The Harlequin (Incubus)

[Tassadar]

Re: The Harlequin (Incubus)

Spoiler

HP = 56, PP = 51, EP = 40, Status = Fine

The Harlequin opened the door out of the large, ruined throne room, and found the black knight leaning against a wall about twenty paces outside of the door. It was, presumably the same one who had brought her here, as he moved away from the wall when she came toward him. He didn't respond, or even acknowledge her threat, but instead said; "Of course. Right this way." His voice even seemed relieved, and he quickly turned to move around and head back down the hallway. He only went about fifty feet, however, before he stopped, and pulled a piece of the wall off. A quiet clinking sound emitted from the seemingly solid stone, and a section of wall silently glided aside, revealing a small chamber that was half filled with loose golden coins. As he walked in, he quietly said; "Don't touch the coins."

A section of them silently rose up, without being touched at all, but instead of putting those into a bag, the knight had some from well underneath the surface flow up and into a bag he'd pulled from his waist. Once the bag was mostly filled, he simply handed it to her and silently walked past her back out into the corridor. As he went back into the hallway, he waited for the Harlequin to exit the chamber, before pulling on the same piece of wall again, causing the chamber to close just as silently as it had opened. "We have to return to the room you came from in order to leave." He turned and led her there, the scenery having changed not at all from last time, and then he held out his hand, muttering; "Whenever you're ready."

Once she took his hand, the same weightless sensation as last time came before she found herself in a small stone room. The air here was less stale, and she figured that she was no longer underground. The night let his hand fall back to his side, and he said; "This is the safe house you'll be using. From here on out, you'll be collecting your earnings and receiving your assignments from here." He sounded exhausted, and as he spoke, she had ample opportunity to examine the room. It was small, but not uncomfortably so, twelve feet by twelve feet and with nine feet from floor to ceiling, and a single closed door made of iron led out of it. There was also a single window, carved out of the stone wall, revealing the skies of Hell, where the aurora waved its colors into the sky.

After a moment, the door opened, and a woman in a long, red dress, slitted down the sides up to her hips, stood in the doorway. She was of average (for a female demon, meaning alluringly curvy) build, fairly dark skin, with a light tinge of red perhaps, had long curly black hair, and she smiled a crooked smile as she looked upon the Harlequin. When she spoke, her voice was low and harsh and cracked, the sound irritating by its very nature and only compounded by her absurd accent; "Ahhhh.... Gotcha sum new blood then, Cringer? Is this the one our queenie picked out of alla backstabbers in hell?" She looked the Harlequin up and down, the motion comically overdone, and continues; "She don look like much....... Maybe I'll try 'er out tonight, see how she handles!" The woman winked, the motion also overly exaggerated, and the one who'd originally picked her up sighed.

Forced patience evident in his voice, he said; "Roxanne, you know we aren't supposed to mention anything about Her while we're here. We don't know who could be listening." He sighed again, and shook his armored head; "Yes, she's the one who's supposed to be going after Merael." The man then walked out of the room, bodily pushing the female aside without another word, and entered another room. The next room had a wide doorway leading outside, and the corner of another window visible from where she stood. There was a table and six chairs around it, all built of metal and bone, and the knight pushed one aside and slumped down into it. Roxanne stared daggers at his back until he sat down, but then turned back to her, a hand on her hip, and as she stood aside, she said; "Well, come on out of that little closet, deary. You want somtin to eat while you're 'ere? How 'bout a bit to drink? I got me some fine wine coolin about if you don't want water."

 

[Incubus]

Re: The Harlequin (Incubus)

As the pair of them made their way through the money collecting process, the Harlequin observed silently. It looked as though the top coins were somehow trapped, a feature she noted for later use should she decide to violently break away from this employer afterwards as she catalogued information.

Returning to the transportation room, she once again allowed the knight to take her elsewhere, but wasn't really expecting what was on the other end. Usually she was left in a dark alley and told to get to work and no one before had dared put her in a situation with a demon such as the one who confronted her now. She was far too much in a bad mood to deal with this.

