The Angel Angle (Tassadar) GMed by thetwo

[thetwo]

Re: The Angel Angle (Tassadar) GMed by thetwo

He seemed to take her insults and accusations in stride, and with the fading of Nadia's Aura shot more glances at her companions, who were mostly shifting about nervously and looking to the angel for guidance. "They might not willingly help today or tomorrow, but in time we would teach them the ways of our people and war, and they would become useful. Even if all we did was keep them out of the hands of the Invaders..."

The orc hesitated for a moment, keeping Sarah between himself and the angel as best he could, considering his next move. "Maybe you haven't outright lied, but you've certainly bent the truth to your needs. You swore you would do me no violence, but nothing about these others. Give me your plain word that you will allow me to go unmolested, and to prevent your allies giving chase as well, to the best of your abilities, and I will release her." His nervous glances were expanding, looking into the woods and up at the canopy above as well as the people in the immediate area.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: The Angel Angle (Tassadar) GMed by thetwo

"Oh, you mean after you'd raped and tortured them to the point that they were broken? I'm SURE they'd appreciate that!" Nadia spat back venomously following the orc's attempted justification, "They're already being kept out of the hands of the invaders. That they might be endangered of such again is largely as a consequence of the relocation that YOUR senseless war has caused."

His observation drew a flat look from the red-headed angel, who gave a disgruntled snort and said; "Fine, if it will comfort. I swear that, if you release her and offer us no further harassment of any kind, you will suffer no further harm from me or my charges."

 

[thetwo]

Re: The Angel Angle (Tassadar) GMed by thetwo

The orc looked like he was going to argue for a moment, then shook his head and gently pushed Sarah forward, pulling his knife out of the way at the same time. The mage stumbled, regained her footing, and spun around to face the orc, furious, her hands glowing as magic gathered around them.

He continued slowly backing away, knife sheathed but staff held out in front of him. His gaze pointedly ignored Sarah, and turned to face the Angel instead. Several of the others were also fingering weapons, and one woman had produced a bow from somewhere, knocked an arrow, and looked ready to draw. The blonde elf still had his sword out, but turned to Nadia and said "You want me to track him? I'll make sure he doesn't come back!"

 

[Tassadar]

Re: The Angel Angle (Tassadar) GMed by thetwo

Nadia gave Sarah a warning glare as she prepared to incinerate the orc, though it was likely lost on the elf given the direction of her gaze. "Let him go," the angel said calmly to her assembled group, intending for the orc to hear even as she turned away, "He isn't worth killing. Police the bodies for anything of value - we'll likely have to buy our own way when we get to Lockacre - and lets be off." Nadia intended to do exactly that, searching the bodies for anything useful or valuable before departing, stopping only to do the same to the orc camp that she'd massacred and freeing the slaves that had been held there.

 

[thetwo]

Re: The Angel Angle (Tassadar) GMed by thetwo

Sarah kept glaring at the orc. "It wouldn't be any trouble at all." She didn't release her spell, though. When the orc was out of sight she let out a frustrated grunt, and the gathered light drained away in a flash of flame, not quite enough to set the ground on fire. Then the elf looked guiltily at Nadia, tugging at her dress uncomfortably.

The remainder of the refugees from Petra were rounded up while Nadia checked the bodies. Or what was left of them. None of the orcs had been considerate enough to bring large bags of gold, but the supplies they could easily carry would sell for 40 denarii. There was also a bow, 2 shortswords, 2 greatswords, and a quarterstaff. All were of reasonable quality, but not especially valuable.

That done, the group returned to the road and soon reached the camp. It was not as Nadia had left it. An attempt to shake down the first corpse, where the angel had made her stand, for valuables showed definite signs that someone else had already done so. A quick check of the others showed the same.

Past the wagons that formed a crude wall across the road, there was a dead orc. Not killed by an arrow, but apparently by four parallel slashes across his armor and into his throat. The footprints hadn't been made by boots, and showed a reptilian shape with five claws. Nadia had seen them before. The new corpse lay near the slave pens. The empty slave pens.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: The Angel Angle (Tassadar) GMed by thetwo

The weapons from the orc knights Nadia had distributed, either to sell later or to use as the situation dictated. The extra supplies that they couldn't use she had them keep as well, in case they found an opportunity to sell them. If they needed to run, they could always just drop them. In the process, Nadia requested some quick healing from Sarah, instructing the elf to use no more energy than was necessary to do so given the breadth of time that they had.

