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Hafnium Test Thread


Re: Hafnium Test Thread

(Heh, had they been allowed to close, I would probably have lost, though that depends on how Mari and that dude fared. But if you let me let loose with AoE, with no risk of hitting friendlies..... Yeah, it is a bit cruel.)

Lenalee cackled at the sight of the smoldering wolves, her chest heaving as her hips continued to roll, but the amount of magic she'd used caught up with her a little bit more quickly than she'd have liked. The excitement faded, leaving her even more exhausted than before, but not before she could turn toward the man, who's name she still didn't know, and say; "A tad anticlimactic, right? I do despise it when they come a calling, but then lack... Staying power." She giggled again, her hair falling down into her face, which she absently brushed away from her eyes before turning back. After that was chores, and as her adrenaline high came down she gradually became surlier and surlier. Not having any way to help with it, Lenalee watched as Mari dug the darkhearts from the corrupted beasts, and only managed a tired smile to the rogue. She'd have to remember to split the profits from them.

Once they got back to camp, camp in this case being the wagon hidden where they'd left Ren and Jan, Lenalee sunk against the side of it, leaning her staff against it in the process and allowing it to stay there while Mari went to check on the other two. Sighing, she crossed her legs and closed her eyes as she leaned her back against the wagon. As everything seemed to be alright so far, the sorceress nodded for the rest of them to sit down in front of her. "Right... War council time then, I suppose. Firstly, are we really going to have to be stepping on eggshells to keep our names from you? Why not get introductions out of the way." She motioned to the man who had joined them, and continued; "I'll go first, to get things rolling. My name is Lenalee. You've already seen me naked, and you've already seen me fight, so I don't think you need much more than that."

Once everyone who was conscious and present was finished speaking, Lenalee continued; "Alright... So, as I understand it, you want to get into Amere to retrieve something. We want to get into Amere in order to find some information on a pair of women. One of them you already know about, the demoness who's started making all of the trouble around here. The other is a young girl, a blond, who came through here. She's the daughter of a nobleman, who hired me to find her, and according to Mari here her guards are in Amere.

"So... Mari and I were going to try and get in during the day, preferably by talking our way in. With you with us, it might be easier to get in without violence that way. Alternatively, if that didn't work, I had a plan to get in at night. Assuming we weren't lynched or something, of course. It'd involve calling in a favor that I'd have to pay back later, and I'm already in a bit of debt as it is on that end, but I'm fairly sure that she'd provide ample opportunity for us to slip through the nightly orgy unmolested." Lenalee finished, and looked around for questions or comments. She didn't expect any from Jan, unless the corrupted girl wondered why she' been left out of the active parts of it, but form Mari and the stranger she expected some sort of input.
 
Re: Hafnium Test Thread

HP = 38/41, PP = 56, EP = 21/62, Status = Tired

The stranger merely shrugged at the mention of exchanging names. "I don't really care either way. Name's Edmund." The rogue seemed willing enough to share since Lenalee had, even if she obviously still mistrusted the man. "Mari." The olive-skinned woman moved a hand to hush Jan's attempt to introduce herself, however, for some reason.

"Issat so about the noble girl?" Edmund responded with a raised eyebrow after Lenalee had finished detailing her plan. "Interesting, that..." The wolfish man paused to scratch the scruffy facial hair on his cheek. "Getting into the town during daylight shouldn't be too much of an issue. You might get a few creepy stares but otherwise they tend to leave things well enough alone when the sun is up. I have a secure place where we could stay in Amere for the duration, especially if you bring food. Getting answers about the demon, though..." Mari spoke up as Edmund seemed to begin contemplating something. "Most of the villagers seemed beyond redemption. I do not know that we will be able to get any information directly out of them. We will almost certainly need to search the village. It is hard to tell how the people will react to that." Edmund gave the rogue a cocky grin, as if mocking her for having the same opinion on the matter as him. Mari at least tried to swallow down her frustration that time, though the group's newest ally was obviously grating on her.

"It's true. They don't do much of anything these days besides the orgies. The farms go untended, I'm not even sure that they eat anymore. But there is a more direct source that we could get the information from." His grin turned wry. "The demon bitch visited the town from time to time before all this happened. I didn't know that she was a demon back then, sadly. But, I bet if we caused a bit of trouble we could get her or one of her minions to make another visit and greet them personally." Mari looked shocked at the idea that he would even suggest fighting the self-proclaimed priestess. "Surely you are not suggesting that we try to goad her into a head on fight with this little knowledge of her? Not only is that uncertain but it is also foolish. If the succubus is powerful enough to corrupt an entire town then we will need to know everything we can about her before we attempt to destroy her." Edmund looked at the rogue with mocking eyes. "Scared of the big bad demon?" For a moment it seemed as though he would continue to jeer at Mari but he suddenly stopped. It might have been because the rogue seemed to be trying to kill him by hating him really hard. "I suppose it isn't worth talking about until we're actually in the town, though."

The two had offered their input, at least, even if the only major thing they could agree on was attempting to enter the town during daylight.
 
Re: Hafnium Test Thread

Lenalee immediately regretted telling Edmund about the details of why she was looking for the girl. It hadn't been necessary information, at least not for him, and from the look of him, it wouldn't be beneath the man to try and take the reward for it somehow. Competition, particularly armed competition that could sneak around her if he had to, was just about the last thing she wanted to worry about right now. She didn't let it show on her face, however, and instead simply listened to the two. The bickering she had a feeling she would have to get used to, if Edmund stayed around for too long. She did notice that Mari had kept Jan from speaking, but at the time pointing it would have been totally unproductive, so she simply let it slide.

