Without a Home (Shrike7)

[Shrike7]

Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

More logs:

Spoiler

Shrike7: The woman paused a moment, considering her options. {I'm not sure, to be honest. Tell me, truthfully of course, as much as you can about yourself, your goals should you be free. If I do decide to aid you, I swear to never use any of the information against you in any way. Is that acceptable, for a start?}

HME220: {Ahhh, but you ask for secrets, and secrets are my business. Discovering them and keeping them both. When I am free, I will return to the pursuit of knowledge, as I was doing before I was imprisoned by Badaria's false king. A bit of repayment in kind to the emperor of skulls might be in order, if the aliens haven't sent him to the oblivion that he so justly deserves, but that would be the only violence that I would be interested in committing once freed, that much I assure you. If you wish to know more of me, I am afraid that you will need to free me first.}

Shrike7: {What of actions not violent, but still frowned upon? There are plenty of evil deeds that can be done without inflicting physical harm.} Alberik commented, though the being seemed trustworthy enough. "Have you two been able to listen in?" She asked the two sphinxes, curious about their opinions as well.

HME220: "Nay," the more amiable of the duo replied, and the other scowled before hesitantly shaking its head, too proud to easily admit that it hadn't been privy to the conversation. {I am a daemon, madame. I have no intention of going on a raping spree, stealing anything that wasn't in the wrong hands to begin with, breaking open the space-time continuum, calling any of your less amiable kin, or any other such insane nonsense. I assure you that my behavior will be excellent following my release!}

Shrike7: Alberik gave a simple nod in response to her companions' answers, continuing her mental conversation. {Apologies, but you must understand my apprehension. Most things are sealed away for a reason, yes. I beleive you are trustworthy enough, though, so you will have my aid, much as I can give it. How do I set about releasing you?}

HME220: {Very good! Tis not a task that can easily be done here. The oaf was originally intending to do so once he'd taken the Academy, where the necessary resources are kept, but we can worry about that later. For now, you need only retrieve the trinket that contains me, a small crystal sculpture that is kept in the orc lord's pocket.}

Shrike7: Alberik wandered over to the head orc, sitting quietly with the others. "Give me the figurine in your pocket." She told him in a neutral tone, pulling out a kerchief to handle it with on her end, making sure not to physically touch it herself, inspecting it before stowing it away in her own pocket. "I seem to have reached an accord with the presence. Do you feel able to remain and aid in the fighting below?" She asked gently, looking between the two she had summoned.

HME220: The orc did as commanded, displaying only feeble resistance to Alberik's will now. She felt nothing handling the gem through the cloth, and it sat heavy but not uncomfortable in any fashion in her pocket. As she stowed it, however, she would note that the figurine was made of Jade, a material rarely found outside of the Amazon, and that it was carved in the likeness of a cloaked man with long, rogueish hair, its workmanship exceptional. The sphinxes both simply nodded to her question, but the less pleasant of the duo felt the need to add; "I must feast on mortal blood at some point tonight, else I might go mad!"

Shrike7: The Outsider gave a short nod. "We'll catch up to Anya and give her cover to safety, then split off and see where we can be of aid." She said, turning back to their captive orcs. "Order your subordinates to sleep, then sleep yourself." She told him, figuring that would give them several hours before wasting themselves on whatever bindings teh sphinxes had summoned to hold them. "Shall we be off, then?"

HME220: "Very well then," the sphinxes said, and then headed not toward the way they'd come, but one of the doors out onto the balcony that stood at the top of the tower. When they were out into the cold and the howling wind of the winter night, the light powdery snow still falling around them, Alberik found the kinder sphinx kneeling before her, as if offering her the chance to mount it. The other sphinx took this with a rather sour look, but made no complaint. Alberik was free to refuse and perhaps summon something else to fly her about, enact any protective magics she might like first, or do more or less as she pleased in this situation.

Shrike7: Alberik took the offer, climbing on carefully. "Thank you. I can summon flight myself if you change your mind, but I doubt I'd be able to keep pace." She said softly, then louder when her voice didnt carry over the wind, looking about over the fortress from their vantage point. "Do you know where Anya is, or should I reach out to her myself?"