When they arrived at the orc camp and found it not as it had been before, Nadia was confused. Had scavengers already gotten to it? Surely thieves wouldn't have been able to reach it in the short time she'd been gone... But then she spotted the reptilian tracks among the bodies, and knew what had happened even before she glanced at the slave cages. "Aliens.... Here?" Nadia grumbled under her breath, and then said aloud; "There were people in these cages when I left, and these tracks belong to the invaders. They must have taken them while I was dealing with the knights... Meaning they haven't gotten far. I'm going to follow them, they've got slaves to worry about so they can't have gotten far. Stay here and keep alert and out of sight!"

Then, to Sarah, she'd say; "Give me something to help me detect them. If it falls, you'll know that I have, and if I do you'll take these people and continue on down the road. Lockacre isn't far, and if you hurry you should outrun any more pursuit. If it falls, I'll know that you're in trouble and will come back immediately. Understand?" With that Nadia picked up the trail that the aliens had left, unwilling to entertain any further argument on the subject and aiming to follow the tracks as far as she could.

Spoiler

Search for tracks. Also, it should be noted that aliens don't use currency or equipment, so why the bodies were searched should be something other than them. She has Ranger, so tracking should be easy.

 

[thetwo]

Re: The Angel Angle (Tassadar) GMed by thetwo

Spoiler

Gain 8 XP for the 2 fights. Nadia is fully healed.

Ranger: Success.

"I... understand. But please be careful, I..." After a moment of looking like she might argue, Sarah wrapped her hands around the angel and got up on her toes to give Nadia a kiss. The redheaded angel felt magic at her lover's touch, and suddenly the shadows grew less dark. The elf smiled sheepishly as she let go. "...just be careful."

The others had already started setting up for the night, a ways beyond the fallen orc camp, and Sarah joined them while Nadia got to work. Looking more closely, and with her enhanced vision, what had happened became more clear. On top of everything else were the hunters' tracks. There seemed to have been six of the alien lizards, and they had left to the South. No other tracks followed, certainly none that might have been left by a human. If the slaves had gone with the hunters, they had been carried.

Less expected was the set of tracks that went North, starting from the corpse Nadia was sure she hadn't made. Just one person, wearing a large pair of boots. Probably an orc. And while there was no blood near the tracks, there was sign that the maker had been having trouble walking, even falling once near the edge of the camp. It seemed even less likely that a lone orc could have taken the slaves without leaving more tracks, but this had certainly happened after the battle at the camp.

Spoiler

Nadia: 105 HP, 85 PP, 110 EP; fine, +14 perception

Allies: all apparently fine, varying degrees of tired. Setting up a camp for the night.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: The Angel Angle (Tassadar) GMed by thetwo

Nadia wasn't in much of a mood to return her lover's affection after all of the violence she'd been a party to that day, but she returned the kiss through which Sarah worked her magic with as much passion as she could muster. "I always am," she replied simply, even though that statement wasn't entirely true.

Examining the two sets of prints she'd found, Nadia marked a half dozen sets of tracks belonging clearly to those of the aliens, and another set of lone tracks apparently belonging to an orc survivor. That was a curious turnout, but given that the survivor was alone, he likely didn't have any slaves with him. The aliens were most likely carrying their captives, and so Nadia followed the tracks of the hunters at her best speed, keeping one eye on their trail and the other for signs of her quarry.

 

[thetwo]

Re: The Angel Angle (Tassadar) GMed by thetwo

Spoiler

Perception: ???

Nadia followed the tracks as quickly as she could through the forest. After a few miles she had to slow down as the forest abruptly grew considerably more dense. The tracks indicated that the hunters had slowed down as well, and Nadia estimated that they were only a handful of minutes ahead of her now. If there hadn't been any trees, she probably would have been able to see them.