She made no comment until after the two had spoken, and then calmly said; "Right. Well, firstly, am I going to have to worry about the two of you trying to kill one another, or going off in the middle of a fight to fuck? The tension we really don't need, particularly tomorrow. Mari, yes, I know he's a kind of a rude, half-witless dipshit. But this is one of those times when you don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Our goals are not mutually exclusive, and as you've pointed out, we're up against an enemy of unknown strength with unknown resources. And... Edmund, as much as you clearly seem to enjoy baiting her, I would recommend that you try to keep it to a minimum. She'd been meaning to castrate a certain goblin who worked for the demon that's caused all this, and I sort of disintegrated him earlier today, so that urge hasn't been satisfied. Shut up or sleep lightly."

She sighed, exhaustion and a headache creeping in on her, but Lenalee continued; "Anyway.... We're going to stroll into Amere tomorrow, bright and early. We'll try to find out a few things, before we help Edmund here go and grab his thing from wherever it is that he left it. Then, if we don't have what we need, we cause some trouble to try and draw some attention. I trust that Mari is right when she says that the villagers are beyond help, but I want to see that for myself before I start lightning peoples houses on fire, and if things look sketchy, we can try to think up some sort of plan later. Also, we need to figure out where to leave our injured party and her guard, where they'll be safe. If things go bad, and we get separated, that's our rendezvous point. Any questions? If not, lets figure out watches before I light your clothes on fire to appease my inner sadist, or something. I need some sleep."
 
Re: Hafnium Test Thread

HP = 38/41, PP = 56, EP = 21/62, Status = Tired

Mari looked a little hesitant at first but eventually consented. "For you I will try to remain civilized with this... gentleman." It was obviously going to take the rogue some effort, though she seemed to be willing to try, at least. Edmund simply gave a cheeky grin. "Only half-witless, eh? Clearly I've made an impression on you!" He gave a great sigh of mock disappointment. "Oh, I suppose I can stop, if only for the love of homicidal ladies." A greatly exaggerated and mocking bow followed. One might begin to wonder whether the abrasiveness was a conscious effort on his part or if he just had a knack for it. Mari seemed to bite some snarky quip back, briefly glancing to Lenalee as she did so. "As far as the other two, the only option I can offer would be my home away from home in Amere. It is well fortified and has survived the nightly orgies since they begun but food is low. Feeding three people on whatever I could scrounge has been difficult, to say the least." The rogue looked as though she was trying to think of a way to word something without insulting or threatening Edmund. "It seems like it is either that or the forest and I do not like either option." Mari replied, carefully avoiding the matter of food.

"I will take first watch," the woman continued, obviously trying to get the matter taken care of so that Lenalee could rest as soon as she pleased. "I am still fresh and unfatigued." The wolfish man simply shrugged. "Ladies first, I I s'pose." Edmund turned and regarded the cart. "As much as I'd enjoy something over my head, I'm afraid my rugged good looks would keep you and your friends up all night and there's no room for a proper foursome in there." His tone yet again raised the question of whether he was confident, arrogant, naturally abrasive, or just an idiot. "So, I'll stay on the outside. Try not to accidentally trip and stab me to death in my sleep now, milady," he finished by addressing Mari.

---

(You can spend XP should you rest for the night, assuming you don't have anything else to discuss with the tension team.)

If Lenalee chooses to sleep...
The sorceress awakes the morning after, fully restored. Ren remains in her coma but the mage has little trouble gathering the rest of the group. The light of day is just barely breaking through the hundreds of trees in the forest and there is the chill of morning in the air. Regardless, the rested Lenalee can begin enacting her plans.
 
Re: Hafnium Test Thread

EXP spending: Added +10 to Mind and +8 to Spirit. Spent 18 of her 19 experience.

Lenalee shared the glance with Mari at the mans mocking bow, her impression of his gesture not any more favorable than the rogue's, so her expression was a patient grimace. "Forest it is then. I'll take last watch, as I like to be up early anyway." Their meeting more or less adjourned, Lenalee calmly slumped back against the wagon and closed her eyes. She stayed that way for a minute or so, but then she opened her eyes and climbed up, grumbling. She moved to sit at the base of the wagon, her legs crossed. While there was probably room enough in the wagon to sleep, and curling up next to Mari held its very own appeal, that would also mean sleeping next to Jan, which would leave her horny all night, and the still unconscious Ren, who would remind her of just how bad it could go, if she wasn't careful.

So, after sleeping at the foot of the wagon, Lenalee awoke before dawn, shaken awake to take watch, and she did just that, sitting on the front of the wagon with her head in her hands and her staff across her lap. As she half-heartedly watched the surrounding woods, the sorceress brooded on what had happened the day before, and what was to come later today. All she concluded was that the money probably wasn't worth it, but that she was already invested in things far too much to just walk away. When morning finally did came, and she decided that it was time to get people up, she poked and prodded at everyone until they started stirring, Edmund a bit harder than was really necessary. The very first thing she did after waking everyone up was to cast a few minor healing spells on Ren, hoping against hope that the redheaded rabbit-girl would wake up from the magic coursing through her.

