That Which Loves is Mad (Knephi)

[Tassadar]

Re: That Which Loves is Mad (Knephi)

Spoiler

Nila Misra: HP = 46, PP = 52, EP = 84/96, Status = Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

Perception: 40
Stealth: 22

Perception Rolls: 10, 20, 14, and 18
???: 28 vs roll of 18
Stealth: Rolls of 4, 4, 18, and 4
Resistance: 10 + 25 = 35 vs 35 = 20 + 15, tie means a roll off, Nila gets 5 and ??? gets 18

Leaving her backpack and the mines she'd lain to protect her sleeping place behind, Nila moved off into the woods in search of the source of the mysterious singing, shifting her body's internal makeup along the way in order to allow her to better see in the dim light beneath the forest canopy. Now able to see through the gloom, Nila wandered through the woods, letting her feet take her in whatever direction seemed to take her closer to the source of the melodious voice. Her path was made slightly winding by necessity as she had to pass several obstacles on the way, boulders and shallow pools, stands of dense brush and thick bundles of trees, all forcing her to take detour after detour to avoid them.

It would be hard to tell, but her path would take her in a relatively Northwestern direction as she followed the strangely alluring song, and somewhere between ten and twenty minutes later Nila would break from the line of trees and find herself on a hill overlooking a long stretch of sandy beach on the coast. The full moon hung low over the sea as it lapped lightly at the shore, and when she heard the strange song for the first time without the filter of the trees Nila would find it more captivating than ever.

The voice and the melody that it produced were both unfathomably beautiful, but as alluring as it was the song was also somehow sad, mournful, and it would pierce Nila to the heart and stir memories of her greatest pains, her most solemn losses, no doubt including those that had been caused by her twin sister. She still had no idea what the words themselves meant, some notes sounding like words in a language that she had never heard and others seeming merely like sounds, but the source of the song had finally appeared. It came from a woman standing on the shore, just on the edge of the water such that the waves licked across her bare feet.

She, like the song coming from her, was more beautiful than any being that Nila had ever seen. Clad only in a transparent white veil that hung loosely from her shoulders and moved with the wind rushing gently across the beach, nothing about her was hidden from Nila's sight save for the portion of her back hidden behind her long mane of wild, curly, dark red hair. The singer's form was practically statuesque, standing taller than Nila by nearly a foot, she had a perfect hourglass figure and incredibly long legs that were spread apart as she stood gazing out towards the moon, which hung just over her left shoulder from Nila's perspective. It cast a wonderful gleam to her flawlessly creamy skin, and with the swell of her hips giving way to the alluring roundness of her ass and the tilt of her body revealing just a hint of a pair of full breasts from behind even the inexperienced young kitsune would be unable to resist the allure of her physique in full, even if it was only from an aesthetic perspective.

She stood some hundred feet from where Nila stood on the hill, and as the song played through her ears Nila would find her feet moving by reflex as she was left captivated by the song. Her feet carried her down the hill, and along the beach, every step bringing her closer to the mysterious but beautiful source of the equally mysterious and beautiful music. As drew nearer, however, the spellbound kitsune's other senses would not be totally subsumed by the figure she approached. There didn't seem to be anything else on the beach that she could see, just the woman and herself and the moonlight and the waves washing over the sand, but something was off. She heard something, specifically, something beneath the music and the sounds of the wind and the water, like air moving through something soft and damp. Looking around, there was no place for anything to hide, the beach being totally flat and the water shallow nearby, but that only made the odd sound even harder to comprehend.

 

[Knephi]

Re: That Which Loves is Mad (Knephi)

Nila's path turned out to be less straight than she'd have liked, constantly forced to detour, whether because of thick vegetation, large boulders, or even small ponds. More than once she considered simply taking to the air to make her path easier, but that would involve backtracking to somewhere where there was a large enough gap in the canopy. She'd have to take to the air afterwards to find her camp again, but she'd seen it from the air the first time, so it likely wouldn't be hard to do so again, as long as she remembered the relative direction. The strange draw of the song had her simply continuing forward though, giving little thought to such things, as if in a trance.

Now that she was getting closer, she realized that she hadn't been unable to understand the words because of the distance, but because they seemed to be in another language entirely. Though she didn't understand the meaning, the song itself was still beautiful, perhaps more so than anything she'd heard before, and she found herself compelled even more strongly to seek out its source.

As she neared the edge of the forest, approaching the beaches, she began to realize something else about the song. Though it was undeniably beautiful, it was also... sad. She couldn't think of any way to describe it more fitting than that. It brought to the surface feelings and memories she'd been fighting to suppress, the scars still all too fresh.

She had been... fortunate, in her childhood. She'd wanted for little, though neither had she lived in particular luxury, and she'd taken advantage of that fact. She had never truly known loss during that time, which had perhaps made it hurt all the worse when everything had suddenly been torn away from her. Her mother and several of her sisters had been speaking of going off to war, in a sense, to fight some sort of otherworldly invasion, and though she had worried for them, it had all felt so... distant, like it was something happening in another world. They had not been directly affected by any of it, secluded as they were.

They never had the chance to leave, though. If they had been killed in the fighting, perhaps it would have been easier to accept. She would have mourned, but it would have been their choice. No, the worst part was the one who had torn their family apart. Lina, her twin sister, and the one she had considered her best friend in the world. It was as if she'd gone mad, speaking of keeping everyone together forever while she consumed the souls of their mother, and her own sisters. And then Chika, who had been mortally wounded protecting Nila, and in the end even given her soul itself to protect her.

Nila blinked, shaking her head as she sought to chase the memories away. As she did, she realized that tears had begun to fall from her eyes. It was this sort of weakness she couldn't stand. She could mourn when everything was over, but she still had people left to protect... she couldn't let this get the better of her. Hastily wiping her eyes with her sleeve, Nila began to walk again, only to find she'd already reached the treeline.

What she saw on the beach caused her to freeze yet again, this time as her eyes settled upon the the one responsible for the song that had drawn her here. The woman herself was as beautiful as her song, and the scene of her standing in the moonlight looked like something out of a painting. Nila quickly felt a blush forming on her cheeks as she realized the woman was also almost entirely nude, and just how this fact accentuated just how perfect she appeared. Even as she struggled to force such thoughts from her mind, she found her legs moving as if of their own volition, taking her out of the cover of the trees and onto the open beach itself.

Something was wrong, though... something else was there, she was certain, but even as she looked she saw nothing but sand and water, with no cover to be had, no place to hide. She was certain she had heard something, some sort of movement. Everything screamed at her that something was wrong, but she was so fixated on the songstress that she very nearly chose to ignore it. Why was she so fixated, though? It didn't make sense. The song was certainly beautiful, as was the woman sung it, but neither of those alone should have caused her to behave as she had.

Her aura flared once again, illuminating the beach even more brightly than the moonlight did in its pure white glow. Even as she felt the power surging through her body, seeming to strengthen her muscles and enhance her reflexes, she also felt it forming a shield around her mind, augmenting her ability to fight off external influence upon her.

"What are you after? What did you try to do to me?" She finally spoke, her voice feeling like barely more than a whisper, though it carried well enough to be heard even over the woman's singing. She felt... angry? She wasn't the sort of person who fell to anger easily, but she was certain now. This woman was exerting some sort of influence upon her mind, subtle and perhaps harmless as it had been. She couldn't explain it, but the very thought of having her mind influenced by another angered her in a way she rarely felt. She made no hostile move beyond the activation of her aura, leaving her sword sheathed and refraining from forming one of her energy weapons. Even as she attempted to fight off the mental influence though, her body tensed barely perceptibly, ready to spring into action if it became necessary.

Spoiler

Activating Battle Aura with X=10, but otherwise making no hostile moves.
+40 Speed, Dodge, Attack, and Melee Damage, and +20 Resistance. Paying an additional 3 EP to gain 40 Temporary HP.
Total activation cost is 13 EP, Upkeep is 5 EP.

Buffed Stats: 86/46 HP, 57 Speed, 81 Dodge, 5 Armour (EV1 TP30 DU3), 45 Resistance.
She can no longer attempt stealth checks, but becomes immune to sneak attacks.