After a time in the deep woods, the angel followed the tracks into a small clearing, open to the night sky. The transition was abrupt, and for a moment it almost seemed as if Nadia saw movement in the tall grass near the rocky ridge that bisected the clearing. When she looked more carefully there was nothing but the slight stir caused by a breeze. The tracks continued up to the ridge, and stopped. With her enhanced vision, the redheaded angel could make out a too-deep shadow cast by one of the rocks along the base of the ridge. The hunters seemed to have entered a cave.

Spoiler

Nadia: 105 HP, 85 PP, 110 EP; fine, +14 perception

 

[Tassadar]

Re: The Angel Angle (Tassadar) GMed by thetwo

'Great. A cave. Just what I want to walk into in pursuit of the sneaky aliens,' Nadia thought silently to herself as her eyes swept across the rocky ridge, centering briefly again upon the section that had moved before the angel looked down at the cave. She hadn't seen anything moving about her besides leaves brushed by the wind, but she felt a gut instinct suggesting that she was being watched even though she had no proof of such.

Even so, there wasn't anything she could do about it now, and as she looked down into the darkness Nadia scowled and sighed. She had a decision to make. Her skin possessed a natural glow that would allow her to see.... A very short distance, though it would also give away her position if she got too close to something without noticing it. She wasn't the most adept at stealth. but she'd picked up a reasonable ability for such in her travels, and trying to maintain a bit of secrecy might allow her to get the drop on her opponents. On the other hand, she could simply walk in with her aura at full glow, ensuring that she'd see anything coming for her and be readily able to avoid it, but they'd see her coming too.

After a moment of mentally debating in circles, Nadia opted to err on the side of caution and crept forward in an effort to keep her presence hidden.

Spoiler

Sneakeh sneakeh angel! This will surely work!

 

[thetwo]

Re: The Angel Angle (Tassadar) GMed by thetwo

Spoiler

Stealth(nadia): 15+22 = 37 -> Apparently Success!
Perception(nadia): 20+43 = 63 -> ???

Inside the cave the ground quickly turned from dirt to rock. And while there were signs that the lizard-folk had been through, they were muddled by scores if not hundreds of such passages. Fortunately, they all seemed to be heading the same way. Nadia's skin gave off a faint light, but fortunately she was not alone in lighting the cave or stealth would have been impossible. Occasional shafts of faint moonlight shone where the tunnel was open to the surface, and there seemed to be some type of glowing moss here and there in the cave.

There was only one fork, and it was clear which way to go. If any of the hunters had ever taken the right fork, it had been long ago and few. Nadia could tell that even without the oddly large spider webs. The looking down the passage, the angel froze for a moment, seeing 8 faintly glowing eyes. The owner of the eyes froze as well, and for a moment it seemed that the thing would come to the junction where Nadia crouched. But after a moment it turned away and vanished around a corner.

The hunters had seemed to go Left, and after a few more twists and turns Nadia found herself hiding behind a boulder near the entrance to a large cavern. A hole near the center let in some light, and while the entrance itself was dark enough that it was difficult to hide, the rock provided through enough cover that she should be safe as long as she didn't move.

In the cavern was a bizarre sight. Some twenty or thirty hunters were there, despite the years and miles since the invasion. Nadia's eyes immediately sought out the non-hunters, and found them. Five young women with skin that was tan and pink instead of the grey-green scales of the hunters. The woman stood in a semicircle, held in place by a hunter standing behind them, facing the lone hunter in the center. This one was different from all the others. It stood taller, hands and claws smaller, and its skin shimmered, reflecting the light in an odd way. What part of its skin was visible, anyway; as it seemed to have somehow pieced together armor from several different sources. It spoke in hisses and growls, making gestures for emphasis.