Then, she gathered Mari, Jan and Edmund together. The first thing she did was turn to Jan and say; "Jan, could you wait with Ren? I don't want to leave her alone, and I don't mean to offend, but you stand out a bit more than any of us. We'll be back as soon as we can." Then, she turned toward Edmund and Mari and said; "You two are both better at woodcraft than I. Lets get close to Amere, and take a peak, preferably without being seen. Unless something looks particularly off, we double back to the road and walk in like we own the place."

(Cast a couple of 0 cost healing spells on Ren, just for the lulz, and then get going towards Amere.)
 
Re: Hafnium Test Thread

HP = 50, PP = 70, EP = 75, Status = Fine

The healing spells yielded some unexpected results. Ren stirred as magic poured into her body... then nothing happened. Lenalee could feel something strange, however, as she attempted to awaken the rabbit girl again. The power seemed to simply vanish within the redhead, as though something were absorbing it. Whatever had absorbed her magic seemed ravenous in it's attempts to leech more energy from the sorceress, yet nothing seemed to bring Ren closer to waking up. When she had finally given up, no progress had been made besides confirming that there was something unnatural about the comatose girl's state.

Lenalee went to directing the other three next. As could almost be expected by that point, Jan was fairly malleable and did as suggested with a simple nod. Edmund was so busy rubbing sleep out of his eyes that it seemed he wasn't really paying attention to any of them. Mari chose to ignore the existence of the unkempt man and instead offered Lenalee her full attention. "I can take us there in short order." Edmund merely yawned and shrugged at that, obviously willing to follow. After last second preparations were made, it was time to set off.

Mari led the group with as much efficiency as ever, taking them through a winding path of trees and dead leaves. The rogue was particularly alert after the incident with the wolves the night before. Edmund was exactly the opposite, strolling through the woods as though he didn't have a care in the world. It took them nearly half an hour to get to the stream from the night before, which they followed for nearly another half an hour before arriving at their destination. The easiest first impression to take upon seeing the town was a poignant one, desolation.

Even looking at the village from the safety of trees, the place looked like a shell. Life had obviously flourished there once, it was nearly large enough to become something more than a village, even surrounded by forest as it was. The outer rim of the place was populated mostly by farmland, where wheat and other crops had been planted. Buildings, large and small, stretched as far as the eye could see. A well used dirt path lead to the part of the stream they were situated near. Yet, at the time, it all seemed like a mockery of actual life. The crops, upon closer inspection, were withering and dying. Overripe vegetables littered the ground around the patches where it had gone unharvested and simply fell, the occasional bit of rot or hole where animals and scavengers had picked at them was noticeable. The buildings were falling into disrepair, common maintenance going undone. The roads were completely unpopulated and the town was infected with an oppressive silence. Even the air seemed to carry an eerie and oppressive quality with it. The continued existence of Amere was, perhaps, a cruel and sick joke played by it's new mistress.

Mari looked at Lenalee with uncertainty. Meanwhile, Edmund stared at the village with grim determination.
 
Re: Hafnium Test Thread

Lenalee stared at Ren in confusion. She'd never encountered anything like that, but she knew that she didn't have the time or energy to spare at the moment to try and find out more. When she got back, however..... Before she left, she said to Jan; "Watch Ren carefully. Especially if she awakens." After that, there was nothing else to do but leave.

Walking along the stream and seeing the overripe crops near the desolated village reminded Lenalee that she hadn't had much in the way of food and water since she'd had breakfast along the road, before finding Ren, Mari and Jan. Pushing her discomforts to the back of her mind, however, Lenalee stared at the dying village grimly. After a moment, she simply said; "There's no time like the present. Let's go. Edmund, you know where you left whatever it is that you left. Lead the way. Mari, stay next to me, and we'll be right behind you."
 
Re: Hafnium Test Thread

HP = 50, PP = 70, EP = 75, Status = Fine

Edmund nodded plainly at the direction given to him and began to stalk towards the town. The lean man took to the road but looked from building to building as he moved. The scruffy man and the rogue seemed to change roles as they entered the town, with Edmund as at home in the town as the olive-skinned woman had been in the forest. Mari slipped in beside Lenalee and kept her own eyes on the buildings as they passed, glancing to regard each structure not unlike a nervous bird, watching for predators.

The group passed by the crops as they moved further into Amere. Edmund muttered, "They're not safe to eat. They might be corrupted." The man didn't seem to be aware of Lenalee's hunger. His statement was an idle one, as though he was giving a tour. They passed several more buildings, the only distinguishing marks being disrepair or damage from the debaucheries that likely occurred each night. There was the occasional broken window, shutters torn off, missing doors, and places where the rodents and other such creatures had begun to come in and infest the buildings. "It all fell apart so fast," Edmund whispered, looking nowhere in particular.

When the trio was sufficiently into the town proper, Lenalee began to see figures flickering by in the dark windows from time to time. The sorceress could almost feel the rogue tensing up next to her with the short distance between them, Mari had undoubtedly noticed the same thing. Edmund, however, strode on confidently, especially as they got closer to the center of Amere. The village was surprisingly dense with homes and other structures. "We're almost there, the man stated, taking a turn off the road. Lenalee could follow his eyes to a building in particular, though it was still several hundred, if not closer to thousand, feet away.

Any feeling of success in the air was quelled, however, by a shout. "Interlopers!" It came from the second story of one of the larger buildings, a naked and heavily mutated man called it from the window. A few seconds later, the call was echoed. "Interlopers!" A naked woman with breasts nearly as large as Lenalee's head called from the group's side, staring blankly out from another home. "Interlopers!" Three more, two of them men and one a woman, picked up the alarm. "Interlopers!" Five emerged from a large building opposite the trio's intended direction, all of them were heavily mutated and they wielded pitchforks and farming implements. In less than a minute, Amere's silence was gone, replaced with a rallying cry against the would-be 'interlopers.'