With a quick flick of her wrist, she launched a throwing knife across the room, aiming to pass by the demon's face and embed itself in the wall behind, a name delicately engraved upon the silver blade, 'Othello'. "Consider me tested," she said flatly, clearly unimpressed. "I am called The Harlequin and out of 'alla backstabber in hell', I know beyond I doubt I am the most powerful and most capable on the 'free market'. Although if your employer has her way, I'm no longer on the free market, but we'll see how long that lasts. The working conditions are certainly below my standards."

She balanced another of her set of throwing knives on her finger as she spoke, seemingly talking to it rather than the demon by the name of Roxanne. "I know this will probably be a big disappointment for you, but keep your refreshments, I've got work to do," she added as she strode towards her, intent on retrieving the dagger and making her way out of this building. If nothing else, she wanted to spend some of her deposit before she began her hunt; her brightly coloured outfit was due for another magical upgrade.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: The Harlequin (Incubus)

Spoiler

HP = 56, PP = 51, EP = 40, Status = Fine

The womans head ducks to the side as the Harlequins blade sails past her face and embeds itself in the wall, her eyes tracking the blade throughout its path. Roxanne turned toward the assassin as the blade landed, grinning broadly, and said; "Well, ain't you a cross one? You'll take to the rewards, hun. Trust me. It gets a lot better after the first day." She allowed the Harlequin to pass by without replying to her denial of her offer. The knights armored head turned and followed the Harlequin as she moved across the room to retrieve her knife, where it hung stuck in the wall next to the doorway.

As she looked through, the Harlequin realized that she had little idea of where she was, and where she might be definitely had some bearing on what she might have done to her garments. However, as she pulled the dagger from the wall, Roxanne suddenly shrieked, and a low, masculine voice cackled from a few feet behind her. The sound of a chair screeching against the stone floor and crashing against the wall sounded as the Harlequin turned around, and found the knight that had brought her standing, drawing a longsword from his waist, as well as Roxanne staring at a man who had suddenly appeared from out of thin air. Or at least, she supposed that that was what had happened, since he was standing easily, and was nowhere near any windows. He was roughly five and a half feet tall, and had no skin showing save for an extremely pale swath around his eyes. The rest of him was covered by heavy brown boots, a full body black cloak and hood, and a pair of dark gloves.

He laughed again, and suddenly pulled open his cloak, revealing a staggering amount of goods packed into sleeves and pockets within his garments, as well as the gray clothing underneath, and said; "What're ya buyin? Or is it enchanting you'll have done? Come come, haven't got all day!" (You may now shop.) The other two demons clearly didn't know this man, but he easily ignored both of them as he stared at the Harlequin, his eyes completely white and totally blank.

 

[Incubus]

Re: The Harlequin (Incubus)

The harlequin raised an eyebrow slowly. "My, that is an impressive trick, however did you manage it?" she remarks calmly, slowly striding towards him. "Some kind of greed demon perhaps, who can sense an opportunity for money nearby, perhaps? No matter... enchanting is what I require, assuming the price is right."

After some bartering over prices, the pair of them agreed on what is conveniently the listed prices in the info thread; perhaps a testament to both their abilities at negotiation that their attempts to screw each other balanced out perfectly. "Very well then," she said, coming to an agreement and pulling forth the entire set of Shakespearian Tragedy from various places, the matching blades giving off their polished shine, their only difference the names engraved on each knife. "You know what I want done with them," she said, handing them over.

Blades that obscure senses with delusions, flashy sights and sounds of the Harlequin's own dark circus, a valuable tool as an opening strike or to help prevent someone from escaping. Satisfied with the final product, she nodded to the merchant. "That will be all, for now," she says dismissively, turning back to the other two. "Now then, with that business taken care of, I suppose it's time for me to get to work. Do you have any direction for me, or should I simply take to the streets and listen for information?"

 

[Tassadar]

Re: The Harlequin (Incubus)

Spoiler

HP = 56, PP = 51, EP = 40, Status = Fine

After completing their negotiation, the stranger took her throwing knives, and simply stared at them for several moments. The knight simply sat down after a few moments, and Roxanne quickly lost interest in the merchant as well, other than to keep a wary eye upon him. After about five minutes, the merchant let out another low, barking laugh, and handed the Harlequin her weapons back. "Pleasure doin business with ya, stranger!" And after her quiet dismissal, he simply vanished, drawing a surprised gasp from Roxanne, she looked about for him, but upon finding no trace of the strange merchant anywhere, save for the now enchanted throwing knives in the Harlequins hands, she settled for turning upon the Harlequin and answering her question.