Spoiler

Cheat Sheet:

Combat/General:
>+5 EP damage when taking EP damage.

Sex:
>+5 PP damage when taking PP damage.
>+8 PP damage when her tail is played with (or while playing with someone else’s)
>Receive 1.5x normal Corruption. Do not receive corruption from Warped creatures.
>Impregnated on a 2+. Automatically if partner is also Fertile.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: That Which Loves is Mad (Knephi)

Spoiler

Nila Misra: HP = 81/46, PP = 52, EP = 71/96, Status = Fine, Battle Aura X = 10 with 40 temp HP, Upkeep = 5

Rolls

Spoiler

Perception: 28
Resistance: 57 vs roll of 8

Resistance: 63 vs roll of 19

Three dudes rush her. One tries to feint, but fails, sparing me the decision of how to make that mechanic work in DG3 rules.
One tries to throw a net on her, but can't actually hit her current Dodge.
The last tries to poke her with a spear, but encounters the same problem.

Then, one who didn't rush her casts a spell with some modifiers.
Casting: Success.
Attack: Required a 66 after the three others swung at her. It got a 65. Miss. Nila is incredibly lucky.
Damage: 5 + 1 + 5 + 2 = 13, 13 * 2 = 26 damage, but the dudes are excluded and Nila only takes 1/4 of that after armor for a grand total of 5 damage.

The woman offered no apparent reaction as Nila's aura suddenly flared, the pale moonlight outshown by the kitsune's magical glow and giving the singer's pale complexion a sickly pallor. Her whispered demand for answers produced the same reaction, the strange redhead simply singing on as if Nila wasn't even there, but with the power of her soul now shielding her mind as well the allure of the song was somehow reduced. It no longer tugged at her heart, no longer drove her towards her most somber and painful memories, and that alone allowed her to expand her senses enough that she noticed something even more off about her surroundings than the strange sound.

There was a strange shimmer around the ground just to her right, as if something about the area was in a warm haze, but it was far too cool for heat to be the cause. As she focused her attention on it, Nila would almost be able to see outlines among it, but the very moment that she focused her attention on the oddity her eyes caught movement from the strange mirage. Before the glowing kitsune could offer more reaction than a startled outburst, three figures would erupt from the illusion, initially shrouded in darkness but revealed as they charged into the glow of her aura.

They were vaguely human shaped, with two arms and two legs, but their skin looked soft and slimy and was a very pale green color. Their legs were long and thin and ended in webbed pads, like a frog's feet, and their torsos were slightly bloated. Their arms were more substantial than their lower limbs and more appropriate for the bulk of their upper bodies, appearing muscular and strong even with their sickly looking skin, but their fingers were too long and had webbing stretched between them as well. Their most dramatically inhuman feature, however, were their heads, which were disproportionally large and as far from human in appearance as one could get, sporting mouths that were too wide and full of sharp, jagged teeth that looked more like they belonged on an aquatic creature than a terrestrial one, overly large eyes yellow that jutted out of their sockets, a pair of slits for nostrils that seemed to flare repeatedly even though each of their maws were hanging partially open, and no ears to speak of.

The fins attached to their elbows and running down their backs combined with those features made the things that were charging Nila look like some cross between a gigantic frog, a man, and a predatory fish from the Amazon that her mother had once told them of. The three hunched, monstrous things charging her might easily inspire the sort of fright that the tale of ravenous swarms of hungry maws ripping a still living creature to pieces in moments that their visages would recall, but the three loincloth clad things hurled themselves at her regardless of whether or not her fear paralyzed her.

Instinct and her aura saved her then, as the first of the charging creatures arrived and jabbed at her belly with a crude spear. What little combat training she'd had told her that being impaled was probably a bad thing, reinforcing aura or not, and Nila was forced to suck in her gut and bend, almost putting her off balance before she realized that the spear had stopped and was being pulled back, having never meant to touch her flesh. It had only been a feint, meant to put her off balance, and the purpose of it became evidently clear in the same moment that she'd realized it. The next creature hurled a net at her as she recovered from its comrade's stab, and again were it not for her aura she would have been brought down under the entangling bundle of wiry line. Instead, with the world around her almost moving in slow motion and her own body moving faster than ever, Nila was able to throw herself to the side to avoid it, and the creature let out a gargled cry of frustration and reeled the net back in for another go.

The last of them charged at her with another spear, and this time the swing was obviously not just an effort to put her off balance. It lunged for a swing at her stomach, but another sidestep with more agility than she might realize she had saved Nila from a nasty gut wound from the jagged bundle of what looked like something's teeth on the end of its weapon. The man-creature recovered quickly, however, and Nila was still left facing three of them on her own... Until the mirage that had covered them suddenly vanished, and a fourth appeared from behind the wall of creatures. This one was taller than the others, but not because it was bigger, only because it stood straighter, and unlike its fellows supported more clothing than a loincloth, wearing a tunic made out of what looked like seaweed that went halfway down to its knees. It spoke a word in a burbling voice that might as well have been gibberish to Nila, and before she knew it a blinding wave of light suddenly blasted at her from its outstretched hand.

The light hit the glow of her aura, however, and though the spell seemed as if it might overwhelm her protective magics the two competed for a few seconds before, thankfully, Nila's won out. The sheer power of the spell still washed over her slightly, however, and even through her robes she felt it singe her slightly. Even so, it hadn't blinded her, and she had neither been gutted nor netted, leaving Nila badly outnumbered but mostly uninjured, still empowered, and perhaps most importantly free to act as she wished in response to the sudden attack. The strange woman was still singing, seemingly oblivious to the creatures attacking Nila, but now that she'd avoided their initial assault the monstrous things seemed more cautious. They began to fan out, the ones with spears trying to surround her while the one with the net slipped back and readied for another throw, and the one who had slung the spell at her no doubt prepared to try to do something to cripple her ability to fight back again while she was stuck dealing with the rest.

 

[Knephi]

Re: That Which Loves is Mad (Knephi)

She had been right, Nila discovered, as the effects of the song on her mind began to fade. The unnatural allure passed, as did its insistent tugging upon her emotions. The young kitsune didn't feel relieved at this revelation however, as released from the song's spell, despite how the woman continued to sing, she began to notice signs that confirmed her earlier suspicion, that they weren't alone.

She barely managed to dodge in time as a shimmer in the air suddenly resolved into a crude spear, though she quickly realized that the attack was merely a feint. It was only her enhanced reflexes that saved her then, everything around her seeming to slow perceptively as she threw herself to the side just in time to avoid being caught up in some sort of net, held by another of the same creatures. She rolled to her feet again just in time to shift her body away from a second spear, only narrowly missing her stomach.

The creatures themselves were unlike anything she'd ever seen. They looked amphibian at a glance, like some sort of humanoid frog, but there were traces of features she could attribute to other creatures as well. She'd never spent much time studying the other races that inhabited the world, her twin's love for books had not been something Nila had shared, but she was certain she'd never even heard of anything like these before. They had fish-like features as well, suggesting that they perhaps lived underwater, but what drew her attention most was their faces, or more specifically, their mouths. Filled with sharp, jagged teeth, she had to suppress a shudder at the thought of what those could do to her.

There was no time for such thoughts, though. She had to fight. She wouldn't allow herself to be that helpless again. She briefly considered attempting to deal with them in a non-lethal manner, but it was too much of a risk. They had shown every indication that they meant harm to her, after all, as was proven yet again as a wave of some sort of magic washed over her. She winced as the blast singed her, but fortunately her own aura had shielded her from the brunt of the spell. Looking up, she spotted a fourth of the frog-like creatures appearing from whatever form of camouflage they employed. That one was dangerous, but it was also too far to easily strike, not with the other three now beginning to circle her.

"I don't know who or what you are," Nila growled, a sort of menace in her voice that surprised even her, "But I'll give you one chance to back down. Now."