"Oh, piss," was the only vocal contribution that Edmund offered to their new threat. Edmund yanked his sword and pistol free of his belt. The wolfish man looked back to the house that had been their destination, he seemed to be judging whether or not the group would be able to outpace the increasing mob of villagers and how many of the shouts had come from their intended direction. The rogue's sword seemed almost like it had jumped out of her sheath and into her hand, with the grace and speed that she had drawn it.

Mari looked towards Lenalee nervously, "I hope you have a plan, or they might teach us a lesson about sharing."
 
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Re: Hafnium Test Thread

Despite herself, as the people of Amere started bearing down on them, and Mari spoke, Lenalee began to laugh. She had been tried to kill indiscriminately, using her magic to fell anything in front of her. She hadn't hung onto that particular piece of her training, and that had always been something that she'd been proud of. But, when push came to shove, she fell back upon her combat training with ease.

The crackle of electricity accompanied her laugh, and as she grinned psychotically at Mari, she said; "Oh, I've something to share with them!" She leveled her staff at the crowd of five mutated villagers, and sent a bolt of lightning from it out toward them without a second thought. Before the bolt had even struck them, however, she turned back to her companions and shouted; "Run! We need to find someplace to hold them off, preferably an alley or something. We can't afford to get surrounded!"

Lightning Bolt, level 3 Lightning spell.
Base casting for it is 24 + 12 = 36 vs 20.
Damage is (1d6 + 8) * 3 to anyone within a 150 foot line.
Costs 4 EP.
Then, have Edmund lead us somewhere that isn't here, out in the open.
 
Re: Hafnium Test Thread

HP = 50, PP = 70, EP = 71/75, Status = Fine

Rolls
Casting: Success
Damage: (1 + 8) * 3 = 24 damage to all 5. (I'd

Edmund
Attacks: Hit and Hit
Damage: 32 and 13. Dead.

Lenalee
Attack: Hit
Damage: 32. Dead.

Villagers 1-4
1 Attack vs Lenalee: Miss.
2 Attack vs Edmund: Hit. 19 - 1 = 18 damage.
3 Attack vs Mari: Miss.
4 Attack vs Mari: Miss.

The rogue looked at her with an appreciative grin, apparently feeling that a little bit more sociopath was exactly what they needed. Lenalee's spell coursed through the air, striking her intended targets with enough electricity to lay a normal person low. "Glad not to be on the receiving end this time," Mari said, her grin turning wry.

Unfortunately, the mutated villagers were a bit hardier, and faster, than an average human and weathered the power. Before the trio could begin their fighting retreat one came dashing in, only to find Mari's longsword running across it's belly, leaving most of it's innards out, an elbow to the back of the head sent it tumbling to the ground for good. Edmund took aim with his pistol only to have the well endowed woman who had taken up the call earlier come scrambling out of the window and grabbing him from behind. The scruffy man used his strength to toss her over his shoulder and onto the ground, before ending her with an outward flick of his sabre aimed at her throat and a single gunshot.

The other villagers caught up then, taking swings at the trio, Lenalee and Mari both managed to dodge gracefully. Edmund hadn't quite recovered from finishing the woman yet, however, and took a pitchfork to the shoulder, issuing an angry roar as it was yanked free. "Alright, yeah, think it's time to go," he grunted through clenched teeth. Nursing his shoulder, he moved to lead them down a narrow pathway between some of the buildings, away from the still-increasing shouts of interloper. "We could try to make a run for the house, I've got a few surprises there." He looked back and forth, trying to figure out which way to go to meet the criteria set forth by the sorceress. Then, when he seemed to have his bearings, he prepared to continue moving. "Barring that, if we keep this up long enough they're bound to notice that something is wrong and help." Edmund didn't expand on who 'they' were.

The corrupted villagers didn't halt in their pursuit, being joined by two more mutated men eager to aid in their task. They didn't seem to have any issue gaining ground on the group as a whole, either. Lenalee's training might yet serve her well, even if she hadn't exactly been a willing student.
 
Re: Hafnium Test Thread

Lenalee hissed, and narrowly avoided a thrusting pitch fork. Her armor wouldn't stop one of those, particularly not with the strength that these villagers were exhibiting. Her bolt hadn't stopped them, a fact she didn't much like, and they fled after the brief melee.

Edmund was already injured, possibly badly, but as they ran down the alleyway between two buildings, the wounded man speaking about going to the house, Lenalee suddenly stopped and turned around. "Not yet;" She said over her shoulder; "We hold them here for a moment, and then make a run for the house."

She pointed her staff down the alley and smiled. She couldn't have asked for a better place to fight. "Buh bye!" Her hair, which had already been fairly staticy after her previous spell, rose once more, forming a black mass that hung over her head. Her power danced across her staff once more, but this time, the lightning turned black as she readied it, and it raced down the alleyway toward the oncoming villagers, giving them no real chance to avoid it in those close quarters.

The black power she'd poured into it coursed through her own body as well, and Lenalee cooed with passion as she watched her destructive power go to work. Once she saw the result of her power, one way or another, Lenalee spun around and shouted; "Go! If it looks like we can make it to the house, head that way! Otherwise, try and find another alley!"

Devils Lightning down the alley, trying to catch as many as she can. X = 10.
Try to get to the house if it looks like they can make it. If not, find another alley.
 