When it was finished, four of the hunters picked their prisoners back up, slinging them over their shoulders, and retreated out of the main cavern through an exit that Nadia hadn't noticed before, on the opposite side. The remaining woman's hunter made menacing noises at the armored one, and took a blow to the side of its head that knocked it to the ground and made the blonde elf scream as it passed over her head. The elf turned towards Nadia - and the exit - and made it about half a step before being lifted into the air by the larger hunter. Suddenly the tall hunter spoke, the cavern's shape making it relatively easy for Nadia to hear. "Do not scream, human. Behave and you will be released after you have served your purpose. I will try not to hurt you." He approached the woman, and after a few brief movements the collar still around her neck had been tied to a large rock. A studded leather flap was pushed aside, and an enormous reptilian member became visible, hardening as the thing came up behind the nude elf.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: The Angel Angle (Tassadar) GMed by thetwo

The sight of the entire room filled the hunters, somewhere between twenty and thirty of them, was intimidating even to Nadia. Normally, she'd have simply blasted the room and everything in it to dust, but she spotted the women she'd come to rescue within the center of them. She paused long enough to see the aliens carry most of the captives out, but then one was left to what appeared to be a leader of the creatures. She was surprised at how articulate the larger alien was, but when the leather strap was pulled aside and the thing's very impressive cock sprung out, the angel knew she'd run out of time to wait. She still couldn't risk simply blowing up the room, and with an inward sigh Nadia knew she'd have to do this the hard way.

Stepping out into the room just as the monster lined its manhood up against the captive human woman's sex and suddenly exploding with light, Nadia shouted; "Excuse me! I don't believe she's interested!" She gave a brief pause and allowed that to sink in before adding; "Maybe if you filthy lizards learned to wine and dine a woman, we wouldn't find ourselves in this situation so often! Release the women and maybe I'll let the lot of you live!"

Spoiler

Activate Battle Aura X = 6!

 

[thetwo]

Re: The Angel Angle (Tassadar) GMed by thetwo

Several of the hunters around the room hissed and started moving aggressively towards Nadia. Then, after a moment, each one stopped. One turned and fled out the passage that the other women had been taken out through. Several bent forward, pressing their heads to the ground. The apparent leader paused just before penetrating the slave, holding her firmly but not moving an inch.

Another of the hunters, not as large as the leader but more powerfully built, spoke, barely making itself understood in what was clearly not its native language. "Mistress!" There almost seemed to be awe in its voice. "You came back! At last!" He turned halfway towards the armored hunter, bracing his feet and tensing up. "Can I kill the liar?!"

Spoiler

105 HP, 85 PP, 104/110 EP; fine, +14 perception, Battle Aura X=6

 

[Tassadar]

Re: The Angel Angle (Tassadar) GMed by thetwo

As the hunters started toward her, Nadia tensed in preparation, but what followed very nearly left her stunned. Mistress? This didn't make any sense..... Did they think that she was Lillith? Nadia was just surprised enough to let the hunters that moved into the deeper chambers do so, which she regretted immediately. There was nothing she could do about it now, however, and so she turned to the hunter that had spoken and glared at it. "No," she stated commandingly, deciding to try and milk their strange reaction for as much of her own benefit as she could, "But what you can do is explain what you've been doing down here! What has the... Liar... Told you to do?"

 

[thetwo]

Re: The Angel Angle (Tassadar) GMed by thetwo

"He has lied! So much! He said you were... telling lies! That you wouldn't come back!" He turned to glare at some of the others. "One of the others, then! Most of them believed his lies! But not me!"

The armored hunter hissed loudly, and puffed itself up. "Idiot! This is not..." he paused for a second, then suddenly knelt, thrusting the slave-girl roughly in front of him. The position was especially awkward for the creature's inhuman anatomy, but the nude woman now blocked out at least half the creature's body from Nadia's sight. "Mistress Lilith." He emphasised the second word. "We have recovered these slaves from their prison for the glory of the tribe, but will of course surrender them for you to use first." He shot a glare at two of those the other Hunter had wanted to kill, and they started warily moving towards the tunnel exit, where there were already faint sounds of women in distress. Three more hunters moved to block the exit. Just about every eye in the cavern was on the angel, including those of the baffled-looking slave.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: The Angel Angle (Tassadar) GMed by thetwo

"No!" Nadia barked sharply at the hunter's insistence on killing, and then adopted a smile and allowed her voice to drip with cruelty as she said; "Not yet~" Nadia had slipped into the role with ease that she was starting to mildly frighten herself, but she didn't allow it to stop her from playing the role until it stopped being useful. Not yet at least.