"We've got information for ya, all right. We don't know where Merael is, exactly.... Errr...... Merael is the demon you're after, by the by. Anyway..... We don't have his precise whereabouts, but... We know who does. He likes to move about, ya see, and only a couple 'ah demons ever know where he's at at any given time..... And only one always knows. That'd be his favored lieutenant, a Nightmare Lord by the name 'ah Jachyra. He's controlling about the only plot of land Merael's ever laid claim to, an old ruined fort about half an hours walk from here, South-East as the nightmare flies. You'll know it when ya see it, and you'll definitely see it. We hear he's got his boys digging in there, but we don-know what they're lookin for." Roxanne sighed, and stood up to start pacing around the room as she continued; "He's got about twenty five goblins in the mines, six girls in his harem, and fifteen stalkers workin for him as security. He's usually got 'em standing on the walls, telling anyone what gets too close ta buzz off. We know at least three of em are mages, but we can't tell how advanced they are. There's also the matter of the four hellhounds he's got patrolin around the edge of the perimeter. I think you might just wanna try and avoid those, but there's a good fifty foot gap between the edge of the wall and the nearest cover, so it'll be tough to get up the wall an' inside without getting spotted. Jachyra's inside, either overseein' the diggin, playin with his harem girls, or sleepin on the throne in the center 'ah the place.

Roxanne turned toward the Harlequin and stared at her evenly for a moment, before finishing; "There are a'lotta ways this can go bad for ya. We ain't got a map of the place, and the patrols inside are pretty irregular. He might have a few more guys than we know about, and even if he don't, he's still a Nightmare Lord. If I see ya again, I'mma gonna kiss you, just to make sure it's really you." With that, she sat down, and the knight spoke up for the first time in a while; "Good luck."

Assuming she didn't have any questions, the Harlequin set off. The streets around her were unfamiliar, which was not altogether unsurprising given the sheer size of the ruinous city, but oddly, none of the buildings were more than a story high, save for one off in the distance in the direction she was headed. It took her about twenty minutes, shorter than Roxanne had said, before the Harlequin found herself at the edge of a large clearing. A crumbling fortress built of black marble stood in the center, easily the largest structure in viewing distance. A hellhound slowly circuited the fortress in front of her, the massive canine moving slowly, and stopping to sniff the air every couple of paces. At least three stalkers were on the walls, the humanoid, gray skinned demons making no attempt to make use of their natural camouflage to blend in with their surroundings. Each of the walls had a gate, made of rusting iron, which remained closed and barred. Each also had a gatehouse, which a stalker would occasionally walk into, to be replaced by another of its kind not long after. The distance from the wall of the black fort to the nearest cover was, roughly, fifty feet, no matter what direction she wanted to approach from. The walls, while clearly old, were fairly smooth, and looked difficult to climb.

(At this point, I need to know roughly how long the Harlequin is going to wait to plan her entrance and observe the fort.)

 

[Incubus]

Re: The Harlequin (Incubus)

Internally, the Harlequin grumbles. Having to go through all this trouble just to get her target's location, this was two jobs in one. Were it any other employer, she would contact them to inform it as much and return to the bargaining table, but considering she wasn't even able to give a quote on this assignment, she somehow doubted it would go well. Still, dear sweet queenie had given her the inspiration for her quickly formed plan.

Ducking back a ways out of line of sight of the guards, she began casting an illusionary spell upon herself, giving a false appearance to project; this job called for a delicate touch and she preferred to keep her armour on, and her real appearance hidden. Giving herself long, flowing blonde hair and a larger bust than she naturally had on her athletic body, as well as a pair of silver feathered wings, the Harlequin assumed an eye-catching form. Apparently clothed in but three thick belts (one across her bust, the remaining two criss-crossing around her waist, unsurprisingly covering little) and a pair of knee-high boots, she admired her illusionary reflection and gently ran her hands down it, getting a feel for where her curves supposedly were rather than the reality to better facilitate her ability to pull it off. For an added touch, she cast a quick eavesdrop spell to enhance her senses, it rarely hurt to be aware what the enemy muttered about you under their breath.