Re: Hafnium Test Thread

HP = 50, PP = 70, EP = 61/75, Status = Fine

Rolls
Damage: (8 + 1) * 10 = 90. Dead.

Lenalee made short work of the six pursuers, turning them from mutated villagers into finely charred ones. Edmund nodded to the disheveled sorceress and Mari and then continued moving, clutching his shoulder. He went running down the path, though to his credit he made an effort not to outpace Lenalee despite obviously being a bit faster than her. Mari kept pace with the sorceress, sharp eyes scanning the surrounding buildings. As the trio ran they passed by several more damaged buildings, occasionally a group of mutated men and women would burst out of them and begin to give chase but for the most part they were able to gain distance on their pursuers.

They made it at least a hundred feet closer to their target before another situation arose. "Ahead!" Mari called out in alarm. A few small groups of the hostile townsfolk had come out of the buildings ahead of them, wielding everything from kitchen knives to shears. There were five in total arrayed against the trio. "Over here!" Edmund called as he went towards another alley, or what passed for it. Before he made it in, however, two armored men, at least from the waist up, came charging out of it with clubs, forcing the scruffy man to leap back. Despite their breastplates, the men were quite obviously as mutated as any of the other townsfolk. The wolfish man only stared at them murderously. Mari readied her sword.

There were seven who intended to waylay the group. The alleyway was blocked by the two partially armored men, the road ahead was blocked by the other five. An entire horde was pursuing the three and they had precious seconds to work with before the entire rest of the town's population began to trickle into the fight.
 
Re: Hafnium Test Thread

Lenalee smiled as the magic she'd conjured disintegrated the mutated villagers, but had little time to gloat over it. Her more violent side was showing in full at this point, but she followed after Mari and Edmund with as much haste as she could manage. She was hardly as athletic as her more martial allies, and as such had some trouble keeping up with them while also trying to keep up with them, but she was doing her best. Inwardly, Lenalee cursed herself for having not prepared herself better for the upcoming fight before it had started, but the sorceress also knew that there wasn't anything she could do for it now. Best to live in the present now, lest she be skewered on a pitch fork in the (near) future.

She skidded to a halt behind her two comrades as they tried to get into another alleyway, only to have a pair of armored villagers come pouring out to meet them, clubs raised. 'Damnit! We're going to get swarmed if we wait around out here!' She thought to herself as she glanced between the five in the road and the two blocking access to the alley. Her choice in the matter was decided rather quickly for her by one simple fact, however: Mari and Edmund were in between her and the two half-naked men. The five other villagers, however, were under no such protection.

Once more, black lightning collected along her staff, and Lenalee level it in their direction. She was throwing around a lot more power than she liked to, particularly given the fact that it didn't seem likely that she would be given a chance to rest and regenerate her energies any time soon. It couldn't be helped, however, and once more her hair stood up, and her stormy blue eyes flashed with power. The excitement brought on by the use of her magic still heady in her eyes, and causing her to put a little bit of a slur into her words, Lenalee said; "Ignore them! Down the road, now! We keep moving!"

Same as last post, Devils Lightning X = 10 at the group blocking the road. Try to squeeze as many of them as I can into the radius, and then try to head in that direction.
 
Re: Hafnium Test Thread

HP = 50, PP = 70, EP = 51/75, Status = Slightly Tired.

Rolls
Damage: (5 + 1) * 10 = 60 damage. 4 dead.

Mari: Lightning Jabs
Attacks: Hit, Hit, and Hit.
Damage: 24, 24, and 22. Dead.

Edmund: Sudden Shot.
Stealth: Edmund wins.
Attack: Automatic Success.
Damage: 29 * 2 = 58 - 16 = 42 damage. Dead.

(Bonus Roll, Perception) Hearing: Success

Lenalee's desire to avoid a farming tool related end served her well. The lightning that had done its work so dutifully before did not begin to fail her then, it laid low four of the five villagers ahead of her. The fifth villager wasn't close enough to the others for her lightning to take effect on it. The four that had been blasted did not get back up, the sheer power the sorceress was expending had put them down for good, yet the same usage of power was taxing the sorceress. Mari wordlessly took the fifth one that was obstructing their path. The rogue's sword ran across its chest, then pierced its stomach, and then the olive-skinned woman deftly stepped under his pitiful return swing before pivoting and cutting the man's hamstring, causing him to fall face down onto the dirt path. Lenalee issued her slurred command and Mari hastened to obey. Edmund, did not, however. The wolfish man readied his pistol and fired directly at the face of one of the two half-naked men with alarming quickness. "I release you from your duty," Edmund mumbled under his breath so lowly that Lenalee could barely hear him.

The man seemed torn between attacking the remaining warped villager and fleeing with the sorceress and rogue. He did not dally long, however, and managed to catch up to the others. The armored mutant couldn't even begin to gain ground on the trio.

They continued to flee towards their intended destination. The exertion of their sprint and the waves of enemies they had pierced through was causing the entire group some weariness. They managed to slightly outpace the horde that was chasing them. It almost began to look like the group would make it to the house. Almost. Disaster threatened to strike again when they found a small horde of villagers ahead of them. Attempts to escape into more enclosed spaces failed as even more of the townspeople emerged from the cracks and crevices of the buildings and alleyways. There were at least twenty of the mutants, spread out into groups of varying composition. Worse, the other horde wasn't so far behind the ragged group that they would have much time to break through.