She wasn't going to make the same mistake as she had with the troll. She wasn't going to let them take advantage of her passivity. With a mental command, more of her spirit's energy poured out, forming into a blade of pure energy in her hand. The blade she created was long and thin, not unlike the rapier she'd used prior, but instead of iron or steel, this blade was formed of an even brighter, more condensed form of the same brilliant white light that formed her aura. She wouldn't be helpless this time.

Unless the creatures had immediately made a show of surrender, the kitsune sprang forward, taking full advantage of her greatly enhanced speed to close the distance to the nearest of the spear wielders, looking to quickly eliminate him. With her strike completed, she spun on the spot, kicking up a small spray of sand in her wake as she launched herself toward the other. Though she was still a novice when it came to swordsmanship, what training she did have had been at the hands of her mother, an experienced adventurer and swordswoman. The style she employed was nothing fancy to look at, as she'd only ever learned the basics, but those basics had been drilled into her nonetheless. Combined with the enhanced strength and reflexes afforded to her by her powers, and the strength of her blade itself, it became brutally effective, if unpolished.

Falling into a trance-like state of concentration, she sprung into action for a third time, striking at the nearest enemy still standing. The faster she dealt with these three, the faster she could deal with the mage, who presented the most serious threat in her mind. The other three were predictable, but she knew too little of magic to guess what the fourth was capable of. Strangely, throughout all of this, the singing woman remained still, never stopping her song. She could wait, however, her song seeming to have lost its effectiveness when Nila began to actively shield her mind.

Spoiler

Activating Energy Blade with X=7.
Creating a one-handed sword with 10(2d4 + 1) + 13 base damage.
Spending an additional 6 EP and 3 Upkeep to gain Battle Dance, Lightning Strikes, and Fencer. Total activation cost is 13 EP, 4 EP Upkeep, bringing her total upkeep to 9 after this turn.

Activating Battle Dance (Taking 4 damage each round) and Defensive Fighting 20:20, she will use Lightning Strikes to first attack the two with spears once each, then make the third attack against the net-wielder if they go down, or one of the two spear-wielders again if they're still up.

Her three attacks are made at +90 (50[Spirit] + 4[Multifocused] + 12[Soul-Soldier] + 40[Battle Aura] + 12[Battle Dance] + 4[Fencer] – 12[Lightning Strikes – 20[Defensive Fighting])
Damage (Ignores Armor): 10(2d4 + 1) + 53 (13[Spirit/4] + 2[Duelist] + 40[Battle Aura] + 4[Fencer] – 6[Lightning Strikes])


Stats: 57 Speed, 123 Dodge (+4 vs. Enemies wielding weapons), 5 Armour (EV1 TP30 DU3), 45 Resistance.
She can no longer attempt stealth checks, but becomes immune to sneak attacks.

Spoiler

Cheat Sheet:

Combat/General:
>+5 EP damage when taking EP damage.

Sex:
>+5 PP damage when taking PP damage.
>+8 PP damage when her tail is played with (or while playing with someone else’s)
>Receive 1.5x normal Corruption. Do not receive corruption from Warped creatures.
>Impregnated on a 2+. Automatically if partner is also Fertile.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: That Which Loves is Mad (Knephi)

Spoiler

Nila Misra: HP = 66/46, PP = 52, EP = 53/96, Status = Fine, Battle Dance, Battle Aura X = 10 with 40 temp HP, Energy Blade X = 7, Upkeep = 9

Rolls

Spoiler

Nila activates Energy Blade x = 7 and opts to cut some dudes up. Also activates Battle Dance, costing 4 HP on top of her 12 EP for the activation to give her dem skillz.
Attacks: Hit, hit, hit.
Damage: 2 + 4 + 1 = 7, 7 * 10 = 70, 70 + 53 = 123 damage per hit. They might be dead.

Then, one who didn't rush her casts Wall of Ice
Casting: Success.
Mind/5 + 1 = 9, Nila is surrounded by an ice barrier with 108 HP and 18 AV.

The woman stops singing, turns around, and casts Cone of Cold.
Casting: Success.
Attack: Miss.
Damage: 2 + 1 + 5 + 2 + 2 = 12, 12 * 4 = 48, 48 - 5 = 43, 43/4 = 11 damage.

Whether it was because they had no intention of backing down or simply because they couldn't understand her, not a one of the inhuman creatures chose to accept her offer to back down, each of them preparing to make another go at capturing the glowing kitsune. Unfortunately for them, her earlier encounter had left Nila unwilling to remain so passive in the face of a threat, and with only minimal further hesitation she was prompted to spring into action as the first to try and attack her made a lunge with its spear. A sweep of her white blade cut the wooden shaft in two and took off one of its hands, and a quick follow through on it bisected the creature diagonally.

Spring next towards the one with the net, Nila was able to move so quickly that when he threw his makeshift binding to intercept her she simply stepped aside, leaving it flopping against the send as she sprung in against its wielder. A single sweep of her glowing weapon was enough to end it too, cutting off its head and leaving its body to flop over and flounder unpleasantly, though if there was any discomfort created by slaying these creatures her training would most likely allow her to suppress it. Muscle memory caused her to spring forward for a third time, her every movement a deadly dance and her last strike first impaling the last of the fishmen and then slicing upwards, cutting its head in half as her drew her weapon out of it.

That left the strange woman, and the last of the creatures who was seemingly a spellcaster. For the moment the woman simply continued singing as if nothing had happened, but upon seeing its three defenders fall in such short order the last of the fishmen barked something that made her stop and turn, revealing full breasts with rosy tips and a beautiful face that was almost frighteningly empty of expression. Then he waved and spoke something else in his garbled tongue, and suddenly a torrent of water literally rose from the sea and hurled itself at Nila. Rather than attack her directly, however, it did something that she could not so easily avoid, coiling around her position in a circle and forming a barrier of water. A second word, muffled through the barrier, caused the hole thing to freeze solid all around her, creating a thick, solid barrier of sea ice between her and the spellcaster.

And then the singing started again, muted now by several feet of ice, and suddenly the already chill air grew a great deal colder. Frost drifted from the icy ceiling of the dome in which she'd been trapped, and the chill howled against and through the barrier and threatened to rip the warmth from her very bones. Her aura again worked to repulse the hostile magic, leaving it as little more than a minor chill, but if she had to endure too many more of those her ability to fight off the cold would be worn down. She wasn't without options, however, the simplest and most direct being to simply cut through the ice she'd been trapped in before the pair could unleash any more spells on her. She could hazard a guess at where the two remaining threats were in relation to her current position, as they hadn't seemed to have been moving around much, but trying to aim a strike through the ice wouldn't be as easy as it normally would. She couldn't fly out like this, the dome not allowing for such, but she could simply teleport herself out somewhere, possibly even far enough away that she could slip away without the notice of the monstrous sorcerer or his female companion.

 

[Knephi]

Re: That Which Loves is Mad (Knephi)

Her blade cut cleanly through not only the creature's spear, but straight through its wrist as well. As it recoiled, she stepped forward, blade again effortlessly separating flesh and bone as she cleaved it in two in a single slash. She let her training, limited as it was, take over entirely as she fought, trusting in her enhanced speed an reflexes to end the fight before her enemies could adapt. She still didn't even know what they were, but she was beyond caring at this point. After her encounter with the troll, she refused to let her usual passivity be taken advantage of in the same way, and there was no room for mercy here. She'd offered them a chance, and they hadn't taken it, she could regret having to kill them later.

She shot forward, the net thrown toward her seeming to move in slow motion as she simply shifted aside to let it land harmlessly behind her as she closed in on the thrower. A single slash with her blade was all it took, beheading it in one clean stroke. Before it had even hit the ground, she was already striking at the third, burying her glowing blade in its chest before slicing upwards to break it free, bisecting the creatures head in the process. It had only taken a matter of seconds, her magically enhanced speed allowing her to close the distance between each of her enemies in an instant, and her mind only barely caught up with her actions as the last of the three dropped to the ground, dead.