HME220: [The human is at the gates below] the voice of the unpleasant sphinx said into Alberik's mind, and then the two great faeries took off from the top tower of Godsreach, dropping steadily but at a controlled rate towards the ground. As they drew nearer Alberik recognized the front gate, and spotted Anya and those under her command there, slowly sneaking along one of the walls. A small group of orcish guardsmen were ahead of them, evidently unaware of their presence still, but Alberik could easily annihilate the threat completely. From her perch, Alberik also spotted Telvesh, the elf and his group heading along the opposite wall... Towards a group that Alberik realized were knights, though they too were unaware of the elf. There were also a number of infantry squads, all orcs, organizing in the square beyond the tower's walls, and even though they would represent a much greater threat to her faerie allies than the smaller groups along the walls, she could opt to disrupt that gathering and keep reinforcements from joining the main battle.

Shrike7: {Thanks} Alberik sent back quickly, trying not to hold on too hard as they took off, heading downwards to the buildings below. She caught sight of Anya, then Telvesh along the wall, and finally the orcs massing for a counterattack in the courtyard beyond. {You wanted a feast, go and see what you can manage with the throng over there. Be safe though, disruption works better than the morale of ending your threat.} She sent to the more vicious of her companions, before directing her ride towards Anya's nearing problem. {We'll try and aid Anya, with the helpless in tow she'll be in more need of aid than Telvesh. Him after, if that hasn't sorted itself out, then we'll aid our mutual friend with the massing force, see what can be done there.}

HME220: And so they were off, the unruly sphinx flying off towards the gathering group and promptly unleashing an orb of flame into their midst. She came down breathing more fire as well, and started tearing carefully into their disrupted ranks while the leaders fought to rally against her. Alberik, in the meantime, flitted down towards the orcs ahead of Anya and her group. A spell on her part and a gout of flame from the sphinx was enough to eliminate them completely, leaving the way clear for Anya, but when they shifted back they saw that Telvesh's group had already engaged the orc knights. Several of the orcs were already down, but the remainder were fighting back savagely, and Alberik and the sphinx would need to be careful of what powers they used lest they harm those they intended to help.

Shrike7: The support of Anya went flawlessly, Alberik and the sphinx zooming away again before the orcs really knew what hit them, the human and her squad seeing the pair for a few seconds longer before the wind and snow hid them again. Telvesh was already engaged when they returned, however, and that cut the Outsider's options considerably. She relied on an old fallback when they got into range, hitting the center of the melee with an expanding ring of white fire, the flames scorching the orcs, but doing little but providing a rush of comforting warmth to the squad she was protecting.

HME220: The orb of white fire, joined by a similar effect from the sphinx, shot down and exploded within the midst of the melee, briefly lighting it up brightly before it was reduced to darkness once again. The flames burned the orcs well, however, and a second circle saw that the elves had emerged with few injuries and no casualties from the battle. The other sphinx, in the meantime, was forced to return to the skies by her opponents, and they were starting to organize again. A loud crack and thunderous roar alerted Alberik to a new arrival, however, she sensed as much as saw the dragon warp into existence. Karthus, the Tyrant dragon, had been called to the battle in aspect form, well beneath his full strength but still terrifying in his own right. The orcs were known to call upon the great dragon regularly, and he had ensured victory for them on more than one occasion. Thankfully he was ignoring them, heading instead towards the South, where Alberik knew the main battle was taking place, but she could opt to have her sphinxes intercept him rather than finish cleaning up the landbound force.

Shrike7: Alberik was just calling up her energy again to hit the group below when the dragon appeared in the skies. She pulled herself back immediately, assessing the threat from what she had read on the creature, and what she could discern of it now. {The mages could likely beat it, but the toll would be far too high. We have to do something.] She sent quickly, her tone tense. She gathered her options as they neared. She likely couldn't gather enough fire or similar to damage it significantly, and even supported by her own magic, and that of the sphinxes, she didn't feel confident in her ability to overwhelm it's mind. Her companions could likely damage it, one could hope enough to distract it from the weaker forces it was currently aiming for. She's have to do her best to add to the harassment. Gathering her will again, she brought it together and thinned it out like a blade, sending the energy flashing out at the dragon when they got in range. her first thought was to aim for the wings, but it was more sound to keep it in the sky and away from the others, so she aimed for the body instead, simply going for the largest target.