Satisfied she was ready, she stepped out into the open and began a slow, deliberate and bouncy walk towards the main gate, a cocky and knowing smirk upon her lips. When challenged, or when she felt she was close enough, she exclaimed "Yoohoo~ Mr Guards~ I've got some juicy information and thought your lord might be interested~"

 

[Tassadar]

Re: The Harlequin (Incubus)

Spoiler

HP = 56, PP = 51, EP = 40, Status = Fine

After suitably altering her appearance through a series of minor illusions, the Harlequin stepped out into the clearing surrounding the ruined fort. Before she'd gone six steps, she'd been spotted by one of the stalkers on the wall, who promptly turned and presumably said something to someone within the fortresses courtyard. She was too far off to hear whatever it said, even with augmented hearing, but as she approached, two Hellhounds came around the corners of the wall, staring at her as she came within earshot of the wall. When she was thirty feet from the wall, a harsh, masculine voice shouted; "Halt! Turn around and go back the way you came!"

After she'd issued her response, the voice, apparently the stalker she'd seen on the wall earlier, didn't even hesitate to sharply respond; "Ya, I'll bet you've got something juicy for our lord. No one comes in, and our lord's to busy to come out to talk to every two bit whore that comes a' callin. You've got information that you think is valuable, you tell it to me, and then buzz off." The two Hellhounds had slowly been creeping toward her, sniffing the air as they got closer. Both of them were growling by the time they got within 30 feet of her, their beady red eyes focused solely on her. They stopped there, however, and waited.

 

[Incubus]

Re: The Harlequin (Incubus)

The figure that was the harlequin shook her head. "That's not how it works, if I were to do that, whatever would I get out of it? she replies, putting her hands on her hips and pushing out her chest. "But believe me, it's very good, I assure you, you won't regret letting me in. Plus, I may be able to offer... other incentives," she added, striking an alluring pose.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: The Harlequin (Incubus)

Spoiler

HP = 56, PP = 51, EP = 40, Status = Fine

From his perch up on the wall, the stalker stared down at the Harlequin with a ricktus grin as she struck her pose, and he said; "The only way you're getting in here is naked, handcuffed and collared." The gray demon then holds up a collar and a set of manacles, and shakes them noisily. The hellhounds glare at her, and begin moving in parallel, not getting any closer to the Harlequin, but also encircling her, and cutting off her escape if she tried to make a run for it. The iron collar was almost certainly a negation collar, a device that would prohibit her from casting any spells while wearing it. "You really think what you've got to say is worth our lords while, you take these and put them on. Arms behind your back. Otherwise...." He grinned, and tossed them down at the Harlequins feet. The hellhounds growled low, still a good twenty feet away from her current position, but for beasts of their size and speed, that much distance was hardly relevant.

 

[Incubus]

Re: The Harlequin (Incubus)

The harlequin gave a sigh and a stretch, bending over and picking up the collar and manacles with one hand. Behind the act, she watched the hellhounds circle, using bending over as a way of twisting her head, waiting until one was almost where she wanted it. "No, I've changed my mind, your terms stink. I think I'll find someone a little more accommodating to sell my information to, perhaps one of your boy's rivals," she declares loudly and whirls, suddenly darting towards the Hellhound blocking her way out. In those moments as she closes the distance with alarming speed, she focuses her mind upon her victim and slams it with her mind, trying to stun and overwhelm its senses to aid in her swift execution of it.

Drawing Souldrinker, she had a brief moment of thought to it. "You better be as good as they say," she warned it, before thrusting her arm forwards, twisting as she tries to drive the blade into the beast, aiming as best she can for the heart.

Being a master of deception, her personal illusion remains in place, treating onlookers with the sight of her quite suddenly darting over to the hellhound and striking at it with her bare hand, the now stolen manacles and collar held in her other hand.