As she turned to face the mage, however, she realised she may have made a mistake in leaving him for last. It was then that she noticed the singing had stopped, and for a brief moment her eyes met those of the woman, seeing just how... empty she seemed. It left her wondering, was she truly with these fish creatures, or had they done something to her? Maybe she could salvage something from this after all, if that really was the case... but she couldn't take risks. Before she could reach him, however, as a wall of water suddenly crashed down around her, before suddenly beginning to freeze into an icy prison, forming a dome around her with no easy escape. No easy escape for an ordinary person, at least, but it was evident that the mage wasn't aware of her other abilities.

She was given pause, though, as the singing began once again. It was different this time, though, whether simply distorted by the wall of ice, or a different song altogether, she couldn't tell, but it was quickly followed by a drop in temperature inside of the dome, as if the air itself was trying to drain the warmth from her body. It was still bearable for now, her aura protecting her from the majority of the effects for the time being, but it would be dangerous to remain here much longer. She weighed her options for escape for a few moments, but simple was probably best. She could probably shatter the cage given enough effort, but that would be an unnecessary expenditure of her energy, when she could simply bypass it entirely.

A moment of concentration later, and where she once stood in the centre of the dome remained only a slight residual glow as her aura's light dissipated, and Nila stood once again under the stars, blade raised to stab into the mage's back, having reappeared directly behind him. She needed to put an end to him before he could try anything like that again. If he could catch her with some sort of direct binds, rather than forming a cage, she wouldn't be able to escape so easily, and she couldn't risk that. She'd deal with the woman based on her reaction when the mage died.

Spoiler

Using a move action to activate Instant Transmission at double cost, teleporting to directly behind the mage, then stabbing him.

Instant Transmission for 2 EP (4 base with doubled cost, but -2 from True Inner Strength), assuming a 30 foot teleport.

Still using Defensive Fighting 20:20, but only making a single attack this time, Battle Dance still active.

+98 Attack (50[Spirit] + 4[Multifocused] + 12[Soul-Soldier] + 40[Battle Aura] + 12[Battle Dance] – 20[Defensive Fighting])
Damage (Ignores Armor): 10(2d4 + 1) + 55 (13[Spirit/4] + 2[Duelist] + 40[Battle Aura])


Stats: 57 Speed, 123 Dodge (+4 vs. Enemies wielding weapons), 5 Armour (EV1 TP30 DU3), 45 Resistance.
She can no longer attempt stealth checks, but becomes immune to sneak attacks.

Spoiler

Cheat Sheet:

Combat/General:
>+5 EP damage when taking EP damage.

Sex:
>+5 PP damage when taking PP damage.
>+8 PP damage when her tail is played with (or while playing with someone else’s)
>Receive 1.5x normal Corruption. Do not receive corruption from Warped creatures.
>Impregnated on a 2+. Automatically if partner is also Fertile.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: That Which Loves is Mad (Knephi)

Spoiler

Nila Misra: HP = 48/46, PP = 52, EP = 42/96, Status = Fine, Battle Dance, Battle Aura X = 10 with 40 temp HP, Energy Blade X = 7, Upkeep = 9

Rolls

Spoiler

Nila teleports out and prepares to swing while the fishman casts Water Mirror with mods.
Casting: Success.
Resistance: Nila wins.
Damage: I don't even need to roll.

The girl uses cone of cold again.
Casting: Success.
Attack: Miss.
Damage: 5 + 1 + 5 + 2 + 2 = 15, 15 * 4 = 60, 60 - 5 = 55, 55/4 = 14 damage.

Vanishing in a flash that briefly lit up the dome of ice, Nila appeared almost directly beside the inhuman magus who had apparently led the group on the beach. Her glowing blade swept down toward him in a simple arc immediately, but her target had apparently been waiting for an attack. He turned to her just as Nila's energy blade was about to take his head off his shoulders, arms wide apart but a liquid suddenly coalescing in front of him to intercept the attack. Her strike met the strange barrier and for a moment seemed to dissipate into it, leaving the kitsune standing almost stock still and locked into place as the power seemed intent on stealing the power she'd intended for her strike and turning it back on her.

Thankfully, her soul fought against being turned back on her, the energies refusing vehemently to reverse direction and go back on Nila. It was a brief but frighteningly intense struggle, the fishman having obviously poured a great deal of power into his effort to reverse Nila's attack, no doubt seeing how smoothly she'd dealt with its comrades and looking to avoid a similar fate. It was unfortunate for him then that he had chosen to attack her, as while she might be inexperienced and thus vulnerable to more indirect strategies like the song that had lured her here, Nila was anything but helpless in a more direct confrontation like this.

Their brief struggle ended when Nila's blade pierced through the barrier, followed swiftly by the creature that had brought it into being as a last ditch effort to save himself. Her blade pierced directly through his chest, through where a man's heart would be, and even if their anatomy didn't follow precisely what she was used to he died all the same, going limping and slicing himself in half as he fell. What was left of him flopped onto the ground at her feet, spewing foul smelling guts onto her legs but otherwise now totally harmless.

Unfortunately, if she had hoped that the singer would become passive now that the fishmen were dead, Nila was in for a bit of disappointment. She turned almost mechanically upon the still brightly glowing kitsune and unleashed another wave of unnatural cold. This time she lacked what little protection the globe of ice had offered from the deathly chill, the magic threatening to rip the warmth from her body, but again Nila's aura protected her, guarded her and forced the magical cold to wash around her rather than through her. It still hurt, this time more than before, but Nila was far from helpless still, and could do as she thought best now that only the blank-eyed woman was the only one left to oppose her.

 

[Knephi]

Re: That Which Loves is Mad (Knephi)

For a moment Nila thought she had made a fatal mistake, as she felt the barrier the fish creature had conjured trying to turn her attack back against her. She knew just how much power went into her attacks, and if even a portion of it was reflected back at her, she'd be in a very dire situation. The momentary clash of wills turned in her favour however, and her blade sliced through the barrier just as it had everything else it had touched.

The mage himself was no exception. With his protection gone, her blade skewered him with no resistance, and he dropped lifelessly only a moment later. That was all of them, then... or so Nila thought, until another wave of cold washed over her, thankfully being mostly negated by her aura once again. The protection it offered her was waning, however, and wouldn't stand up to another hit like that. She had hoped the woman would break out of whatever spell she appeared to be under when the mage died, but it appeared that it wouldn't be so simple. Either that, or she wasn't under any spell at all, but that just seemed... wrong. Could she really be like this without the influence of magic? So... empty? What could they have done to her to make her like this? It was just... too cruel.

She still had one more thing to try before she'd have to resort to violence, though. She tossed her blade aside, where it swiftly dissolved into specks of light, and pounced forward with the same incredible speed she'd displayed previously, light from her aura pooling into tiny pinpricks of blinding light in her open palms, even draining the last dregs of her aura's protection to power in further. She reached her target in an instant, thrusting her hands forward, and pushing an immense amount of her energy directly into the woman's body.

It was a brute force method, perhaps, but if she succeeded she'd not only dispel any magic effecting her, she'd also place a powerful seal on her powers, hopefully preventing her from using them further if it wasn't enough to break her out of whatever was affecting her. She could only hope it would be enough, and that whatever had been done to this woman, it wasn't as permanent as it was starting to look.

Spoiler

Dispelling Energy Blade, bringing her down to 5 upkeep, and losing her gained skills (Notably Battle Dance, which is no longer active).

Then, running to the singer and using Seal at X=17. With upkeep, this brings her over her spirit ceiling by 2, for a total cost of 19 EP and 2 HP (Which should drain the last of her temporary HP).

+94 Attack (50[Spirit] + 4[Multifocused] + 40[Battle Aura])
Choosing to deal no damage. Dispelling active effects on her, and placing a DC 51 seal.


Stats: 57 Speed, 81 Dodge, 5 Armour (EV1 TP30 DU3), 45 Resistance.
She can no longer attempt stealth checks, but becomes immune to sneak attacks.

Spoiler

Cheat Sheet:

Combat/General:
>+5 EP damage when taking EP damage.