HME220: The sphinxes did as Alberik commanded, turning towards the great dragon as it flew towards her forces and preparing their own magics against it. Alberik's was the first to land, cutting through even the great dragon's impenetrable scales and tearing through his flesh. It flinched and roared, spinning, but then the two sphinxes unleashed their own powers, a wave of black lightning from the mean one and an orb of white flame from the kinder one. The combined assault against the already wounded dragon ravaged the great beast, and it plummeted towards the battle-ridden fortress while unleashing a gout of flame from its maw, landing with a thunderous crunch and crushing a building flat beneath its impact before its body began to simply dissolve, the magic that had called it gone. The orcs were, understandably distraught by the fall of the great dragon, but on they fought below.

Shrike7: Alberik held her breath as the attacks hit, letting out a sigh of relief as the thing fell, surprised when they managed to strike it down before it had a chance to turn the tables on them. She flinced when the body crunched into a building below, but she knew any damage now would be far less than it would have caused on it's own. {Hunt down the shaman, we need to remove him as a threat before he can call a fresh aspect.} She sent to the more vicious of the two, pausing a moment as she scanned the ongoing battle. She could feel the channels in her that her power surged through starting to burn again, stressed to capacity again with that last strike, hands starting to shake as they gripped the fur under her in the cold air. She had little left within her, but it was still enough, for now at least. {To the great hall, over there. Greyback was hard pressed last I heard from her, she could likely use some support.} She noted after a moment.

HME220: [It would be my pleasure to consume his soul~] the other sphinx replied, and flew off, leaving Alberik only with the faerie on who's back she rode. It too did as instructed, flying low towards the hall where the portal had been set up to find it surrounded by a vicious battle. The orcs, though bereft of magical aid, were putting up as savage a fight as ever she'd seen. Bodies littered the streets, and the blood of the fallen had turned the fresh snow carmine. In only a few places were their openings for her and her sphinx to be of real use save through the use of more Holy Fire, and the most pressed spots were at the forefront, where she could see the line starting to collapse under the press of a group of berserkers that were cutting through the defending militia wildly and ignoring any hits aimed at them, a pair of orc shamans raining fire and lightning at the building in which the portal stood and threatening to collapse it despite the barriers put up by the defending mages, though those two were guarded by squads of riflemen that were already taking aim, and a spot in which a group of scouts had been cornered and pinned down by another group of riflemen that were covering a group warriors advancing on the humans. She would only have time to act on one, maybe two, before the face of the battle threatened to change.

Shrike7: {I don't have the energy to guarantee success, hit the berzerkers, then the shamans.} She told her companion, summoning up the last of her energy herself. The berzerkers would collapse the entire defensive line if they broke though, she she sent an orb of fire at them on top of whatever the sphinx chose to do, then pulled again, sending a second orb at the riflemen aiming for the defending mages. The scout squad was going to be cut down by bullet or blade regardless, they were too cut off.

HME220: Alberik's blast, combined with that offered by the sphinx, at the very least managed to blunt the edge of the orc advance, killing and wounding many of the berserkers together before they turned toward the shamans and their riflemen. By then the orc riflemen had gotten a bead on her and her mount though, and she felt the creature flinch beneath her as they opened fire on them. Faeries were notoriously weak to iron, and that was exactly what the orcs were firing up at them, but the sphinx remained in the air and unleashing a devastating spell alongside Alberik's fire, which burned hotter than she'd ever seen it against the orcs. The group was reduced to dust promptly, and though the building had been damaged it would hold. The scouts, left to fend for themselves, seemed completely doomed.... Until Telvesh and his squad, having leaped from building to building over the melee, dropped down upon archers and warriors alike, the Fallen Leaves slaughtering the orcs like a rain of steel blades.

HME220: The sphinx beneath her was clearly ailing, however, and into her mind she heard [May we land? I need to heal myself.] Of course, she could instruct her summoned mount to land where she liked, on the roof of a building for quickness, or near the rear of her lines if she wanted eventual security with immediate risk.