The angel didn't miss the look that the hunter gave, nor that it put its hostage in front of her, and Nadia adopted a very genuine scowl. Directing a withering gaze to the two hunters that had started moving, she coldly said; "Pause. Immediately." Assuming they followed her command, she turned back to the armored one and said, in the same tone; "You have done well, looking after my flock for me... But now you have outlived your usefulness. For your dangerous lies, I will see you punished... Personally~" There was a slight drip of suggestiveness in the last word, a tiny purr to her voice that would hopefully put some ideas into the seemingly more intelligent hunter's mind.

The sounds of distress coming from the women was not missed by Nadia, however, and so she started forward, keeping her swords sheathed as she set off through the crowd of kneeling hunters with an air of absolute confidence. "Bring that one," she said, directing her command to the one that had seemed most loyal. She'd suspected that they thought she was Lilith, but hadn't dared to hope, and playing along with it might get her into a more effective position. "I want her beside me while I inspect your catch~ It will be good for her to learn her place. The rest of you, follow." She just needed to get into the next chamber before they could try to escape with some of their captives, and hopefully her ruse would allow at least that much. After that, she'd just have to play it by ear. Of course, trusting that it was working, and actually trusting the aliens around her were two different things, and Nadia kept on high alert in case they should suddenly try to jump her.

 

[thetwo]

Re: The Angel Angle (Tassadar) GMed by thetwo

Spoiler

Yea, because sex with a fallen angel is totally awesome and never ends with you regretting it forever, *especially* if it's intended to be a punishment. >.>

Nadia is charged with a round's upkeep as she takes an action other than talking.

The armored hunter responded with a tremor in his voice, but was also showing signs of renewed arousal. "Yes, mistress." He released the slave reluctantly, and as he followed the angel towards the next chamber seemed to be endeavoring to keep at least one of the other hunters between him and Nadia.

"Please Great One, I want to taste the Liar's blood." the eager hunter practically yanked the nude human off the ground as he pulled her towards her fellows in the next chamber. By now it was clear that at least several women were being raped, perhaps all of the others. And the one that Nadia had so far saved looked as terrified of her savior as of her most recent captors.

In the next chamber the four other slaves were indeed all being raped. From the look of it at least one was being fucked by her second hunter, and even as Nadia arrived one of the foul aliens finished in a second. He pulled out, and a fellow who had been watching with erect cock stepped up and without hesitation thrust in, bringing a renewed cry for help or mercy.

The smaller chamber was crowded now, with Nadia, five slaves, and at least fifteen hunters, with a few more crowding the entrance. It was also quite dim, or would have been to someone without Nadia's enhanced senses, lacking the previous chamber's direct moonlight.

Spoiler

105 HP, 85 PP, 100/110 EP; fine, +14 perception, Battle Aura X=6

 

[Tassadar]

Re: The Angel Angle (Tassadar) GMed by thetwo

Everything was, surprisingly, going according to plan. Having been led into the room with the other slaves, Nadia at least found that they were all there... And now had to deal with those in the next room as well. There was a small army of the aliens, but it wasn't anything she didn't think that she could deal with, and as she moved in she looped an arm around the waist of the slave that had almost been raped by the smarter hunter. Dragging the woman along with her, Nadia moved as if to survey the aliens as they raped the others, adopting her very best cruel smile.

"Do you like the look of this?" Nadia asked slowly, drawing out the delivery of each syllable as she gazed at the woman, playing her part to the hilt. "It's the fate you'd have had in store for you," she added as she slowly swiveled towards the hunters, before suddenly raising a hand towards the group at large, making sure that the intelligent hunter was among those in her range but that none of the women she'd come to rescue would be caught in the blast, and gathered power in the blink of an eye.

Before any of the hunters could move more than a step, the angel's power burst, and a wave of titanic power burst forth into the cave, producing a blinding light and a titanic roar that was magnified by the tight quarters of the cavern. It was a good enough start to the violence, and hopefully it would even the odds and disorient the remaining aliens enough that the angel would be able to make the safety of the captured women certain.