Sex:
>+5 PP damage when taking PP damage.
>+8 PP damage when her tail is played with (or while playing with someone else’s)
>Receive 1.5x normal Corruption. Do not receive corruption from Warped creatures.
>Impregnated on a 2+. Automatically if partner is also Fertile.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: That Which Loves is Mad (Knephi)

Spoiler

Nila Misra: HP = 46/46, PP = 52, EP = 13/96, Status = Fine, Battle Aura X = 10 with 40 temp HP, Upkeep = 5

Rolls

Spoiler

Nila tries to Seal the woman with X = 17.
Attack: Hit.
The woman water mirrors like the other dude.
Casting: Success.
Resistance: Nila wins.

Rushing forward against the last hostile opponent left facing her, Nila advanced upon the blank-eyed beauty and lunged, placing a hand on one of her breasts. The same spell that the last of the fishmen had tried to use to reflect her blade rose to try and reflect the seal she tried to place on the woman back upon her, but it failed just as the last attempt had, and when her palm pressed against the woman's full breast she imparted a seal that coiled around the woman's soul. That seal would prevent any further magic from coming from the woman, its potency so great that it would take an immense amount of will to break through it.

It also by nature removed any spells active on her, both her own and those of any other creatures that might have enchanted her. She froze suddenly, shivering, and Nila would be able to pull her hand back and watch her shudder strangely for the next few seconds. She did not speak, but neither did she make another attempt to attack Nila, at least not that she could ascertain.

 

[Knephi]

Re: That Which Loves is Mad (Knephi)

Another of the same water barriers which the mage had attempted to reflect her strike with previously sprang up between her and her target, and Nila recoiled, surprised, as it very nearly succeeded this time. She hadn't expected the songstress to use the same magic, and letting her guard down had nearly cost her. With the strength of the seal, she wasn't confident in her ability to break it had it been inflicted upon her, and without her powers, she'd be all but helpless.

Fortunately for her, her will proved stronger, and after only a moment's struggle, she broke through the barrier to reach the woman herself. She had gone a little... off target as a result of the obstruction, and felt a blush creeping up over her face when she realized she had one the woman's impressive breasts cupped in her hand as she sent tendrils of her own power into her body through the point of contact, seeking out and eliminating any external sources of magic while also coiling around her soul. It was a powerful seal, though more by virtue of the power she'd poured into it than any finesse in its creation. Hopefully it wouldn't be needed, and the dispelling of external magic would bring the songstress back to her senses... but if she turned out to be wrong, it should at least keep her from using any more of her magic.

It was having some effect, at least, Nila noted hopefully as she took a step back, releasing her grip on the woman's breast as soon as she no longer needed to keep the contact to work her powers. That seal had taken a lot out of her, though, and Nila could feel her own soul straining to keep up the aura surrounding her. After a moment's consideration, looking at the woman who no longer seemed openly hostile, Nila quickly cut down on the power she was feeding into her aura, until it reached the point where the strain was negligible. She wasn't about to let her guard down entirely, but she couldn't risk running herself dry either.

"Are you okay?" Nila finally spoke up after the woman stopped shuddering, her expression quickly turning to concern as countless possibilities ran through her mind in a moment. Was there more damage done to her mind than could be reversed simply by dispelling the magic affecting her? Was the seal doing this to her? "Can you understand me? I don't want to hurt you. Is there... anything else I can do?"

Spoiler

Reducing Battle Aura to X=5 for 0 upkeep.


Updated Stats: 37 Speed, 61 Dodge, 5 Armour (EV1 TP30 DU3), 35 Resistance.
She can no longer attempt stealth checks, but becomes immune to sneak attacks.

Spoiler

Cheat Sheet:

Combat/General:
>+5 EP damage when taking EP damage.

Sex:
>+5 PP damage when taking PP damage.
>+8 PP damage when her tail is played with (or while playing with someone else’s)
>Receive 1.5x normal Corruption. Do not receive corruption from Warped creatures.
>Impregnated on a 2+. Automatically if partner is also Fertile.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: That Which Loves is Mad (Knephi)

Spoiler

Nila Misra: HP = 46/46, PP = 52, EP = 13/96, Status = Fine, Battle Aura X = 5 with 20 temp HP, Upkeep = 0, Grappled

Rolls

Spoiler

The woman tries to grab Nila.
Attack: 67 vs 61. Hit.

The woman would not respond to Nila's concern, at least not verbally, as her shuddering stopped. She looked up at the kitsune, her eyes still blank, and simply gazed at her for a moment. And then, just as Nila asked if there was anything further that she could do, she simply lunged. The kitsune's reduced aura still gave her a boost to reflexes, but her lunge had been perfectly timed and caught Nila completely off guard. Before she could step back, the woman had grabbed her wrist and tugged her in, wrapping another arm around her back to force Nila to press up against her. That left the kitsune's chin pressed between her heavy breasts, now no longer covered by the woman's veil, but then her chin was forcibly tilted up and her first kiss was claimed by the strange redhead.

Soft lips were pressed against hers, and a skilled tongue deftly forced its way into her mouth and teased Nila's tongue out of her mouth before she could even realize what was happening. A soft moan sent vibrations rolling into her, but perhaps more alarmingly Nila felt deft hands already starting to undo the ties holding Nila's clothes together. Even more alarmingly, the kitsune felt a subtle touch against her soul, the contact not dissimilar through the way she had absorbed her sister's soul, only this time it was in reverse. That contact wasn't strong yet, but it was growing stronger as the woman's tongue coiling around her own and simply refusing to let it escape her embrace began to send shivers of arousal pulsing through her body that were only partially as a result of magic subtly guiding her feelings.

She was not yet helpless, however, and if Nila didn't want the embrace to continue she would have to do something quickly before the beautiful stranger could strip her and have her way.

 

[Knephi]

Re: That Which Loves is Mad (Knephi)

Nila gave a surprised shriek as the woman suddenly lunged at her, muffled soon after as her face was pressed between her impressive breasts. She'd let her guard down, she mentally berated herself. She should have made sure it had worked like she'd thought it would before letting her aura fade, despite the drain it had been placing on her. It might have been enough for her to react. She struggled in the songstress's grip as she felt her chin being lifted so that she found herself looking into those distressingly empty eyes, but it was futile. Despite all her power, as she'd demonstrated in the previous fight, she lacked real physical strength. This woman's grip might as well have been iron shackles for all the success she could expect.

Her desperate struggling came to an abrupt stop, body falling momentarily limp in the woman's arms as she leaned in closer, claiming Nila's lips with her own. Nila's mind went blank for a moment, her situation forgotten entirely as her world narrowed to this one point. She found herself unconsciously joining the kiss, her first at that, as the woman's tongue skillfully invaded her mouth, teasing her own into joining it in mere moments. It was... amazing, much more than she'd imagined it would be, and for a few long moments she simply let herself melt into the songstress' arms.

It wasn't until she began to feel a slight tug on her soul that Nila was brought crashing back to reality. It was... different than what she'd experienced when her sister had given her soul to her, but the feeling was unmistakable. It was accompanied by a wave of unnatural arousal flowing through her body, and the realization that the woman was even then beginning to work at removing her clothes. Her struggling renewed, Nila attempted to break away from the kiss, but wasn't expecting her attempts to accomplish anything, the grip holding her was too strong.

She still had one last option, though. It was a risk, and not guaranteed to work with how much of her soul's power she'd already expended, but it was also her only chance. She gathered every last bit of power she could dredge up, focusing it all into one point as she emptied her reserves entirely, aura beginning to fade even as she did so. And then, finally, she released it in an incredible explosion originating from her own body, hoping to blow the woman holding her away with it. It was too much, though. The drain was too much for her exhausted spirit, and whether she had succeeded or not, she soon found herself slumping forward, unconsciousness claiming her.

Spoiler

Using Explosion at X=13, using all of her remaining EP.

In case the woman has Brawler, the attack roll is +74 (50[Spirit] + 4[Multifocused] + 20[Battle Aura])
Dealing 65 damage which ignores half of any AV or Resistances, and gains +10 to any Resistance check made against being reflected, avoided, or countered.

Also spending all her remaining EP, so she'd presumably pass out afterwards.

Spoiler

Cheat Sheet:

Combat/General:
>+5 EP damage when taking EP damage.