The sorceress would probably be able to take a large group of them with any appropriate spell. The rogue and Edmund seemed more than ready to fight anything that came at them. Numbers weren't on their side, however, and the villagers seemed more than willing to throw ever-increasing waves of themselves at the 'interlopers.'
 
Re: Hafnium Test Thread

Lenalee filed away Edmund's words to the armored man as he blew his brains out for a line of questions to be asked at a later date. They were far too busy right now for her to worry overly much about such things, but her curiosity was piqued, and when there was time later, the facts around that utterance would get pried out of the man one way or another.

Mari and Edmund were performing brilliantly against the corrupted villagers, as experienced warriors ought to, but they could only fell one person at a time. A skilled as they were, against a crowd, they would be overwhelmed. Lenalee had something of an advantage, in that particular theater, in that she could quite easily wipe out entire groups of them, if they conveniently got themselves into lines for her. She could call on other magics, like fire or wind, if she really had to, and a fireball could probably clear out a group of the villagers much more efficiently than the more pointed bolts of lightning that she was more used to wielding. She wasn't nearly as adept at such spells, however.

Unfortunately, as they stood very nearly surrounded, yet so close to their goal, Lenalee wondered what else she might be able to do. A horde waited behind them, but another was swiftly gathering in front of them, staying in groups but not clumping such that her abilities would have their maximum effect. Then, however, a sudden idea came to Lenalee. They had arranged themselves in groups, in a rough semi circle blocking their path to the house that offered them sanctuary. A shot from the side might catch quite a few of them in it, but from where she was, such a shot was impossible. A different sort of magic might serve her better, in this case, but Lenalee knew exactly what she was going to do.

Lightning crackling across her staff once more, Lenalee paused in her run, sucking in air as she forced her will into line, using the excitement caused by the wild run to empower her magic. Grinning like a maniac, she pointed her staff at one group, unleashed her magic, and then tore her staff across in an arc. She'd sent the lightning off to her right, but the spell quickly turned after hitting its first target, jumping from person to person several times, each time striking a new victim. Hopefully having cleared their line to the house, at least partially, Lenalee shouted; "Push through! We get caught out here, and we're dead!"

Cast Chain Lightning, level 4 lightning spell.
Casting would be 24 + 12 = 36 vs DC 30. Costs 4 EP.
Damage would be (1d6 + 8) * 3 to everyone that it hits. Make sure that she doesn't hit Mari or Edmund. That would be bad! :p
The actual spell description:
Chain Lightning {Utility} [Hits any 8 creatures within 20 feet of one another with a Lightning Bolt (Level 3 Lightning spell) that bounces between each of the targets. The first target must be within 60 feet of the caster, and targets can be hit multiple times. The bolt always jumps to the closest target.]
 
Re: Hafnium Test Thread

HP = 37/50, PP = 70, EP = 45/75, Status = Slightly Tired, Minor Injury.

Rolls
Lenalee: Murdering dudes!
Casting: Success
Damage: (6 + 8) * 3 = 42 damage. 8 dead.

Mari: Defensive Strike!

Edmund: Activate Whirling Death & Attack.
Attacks: Hit & Hit.
Damage: 27 and 34. Dead.

???: Rapid Shot, Ranged Attack against Villagers.
Stealth: Success
Attacks: Hit, Miss, and Hit.
Damage: 66 and 84. Two dead.

Villagers 1-9 (Oh jeez)
Villagers 1-4 attack Mari, all miss. She does 22, 34, 28, and 29 damage, killing none.
Villagers 5-7 attack Edmund. Surprisingly, all miss.
Villagers 8-9 attack Lenalee. 1 miss, 1 hit. 17 - 4 = 13 damage.
5 more villagers join the fray!

Lenalee was getting quite good at killing scores of villagers, it seemed. Her lightning violently electrocuted eight of the twenty or so that stood in their way, killing them outright and buying the trio enough room to begin pushing through the masses. If the villagers had any sense left they would have shied away from the fearsome sorceress and such would have been the right decision. They did not, however, and so the group had to push hard through the throng of assailants with steel and magic leading the way.

Mari moved with Lenalee, fighting defensively and attempting to persuade their pursuers not to attack the sorceress, mostly by stabbing them. Four charged at her, pitchforks and other farming implements cutting through the air at the olive-skinned rogue. She ducked, weaved, and counterattacked, and somehow when they had backed off they looked worse for the scrape than she did. Edmund charged into a group on the opposite side of Lenalee, batting aside improvised weapons as the villagers tried to take chunks out of him. He even managed to kill another in the chaos, bashing the butt of his pistol against one some mutated woman's head and then gutting her with his sabre.

Fate seemed as though it still yet had worse things intended for the sorceress that day. Four of the villagers had slipped by the two more melee minded warriors and obviously saw the mage as the bigger threat, and perhaps easier to skewer. They came rushing in such a manner that Lenalee couldn't find a trajectory to dodge away from the blows. Before the pitchforks skewered her, however, a series of loud bangs filled the air, followed by the noise of some small object whizzing through the air. Two of the men dropped, heads exploding into gore before they did so, and a window shattered to the far right of the sorceress. "About time!" Edmund shouted, suddenly sounding much more optimistic than he had earlier, not that anybody called in return.