Shrike7: {Of course. I was just about to ask how you fared after that.} She replied immediately. {If you can make it inside the defensive line here, go for it, they'll recognize me fast enough. I'm spent myself} The Outsider stayed silent after that, clinging closer to the sphinx and panting at the sore burning feeling she felt inside. {How goes your proress?} She sent to the absent sphinx, checking up while she waited to land.

HME220: The sphinx, risking the lengthier flight, flitted over the battle and landed near the entrance to the building in which the portal was set up. [They are quite dead~] the other sphinx replied happily over the link just as they touched down. The faerie was healing herself, and inside Alberik could see that the room had been converted into a rough triage center, the worst being taken through the gate when heavy infantry weren't pouring through it. Greyback was visible inside, covered in blood, her robes torn at the shoulder, and yet still working to help the wounded despite her obvious exhaustion. More than half of the potions she'd brought for the battle were empty, the woman having come prepared for this but apparently not quite prepared enough.

Shrike7: {Anya. I'm cancelling my magic, I need to rest.} She sent to the scout as she slowly slipped down from the sphinx's back, waiting a moment longer before letting the magic she held in place dissipate, moving slowly to a wall and leaning against it as the effort to contact the scout made her almost dizzy enough to pass out. The sensation passed a moment later, and she resumed her slow march, dodging traffic on her way to Professor Greyback. "It's been a long fight, but they don't have much left, I hope." She said by way of greeting, keeping out of the professor's way as she worked. "Their leader is out of the equation, as is the entity I felt that was aiding them. How goes things here?"

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

Spoiler

Alberik: HP = 60, PP = 71, EP = 91, Status = Fine

Alberik received acknowledgement from Anya before breaking her spells in order to regain her energies, and when she moved to speak to Greyback most of the other soldiers made room for her without being asked to. "Orcs aren't broken easily," the mage replied with stressed calm, not turning to Alberik as she was busy tending to a wounded man at that point. Her hands were literally inside him, meaning that whatever injury he'd sustained couldn't be healed with magic without first removing whatever had caused it. "Things go bloodily here, but I've seen worse. Not many worse, but it's been going better within the last thirty minutes. I honestly thought we were fucked for a minute there, but apparently taking out whatever force was aiding them did enough to bring us back from the edge. They're not even fighting as good as they usually would now, so we're giving as good as we're taking." She carefully yanked a steel shard out of the man, who had been screaming silently, likely under the effects of a spell meant to silence him. He collapsed, his eyes rolling up into the back of his head, and she scowled before discarding the bloody piece of metal.

"Try to get him back," she commanded of her assistants, who nodded and started trying to piece the dying man back together while Greyback herself finally turned her attention to Alberik. It was only then that the outsider was able to really see just how haggard the busty mage was. Normally one of the most energetic women that Alberik had known since arriving on Donevrion, the bags under her eyes that had developed since the Invasion and the start of the orc war were especially large and puffy now, and she drooped more now than Alberik had ever seen her do before, including the day she'd heard of the fall of her home city of Caladon. Magic, even magic that drew most of its energy from the air, was taxing on mind, body, and spirit all at once. Alberik had only had to brush against her limits twice so far during the battle for Gods-Reach, but Miranda had been working with the portal mages all day and at the forefront of the battle all night. She had likely done so more than a dozen times by now, and likely forced to fight a good bit before able to recover her energies. Doing that too much in a day could be incredibly harmful, potentially even lethal, but the woman was still working to do what she could for the wounded while the battle raged on. "We managed to take out a good bit of their force via stealth, before the alarm sounded," she said, seemingly forcing herself to hold together despite the seams growing in her collected exterior, "We're not finished yet. Not even close."