Sex:
>+5 PP damage when taking PP damage.
>+8 PP damage when her tail is played with (or while playing with someone else’s)
>Receive 1.5x normal Corruption. Do not receive corruption from Warped creatures.
>Impregnated on a 2+. Automatically if partner is also Fertile.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: That Which Loves is Mad (Knephi)

Spoiler

Nila Misra: HP = 46/46, PP = 52/52, EP = 48/96, Status = Kinda Tired and Sore, Cold, Weakened

Rolls

Spoiler

The way it goes as it should:
Nila explodes for 65 damage, evaporates the siren, and passed out on the beach. The roleplay will show that. An interesting situation occurred when I rolled initiative, however...

Init: Nila got 10, the siren got 16.
Grapple: The siren auto wins and foreplays Nila.
Pleasure: 1 + 1 + 10 + 12 + 6 + 5 - 2 - 18 = 15 PP. Lina is drained 8 + 5 = 13 EP, all of it, sucking out the energy she was going to use to explode out of her before she can unleash it. What happens after,

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As she gathered her power and the woman continued to try and draw her into surrendering via that all too wonderful kiss, she felt the connection between her soul and that of the mysterious redhead growing stronger, wider. The very essence that she was desperately gathering to raise one last desperate defense was already being siphoned off, tiny portions of her soul being slowly drawn from her, an act that would leave her helpless in mere seconds if she didn't stop it. In desperation she unleashed her blast, raw power emanating from her in a blinding explosion that washed out from the kitsune in all directions and cleared the beach around her entirely.

