What's new

Within the Beast (Tassadar)


OP
Termite

Termite

A bug
RP Moderator
Joined
Apr 8, 2009
Messages
2,179
Reputation score
279
Re: The Beast of Helmoth (Tassadar)

Where you expected anger and fury Corrine shows mild surprise, curiosity, and a healthy portion of denial. Her eyes turn to take in Inarius as he simply sits where he is, and though he doesn't show anything a part of you can tell he's trying to focus on something other than the conversation. But the priestess continues to watch as she listens, and only when you explain the consequences of the demon's death does she finally react. Her jaw tightens and her fists clench for nothing more than a fleeting moment, but you can still tell that she does not approve. When you give her the alternative you find her head lowering, a mix of relief and disbelief warring for control, and only when you pose your question does she seem to gain some semblance of control.

As you give her your willingness to sacrifice everything she simply nods. "As I said earlier my allegiance lies with those girls. I'm willing to sacrifice everything for them." This causes Inarius to halt for a second, but before either he or you can muster a response Corrine continues. "But I'm not willing to give any demon a chance to enthrall them once more." It was a rather grim proclamation, and it sets off a new round of brooding before the woman rises to her feet. "I need to know more." With that she steps closer to Inarius. The man seems almost uncomfortable with her presence so near, but he wills himself to remain still. "If you want me to trust you I need you to hold still."

While the man sits there he looks as if he's trying to contain the parts of himself that are crawling just under his skin, but he stays still as Corrine starts to reach out. Her hand lands on his head, and the discomfort he shows reminds you of the time when she placed her hand on your head and used her power to probe your soul. She must be doing the same at that moment, and as she stays there she takes a rather odd expression that you can't quite read. But the longer she stays the more you see your son's flesh writhing, and a few moments later what control he had starts to falter. His form starts to slowly unwind, and the tentacles that emerge start to wind themselves around Corrine's arm. She's obviously not at all pleased to see them, but instead of removing her hand to gain her freedom she remains just as she is. "Control yourself." Inarius can't quite answer as his head is no longer formed, but you see their progress slow and retreat for a few seconds. Unfortunately it can't be maintained, and a moment later the woman cringes as she feels some smaller tendrils digging into her flesh. But instead of causing her to bleed as her arm is impaled the tendrils themselves look as if they're simply dissolving into her skin, and soon enough small bulges that look like overgrown veins start to crawl up her arm. "Control yourself!"

I'm trying... His voice speaks into your head. You can feel it resonating with the darkness that lies within, and though it's doubtful that Corrine could hear it you get the distinct sense that Inarius is waging a losing battle in trying to keep his own darker half in check. Progress slows once more, but it never halts. For a moment it looks like someone may need to intervene, but a moment later you notice something odd sprouting from the demon's central mass. A number of vivid green tentacles emerge, ones that look as if they could be nothing more than simple vines one might find in the forest, and they quickly reach out and pierce the muted brown and green flesh that seeks to invade the holy woman's body. At that point the invasion turns into a slow retreat, and once Corrine is finally freed she pulls her hand away and takes a few steps back. At the same time Inarius reforms into his more human form, though he knits himself together far more slowly than before. "My apologies... His influence is growing stronger..."

As the two recover in their respective corners Corrine looks genuinely worried ever since you brought her to Helmoth. It's a rather sobering thought to think she would be frightened, but a moment later she turns her attention back toward you. "He is... You both..." Her entire arm twitches, and though no trace of its earlier infestation remains the woman still seems bothered by it. "I..." It's only after she wills her arm to flex and grip the air that she finally calms. "I want to try something. It involves you both."

Sera

Willpower - 24/24
Combat and HP - 7 and 30/30
Explore and Stam - 8 and 20/20
Spirit and Magic - 6 and 30/30
Naughty and Lewd - 5 and 30/30
 

Tassadar

Panda King
RP Moderator
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
16,467
Reputation score
429
Re: The Beast of Helmoth (Tassadar)

Sera remains silent and impassive throughout Corrine's procedure on Inarius, her only reaction to wince slightly as she saw the tendrils sinking into Corrine's flesh. As much as she might have wanted to intervene, Sera knew that she was well out of her depth in this, and any intervention on her part was as likely to harm as it was to help. When it was finally over, Inarius had seemingly regained control of himself and Corrine moved away from him, Sera stepped over to lay a reassuring hand on her sons shoulder. She said nothing, instead standing beside him and looking at him, her concern evident upon her face. There wasn't anything she could think of to say, given that she only just barely understood what had just transpired, but she knew at least that Inarius had been in pain, and she wanted to offer what little comfort she could. Odd, given that she had spoken of seeing him dead only moments ago, but it was as plain as day that Sera did not desire that outcome, even if she would see it done if that was how it had to be.

"What? We are both what?" Sera snapped, though she immediately sighed, and shook her head in apology. "What do you need from us, Corrine?" The elf said, turning toward her and waiting. She had said that she would offer anything that was needed, and she had meant it, and while Corrine's judgement had not been sound so far, Sera could at least trust that her intentions were pure.
 
OP
Termite

Termite

A bug
RP Moderator
Joined
Apr 8, 2009
Messages
2,179
Reputation score
279
Re: The Beast of Helmoth (Tassadar)

"I caught a bit of your conversation, and he said that you could combat the beast directly. But he said it would take too long. I wanted to see if I could invade him instead, but the demon reacts rather violently to me. He would overwhelm me before I had a chance to attack." Corrine looks rather disappointed in her inability to do anything against the monster that was waiting to be released. "But I learned a little about your son." With that she steps closer to you both, but she stays behind you the entire time. "Demon spawn, can you pull one of those green tentacles out?" Inarius seems a bit angry at being called nothing more than a hell-spawn, but that is nothing compared to the reluctance he shows in answering her request. Eventually he does so, and Corrine motions for you to reach out to it.

"Sera, close your eyes. Focus on the darkness that looms over us." The moment you open your mind's eye you find yourself staring at a massive void, tendrils of complete and utter nothingness writhing slowly as they spread past your astral form. "Now look beyond that veil of nothingness. It should be waiting for you, a small beacon within the emptiness." A small trickle of light appears behind you, Corrine's power once again bleeding into your body as her hand lands on your head, but this time it is nothing more than a small drop or two, just enough to allow her to see. It also lights the mass before you, and it soon reacts by unwinding, those black tentacles reaching forward. For a moment they surround your entire form, the fear that they may trap you within their grasp very real. But they continue forward, that light drawing them closer and closer and leaving you unharmed.

