, here she is," the spider said, as Aurelia walked in. "Well then, might s' well get this over with. Gather 'round, everyone."
As soon as all her fellow mercenaries and her other companions had done so, she gave a little ceremonial chant, and sent her will out to wash over the group, making them faster in their arms and on their feet, bolstering their resolve in case anything dared to oppose them.
"One a' you ladies stay down here with them," the one-eyed Arachne said to the two sorceresses, pointing at the other gruffs. Stay alert, though, alla you. Mmm... 'ey, Marshal?" she said to the gun crew on her back. "You need any o' my gunners outside? I dunno if shootin' that thing inside's gonna be a good idea, but you never know, right?"
Other than that one question and Kor's spell, the spidertank was very ready to make her way up the tower. She supposed it'd be easy enough for one of the others with them to take a shot, if they had to...
The death knight had merely offered a shrug once the other half-vampire had finished his ritual. She had spent enough time talking to the gemini today, she felt. Besides, a truth zone took all the fun out of terrifying the prisoner and wheedling the information out of them. A fun questioning required at least one sharp object, a bucket, and some rags, if not an entire workshop. Sure, by the time you were done they might tell you that the sky was green just to be free of you, but that was fun, too, in its own way.
Aurelia briefly considered abusing the truth spell on her allies, but decided against it in the end. That was the kind of prank to be played after the battle, when the camp was raucous in celebration and the wine was flowing. Ahead might be hard fighting, and death. As the only remaining representative of House Korort, she had to hold herself accordingly. So, instead, she simply strode to the armored spider's side silently – vocally, at least, her own armor made a racket as she moved – and awaited the order to clear the tower.