The magus was not wrong. The battle for Gods-Reach went on for the rest of the night and for most of the following day. The initial melee was brutal and bloody, and the portal at which she stayed was very nearly overwhelmed by the orcs as they reorganized and made a push for it. She was forced to fight personally, and the sphinx she'd called upon that was still by her side was injured again, but the creature fought on, and so did Alberik. The orcs couldn't maintain the momentum, not after the losses they'd taken, and then they took to fighting intelligently. The elves and humans, while perhaps not quite an even match for them in physical prowess or martial skill, were more numerous now and possessed of numerous tactical advantages. In response, the orcs splintered into smaller groups and fell back. They began to use their own vicious tactics, laying traps among the once familiar buildings where the mages couldn't find them before being attacked. Snipers became a regular problem, one difficult to combat without losses even with the advantage of magic. Groups of orcs would lead scouts into ambushes by knights and berserkers where they would be slaughtered. Even after the main body of the orc army was beaten, there were pockets of fighters remaining that would cause trouble wherever they could. Twice more dragons appeared at the call of the orcs, skeletal Skytherix and savage Karthus, and twice more they were sent back to where they'd come from.

It was bloody, and it was vicious, and it was horrible. But it was a victory. The price might have made it bittersweet, but Gods-Reach was theirs once more. It wasn't much of a surprise, but they had few captives. Orcs would fight to the last man before they surrendered. Among their losses, most of the scouts had been killed at one point or another, and the militia had lost almost all of theirs. The Blue Falcons had lost half of their fighting strength, and Arikur was unconscious from a blow to the head from a piece of building fallen onto him courtesy of Karthus, the mages unsure when or even if he would awaken. The Falling Leaves had been hit even worse, though Telvesh had managed to survive despite being more injury than unbloodied flesh by the time he returned to the structure they'd established as their base. The militia had seen the most casualties, but they had also lost the least in terms of percentages, and despite that their scout groups had been almost completely wiped out Anya had managed to survive with the group that had been sent out with Alberik. The mages were far fewer and universally exhausted by the day's end, being a favorite target of the orcish snipers, and most of those that Alberik had sent out with the scout groups to cover them with illusions were dead. Many were also wounded, and some were permanently maimed by the battle, likely never to fight again.

All of the news was not so grim, thankfully. They had retaken the fort, and while the orcs hadn't allowed it to fall bloodlessly by any means, the casualties were lower than they might have been. Though they had learned that many of the precious scrolls and records that had been kept by the elves had been burned when the orcs had taken the fortress, they managed to find some texts littered about the fortress, kept safe by slaves or taken as prizes by orcs, or even some that had simply been missed in the collections or somehow survived the burnings. The slaves of the orcs weren't all broken either, and once freed most opted to help with the cleanup, some even joining the battle against their former captors.

When the day came to an end, Alberik the Outsider was victorious. The elves had their ancestral fortress back. They had hundreds of their people back. Looking at the larger cause, they had pushed back against the edge of the orc invasion for the first time since the war had begun, Gods-Reach being the first of the major settlements they'd reclaimed after the warrior race had begun its assault upon the other peoples of Crolia. It was a defining moment, and hopefully a turning point in the war against them, though only time would tell if such was true.

From where she was near the portal room, Alberik's part in the battle was done. She had helped tend to the wounded as best she could, and the militia governor was already taking over most of it. Greyback, Telvesh, Arikur, and her two sphinxes were still about, as was Anya, and she could go and see to any or all of them as she saw fit, but the battle had been exhausting and now she was largely free of it. Returning to the Academy through the portal would allow her to rest, though that would mean that she would need to confront Sera, assuming the elf was still in her chambers where Alberik had left her.

Invasion Stats After Action Report

Spoiler

Assault Force Numbers Remaining:
Telvesh, last of the Falling Leaves, out on patrol
Arikur, leader of the Blue Falcons, guarding the first gate
Professor Greyback, in the cafeteria guarding the second gate
137 Mages, about 11 of whom can cast convincing illusions.
34 Falling Leaves (elves,) including 3 knights, 22 scouts, and 9 soldiers.
73 Blue Falcons, including 11 knights, 18 scouts, and 44 soldiers.
232 CCM troops, including 23 knights, 25 scouts and 184 soldiers.