"Do you see it?" At first nothing appears, only inky darkness that slowly starts to envelop you little by little the more you wait. But then you feel something else pull at your soul. Something within you begins to stir. A part of you is awakening, the same part that Juliet coaxed to the surface. It pulls your spirit toward the mass. You can almost feel it reaching out, the darker part of your soul tugging you forward until you see something shifting within the emptiness. Slowly but surely a green tendril starts to pull itself free, and as it reaches forward a welcome feeling starts to pour through your core. Your hand reaches out in instinct, and once you make contact you realize what you've found. This is Inarius. This is the part of the demon that refused to be controlled and brought his own father to his knees.

A sudden flash of fire causes your spirit to burn, and your inner darkness nearly screams in panic. You feel it rushing forward, your entire form being dragged into that pit as your darker half rushes toward the comfort it felt. The void that surrounds you pulls back as well, the black tendrils crowding around you pulling you deeper into itself and closer to the warmth that is now trying to push you away. It almost feels like a useless struggle, the demon starting to close itself off as you lay trapped within it, but just before you feel yourself lost a hand reaches forward and grasps you by the waist. It burns as it touches, you feel like you need to scream the tighter it grips you, but it pulls with a surprising might and tears you free just before the void can fully consume you.

Once the connection is broken you find yourself flying free. A moment later you feel your physical body crash against the ground, and when you finally come to your senses Corrine lies trapped beneath your form. Though she cradles you her attention is rightly elsewhere, and straight across you can see Inarius unwound and outstretched, the many arms that are his body frozen where they are while looking like pieces of them have been ripped from the ends. That's when you notice the slight wriggling against your back, and a few seconds later you find those missing pieces squirming away only to crawl toward the demon's body and merge with the greater mass. Only when he appears complete once more do the tendrils retract and reform into the human form her prefers.

"You saw him, didn't you..." Though her attention still rests on the creature that slowly brings himself together the priestess is obviously speaking to you. "He shares a part of you, and you share a part of him. You two call out to each other without even knowing it." When Inarius regains his control he steps back and appears just as shocked as Corrine did when she first pulled herself away. "You even connected while the Beast was preoccupied. Do you think you can do that on your own?"
 

Tassadar

Panda King
RP Moderator
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
16,467
Reputation score
429
Re: The Beast of Helmoth (Tassadar)

Sera followed Corrine's instructions, in this at least trusting the priestess completely. "Yes... I see it." She said, and that was the last thing that left her lips before it was all over.

Following the strange experience, Sera sits on the ground, blinking tears from her eyes. "Yes... Yes I saw him, but......" She turned to Inarius and continued; "Is that what you're fighting? Constantly?" She shook her head, a new understand and respect gained for her son. As much as she hadn't desired to slay him, she had even less desire to do so now. "I don't know.... What I just did. I don't know if I can do it on my own.... But I can try. How does this help us, exactly? Do you have an idea, Corrine?"
 
OP
Termite

Termite

A bug
RP Moderator
Joined
Apr 8, 2009
Messages
2,179
Reputation score
279
Re: The Beast of Helmoth (Tassadar)

Though Inarius doesn't say as much his nod confirms your question. The next couple that are aimed at the priestess are what get him to finally speak. "Corrine saw the faint connection we share. Ties of blood, ties of spirit, ties of soul, I'm not sure, but she showed it to us. It felt surprisingly warm..." He stops to reflect on that a little longer than Corrine would have liked, and she continues in his stead. "That taint you carry is what let your souls connect, and when I pushed at that darkness it forced your spirit to latch onto that bond to find relief. I had to step in at that point and pull you away. Otherwise your spirit would now be resting within the demon."

"I think I understand." The sudden statement causes the holy woman to go silent. "You can fight my father. I won't need to absorb and weaken you to make that happen. We just need to reach out and accept each other, and from there I can lead you into him so you can destroy him from the inside." Corrine simply nods in approval, but Inarius isn't quite finished. "If we're going to do this then we'll need to do so immediately after Corrine plays her part. Her power will weaken me, but it should also weaken him. He won't be able to interfere before it's too late. But he won't be helpless, and if you fail..."

"She'll be left a mindless husk." The man didn't appear ready to say such a thing, and as that thought came to light he seemed less ready to accept such an end. "She'll be putting her very identity on the line for this, but in a sense her life has already ended. You may not know this, but elves are surprisingly cruel when it comes to anything that has been brushed with demonic influence. They may show her a great mercy and simply exile her, or they may show their own 'mercy' and destroy her on sight. Either way she'll be considered dead, even by her own family. So if any decision is to be made I think it belongs to you, Sera." With that said her eyes turn straight toward you, and Inarius lingers a bit before he does the same. "Would you truly be willing to risk yourself like that?"
 

Tassadar

Panda King
RP Moderator
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
16,467
Reputation score
429
Re: The Beast of Helmoth (Tassadar)

Sera nodded along to the explanation, though in her head she wasn't quite sure if she could cause such a reaction on her own. Now that she understood better what had happened, and the connection between herself and Inarius, she could at least attempt to try. It was their best option, at this point.

She nodded to Corrine's explanation of how her people would view her now, for the moment ignoring the weight that that left in her heart. There was no going back to her kin now, and dwelling on that now, when there was vital work to be done, would only serve to hinder her resolve and her concentration. "What Corrine says is true. If I have a home now, then this is it." Sera said, and then brought herself up to her feet, and turned to face Inarius squarely. "Would I risk it? Of course I would. Are you two not risking the same already?" She then turned to Corrine, and said; "You know what will be required of you already, I imagine, so I can only assume that you have accepted that as well. What happens now? I imagine we have very little time left to us, so the sooner we begin this the better."
 
OP
Termite

Termite

A bug
RP Moderator
Joined
Apr 8, 2009
Messages
2,179
Reputation score
279
Re: The Beast of Helmoth (Tassadar)

This thread is two years old. TWO YEARS

"That we do not." At that the man left the room, and as he did some of the tension followed. But Corrine proved anxious enough, and soon enough she manages to put it all back all on her own. You can tell she's obviously having second thoughts, but she also shows a rather determined face. "I think we both need to prepare ourselves for what's coming next. I know what I'll be put through, and I'm sure you'll face the same thing at first." And she most definitely wasn't looking forward to it. "Just need to remember it's all I can do..."

With the priestess mumbling to herself you can tell she's trying to work up the nerve to let herself be used as nothing more than a power source. And the fact that it could leave her permanently damaged could not make things any easier. But there's an obvious goal that she's working towards, and that should overcome any hesitation that would get in the way. And Inarius was probably doing much the same. Though his challenge was entirely different from Corrine's he would probably still need the same mental focus she was working towards. "Let me know when you're both ready." And it sounded like he was already prepared. Of course he also had a rather limited window to work with, and any hesitation could prove disastrous, but the fact that he was willing to wait for both Corrine and yourself showed some understanding for the difficulties you both would be facing. And if you needed anything further now was the time to say so.