The wave of power washed across the bodies of the fishmen, obliterating all of them completely, and scoured the very sand from the beach in a radius around her. The redhead who had been kissing her simply melted, literally annihilated by the power that Nila unleashed, and with her body destroyed her soul was left floating and its connection to her own simply snapped. She had saved herself at the last possible moment, but not without cost. Nila was spent, her energies gone, and with no strength left to support herself the kitsune dropped to her knees, and then to the ground, her vision fading and blackness closing in.

~~~~~~~~~​

Nila awoke to the smell of the sea, and the feeling of sand beneath her. She was laying on her side, on the beach still, and a sun shrouded in clouds was gloomily shining down on her. She was also absolutely freezing, and her feet were slightly damp from the tide rolling in and filling the dip she'd blown in the beach. Her head was screaming at her in pain from having overtaxed her energies, and her senses were bleary and fuzzy and not very useful.... To a point.

"Do you think she's alright?" a soft, melodious, and decidedly feminine voice asked quizzically from not too far off, and its source was only growing closer. "I'm not sure!" a second soft but more androgynous voice answered, though if she had to guess it would have belonged to a man. Nothing was stopping Nila from looking up at the approaching sources, however, which were growing closer by the second judging by the sound of sand crunching softly beneath their feet.

If she did, Nila would find a well dressed pair strolling casually across the beach toward her arm in arm. One was a woman of similar beauty to the siren she had destroyed before passing out, her curves showing even through her fairly puffy dark green dress, the garment appearing more suited to a ballroom than a sandy beach on the edge of Crolia. Her body was a perfect hourglass, with wide hips and full breasts, and her face was pleasantly round near her rosy cheeks but with a sharp chin and nose, large red eyes, and a framing of dark and very curly red hair. Her heels clicked when she walked, and Nila would just barely see the black slippers on her feet and the pure white socks, or possibly stockings, stretching up her long legs beneath the hem of her dress. She had a large green hate with a black buckle on it, and had a black umbrella opened above them to cover her from the sky.

The other was a man, or at least mostly resembled a man judging by their flat figure and greater height compared to their companion. They were clad in a black suit in the style more commonly seen in Badaria than in Crolia, and black leather shoes that looked far too expensive to be used to travel cross country. He was devilishly handsome, with sculpted features and large, dark red eyes, and walked with a sense of surety that exuded an alluring degree of confidence. His hair was long and a black so dark and shiny that it was almost blue, and at the moment at least was tied back into a ponytail. "She's seen better days, certainly!" he continued casually, as if it wasn't strange at all that he and his companion were walking up to a prone woman on a beach.

"She is so very cute though!" the woman said brightly, showing Nila a warm smile, "why don't we see if she needs help?" The man, adopting an indulgent look, replied; "Of course dear, what ever you like." They were getting closer, but while she might not be in the best of shape after spending a night exposed to the elements, she wasn't defenseless. Her energies weren't fully restored, but she had some, and could prepare to mount a defense or even attack the approaching pair if she so chose.

 

[Knephi]

Re: That Which Loves is Mad (Knephi)

Nila shivered as consciousness slowly returned to her, blearily opening her eyes, before quickly shutting them again as the sunlight, even filtered through the clouds as it was, sent a fresh wave of agony through her already pained skull. The last time she'd felt this bad was after her fight with Lina, and for exactly the same reason. She'd used too much power in her desperation, and all but drained herself dry in the process.

Her ears perked up as she heard voices, mind scrambling to force her body to respond so she could defend herself. She still wasn't recovered, cold and sore and her head was pounding, but she couldn't let herself be caught defenceless again. She managed to push herself to her knees in time to see a woman and... what she thought was a man peering down at her. They looked out of place though, dressed like they were. Her knowledge of human fashions wasn't very comprehensive, but she was quite sure that what the two were wearing was not proper attire for a walk on the beach.

They were... strange. That was the best way Nila could describe them. Something about them even made her wonder if they were really human at all, though she couldn't quite place anything off about them besides their behaviour. The woman spoke of helping her, but as much as she would have liked to just lay back down, pass out again, and accept their aid, she couldn't. She couldn't trust them, not after everything that had happened.

"Stay back!" She shouted, shakily pushing herself to her feet. She'd recovered enough to use her powers again, if not fully, and she wasn't about to go down without a fight. Not after everything she'd already gone through to get this far. "Who are you? What do you want?"

She instinctively began gathering power as they approached, trying to push past the pounding in her head and the stiffness in her limbs. She drew her rapier from its sheath at her side, brandishing it in a shaky hand, but even as she did so she prepared to cast her protective aura around herself, should they get too close.

Spoiler

Drawing her rapier, and preparing to activate Battle Aura X=7 if they get too close. Paying an additional 3 EP for temporary HP if she does, and 2 Upkeep.

Buff: +28 Speed, Dodge, Attack, Melee Damage, +14 Resistance, and 28 Temp. HP.

Updated Stats (Including Buff and Weakened): 45 Speed, 69 Dodge, 5 Armour (EV1 TP30 DU3), 39 Resistance (-10 to Resistance rolls while Weakened).
She can no longer attempt stealth checks, but becomes immune to sneak attacks.

Spoiler

Cheat Sheet:

Combat/General:
>+5 EP damage when taking EP damage.

Sex:
>+5 PP damage when taking PP damage.
>+8 PP damage when her tail is played with (or while playing with someone else’s)
>Receive 1.5x normal Corruption. Do not receive corruption from Warped creatures.
>Impregnated on a 2+. Automatically if partner is also Fertile.

Shapeshifting: (Since I figured this should be kept track of somewhere)
Gained Night Eyes – Your character can see very well in the dark. They no longer take penalties to Perception for being in darkened areas.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: That Which Loves is Mad (Knephi)

Spoiler

Nila Misra: HP = 46/46, PP = 52/52, EP = 48/96, Status = Kinda Tired and Sore, Cold, Weakened, Charmed

Rolls

Spoiler

Perception: Failed
Resistance: ??? Wins, Nila has been Charmed

The pair paused as Nila shot suddenly to her feet and delivered her shout, both showing only the mildest sort of surprise. Neither seemed to consider her much of a threat, but when she drew her sword and pointed it at them the man scowled. "Now now, there's no need for that!" he exclaimed while holding his hands up in a completely nonthreatening gesture, making no move to come nearer and, as far as Nila could tell, not calling on any magic either. Unfortunately, that left her caught completely unawares when a tiny sliver of psychic influence slipped unnoticed past her guard, seeds of trust and comfort planted into her mind. It was an incredibly subtle effect, unlike any that Nila had ever even heard of, much less encountered, and thus not only did it take a firm hold, but it did so without her ever noticing.

She found herself relaxing, wanting to lower her rapier and drop her defensive measures. After all, as strange as this pair was, what ill will had they offered her? They had been approaching with the intent to help after all, not to harm. While the girl looked at Nila flatly with her dark red eyes narrowed, the man was still smiling at her in a charming manner, and it was hard to miss how strikingly handsome he was in his fine clothes. "Why, we only came upon you by chance, and decided to see if you were alright!" he continued calmly, only the tiniest hint of affront detectable in his voice beneath the thick layers of calming charm, just enough for Nila to detect and feel a hint of guilt from the hint of influence he'd planted in her mind.

"I am Aldem!" he stated calmly, making a light bow at the waist. "And this is Aedeth!" he added while gesturing to the woman at his side, who offered a formal curtsy and a slight dip of her head in turn. "What, might I ask, brought you to this point, such an unusual place to happen upon a pretty young woman such as yourself in such seemingly dire straits?" he then asked carefully, leaving it up to Nila to respond how she pleased.

 

[Knephi]

Re: That Which Loves is Mad (Knephi)

"I... You're right, I'm sorry. I'm just... a bit jumpy." Nila lowered her blade, relaxing her stance. He was right, they'd been talking about helping her, even if they were strange. There was no reason to suspect everyone she met of wanting to hurt her, even if it had proven to be a distressingly common occurrence. Besides, despite their manner of dress, which was only strange because of where they wore it, not what they wore, nothing about them was particularly suspicious.

The woman reminded her a little of the one who'd lured her to this beach in the first place, but on a second look the resemblance was mostly superficial. They were both certainly beautiful, but aside from that their only real similarity was their curly, dark red hair. Perhaps there was some common ancestry there... A thought which made Nila feel somewhat guilty. She'd done everything she could to try to help the woman, but in the end she'd panicked, and ended up killing her instead.

"Ah. I am Nila," the kitsune introduced herself, returning his bow with one of her own once she'd returned her rapier to its sheath. She wasn't sure why she was suddenly feeling the desire to b so open with these strangers, but there was something strangely disarming about them, as if it were obvious that they meant her no harm. "I was... Making camp for the night, in the woods, when I heard singing coming from the beach. I came to investigate, when I realized something was wrong."

She fidgeted a bit, not really wanting to remember the encounter in detail. "These... fish creatures ambushed me." She motioned with her hand to where she expected the bodies to be, only to give the ground a perplexed look for a moment before realizing what had happened to them "Ah, I guess there's nothing left... I'm not sure what they were, I've never heard of anything like them before, but there was some kind of mage among them. I fought them, and won, and I attempted to help the woman who'd been singing, who looked like she was being controlled by them somehow, but nothing seemed to work."

Nila paused, fingers absently brushing her lips as she recalled what had happened next. "She took me by surprise when I thought I'd broken whatever spell had been placed on her. She... grabbed me, and I felt her trying to drain my soul... I panicked. I already had so little power left after the fight, I guess I just... used all of it." She motioned to the crater dug out of the sand by her power, eyes downcast. She hadn't wanted to kill the woman, she'd wanted to find some way to help her... but she'd been afraid. She wasn't even sure why she was telling these people all of this. What if the woman here really was related to the one she'd killed? "I must have used too much, I don't really remember anything else... just waking up here."

 

[Tassadar]

Re: That Which Loves is Mad (Knephi)

Spoiler

Nila Misra: HP = 46/46, PP = 52/52, EP = 48/96, Status = Kinda Tired and Sore, Cold, Weakened, Charmed

"It's quite alright," Aldem replied easily as Nila lowered and then sheathed her weapon, relaxing slightly himself. "It's hardly surprising, really" his female companion said suddenly, her voice gentle, quiet, and almost regal. "These are dangerous times, after all... We could have meant all kinds of harm for all you knew~"

Clearing his throat after Aedeth's somewhat eery comment, Aldem continued; "Yes, well.... It's a pleasure to meet you Nila, despite the circumstances!" He folded an arm over his breast and gave a bow at the waist, and as if in sync with him Aedeth gave a formal curtsy as well. Then they listened intently as Nila spoke of what had happened to her, both quirking an eyebrow when she motioned to where one of the fishmen she'd killed had fallen only to find out that she'd evaporated them with the blast that she'd also knocked herself out with.

"Fish creatures?" Aldem would asked curiously, "how very.... Strange. Still, I suppose that many things are odd about Donevrion." Aedeth shot him a scathing look briefly, and then turned to Nila and pouted. "Oh you and your oddities!" she began in evident annoyance, though her tone would soften considerably as she addressed Nila, "the poor thing had to fight for her very soul, and she was left out here all alone in the cold all night! Stop puzzling over what happened and lets be on with helping her already!"

Giving a self deprecating laugh, Aldem nodded and replied; "Yes, yes! You're right of course, my lovely!" Turning his attention back to Nila, the strange man reached out and offered a hand that she was subtly tempted to take more than she might normally be, "come! We can give you warm food, a place to clean up safely, and a place to rest!" It was seemingly exactly what her battered body wanted, and he hadn't attached any strings to it, but the slight mental hold he'd placed on the kitsune wasn't enough to drive her to accept without an opportunity to think about it first. She didn't know these two, after all, and her things were still somewhere out in the woods.

 