Spoiler

Close 20ft with the Hellhound when it's directly behind me.
Jam its senses with Hypnotize, that wonderful racial demon power
Attack with souldrinker, +53 or autohit if sneak attack successful.
Damage [1+3d6+21], piercing plz.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: The Harlequin (Incubus)

Spoiler

HP = 46/56, PP = 51, EP = 40, Status = Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

Stealth: The Harlequin wins.
Mind Check: The Harlequin wins.
Attack: Automatic Hit.
Damage: 3 + 5 + 6 + 22 - 8 = 28 x 2 = 56 damage.
Edit: Apparently, he missed some damage. So it takes at least 4 more.

Attack: Hit.
Damage: 2 + 3 + 13 - 8 = 10 damage. Armor at 19/25 TP.
Casting: Success.
Attack: Miss.

Casting: Success.

I really need to patch that racial ability. :|

Edit: Gain 6 exp, and also, Souldrinker gets an additional +3 to attack and damage rolls.

The stalker just grinned down at her as she bent down to pick up the shackles, and issued her response. The hellhounds growled at her as she turned away from the fortress, their hackles raised. They growled louder as she suddenly charged toward one of them, and the one that was her target prepared to lunge at her as she came towards it. It was clearly unprepared for her mental attack, however, and was left helpless as Soul Drinker came up under its throat. The blade sliced through the beasts neck, and waves of blood poured out onto the dusty earth. She felt it cut, but also felt something strange begin to happen. The hellhound gurgled its last far faster than it should have, given that its throat had been slit, dying even before she withdrew the blade, and she suddenly felt strength rush up her arm, and the blade in her hand suddenly felt lighter and stronger.

The other beast hurled itself at her, its front claws tearing at her body, and the Harlequin couldn't get out of the way fast enough to avoid injury. Long bloody claw marks appeared on her real body as the demonic hounds front claws went through her armor and dug into her flesh, but her illusion remained visibly unharmed, and her concentration on it never wavered. A lance of light lashed out at her from the fort walls, but she had comparatively little trouble in avoiding it. She also heard shouts coming from the direction, and she didn't doubt that she would be having more company on the way soon.

 

[Incubus]

Re: The Harlequin (Incubus)

Feeling the rush of power come up the blade, the Harlequin grinned. So it did work after all, good to know. Still, she didn't need that to go to her head, even with that, she hadn't expected the other beat to be able to close on her so quickly, nor strike her so surely. Whirling to face the other beast, she switches her grip on the blade as she changes stance, crouching low. She spins it around to hold it with the point down, twisting her arm back and forth slowly, like a snake weaving before the kill. "Your brother lies within my blade now, care to join him?" she taunts, ready to counter-attack.

Watching its movements with one eye, she also attempted to glance up, looking over its back at the fortress beyond and the reinforcements they were scrambling. She'd already taken a wound, which was never a good start, she didn't want to get in too deep while she was just killing the enemies fast enough to catch her.

Spoiler

Gogo Defensive Strike modo.
Counterattack with Souldrinker vs melee misses. (+56) [1+3d6+29]

 

[Tassadar]

Re: The Harlequin (Incubus)

Spoiler

HP = 46/56, PP = 45/51, EP = 40, Status = Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

Casting: Success.
Resistance: The Harlequin wins. (By 1 :| )

The Hellhound activates Dark Armor.

Attack: Miss.
Counter: Hit.
Damage: 6 + 2 + 2 + 30 - 23 = 17 damage.
Pleasure: 2 + 1 = 3 Pleasure.
Casting: Success.
Resistance: The Harlequin wins. By 2. :|

Attack: Miss.
Counter: Hit.
Damage: 6 + 4 + 5 + 30 - 23 = 22 damage.
Pleasure: 2 + 1 = 3 Pleasure.
Casting: Success.
A Light Elemental has been summoned.

The hellhound growled at her, and was suddenly wrapped in dark chitinous armor, the only part of its body not covered being its glowing crimson eyes. As she turned her gaze back to glance back at the wall, a ray of light suddenly lanced out at her, and the Harlequin only just barely turned her eyes away. She was seeing spots for a moment, but they quickly cleared, leaving her vision intact. In her quick glance, she had seen the stalker that had done the talking casting a spell, as well as the gate beginning to open.