((Last chance for any last minute questions/actions before I start working into the new dungeon.))
 

Tassadar

Panda King
RP Moderator
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
16,467
Reputation score
429
Re: The Beast of Helmoth (Tassadar)

Sera glanced between the two as they mentally prepared themselves, Inarius apparently already in a state of mind to do what was needed while Corrine attempted to reach that point. For a moment, the corrupted elf watched the priestess mumble to herself, knowing that such could not be easy for her. A part of her wished that she was able to reach such a state of indecision. For her, there was no other choice besides this plan. Like it or not, Helmoth was now her home, and Inarius (and possibly Corrine) her only family. If this was their only option that did not involve the death of her new home, then Sera would do whatever it took to make such a thing a reality. "I am ready Inarius," Sera replied softly while awaiting the same words from the priestess.

(No further questions or actions, lets get this show on the road.)
 
OP
Termite

Termite

A bug
RP Moderator
Joined
Apr 8, 2009
Messages
2,179
Reputation score
279
Re: The Beast of Helmoth (Tassadar)

Your announcement doesn't get much of a reaction from Corrine, but after a few seconds she abruptly stops and stands. "Thinking things over isn't helping me relax. Let's just get this over with." And just like that she leaves.

When you both return to the main hall you find Inarius simply sitting by himself. All the women waiting by the wall appear to be fidgeting, especially those that soon find a tentacle creeping toward them, but once those phallic limbs stop advancing they all look rather distressed. A few even start to plead for his blessing, the need for relief screaming silently, but the demon ignores it all as he watches Corrine. "You understand that I need you to surrender completely." "Yes." "And I can tell you don't wish to do this." While this may be true the priestess shifts her eyes over to the now writhing form of her lover taking matters into her own hands. "The alternative is far worse." This earns a nod of approval from the man as he rises to his feet, and once he stands he offers a hand to Corrine. She hesitates slightly before reaching out to accept it, and though you can feel her inner fire boiling just under the surface she manages to keep it contained.

Once she's finally pulled next to his body you find Corrine being spooned by the taller man, and surprisingly he stays within his human form. And even more of a shock is that he doesn't immediately start groping her. His arms simply wrap around her waist and hold her close, and all Corrine can do is wiggle slightly while looking uncomfortable. But as he continues to hold her a slight blush starts to rise on her cheeks. His hands start sliding across her stomach, and though she acts like she's going to grab his wrists and yank them away you can still see her relaxing a little more with each pass.

With every little bit the priestess relaxes Inarius allows his hands to roam just a little farther, and a short time later he brushes the underside of Corrine's chest. She lets out a slight gasp at this, her hands nearly clinging to the demon as if some part of her were encouraging the attention, and once he hears it he lets his palm rise to fully cup her breast. Another gasp soon turns into a very quiet whine, and as he starts to tease her nipple his other hand starts rubbing up and down the inside of her thigh. With every little squeak of pleasure Corrine made Inarius worked his hand further between his legs, and though he takes his time eventually his fingers are running up and down her slit while the woman can do little more than moan.

As he works you can tell his movements are calculated, every brush and fleeting touch designed to excite the body and slowly whittle away at even the most prude of souls, and it's working wonderfully on Corrine. You can see her more animalistic need working its way to the surface, her eyes closed tightly while her body writhes in step with every delightful touch against her pleasure centers, and after only a couple more minutes she tightens and cries out before her body starts shivering within the demon's grip. And while she cums she continues to hold her tightly. His hands constantly tease her orgasm from her, that climax drawing out farther and farther until it looks like she may very well collapse, and just when it looks like she can take no more she does, her entire form simply falling against the warm body behind her that tease her flesh even while it's so sensitive.

For a few seconds Corrine is allowed to relax, and as she pants Inarius starts to lift one of her legs. He gives her a look she can't possibly see, one that asks if she's ready for what's next, and the moment she nods yes you see him impale the woman on top of his impressive dick. She cries out once more, whether in pleasure or pain you cannot tell, but as she simply rests there with her chest heaving in excitement you finally hear your son speak. "Enjoy yourself, Corrine. Let the pleasures of your body guide you. Let your doubts go and give in to the one desire the Creator has granted us all..."

At that point he no longer waits for the priestess to answer, and a moment later he thrusts his hips forward and drives his prick even deeper into the woman's soaked depths. She lets out a cry of passion before falling limp, and from that point on her defiance is no more. She allows herself to be used however Inarius sees fit, and though he continues to be gentle you can see his body starting to unwind and reveal the truth behind his form. More and more tentacles start to climb over her body, and they start running over her entire body Corrine surrenders even more of herself to the attention. Soon enough she hands a million little tendrils climbing over every inch of her body, some rubbing against seemingly random places while others focus on her peaks and start winding themselves around the excited buttons that are her nipples and clit. One even starts to poke inquisitively at her ass, and as it slowly works its way inside others follow and behind to join. The flesh of each melds with the other, and after only a few seconds the priestess is left moaning like a whore as both her sex and her ass are filled to the brim.

With Corrine offering no resistance Inarius starts to fuck her more roughly, but as he does you see an odd light flowing down those tentacles. It almost appears to be running down veins which never existed before, and as they turn brighter you can see them starting to bulge. You can even feel the heat within them burning more brightly, and little by little you watch as Corrine's power disappears within the demon's core. His movements start to become a little erratic as he feasts, and by the way some of the free tendrils are whipping angrily through the air you can only guess that he's suffering as he said he would. But he perseveres, and as he does he finally allows the outlying tentacles to reach and embrace the women that filled the hall. They seem quite eager to enjoy some attention, some even glaring daggers at Corrine, but as those tentacles wind around leg and body and enter each and every one of them a chorus of relieved cries echoes through the room before the women start bucking themselves against the tendrils invading them.

For a few minutes everything continues as it is, Inarius feasting on Corrine's spirit and glowing brighter while his followers as they were continued to do what they did best, but a slow change starts to flow through the room. The light growing at the demon's core starts to spread throughout its entire body, and as it does you can see a trail of it creeping through the tentacles spreading farther into the hall. The women don't pay it much mind, but as it gets closer they start to twitch rather nervously. It turns into mild thrashing as the light nears, and once it comes into contact with their bodies a sense of panic starts to run through the air. But Inarius has himself wind tightly around them, and though some complain and try to escape they can do nothing as that faint trace of holy strength finally enters them. A few cries of pain spread from mouth to mouth, but before it can get any worse the sound of something being consumed rings in the back of your mind. The women all collapse as one, and the tendrils leave their body in a rush while their ends appear to swell with an unnatural darkness.