Spoiler

Energy Wave, 120 degree 30 foot cone, X = 15 with 20 points of defensive fighting, half into Perception and half into Dodge. Total energy cost = 19 for the round.

Her total attack is +60 after her buff.
Dodge = 110
Perception = 41

Energy Wave
Like energy blast but covers a wider area.
-The character pays X EP.
-Then, the character deals (1d6 + 4) * X damage to all creatures within 1 of the possible ranges:
1) All creatures with a 10 foot radius of any spot within line of sight.
2) All creatures within a 30 foot, 120 degree cone.

 

[thetwo]

Re: The Angel Angle (Tassadar) GMed by thetwo

Spoiler

Attack: 60+14 = 74 v 45 -> Hit
Damage: (1+4)*15 = 75 - 20 = 55

At the last second, the armored hunter seemed to see what was coming. He tried to leap out of the way, but he was far too slow. Holy fire swept from the angel's hand, blasting at him as well as half a dozen more hunters who were crowding near the entrance. Six piles of fine dust rained to the cavern floor, leaving the little cavern in stunned silence.

Or rather, six piles of fine dust and the smoking body of the armored hunter, leaving the little cavern with a slight sizzling sound breaking the silence. Closer inspection showed that while his skin was clearly badly damaged, it was mostly his makeshift armor that was smoking, rather than his flesh.

The moment stretched on. Then a look of surprise turned into a mask of hatred on the face of the hunter who had earlier been craving the smart hunter's blood. "Imposter! The Mistress would never fail to destroy this WORM."

The fact that she had also killed six other "innocent" hunters didn't seem to bother him. Nor, as he turned to face the angel bearing his claws menacingly, did the fact that Nadia had just demonstrated a blast that almost certainly would have made short work of him. Four others seemed to heed his words, and started forming a circle around Nadia.

"F-flee! Hide in the forest until she is gone! Our tribe must not end tonight!" The burned hunter gestured weakly at the others in the chamber. Three of them glanced nervously around the room then started for the exit while the burned leader staggered towards the angel. "W-wait..."

The last two hunters in the room were holding four of the terrified slaves in place, apparently still too stunned to move. The final slave knelt beside Nadia hiding her face in her arms.

Spoiler

105 HP, 85 PP, 81/110 SP; fine, +14 perception, Battle Aura X=6. (Defensive Fighting +10 Perception, +10 Dodge)

Foes:
Armored hunter, badly injured.
5 hunters, forming a circle around Nadia.
3 hunters, moving to flee.
2 hunters, holding four of the slaves in place.

Neutral:
5 slaves

 

[Tassadar]

Re: The Angel Angle (Tassadar) GMed by thetwo

"Ehhh.... I'm having an off day I guess!" Nadia proclaimed lightly in response to the hunter's denouncement of her position. She made no effort to refute them, however, and as she noticed the two hunters moving to escape she scowled and spat; "Oh no yah don't! Your vile presence in these woods ends now!" All but ignoring the one pointing his claws at her, Nadia prepared and unleashed another wave of energy, forming it however she could to get the three trying to flee and catching as many of the others in her blast as she could.

Spoiler

Energy Wave, shaped however is more conducive to getting those three would-be escapees, X = 12 with 20 points of defensive fighting, half into Perception and half into Dodge. Total energy cost = 19 for the round.

Her total attack is +60 after her buff.
Dodge = 110
Perception = 41

Energy Wave
Like energy blast but covers a wider area.
-The character pays X EP.
-Then, the character deals (1d6 + 4) * X damage to all creatures within 1 of the possible ranges:
1) All creatures with a 10 foot radius of any spot within line of sight.
2) All creatures within a 30 foot, 120 degree cone.


Let it be noted that I feel sort of bad about this outcome, given that this looks like a fairly interesting story. It wouldn't make sense for this to play out in any other way though, particularly after ye hunters were already actively raping ye slaves. If ye armored hunter makes it out of this alive maybe she'll ask him some questions about it.