She knew full well that a hellhound with its armor out was a formidable opponent, and it looked as though more foes would be upon her shortly. Before she could form another strategy, however, the hellhound lunged at her. She narrowly avoided its strike, and slashed at it as she had prepared to, but this time, Soul Drinker didn't cut nearly as far, drawing blood, but not killing it as she had the first. After that, she no longer had time to glance at the for,t and so relied on her other senses to warn her in case things should change. The same dance repeated itself a second later, with another ray of light almost blinding her, but her excitement quickly rose from the adrenaline of combat and the feel of Soul Drinker biting into her foes throat. After her second blow landed, nearly getting all the way through the hellhounds dark armor to its vulnerable throat, the beast suddenly backed off.

However, as she turned to leave, a sudden brilliant explosion of light appeared directly in front of her, and a humanoid being of pure white light stood in front of her, glowing almost blindingly before her. She heard a crash behind her, and a quick glance revealed another pair of hellhounds coming for her, as well as a half dozen more stalkers pouring out onto the dusty grounds, already fanning out and allowing their chameleon skin to let them blend in to the surrounding area. From the wall, a voice called out, saying; "Drop the knife, and your clothes too. And do put the chains on. Come now, play nice, or I'll give you to the hellhounds for a few hours before I let the king of the castle know about you."

 

[Incubus]

Re: The Harlequin (Incubus)

The Harlequin maintained her defensive stance. "Ha! You really think you've caught me so easily?" she called back, the blade in her hand still twisting with the serpent-like motion. That being of light was the most dangerous foe around, but its kind had a few noteworthy weaknesses. To wit...

She lashed her mind out at the being of light, stunning it as she prepared to fend off more attacks from the hellish beasts. Prolonged fights weren't exactly her forte, but she didn't have much of a choice at this point.

((Same old same old. Keep going until something changes, stun the light elemental every 3 rounds. When the hellhounds are all dead, or I'm in bad shape, get back to me.))

 

[Tassadar]

Re: The Harlequin (Incubus)

Spoiler

HP = 6/56, PP = 51, EP = 40, Status = Badly Injured

Rolls

Spoiler

Round 1
Mind vs Mind: The Harlequin wins.
Attack (HH2) : Miss.
Counter: Hit.
Damage: 2 + 2 + 4 + 30 - 8 = 30 damage.
Attack (HH3) : Miss.
Counter: Hit.
Damage: 5 + 5 + 6 + 30 - 8 = 38 damage.

Round 2
Attack (LE) : Miss.
Counter: Hit.
Damage: 1 + 3 + 2 + 30 = 36 damage.
Attack (HH1) : Miss.
Counter: Hit.
Damage: 6 + 1 + 3 + 30 - 23 = 17 damage.
Attack (HH2) : Miss.
Counter: Hit.
Damage: 2 + 2 + 1 + 30 - 8 = 27 damage.
Attack (HH3) : Miss.
Counter: Hit.
Damage: 3 + 4 + 3 + 30 - 8 = 32 damage. Killed.
Gain 2 experience. The Harlequin gains +2 to Dodge until end of combat.

Round 3
Perception: The Harlequin detects 3/6 of the Stalkers.
Attack (S2, S4, S5) : Automatic Hit.
Attack (S1, S3, S6) : Miss.
Counters: All 3 hit.
Damage (on S1) : 4 + 4 + 5 + 30 = 43 damage. Dead.
Damage (on S3) : 3 + 6 + 3 + 30 = 42 damage. Dead.
Damage (on S6) : 1 + 6 + 3 + 30 = 40 damage. Dead.
Damage (S2 on Harlequin) : 4 + 2 + 7 - 8 = 5 x 2 = 10 damage. Armor at 14/25 TP.
Damage (S4 on Harlequin) : 1 + 1 + 7 - 8 = 1 x 2 = 2 damage. Armor at 11/25 TP.
Damage (S5 on Harlequin) : 4 + 3 + 7 - 8 = 6 x 2 = 12 damage. Armor at 6/25 TP.
Casting: Failure.
Attack (LE) : Miss.
Counter: Hit.
Damage: 4 + 3 + 2 + 30 = 39 damage.
Attack (HH1) : Miss.
Counter: Hit.
Damage: 3 + 2 + 3 + 30 - 23 = 17 damage. Dead.
Attack (HH2) : Miss.
Counter: Hit.
Damage: 6 + 4 + 3 + 30 - 8 = 35 damage. Also Dead.
The Harlequin gains 4 experience, regains 12 HP, and gets +4 to Armor for the duration of combat.