At that point Inarius himself crumples into nothing more than a mass of writhing flesh, and Corrine is unceremoniously dumped to the floor. She appears completely unconscious, but she's still alive. The same could be said for every other woman in the room, but a slight struggle turns your attention back toward the pile that is the demon. Parts of him appear to dissolve, namely those part that held the priestess's power the longest, but as the outlying tentacles return to the central mass that darkness they contained starts to spread. Tendrils that had appeared limp start to awaken and wave around in the air, and as they do they seem to notice you and start reaching closer. Others start pulling at them, damaged tentacles wrestling with the freshly revived and losing in mere seconds, but a flash of something catches your eye. Buried at the center you see a forest green tendril reaching out, and though others surround it and try to bury it within the writhing mass that was starting to revive it perseveres. N... A somewhat muted voice whispers in your mind, one that struggles to be heard and seemingly vanishes when that lone green tentacle is swallowed once more, but it refuses to stay buried. N...o...w...!
 

Tassadar

Panda King
RP Moderator
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
16,467
Reputation score
429
Re: The Beast of Helmoth (Tassadar)

Sera gave a silent nod to Corrine when the priestess spoke and followed her into the chamber in which her son waited. Knowing that her part was to come later, Sera faded into the background as Inarius and Corrine had their brief exchange and then got down to business. Despite knowing that it was going to happen, Sera couldn't help but blush as she watched the two curl up beside one another, and Inarius began rubbing his hands over the powerful woman's body. Despite her own inexperience, Sera felt that her demonic son made the right choice in starting slowly with Corrine, as she watched the aggression slowly leak out of her posture as she was subsumed more and more by his touch.

Remaining a passive observer while watching such an act with her newly acquired urges was a difficult thing for Sera, more difficult than she had thought at least, and as Inarius hands began roaming over Corrine's body her own hands mirrored their travels on her form. Knowing that they wouldn't be of any use in this anyway, Sera quietly slipped out of the clothes she'd been given when she had gone to go and search for Corrine, and as Inarius finally reached the priestess's privates she began to fondle her own. Though her actions might be done consciously and willingly, she made sure to curb her touch in order to retain control over herself, knowing that any moment she might be called upon to enact the second part of their desperate ploy.

Sera watched Inarius touch Corrine, and watched her gradually give in to his ministrations. She watched him begin to feed upon her burning essence, watched him slide his massive tool into her sex and begin his meal in earnest. She watched the powerful woman give in fully, marking the point at which they could not possibly go back, and watched Inarius begin to unwind and reach out to each of the other women in the room with his tendrils save for Sera herself. She watched, by then still as a statue, as Corrine's spirit leaked away, and watched as the tendrils swelled with her stolen power and reach out to each of the women who's souls had been damaged by the demon's touch. She watched, impassive and suddenly still, as some struggled, and some cried out, but in the end each of them were purified of the demon's touch. Sera felt it happen, her awareness alone undamaged, as the pieces of the demon inside each of them were burned away by Corrine's power.

She watched as Inarius suddenly collapsed after that, the darkness that she had seen within him suddenly growing as Corrine's limp form tumbled from his embrace. She watched as the tendrils that made up the demon's body began to writhe and twist, and the green one appeared in their midst, fighting to remain visible, and knew that her time to watch had come to an end. There was no time for hesitation, and Sera had none anyway as she dove into the mass, weaving by the tendrils that sought to stop her, reaching for the single green tentacle and taking hold of it in both hands. She held on, as hard as she possibly could, and sought to open both her mind and her spirit in order to help her son fight off the demon come to claim him. He was her son, truly, regardless of whether or not he was a demon and that his father was the monster that they sought to destroy. Knowing this, Sera closed her eyes and allowed herself to be pulled within the mass of tendrils, ready to fight for the souls of Helmoth. As ready as she'd ever be, at least.
 
OP
Termite

Termite

A bug
RP Moderator
Joined
Apr 8, 2009
Messages
2,179
Reputation score
279
Re: The Beast of Helmoth (Tassadar)

The moment you dive forward a slightly haughty laugh of triumph tingles in the back of your mind before the entire mass open in greeting. And a moment later it closes with you at its center. You can feel a length wriggling in your grip, but other tendrils manage to pry your arms away, and with the tentacles covering your entire body you quickly lose track of Inarius within the writhing mess that continues to grow darker.

With demonic flesh pressing against you from all directions it isn't long before you feel the first enthusiastic thrust. Its entry is eased by your earlier fondling, but it's still rather rough and furious and starts pounding into your body without any care for what you can endure. A moment later another enters your ass, and as it crawls as deeply as it can go a third forces its way into your mouth and gags any further cries you could make. And a forth tries to join it. The crowd of flesh becomes rather restless, and you can feel them crowding each other as they struggle to find some open hole to happily stuff themselves.

With the pressure growing the memories of your surrender to the demon start assaulting you nearly as roughly as the lengths vying for position, but before things could get truly uncomfortable one of those lengths starts winding itself around your fingers. It threads itself through the tiniest of gaps it can find curls through your palm before stretching out to wrap tightly around your wrist. And it keeps winding itself up your arm, its tip feeling like it dug THROUGH you without leaving so much as a scratch, and as it crept closer you could almost swear you could see it merging with your flesh.

But the darkness still claims you, and before anything can be done your body is overpowered and overwhelmed by the sudden intrusion of too many limbs, and your body cries out before a storm of pain rises and strangles the very last dregs of consciousness from your form.

But...

But you don't quite feel it. You get the sense that this horrible nightmare is happening to a body that is not your own, even when you see your own blank eyes crying for mercy, but it all seems so far away. In fact it seems to be getting even farther, the remains of your mind falling into...something as an odd presence you can't quite manage to turn and see pulls you deeper into itself. For a moment you even manage to catch the flash of something else, a small strand of color that reminds you of the deep viridian of the forest that shines so brightly in the dead of night.

Brace yourself, we're going to enter him now... That small warning is all your get when you come to an abrupt stop, and before you can even hope to answer your mind is forced to stretch itself into the infinity. A new kind of pain spreads throughout your consciousness as your both pushed and pulled into nothing more than a thin strand of light that spears itself into the dark mass that suddenly looms before your eyes, and after the endless eternity that was one single moment stretch to its utmost limit you find yourself falling flat onto your face.

A small ache rises as your nose complains at being used as a break, and after a bit your entire body decides to follow suit. But that small bit of pain is fleeting, no more than one would feel from accidentally running into some other person, and as you pick yourself off the ground you soon realize that it isn't quite there. There's some solid surface beneath you, that much you can feel, but you also get the feeling that if you tried hard enough you could step through it down to some other floor that also isn't there. Or up to the one passing through your shin. And if you stepped really far you could cross into, through, out of, and back into whatever plain of existence this proved to be.