Lenalee could feel something else though, something that her companions didn't seem to be capable of sensing. The sorceress could feel a massive amount of power being channeled into the area they were bogged down in and it had began as soon as the two villagers before her had dropped. It was much like her own power, except with much less quality and much more quantity. In comparison Lenalee's power might have been considered something akin to a spear, capable of piercing, rending, or reforming any object that she might desire as such with less effort expended, the energy surrounding them was more like a massive hammer, smashing away at a task until it was accomplished. It felt like somebody had dropped a huge weight on her shoulders. It was distracting...right up until one of the villagers got over their confusion at the sudden death of his allies and stabbed her in the left arm with a pitchfork.

Five more villagers had caught up to them, though there were only fourteen arrayed against them and, judging by the look on his face, Edmund seemed to believe that help was on the way and that it was all but settled. Mari did not seem so optimistic, even with the emergence of the mystery shooter. They would likely have to fight to break free of the group but it seemed more possible than it had only moments before.
 
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Re: Hafnium Test Thread

Things were not going as well as she would have liked. They were surrounded, making many of Lenalee's more effective spells largely useless, unless of course she wanted to hit her allies as well as her enemies. Mari had injured several of them, and Edmund had put down one of the villagers, but more and more of them just kept pouring in. Even with the mystery shooters help, who claimed two of the corrupted townsfolk, things most certainly weren't looking good. Particularly as, while she was contemplating just how bad they were doing, and how they were getting bogged down by a horde of townsfolk, she got stabbed in the shoulder by god damn pitch fork.

It was only as Lenalee hissed in pain, and clutched at her bleeding left arm, that she truly noticed. Some presence hung over them, as thought it were getting ready to crush them all flat under its weight. Power was gathering above them, and unless Lenalee did something, and fast, they would all be caught up in whatever it was that was about to happen. It grated against her senses, and the urge to turn and flee from it popped into her head.

The sorceress was hardly one to give in to such an urge, however, and after a panicked second, a mad plan suddenly formed within Lenalee's head. Her magical learning had been broad enough that she could perform many different feats with them, such that she had the ability to do things that even mages far older than she could not easily accomplish. Such was the spell she attempted now, and though she was distracted by pain and discomfort, Lenalee found the working easier than she'd have thought possible a few days ago.

If it worked correctly, an image would appear, life sized, of the three of them standing exactly as they were, making motions similar to the ones that they had been making in order to fend off the villagers. She would be clutching at her wounded arm while attempting to cast another spell, while Mari parried away the crude implements of the villagers, and Edmund prepared to club at another of their attackers. Meanwhile, the real her would push Mari and Edmund lightly, and say just loud enough that the two of them could hear; "Go! Run, while they're confused! we need to not be standing here 2 seconds from now!"

They had to clear that spot while the clearing was good, or whatever was gathering would come down on top of them. That is, if they didn't just get overwhelmed first, as the constant influx of corrupted villagers was liable to do.

Casting Illusions, a level 3 Light spell.
Casting check should be 24 - 8 = 16 vs DC 20. Costs another 4 EP.
Illusions {Utility} [Creates small illusions that creatures will believe to be real unless they win a Resistance check against the caster. What the illusions are or are meant to do is up to the caster.]

Cast that, and then try to run while the villagers stab stupidly at the phantoms.
 
Re: Hafnium Test Thread

HP = 37/50, PP = 70, EP = 45/75, Status = Slightly Tired, Minor Injury.

Rolls
Casting: Failure (Rolled a 3. Which, for reference, is the first time that I can remember Lenalee rolling under a 10 for attack rolls or casting rolls!)

Mari: Defensive Strike

Edmund: Attack.
Attacks: Hit & Hit
Damage: 27 and 46 damage. Dead.
Edmund has taken 28 damage from Whirling Death & attacks so far.

???: Sudden Shot, Rapid Fire & Attack.
Stealth: Success
Attacks: Hit and hit. (I know these should technically be auto success but I do so enjoy rolling. >.>)
Damage: 26 * 2 = 52. 32 * 2 = 64. 2 dead.

A new challenger arrives! Dumps an absurd amount of EP into Patch of Shadows.

The remaining 11 villagers swing wildly in the shadows but literally can't hit anything with the blind status.

Lenalee tried to conjure an illusion, a convincing picture of her casting and the two melee combatants fighting, but simply couldn't focus on it through the pain. For the first time since the trip had started, her spell fizzled. Mari and Edmund continued to try to push through the crowd, fighting to keep the mob away from the sorceress and their most likely chance of survival. Two more gunshots rang out through the noisy din and two more villagers fell. Edmund slashed and smashed down another of the townspeople. Lenalee knew that they did not have the time that the two were expending on trying to get them through the fighting, that any moment the source of the power would be upon them.

Then it happened, the energy focused itself in one place and the disaster that the sorceress expected was sure to befall them. Only...it didn't. Instead, a girl of slight frame with long, straight black hair appeared in front of them and the crowd. The girl was clothed in a blue silken dress, similar to the finery that Edmund wore. She had a pretty face, upon which sat a small smile entirely out of place for the situation they were in. The girl's eyes were softly closed and did not open for even a peek. "What are you doing, Lila? It's not exactly safe out here!" Edmund managed to scold before the girl known as Lila brought her hands together and everything became very, very dark.

Lenalee found herself unable to see as power emanated from the girl in the form of an unnatural patch of pitch darkness. She could hear the villagers swinging at nothingness and missing. It went on for a few more seconds before she felt a hand on her shoulder and her sight returned. Villagers moved to and fro all around the Badarian mage but none seemed to be able to see her. Upon inspection, the hand belonged to Lila, with her eyes still closed, who had also collected Mari and Edmund. "I am an ally," she whispered softly. "Hold onto my hand and I can take you to safety." Edmund gave a silent nod towards Lenalee to affirm Lila's statement.