Round 4
Attack (S2) : Miss.
Attack (S4) : Miss.
Attack (S5) : Miss.
Counters: All Hit.
Damage (on S2) : 4 + 4 + 5 + 30 = 43 damage. Dead.
Damage (on S4) : 3 + 6 + 3 + 30 = 42 damage. Dead.
Damage (on S5) : 1 + 6 + 3 + 30 = 40 damage. Dead.
Attack (LE) : Hit.
Damage: 1 + 1 + 38 - 12 = 28 damage.
The Harlequin gets 2 more experience and regains another 12 HP.

Round 5
Attack (Harlequin on LE) : Hit.
Damage: 6 + 2 + 3 + 30 = 41 damage.
Victory!
Gain an additional 6 experience, for a grand total of 12 from this post. Soul Drinker gets an additional +1 to attack and damage rolls, and while wielding it the Harlequin gets +4 to Stealth.

Edit: 16d4 + 16 = 32 + 16 = 48 Pleasure = Orgasm.

The Harlequins illusion-body danced about among the two hellhounds trying to kill her, Soul Drinker slashing out at the two new beasts as they charged at her. Neither of them had conjured their dark armor as yet, so both demonic dogs took long gashes across their faces. For a moment, the elemental was stunned, its simple mind confused by the Harlequins mental attack.

That only lasted for a moment, however, as it recovered and reached out a hand formed of searing heat toward her. Reacting quickly, the agile demoness slashed Soul Drinker across its wrist, the magic weapon cutting through its body and severing that part of it. The severed portion faded out of existence, and for a moment the elemental retraced its appendage and stared at the stump, of its arm. Meanwhile, the Harlequin danced about, slashing at the three hellhounds, as the injured one returned to the fight. All three missed her despite the fact that she was practically surrounded, and one of the demons fell as its throat was cut out. She immediately felt the dagger extract the demons essence, but it was significantly lessened when compared with her first kill. Strangely, she also felt herself grow lighter on her feet.

She'd been keeping her eyes open for the stalkers, and she detected three of the six demons before they could come in to strike at her. Those three all died, a neat cut across each of their throats, but the three that got through all dug their claws into her skin as they rematerialized around her. Long bloody gashes on her arms and back, and rends in her armored suit aside, her illusion suddenly failed, revealing her true form. Despite that, she felt surges from the dagger as each of the stalkers died, and her injuries partially knitted themselves back together. Once more, she dodged and weaved as the hellhounds charged toward her, and another of the beasts, this time the one who had armored up, expiring under her attack. She felt her skin harden as the beast fell, and hoped that it might be enough to help her survive even as the elemental tried to tackle her. She slipped under the stump where its hand had once been, and slashed Soul Drinker through its body. A bright beam of light issued out, and cracks appeared all along its body, light leaking out, but still it didn't disintegrate completely.

She quickly responded to more attempts by the three remaining stalkers to hit her, opening one up from side to side, giving the second a bloody ear to ear grin, and wrapping around the third as it tried to dive toward her and severing its spine with a single quick cut, something that Soul Drinker seemed especially built for, given how easy it was to accomplish. The last of the hellhounds got its throat slit as it tried to tackle her, and that only left the elemental. Unfortunately, the being momentarily caught her flat footed, as its remaining hand dove toward her. She was only caught in a glancing blow by the thing, as she quickly stumbled away, but her flesh seared and sizzled at its touch.