Are you all right? The sudden voice drags your perception back down to a more manageable level, and as your body focuses you see your son standing right before you. He looks normal enough, his favorite suit of absolutely nothing showing his charming features rather admirably, and should you decide to look at yourself you find you also look perfectly fine. In fact you look perfectly normal. Your armor is just as you remember, you can feel your sword resting in its sheathe, and a rather taut string crossing your chest leads to your own personal bow slung across your back along with the quiver that held your arrows. Yet still you stood on absolutely nothing. How odd...


Sera

Willpower - 24/24
Combat and HP - 7 and 30/30
Explore and Stam - 8 and 20/20
Spirit and Magic - 6 and 30/30
Naughty and Lewd - 5 and 30/30
 

Tassadar

Panda King
RP Moderator
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
16,467
Reputation score
429
Re: Within the Beast (Tassadar)

Sera lets out a shout as the demon's tendrils pull her hands away from Inarius, but is quickly silenced by the dozens of appendages that begin trying to stuff themselves into her. Though pleasure surges through her at the penetration, the furious pace with which the tentacles violate her holes brings far more pain than pleasure. Memories of her surrender flit through her increasing tormented mind, but suddenly she feels something brush up against her fingers, and then wind around her wrist, and then up her arm, and then it seemed to burrow into her very being without harming her flesh. Darkness comes, blocking out the violation of her body, but then... Sera felt as if she were watching it from outside, could see the look of pleading horror in her increasingly empty eyes as she drifted away from her form.

"Inarius?" Sera asked questioningly into the black void in response to the voice that spoke into her mind, and then she was forced to do as he asked as her very being stretched across the empty void, toward the bright green light that so reminded her of the home to which she would never return. Stretched out into a strand of light that was the width of a single hair, Sera couldn't even scream at the strange pain before she was drawn into the overwhelming darkness. And then, she was whole again, and fell flat on her face.

As she climbed to her feet, Sera rubbed at her nose and wondered what had happened, but before that line of questions could get too far she found Inarius standing before her. Hesitating for a moment, Sera glanced down at herself to find herself clad in her armor once more, her sword at her side and her bow strung over her back. For a moment, she closed her eyes and reminisced, wondering how she had somehow reacquired the familiar equipment here, but then figured that it must be an aspect of the place that they were in. She was no longer in the physical world, that much she had realized, and she had called upon what she had used to defend herself in the real world in this one. "I am alright... Or I will be. What must we do now?"
 
OP
Termite

Termite

A bug
RP Moderator
Joined
Apr 8, 2009
Messages
2,179
Reputation score
279
Re: Within the Beast (Tassadar)

We say hello. It was an odd thing to hear him speak. You saw his lips move, and he even grunts a little as he stretches a bit, but his voice sounds like it's echoing in the back of your head.

But when he points behind you a sudden feeling of looming doom starts to creep up your spine. When you turn you find the darkness that is the demon staring you right in the face. And just beneath the surface you see that the darkness is a shell, one that is impossibly thick and stretches out beyond you. When you concentrate hard enough you can see through the shell, and no more than a couple dozen feet lay an enormous opening that nearly looks like its breathing. Perhaps it was due to the cave of flesh that looked like it opened into the very side of some monstrous creature. Perhaps it was the way the caved expanded and collapsed. It was a slight motion, one that wouldn't be seen without a keen eye, but very slowly the opening grew just a little wider before shrinking down to is original size.

Or maybe it was the fact that a number of tendrils suddenly grew from the cavern's lip and started reaching for you. Inarius had already started forward, and as you followed the flesh of the walls started rippling in an unsettling fashion. As you neared they started growing into a few tentacles, and with each step closer they extended slowly until they shot forward and nearly stole you into their grip. It forced you both to stop, you simply because there was a threat right in front of your eyes, and Inarius because he watched them shoot past and nearly through him.

But as he turned they didn't bother him in the least, and as he reached out for one it allowed him to brush it away so he could walk back toward you. When he stopped once again and started moving deeper they even shifted slightly to allow him safe passage, but all their attention remained focused on you. It seems he still thinks of me as a part of him. He walks back and appears to be pondering something for a bit, and once he clears the wall of ill intent he motions you to follow to a safer distance. I hoped your own taint would have given you safe passage to enter his core, but I think he still recognizes you. He's not yet fully awake, but there's enough of him present to resist any outside influence. Once we enter we shouldn't be attacked on sight, but entering is going to be a bit tricky.

For a few seconds he simply sits where he is, and but after a bit he comes to a conclusion. I believe I can give you safe passage, but that involves letting me swallow you. Since technically I am a part of his greater being I am allowed to enter, and if I'm completely wrapped around you then he shouldn't be able to detect your presence. But... A bit of hesitation stretches into a somewhat nervous cough, and eventually he turns to properly address you. I am a bit...low on energy... If I do take you into myself I may not be able to prevent myself from feeding...

This was a rather interesting option he was giving you. Give yourself to your own son or face the threat before you. You could always try to force your way through. I doubt he could put up much resistance once you get past this first bit. And that was another thought. With all the tentacles you had faced before these didn't look like the sort to tie you down for the unspeakable, but working your way through them would still be a trial. Perhaps it would be best to avoid exhausting yourself so soon. Then again there isn't anything to suggest that Inarius may not exhaust you himself.


Option 1 - Punch your way through - Combat (Spirit)
Option 2 - Allow Inarius to envelop you - Naughty (Spirit)


Sera

Willpower - 24/24
Combat and HP - 7 and 30/30
Explore and Stam - 8 and 20/20
Spirit and Magic - 6 and 30/30
Naughty and Lewd - 5 and 30/30
 

Tassadar

Panda King
RP Moderator
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
16,467
Reputation score
429
Re: Within the Beast (Tassadar)

'Say hello?' Sera thought to herself, though outwardly she nodded and said; "You seem to know your way around better than I. Lead on." Of course, the sudden feeling of oncoming doom that washed over her knocked any light-heartedness remaining right out of Sera, and she turned about to view the... Thing that was the demon's spiritual body sitting before her, titanic and hideous. The doorway that opened before them, more like a mouth, did little to allay the elf's misgivings, but there was no turning back now.

Sighing inwardly, Sera steeled herself and started toward it beside Inarius, but as she drew near the tentacles along the walls lashed out at her, and she was forced to back away from the coiling things. Inarius was able to walk through without even being bothered however, and when he returned and explained Sera wordlessly nodded her understanding. "That makes sense, but how do we get through?" she asked, but then her son supplied their two simplest options and left her with the somewhat curious decision.