Assuming Lenalee did as requested and held onto the girl, she would feel Lila building power again, far more than should have been necessary for teleportation, even dragging four people along with her. Yet still, Lila did it, and within moments they found themselves on the inside of a barricaded house. Their surroundings were rather nice, all things considered. A few candles burnt on the mantle of a fireplace, which appeared to have gone unused for several weeks. The light illuminated a table in the corner of the room, on which rested a lunch for two that appeared to be half finished, and three chairs, one of them toppled over, surrounded it. The windows were all barricaded with boards and bits of wood. The heavy oaken front door was unbarred, likely from when the inhabitants had gone to check the commotion. A few large clay jugs were in another corner of the room, apparently filled with water. There was bedding spread along the ground, enough for one. A staircase leading up and three old doors to other sections of the house could be seen as well.

"I have to go bring back grandpa now, Sir Edmund," Lila stated, bringing her hands together as if she was praying. "It's too dangerous for you but he'll be-" Edmund started to retort but was cut off by the sudden disappearance of the girl he was speaking to. "I hate it when she does that," the man offered, defeated. "Well, make yourselves at home, she'll be a few minutes," he said with a sigh and a deflated wave of his arm before plopping into one of the chairs by the table and taking a bite of half-eaten soup.

Mari, for her part, appeared to still be adjusting.
 
Re: Hafnium Test Thread

Lenalee cursed inwardly as she felt the spell falling apart on her. For a half second, the image was there, right where they'd been, but then, a second later, it was gone, dissolved into nothing. The fact that she'd wasted energy on it was one thing, but the fact that she'd wasted time on it was a whole other matter. She felt the power gathering over them, clumsy but potent as it was, and braced herself for some horrific doom even as the villagers started closing in around them.....

Only for a girl to appear, wearing clothes similar to those worn by Edmund, and then suddenly cover them all in darkness. Not having any better options at the time, Lenalee was dragged out, and glanced back toward the darkness, where the corrupted townsfolk seemed to still be attempting to find and kill them. The sorceress hesitated for a moment, but then silently shrugged, and took the girls hand, only for them to be teleported away.

Lenalee took a moment to reorient herself after the unusual transportation, taking in her surroundings while trying to get her head on straight again. As such, she didn't have time to even get a word in toward the girl who had rescued them, Lila according to Edmund, and opened her mouth only to close it again immediately afterwords as the girl vanished once more.

Turning toward Edmund, she quickly said; "Right... I'm guessing that this is where you live, then?"

And the plot thickens!

Also, exp for slain villagers?
 
Re: Hafnium Test Thread

HP = 50, PP = 70, EP = 75, Status = Fine.

(XP will be coming up in a few more posts! :3 Additionally, I was originally going to name this character Lilly and then I realized I'd used that name already for a random off-screen NPC in AshPrince's thread. I really need to work on this naming thing. >.>)

"Old fool let her cook again," Edmund muttered with a hint of frustration as he took another spoonful of the fragrant soup. It smelled much better than rationed food really had any right to, a delicious blend of smells wafting into Lenalee's nostrils. The sight contrasted with the smell, however, it looked very bland. "Yeah, home away from home you could say," Edmund responded to the question after finishing his mouthful. Meanwhile, Mari had finally snapped out of her confusion long enough to remove a cloth from her armor and wipe some of the gore from her blade, which wasn't as appetizing a sight as even the plain reddish broth of the stew.

Before anything else could be said, Lenalee felt that weight again. It was easy to tell that the girl was completely inefficient with her massive energy pool. Edmund and Mari seemed completely incapable of feeling it but anybody with any sort of refined spiritual sense would know of the expenditure from miles away. As before, it finally focused and Lila appeared. Unlike before, she had another person in tow.

He was a bear of a man, more than six feet tall. The man was obviously old, evidenced by his receding hairline and grey hair. Most of the hair left on his face was in the form of a bushy salt and pepper mustache. At one point it seemed that he had been quite a muscular man, though he had obviously packed on the pounds in his older years. He was dressed simply, a white shirt and brown breeches. A rifle, not of Badarian make, was slung over his shoulder.

The newcomer looked around, a little disoriented at first, and then focused on Lenalee. He opened his mouth, presumably to introduce himself, but before he could do so Edmund grabbed his ear and yanked. "What the hell were you doing letting Lila run around out there you old fart!?" The wolfish man growled in anger as he pulled the older man's head by the ear down to eye level. "You and me need to have a conversation!" The older man sputtered a bit, trying to come up with some sort of retort, but Edmund stood up and stomped all the way up the stairway, pulling the older man the entire way. "But Sir Edmund, I wanted to aid you!" Lila called after them before rather clumsily feeling around and trying, with eventual success, to follow the two up the stairs. With the other three having gone upstairs and, from the sounds of things, in the middle of a heated lecturing, Mari and Lenalee were left alone in the room.

"I did not know they had a circus in Amere," Mari finally stated with a wry grin as she walked over and barred the door. It seemed that in the meantime, Lenalee would be free to explore most of the house, or do pretty much anything else that she wanted to. It was a quaint home, but there was a door that appeared to lead to a basement of some sort, a door to the kitchen, and a door that appeared to lead into some sort of living area. She could also try the stairs, if she was inclined to get into the middle of, mostly Edmund's, shouting, or anything else she might want to do up there.
 
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