[Knephi]

Re: That Which Loves is Mad (Knephi)

Nila wasn't certain what to make of their reactions. The pair were certainly odd, but odd wasn't always bad. They were a welcome change from the past day, at least. I was somewhat distressing that while apparently being from somewhere in this area, they didn't seem to be at all familiar with the creatures that had attacked her, especially after she'd accidentally destroyed all evidence of the encounter. Still, she knew what she had seen. That fight was not something she'd be forgetting soon.

"Thank you, that would be appreciated." Nila only hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take his hand. While strange, Aldem and Aedeth had made no indication of meaning her any harm, even when they'd thought she was unconscious, and even when she'd drawn her weapon. She was tired, cold, and sore all over, so the offer of food and rest was very welcome, and she had little reason to refuse. She didn't know them well, of course, having met only minutes earlier, but they seemed trustworthy...

"Ah..." She paused a moment later, as she remembered something she'd forgotten, too caught up in what had happened since she'd awoken. "I should check on my camp though, and retrieve my things if they're still there... I'm sorry, but if you wouldn't mind waiting a few moments, I can be there and back in an instant. I've recovered enough to do that, at least." While she still felt exhausted, and her head still felt like it was trying to split in two, she could draw upon more than enough of her power for a simple teleport there and back, she still remembered the clearing she'd made camp in well enough to transport herself directly there.

If they offered no objection, she'd simply release his hand, disappearing in a flash of light, and, if her things had not been disturbed, reappearing in the same manner shortly after.

Spoiler

If they don't object, Nila will be using Instant Transmission twice, once to return to her camp. After gathering her things, if they haven't gone missing overnight, she'll use it again to return to the beach. Each use costs her 4 EP.

If one or both of them want to come with her, she'd be willing to teleport them with her as well. Once that's done she'd happily go with them. Just wanted to put some of the options out there to keep things moving in case they don't have a problem with it. If they do object in some way, disregard this.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: That Which Loves is Mad (Knephi)

Spoiler

Nila Misra: HP = 46/46, PP = 52/52, EP = 40/96, Status = Kinda Tired and Sore, Cold, Weakened, Charmed

When Nila reached out to toward them, Aldem would gently grab her hand and bring it up to his lips, delicately kissing the back of her hand before lowering it and eventually releasing it. Aedeth didn't seem to care, but if Nila repeated the gesture to her the woman would actually repeat it with a soft smile, her lips lingering on the kitsune's skin a bit longer than Aldem's had.

"Think nothing of it dear~" Aedeth said following Nila's thanks, and Aldem added; "Yes, we couldn't just leave you to suffer on your own when it costs us so little to help could we? Besides, we stand to gain something much more valuable than a little bit of food and water!"

When Nila said she needed to return to her camp briefly, the two simply nodded. "Where is it? We can go with you to it, though if it's far it might be better if we returned to our people first," Aldem said, but Nila's reassurance prompted him to nod. Neither reached out a hand to her, so she popped back to find her things undisturbed. Packing them wouldn't take long, and then she would simply pop back, covering the few hundred feet in an instant and appearing before the surprised pair once more.

"Ahhhhh, impressive!" the man said after blinking in surprise at Nila's reappearance. "That seems like a handy trick! Why didn't you use that to get away?" Aedeth said a moment later, herself recovering quickly from her surprise at Nila's sudden reappearance as well. "We'll be walking back, if you don't mind" Aldem added after Nila had an opportunity to answer his companion's question, "it isn't far, Aedeth and I just wanted to take a stroll down the beach!"

Assuming Nila found no reason to change her mind on going with the pair, Aldem would take Aedeth on his right arm and offer the other to Nila, and though she would feel a subtle urge to take that offer she could just as easily refuse it. Either way, they would set off in short order, following the pair's tracks back along the beach a short ways beneath a gray sky. It luckily wouldn't start to rain before they arrived where the pair were guiding her, another cove in the beach where they would climb a small hill back up into the woods. A short walk down a fairly easy path later and Nila found herself at one of the clearings carved near the side of the road where caravans often stopped to rest, and there she would find a carriage.

It was drawn by two fine looking black horses, both of them huge and proud looking beasts that were clean and seemingly well looked after. They were let out to graze now, but still had their harnesses partially on, and were being seen to by a man standing by them who was clad in dark traveling clothes and a scaled vest made of black metal. His hair was cut short, dark red, and straight, and his skin was a dark tanned color akin to what might be expected from a native of Anudor. He glanced at them curiously, and perhaps frighteningly Nila would see a pair of small bone-white horns jutting from over his eyes, which were a deep dark red. A long bladed sword was hanging in a scabbard from his waist, but he made no motion to draw it while he looked at Nila curiously.

"Where did you find him?" the man asked in a low grunt of a voice, eyes sweeping over Nila again for a moment before looking back to Aldem and Aedeth. The two disentangled, with the woman going to the carriage and climbing inside while Aldem replied; "On the beach, and she is a girl Harpin!" The man was taken aback and gave Nila a second look over. "She is?" he asked incredulously, before hastily looking to Nila and dipping his head. "My apologies miss! I... Have no excuse for such rudeness! I beg your pardon!" he said in a hasty apology, before giving a formal bow at the waist. "I am Harpin, sometimes called Harpin the Black by those who fall before my sword! I place myself at your service!"

"Torg!" Aldem called suddenly in a raised voice, "Torg! Get out here! Now! We have work for you!"

If Harpin's demonic features concerned Nila, then the goblin stepping out from behind a tree from across the road probably would as well. He was short, barely more than three and a half feet tall from the top of his hairless head, but his ears extended another quarter of a foot and were long and pointed. Beady red eyes peered across the way in poorly hidden annoyance as he approached the carriage and the people around it, but when he stopped a few feet away and bowed his tone was perfectly respectful, "how may I serve, master?" Aldem waited for the goblin to straighten, an impatient look on his face and a similar tone in his voice when he replied a moment later; "Our new guest requires a bath. Gather water - clean and pure water - in the tub. Now."

The goblin bowed and then wandered off, pulling a wooden tub out from beneath the wagon while grumbling to himself. Aedeth returned from the wagon then, however, and gestured Nila over. "Come come! Food and drink," she said and gestured for Nila to enter the wagon, and if the kitsune did Aedeth would follow her in while Aldem remained outside. Some simple but rich food had been set out in a platter, a large sectioned dish with various finger foods and a pair of wine glasses already filled with a pleasant smelling golden bubbly liquid and a large glass of water. Sliced apples and pears, strawberries, cubes of several types of cheese, round salted crackers, fresh black olives, pickles, and slices of spiced meat were all at her fingertips while she waited for the goblin to gather water for her bath, and Aedeth would settle on one side of the lavish carriage interior and motion for Nila to do the same. It was pleasant inside, surprisingly warm and well lit courtesy of a set of glowing stones embedded in various points in the hardwood while much of it was comfortably padded in a rich crimson cloth.

 

[Knephi]

Re: That Which Loves is Mad (Knephi)

Nila returned with her pack slung over her shoulder again, everything having fortunately been undisturbed. She had taken a moment to neutralize the explosives she'd set around her camp as a warning, not wanting to scare any more wildlife now that she was no longer staying there. She was caught off guard by the words of praise as she returned, not used to the reactions of other when she displayed her powers—She'd been able to do this for years now, and her family had long since gotten used to it while she was still with them, she didn't usually use it around others.

"Ah, yes... I could have when the fight began, at least far enough to escape, but travelling longer distances like this requires me to concentrate, to properly visualize the destination. It is... difficult while I have to focus on defending myself as well," She paused for a moment, considering whether revealing weaknesses in her powers to people she had only just met was truly a good idea, but finally she continued, "Also, even though I could have escaped... At first, the fight was in my favour, and I did not want to leave them to prey on the next person to come by... When I became desperate, she had already managed to grab me, and if I try to do it while in contact with someone else, they would be transported along with me, so it would not have helped..."

Her head sunk as she finished speaking, cheeks reddening slightly out of embarrassment at revealing such a blunder, simply nodding at his mention that they would be walking. She hesitated for a moment as Aldem offered her his arm, glancing between him and Aedeth, who had taken his other, a few times before following suit, seeing no reason to refuse his offer and feeling a strange urge to accept. She didn't think too much on that however, and it was not unpleasant, so she simply continued that way for the rest of their short trip, eventually coming to a clearing where an impressive carriage was waiting.

What drew her attention more than the carriage however, was the man guarding it. The horns were the first thing she noticed, eyes drawn to them until she realized her was staring and hastily averted her gaze. She'd heard stories of demons from her mother, mostly bad, though with the occasional good... was that the case here? She glanced back to Aldem for a moment, realizing only then that Aedeth had already released his other arm, the kitsune quickly disentangling herself as well. Were they all demons? They'd been nothing but nice to her so far, so they couldn't be that bad, could they?

Nila's thoughts were derailed as she heard the tan-skinned man's words, quickly looking back to him, uncertain whether or not she should feel insulted. She knew she wasn't the most... shapely, and that her clothes tended to hide her body shape, but she'd thought she looked at least feminine enough not to be mistaken for a male... She considered again making some alterations to her appearance, as she'd considered several times in the past, but... It still didn't feel right to her. It wouldn't be too difficult, with her ability to shapeshift, but she was quite fond of looking as she did...

"No... It is no problem," the kitsune replied simply to his apology, feeling a little awkward at the intensity of it. More and more, she was feeling like these people were very unlike most of the demon's she'd heard stories of, if all of them even were demons after all. That they were was made even more likely as Aldem called out to yet another, this time a goblin, to prepare a bath. Was Aldem some kind of noble among demons then, to have a servant, a guard, and such an impressive carriage as this? She knew little of their society, or if they even had nobles as the humans did, but neither did she wish to ask him about it, even if he seemed like he'd be willing to answer.

Instead, she simply accepted Aedeth's invitation, following her to the carriage. It was just as impressive on the inside, and Nila felt briefly awkward as she took the woman's invitation to sit. Her home had been large enough, but not particularly lavish... She had never experienced this sort of luxury, and it showed, even for something as seemingly minor as this.

"Um... Thank you," Nila spoke shyly, unable to find any more words than that. She was hungry though, she couldn't deny that, so she hesitantly reached for the food, first simply taking a berry, then slowly moving on to the other foods as well. As strange as it felt to be accepting food like this from what were essentially strangers, it didn't feel like she would be inconveniencing them overly much, and it would be rude to refuse when they'd been so willing to help her. "Thank you for helping me, as well. I haven't met anyone so willing to show kindness to a stranger since leaving home."

After a few more bites, still eating slowly and carefully, she reached for a drink, hesitantly taking the wine glass in front of her. She wasn't familiar with the drink, but she wasn't very experienced with wines in general, and it smelled pleasant enough. She took an experimental sip, followed soon after by another, larger one if the taste was pleasant as well.