For a moment she stood still, pondering, but then the tactical part of her mind concluded that fighting her way through, while perhaps preferable on a personal level, might alert the awakening demon to their intentions too early. At the same time, being fed on now would not only weaken her, but leave her more vulnerable to the demon's methods. Either way could result in catastrophe in the long run, and as such Sera opted for the way in which she could exact some vengeance for the demon's numerous offenses against her. Unsheathing her sword, Sera rolled her shoulders and stretched slightly before addressing Inarius; "I'm going to chop my way through then, lets get moving."

Of course, that was much easier said than done. Even so, Sera was used to quick footwork, and that was what this called for. As such, she held her sword in both hands and stepped lightly, entering into what could be called a battle dance but was more accurately a stance that was meant to allow her to jump backwards and land while still in a state of balance at a moments notice. As she started forward, she started cutting at any bit of moving exposed flesh that came for her, being careful to watch for ones that went for her legs especially.

(Option 1, fight through.)
 
OP
Termite

Termite

A bug
RP Moderator
Joined
Apr 8, 2009
Messages
2,179
Reputation score
279
Re: Within the Beast (Tassadar)


Option 1 - Fight your way through - Combat - 18 vs 9 (7 + 2) - FAIL by 9
--- Spirit x1 - 9 x1 = 9
Take 9 HP and 9 Magic Damage



With your body poised to strike you leap forward and cut down the pair of tentacles foolish enough to rush to greet you. But more appear to take their place, and a quick leap back brought you back out of their range before you dive back into the fray. Little by little you start to advance, the wall of flesh retreating with each limb lost, and it's only a few seconds before you see an opening starting to form. But when it comes time to retreat once more one of the fallen tendrils rose just enough to knock your foot and cause you to fall flat on your back. The tentacles pounce as one, a number of them reaching around your limbs while more descend upon your center. But instead of stripping and tearing the protection from your body they continue to dive, their tips pausing just a moment as they meet your flesh before piercing your form and digging through you as if they were willing to turn you into nothing more than a perforated corpse.

Another presence wraps around your waist, and a moment later Inarius rushes through the defenses and tightens his grip. You suddenly find yourself being dragged through those tendrils even as they fight to keep their hold, but eventually your body simply rips while you're pulled to freedom. And oddly enough it doesn't hurt. You definitely felt yourself being torn, and you felt your body screaming when those tentacles dug into your flesh and rooted around for a bit, but now that you are free and relatively safe the pain simply vanished. As well as the injuries. The only thing that remains to say you've been attacked are the shredding of your clothes and armor as well as the memories that still bounce around within your head.

It's not truly your body. A hand pops into view to offer you some help to your feet. Just like this isn't truly my own. Inarius backs up a bit, and as he 'speaks' his other arm starts reforming itself from the mass of tentacles that pulled you to freedom. But we are creatures who have always existed in a physical plane, so that is how our spirits manifest and perceive this world. It applies even to father. But that doesn't mean we can't be attacked. He motions to the mass back at the cave entrance, and when you turn you find the tentacles struggling over bits and pieces of yourself that suddenly collapse into fine strands of light that are quickly consumed by the tentacles that remain. We need to be careful and make sure we remain intact.

With your first trial behind you the trek deeper into the demon's essence is mostly worry free. A few tendrils do pop out from time to time to try and stop you, but with them only appearing one at a time its a simple thing for you to strike them down. But after a few steps you can feel something rumbling within the living mass surrounding you, and though nothing appears you somehow sense that something has changed nearby. And Inarius seems to have noticed it as well. I can't feel his core, anymore. I think he's starting to awaken. Be prepared for anything.

Prepared or not, anything turns out to be a sudden fork in the road. The tunnel splits once and again, three paths leading in seemingly random directions that leave Inarius somewhat upset. I don't like this. I can't tell what's waiting for us down any of those paths. He even lets a hand unwind to try and connect with the fleshy walls to his side, but a spark leaps out and forces him to withdraw. I just wish I knew what kind of traps he was setting... An idea suddenly pops into your head, and as you focus on it you feel a slight pull from outside this world. Eventually you can feel your connection to nature starting reestablish itself, and though it may be weak perhaps it could be used to light your path forward. Otherwise you could only blindly choose a path and see what awaits.

Option 1 - Take the left path - Explore (Hidden)
Option 2 - Take the middle path - Explore (Hidden)
Option 3 - Take the right path - Explore (Hidden)
Option 4 - Try to divine the correct path - Spirit (Dead End)


Sera

Willpower - 24/24
Combat and HP - 7 and 21/30
Explore and Stam - 8 and 20/20
Spirit and Magic - 6 and 21/30
Naughty and Lewd - 5 and 30/30
 
Last edited:

Tassadar

Panda King
RP Moderator
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
16,467
Reputation score
429
Re: Within the Beast (Tassadar)

At first, her strategy seemed to be going fairly well. Cutting apart the tendrils proved to be fairly easy even when they came at her in small groups, and she leaped back and forth into the fray like a dancer. But then, the appearance of a clearer opening left her momentarily distracted, and that allowed one of the tentacles to get one of her feet. She ended up on her back, and before she could try to scramble away the wriggling appendages were on top of her. Given the demon's lewd nature, Sera was most definitely not prepared for the things to burrow into her flesh, and she screamed in pain and attempted to thrash away in vain. Then, Inarius had her, and was pulling her through the horde of tendrils. Strangely, the pain vanished when the tentacles were pulled out of her, and the wounds were gone as well. Glancing back, she saw the tiny gleaming pieces of her essence absorbed by the tentacles and shivered, knowing. Turning to Inarius, she nodded her understanding of his explanation, too shaken to speak, and then they pressed onwards.

Sera remained silent and wary as they moved onwards, occasionally forced to cut away a tendril or two but otherwise unmolested for some time. When the odd rumbling came, Sera let out a gasp and glanced around, wondering if the walls themselves would clamp down and crush them both, but then Inarius spoke, and she knew that it was much, much worse. "If that's the case, then we need to hurry. We have no idea what might lie ahead, and the longer we dally the more time he has to prepare," she said, and then hurried forward.

Unfortunately, a ways ahead they encountered an obstacle that was fairly unexpected: the path split into three directions. "Which way?" she asked, but Inarius had no more idea than she did. For a moment, they were stalled there in indecision, but then.... Sera suddenly felt something strange, something that she had never expected to feel again. Her connection to nature tenuously reestablished itself, granting her a degree of insight. A smile suddenly came over her face, and she closed her eyes and heaved in a deep breath even though it technically wasn't necessary in their spiritual forms. "I think... That I might be able to do something.... Hold on."

Keeping her eyes closed, Sera held out her hand and concentrated, trying to strengthen the metaphysical link between herself and the natural world. Slowly, a tiny glowing shape began to form in her hand, and after a moment the magic took full shape. A butterfly formed of white light spread its wings and fluttered out from the elf's outstretched hand, too small and weak for the demon to take much interest in (hopefully) and agile enough to avoid the tendrils if it had to. "Now... Show us the way...." she whispered softly, and the butterfly floated off, hopefully down the passageway that would take them to their goal.