Looking around, the elemental was the last remaining foe, and so, the Harlequin took a gamble. If it struck her again, the pain would have made her pass out, and so, she slashed out at its throat as it prepared to swing at her again. Another rent opened up where she cut it, leaking light, and the cracks in the elemental suddenly became trenches. After a moment, it exploded in a flash of blinding light, leaving the Harlequin injured, exhausted, her garments almost shredded and charred off of her, but victorious. Unfamiliar but not unpleasant power swirled within her, and the dagger in her hand seemed to have gorged itself on the souls of her vanquished foes. Glancing at the wall, the stalker who had spoken to her was gone, and the wall itself was empty.

With a sudden surge of climactic pleasure, the Harlequins body spasmed in orgasm, the excitement of combat and of drawing blood and of victory all coming together at once. Waves of pleasure momentarily blocked out the pain of her wounds. It only lasted a second or two, however, and she straightened from what had somehow turned into a low bow elegantly.

 

[Incubus]

Re: The Harlequin (Incubus)

Panting heavily, and giddy as she comes down from the release and glanced at the dagger in her hand. She didn't like to admit it, but this blade had saved her life; she had taken more blows than she was used to. This entire assignment was ridiculous; if she had a choice in the matter she'd have never agreed to a job like this, attacking a castle to find information for her target, that was someone else's job...

Still, the bloody mess sure had felt good. She could literally feel the power surging through her but at the same time, she was in bad shape. Still, she couldn't back off lest the guard be changed. She cast a quick Emergency Healing spell to give her some lifeblood to keep her from collapsing the next time someone sneezed on her. Next, she cast a spell to cloak her in shadows, enabling her to move unseen. Finally, she recast her illusion, no one who had seen her still lived and for this job it would be better if no one managed to recognise her until she was ready for it.

With that done, she moved towards the gate. Someone had carelessly left it open for just anyone to wander through. She did move cautiously, in case there were any nasty surprises, but assuming there wasn't, or those she did find were no great difficult to remove, she made her way in and began searching for a quiet place, perhaps some sort of storage area that didn't contain weapons and took a moment to rest and recover. Sadly, there was nothing to be done for her battered armour.

Spoiler

Cast Emergency Healing x 2
Cast Shadows
Cast Alter Self

Then go hide and rest.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: The Harlequin (Incubus)

Spoiler

HP = 52/56, PP = 51, EP = 32/40, Status = Slightly Injured, Shadows, Altered Self

Rolls

Spoiler

Casting: Success for all!
Healing: 7 + 6 = 13 x 2 = 26 HP healed.
Healing: 4 + 6 = 10 x 2 = 20 HP healed.

Stealth: The Harlequin wins.

Her spells went off perfectly as the Harlequin prepared to try and enter the fortress. Her burnt flesh faded down to a slight pink color, and the claw marks on her body knitted back together. She was still a little fatigued, but all in all, she wasn't too badly injured anymore. Next, the low light given by the aurora that hung in the sky seemed to fade around her, making the Harlequin more difficult to see. Finally, the image of the nearly nude, buxom angelic figure appeared around her once more, so that she would not be recognized if she was spotted while inside. Hopefully, the demon on the wall had left before her illusion failed, and hadn't recognized her true form if he hadn't.

As she was approaching the opened gate, she detected movement on top of the wall, and the stalker reappeared, gazing out at the carnage she'd left. The hellhounds had melted down to skeletons by now, and perhaps the Harlequin might be able to claim their teeth on the way back. They'd catch a fine price on the open market, as would the stalker skins if she had the time to take them. She was seemingly undetected as she entered through the gate, the gateway about twenty feet long and with a trio of empty slits on either side. As far as she could tell, no one looked out into the gateway.

Inside the fortress, a low squat building took up most of the open space, its stone appearing as though it was cobbled together from a number of other buildings that had been cemented together. A single doorway, massive and built of bone, stood opposite the gateway. There were six goblins holding weapons, and staring at the entrance, but they surprisingly didn't seem all that concerned despite the battle that had occurred just outside the walls. Each of the corners of the wall had a tower with two iron doors leading inside, and a set of stone steps led up onto the walls on every side of the wall. There were another trio of goblins sitting around the far right corner of the fort, lounging aimlessly. Two pairs of stalkers patrolled around the fort, looking as though they were as bored as can be. All in all, very strange, given what had happened outside only moments ago. Very suspicious.