Damn dice. Going with the Option 4 just because it makes sense in character, even though the munchkin in me is screaming to pick a random path and chance explore since it's the higher stat.

Option 4 - Try to divine the correct path - Spirit (Dead End)
 
OP
Termite

Termite

A bug
RP Moderator
Joined
Apr 8, 2009
Messages
2,179
Reputation score
279
Re: Within the Beast (Tassadar)

Guess that makes up for it.

Option 4 - Try to divine the correct path - Spirit (Dead End) - 19 vs 23 (6 + 17) - PASS


The small spirit flaps its wings experimentally a few times, but when it's beckoned to take flight it does so with a small flutter that leaves it bobbing up and down in the air as it circles Sera once then twice. Following that it becomes a bit more graceful and circles Inarius, and with its confidence bolstered a couple of light flaps bring it toward the tunnels. At first it aims down the center path, its body floating inside a bit before suddenly turning and hovering over the opening for a few seconds. It then aims toward the right, but it quickly backs out once again and tries the left. It even starts to fly around a bend before it thinks better, and once again it returns to the junction and seems rather confused.

For a moment it lands and takes a rest on your head, but though you can't quite see it you get the impression that it's considering its options very carefully. When it takes flight once more it quickly lands on Inarius and seems to be studying him for some unknown reason, and following that it flutters over to a lone tentacle that had yet to do more than simply wave in the air. Once the butterfly makes contact the tentacle twists a bit in reaction as if it were trying to catch it, but after that the little spirit bounces into the air. It now glows with a purpose, and it starts winding a cautious but determined flight that takes it down the path to the right. You still have the choice to take a different branch, but with the way the butterfly lands on the ground and merely waits you get the feeling that doing so may be a bit foolish.

Option 1 - Take the left path - Explore (Hidden)
Option 2 - Take the middle path - Explore (Hidden)
Option 3 - Take the right path - Explore (Hidden)


Sera

Willpower - 24/24
Combat and HP - 7 and 21/30
Explore and Stam - 8 and 20/20
Spirit and Magic - 6 and 21/30
Naughty and Lewd - 5 and 30/30
 

Tassadar

Panda King
RP Moderator
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
16,467
Reputation score
429
Re: Within the Beast (Tassadar)

"Right it is! We still need to be careful," Sera said quietly, a pleased expression on her face as the butterfly led the way down. She kept her sword at the ready, just in case, but hopefully there wouldn't be much need for it... Not yet, at least.
 
OP
Termite

Termite

A bug
RP Moderator
Joined
Apr 8, 2009
Messages
2,179
Reputation score
279
Re: Within the Beast (Tassadar)


Option 3 - Take the right path - Explore - 17 vs 17 (8 + 9) - PASS


The spirit butterfly flutters through the air once more as you follow it, and for a few feet it appears that nothing will arise to threaten you. But the tunnel takes a sudden turn, and as it does it starts to incline until you are forced to start climbing. That in itself doesn't seem all that bad, but once the walls start closing in a little you're forced to start sliding your body forward while your arms and legs scramble for purchase on the natural knots of flesh that surround you. And to make matters all that more imposing you swear you can feel bits of the walls flexing at your touch. In fact it feels as if something were brushing against you, rubbing itself against your crowded body while bits of it lightly poke at your spiritual form and focus on spots that make you body tighten in a slightly unpleasant but somewhat arousing kind of way. Your do manage to ignore most of it, but something tells you that whatever lay in wait would do far worse if you weren't careful.

As you start nearing the crest you notice a few holes opening in the side of the walls. A quick inspection shows that nothing is waiting for you within them, but before you can even think of using them as a handhold the spirit resting on your head launches itself into the air. The isn't much room for the small butterfly to flap its wings, but somehow it manages and even starts to hover around one of those holes. A moment later it lands within one, and as soon as it does the hole simply closes. It almost looked like a toothless ring of a mouth simply swallowed the tiny spirit. But it was enough to trigger the walls to start undulating against you. Flesh presses in all around you, the walls not quite crushing you but trying to hold you still something hidden writhes against your thighs and tries to breaks its way through. Something else rubs against your stomach, the touch of it pulling higher and massaging your chest ever so gently.

With each touch it was becoming less and less unpleasant, and your body was lifted higher bit by bit. But you manage to keep your senses as your fingers are suddenly pulled into one of those mouths and sucked in a little deeper even as it closes, and though thoughts pass through your mind of simply letting them pull you closer so they can suckle on your flesh they are quickly discarded while the rest of you pulls yourself free and starts climbing beyond the reach of the tentacles that were just then starting to pull themselves free.

Once you near the top Inarius reaches down with a normal hand and helps pull you to relative safety. Afterwards he gives you a bit of a cautious look, though you do find his eyes swinging lower on occasion, and when you do the same you find that your outfit is suddenly quite drenched and hugging your body quite well. And that last little trial left a lasting impression, your nipples hardened and proud and waiting for someone to give them an enjoyable little flick. At that the half-demon coughs as he turns around, and he starts moving forward without even waiting for you to calm down and catch up.

For a few minutes you both travel untouched, Inarius himself pointedly trying to ignore you while he dives deeper into his father's soul, but after a few minutes another rumbling signals the sudden shifting of something up ahead. Thankfully the path doesn't split like it did last time. In fact it seems to simply expand until you find yourself standing within a rather massive and hollow chamber. The fact that emptiness surrounds you is rather puzzling, but after a bit Inarius spins and immediately focuses on the center of the chamber. There a part of the floor starts to bulge rather ominously, and a massive pocket filled with writhing tendrils grows higher and higher into the air. And it continues to grow. You can see the shell straining as more tendrils fill the thing and fight for freedom, and eventually it can take no more. The thing pops and leaves a massive towering pillar in its wake, and with the tentacles now free they all stretch out before suddenly turning their attention to you.

But they do not attack. They simply sit and regard you for a second, and somewhere deep down you can nearly hear a faint but contemptuous laughter echoing within your soul. Such foolishness... And you recognize that voice. You think invading my sanctum will give you any hope? It seems that daddy is finally coming to his senses. This is my world, my little elven whore. My domain. I hold complete control here, even if the traitor thinks otherwise. To prove this point the pillar starts to coil around itself, and though it remains a crude mess of random tentacles you can see see the outline of a face that starts speaking in time with the words sounding within your head. But you did give me my life, so I shall be merciful. Turn around. Now. And I shall let you keep your mind as I expand into the world. But this is my one and only offer. Go any further and I will subjugate you entirely. You body will become nothing more than a soulless puppet for me to control. At this the face unravels and becomes the enormous mass once more. But I would enjoy that. So the choice is yours. Turn back and step forward to face oblivion.

For a few seconds silence reigns, but soon enough the pillar itself starts to collapse. Its parts start sprawling in every direction, and a wave of overwhelming flesh crashes against the floor before rearing up once more to crash over you. But Inarius steps forward and lets himself unwind. His own tendrils rush out to intercept the overflowing tide, and he manages to hold off the advance. Go. I can hold them, but not for long. A portion of the wave breaks away from the central mass and loops around to catch him unaware, but more pieces of himself stretch out and stop the approaching mass in its tracks. And he is wrong. He needs me to gain full control, even here. I can buy you some time while you find his core. But you need to leave. Now.

An unoccupied piece of him motions toward the far side of the chamber. An unnoticed passage lies open, but in its way a number of tentacles simply sit and wait for you to approach. At least until Inarius started fighting back. His struggles caught some of the waiting tendrils in his wake, and they curled off to join their brethren in their attempt to subdue him. It wouldn't be too difficult for you to fight your way clear of what remained. But that would mean abandoning your son. A look back showed that even with his efforts he was slowly and methodically being overwhelmed. If left all alone there was no doubt that he would be reclaimed. But then again that could be useful. While the Beast was preoccupied trying to reabsorb Inarius you could dive deeper and strike at his heart. But there was no telling how that would affect the half-demon-half-man. Would he survive? Would he fall? Would you take that risk in order to save so many others?

Option 1 - Escape while this trap is preoccupied - Explore
Option 2 - Assist Inarius - Combat (Combat)


Sera

Willpower - 24/24
Combat and HP - 7 and 21/30
Explore and Stam - 8 and 20/20
Spirit and Magic - 6 and 21/30
Naughty and Lewd - 5 and 30/30
 

Tassadar

Panda King
RP Moderator
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
16,467
Reputation score
429
Re: Within the Beast (Tassadar)

The dark, dank passageway within the demon wound onwards, eventually sloping upward. Only when it tightened to the point that she was forced to crawl did Sera become worried, shooting a brief glance back at Inarius before she dropped to her knees, and eventually onto her belly. The unpleasantness of it was only compounded by the occasional flexes of the walls themselves, and more than once Sera grumbled under her breath about the indignity of it. And then, just as they neared the top, the spirit that she had called fluttered from its perch on top of her head, and was swallowed up by one of the holes. A brief instant of horror was followed by a sense of overwhelming rage that the tiny creature had been fed to the demon so, and she snarled as the foul, slime coated walls began to sexually assault her in earnest after tasting the tiny nature spirit. Even the demon’s influence on her was insufficient to batter through the pure, unadulterated hatred that suddenly erupted within her, and for a moment she thrashed wildly and sounded her anger with growls and curses. “You will not have me! You will not break me!

But then, a few moments later, she felt herself slowly being lifted upwards, and she realized that if she endured then she would be pulled through by the creature’s own motions. Clenching her thighs together and trying to relax, Sera allowed herself to be moved upwards, occasionally pulling herself up through the strange, sucking holes that lined the walls. Though the newly discovered lewd side of her might be curious about allowing certain other parts of her anatomy to be exposed to the suction provided by the holes, Sera didn’t allow those ideas to get beyond the fantasy stage, and as she still wore a grimace on her face when Inarius reached down and offered a hand to pull her the rest of the way out. A glance down at herself revealed that her shredded clothing was completely soaked through by the demon’s foul ooze, and despite her mental resistance to it her body had apparently been quite eager for attention, the tips of her breasts erect and visible through her outfit. “Don’t even think it,” she grumbled sourly as she noticed Inarius’ look, “Maybe when we’ve finished this and returned to the physical world, but not now. We don’t have time to dally anyway, lets go!

And with that, on the two of them went. The passage continued on for a ways, thankfully without any more crawl spaces, and Sera was able to calm her body down somewhat. In fact, the passageway actually seemed to be widening, and after a while it opened up into a large chamber. Sera held her sword tightly, in both hands, and adopted a cautious stance as they advanced out into the empty chamber. When Inarius spun, so did she, turning in the same direction and seeing what he had; the huge column of tentacles slowly forming until the bubble burst, and a massive wave of the foul, writhing things crashed to the floor.

She readied herself for combat, but the battle did not come. Instead, the demon spoke, even forming a face from its myriad of appendages, and it gave her a choice. The easiest choice in the world, in fact, and Sera resolutely answered without even a second’s hesitation; “The only place that you’ll be expanding to is the pit, or to oblivion, you foul, foul thing!” Unsurprisingly, that was met by violence on the demon’s part, but Inarius halted his assault, unwinding as he spoke into her mind, presenting her with a choice that was impossible to make. He urged her to leave even as she watched him getting slowly overwhelmed, and she knew that if she left now that he would not survive. She had a split second to make a choice that she could have taken years on, the life of her demonic son and the prospect of failure in their task if they were stalled here hinging on her decision. For a single heartbeat, Sera stood frozen in place, her mind torn, but then something that Inarius had said stuck with her, but then, something that Inarius had said stuck in her mind. ‘He needs me to gain full control, even here.’

Sera sheathed her sword and drew her bow in the blink of an eye, spinning towards the tunnel and reaching behind her for an arrow with a red hawk’s feather, knocking it and pointing its crimson crystal head at the tendrils coming from that direction. The shaft was loosed before they could even reach Inarius, fired with pinpoint precision at one of the ones in the center, constrained as it was by its brethren and thus unable to twist out of the way. The very second that the arrow hit home, it exploded in a cloud of bright crimson flames, burning the tentacles to dust, but before the flash had vanished from the corners of her sight Sera had spun again and fired a second exploding arrow through the tangled web that Inarius had formed with the tendrils, burning away those trying to subdue him near their bases so as not to touch him.

No! We do this together!” she shouted as she reached for an arrow fletched with a crow’s feather. “I cannot... Will not leave you here to die!” The arrow was one dipped in the deadliest of poisons, one meant to spread to the heart of a thing and melt it, while burning away everything in between. She turned and unleashed it into the massive crowd of writhing appendages, sure that the arrows properties would remain the same as they would in the real world so long as she believed it so. She left her normal arrows in their quiver, knowing that they would do little to bother the creature, and kept her second poison arrow and her last exploding one in her quiver as well. Instead, as she aimed to help Inarius, she fired off a single flare arrow at the passageway that lead to the demon’s heart and then slung her bow in order to draw her sword once more. Springing forward, she lunged for the tentacles held in place by Inarius’ various strands, slashing at them in an effort to alleviate the pressure on her son.

Option 2 - Assist Inarius - Combat (Combat)
C’mon dice, don’t fail me now!
 
Top