Enemy Prisoners
8 honored (including the 5 captured by Alberik when she took out ye leader and the one that had Sera)
17 clansmen
63 clanless

Freed Slaves/Captives
2157 high elves
172 humans
14 nymphs
2 sidhe
239 orcs
4 oni
1 kitsune
5 dragonkin
19 demons

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

Alberik barely slept until the battle was over, spending the night making use of her teleportation to provide relief and reinforcements to some of the more scattered forces, bringing in fresh and rested troops, and retrieving spent mages that had no avenue of retreat themselves. Both sphinxes stayed with her well past the time she expected them to, the pair of them taking to the skies to combat the dragons when they were summoned, having to cross the majority of the city to meet Karthus the second time.

The Outsider herself became a favourite target for the snipers as the day started, starting to require a portion of her magic to defend herself from the incoming fire. Her near omnipresence around the field and startling displays of white fire making her one of the most noticeable leaders of the army, and they did their part to make her suffer for it.

Once the fight devolved into isolated pockets, Her role became more passive, using her mindsense to root out hidden groups of warriors and spending the majority of her time coordinating the search and helping to tend the wounded. There was no way to keep up with it all, and she refrained from asking the daemon in the statue for aid similar to what the orcs received, not wanting to in-debt herself to one she knew so little about, and only vaguely trusted so far.

By the time God's Reach was truly won back, the paths her power wove within her burned from constant overuse, Her hands trembling with the pain casting caused her. It was something magic could not heal, it being the source of the pain to begin with. Thankfully, her part seemed to be over. The pockets of fighting had been cleared, and collection and the first steps of restoration were already starting. Moving slowly, she started making the final rounds, checking in on as many as possible before stopping for rest herself.

((Gonna do the chats over chat, muuuuch faster.))

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

Logs

Spoiler

Tass: Alberik would find the sphinxes lying down, the one that had been with her through the duration resting while the less kind of the duo preened smugly, her body practically coated in blood that matted her fur to her skin.

Shrike: The Outsider walked up slowly, aware of the wide berth the army gave to the bloodied one. "Thank you again for your aid." She started slowly. "I did not expect either of you to stay for as long as you did."

Tass: "And pass up so much delightful carnage?" the bloodied one said, prompting its fellow to shoot it a tired look before turning to Alberik and saying; "Such was the letter of our agreement... Though I hope that you will give time to rest before, ahhh, calling upon our aid again. This experience was... Draining, to say the least."

Shrike: "I have a feeling that if I need your help again so soon, I wouldn't be able to call you in any case." She admitted, taking a seat on the ground. "I tend not to require allies of your caliber often, so it should be a moot point in any case. You are of course free to leave whenever, let me know if there is anything you would wsh before then, and I will see what I can do, as thanks."

Tass: "Thank you... But I believe we will be quite fine as is," the kinder sphinx replied graciously, and the other snorted and spread its wings. "Perhaps I was wrong about you, Outsider.... Bring me to more blood, and I am sure that we can establish a very pleasant working relationship~" With that it winked at Alberik and took off, soon vanishing from sight as it sped off into the sky. Again the kidner one sighed, but she rose and spread her wings as well. "I will return home, methinks... A good rest will do me well. If you would ask any questions of me, ask them now Alberik."

Shrike: "I have many, but none of any significance. Rest well." She answered, standing again herself and waiting for the sphinx to lift off before walking away again, headed for where she saw Arikur last.

Tass: The sphinx nodded before taking off, and unsurprisingly Arukir had not moved, remaining unconscious. The blow that had knocked him out had already been healed, but the mercenary captain was still out cold, and the mages and healers feared that he might not awaken. His men were still helping to repair and reinforce the city's defenses for a counterattack even so, but the man's presence would be missed from among them. Though her mind, body, and spirit were all worn thin, Alberik could try to do something to retrieve him if she wished, or could simply speak to his unconscious form.

Shrike: Alberik sighed softly as she came upon the wounded warrior, finding a seat nearby and bringing it over. She knew much less of healing magic than the ones who had seen to him, and his body was mended fully in any case. So she did what else she could, grunting slightly as she called on her power to reach out for his mind, instead. {Can you hear me, Arikur?}

Tass: Reaching out, Alberik would feel the mercenary's mind, but would receive no response. Contacting a person directly when they were asleep was difficult with psionics, the conscious mind being dormant and the less logical subconscious being in control. It was hardly impossible, but would necessitate a less simplistic approach and a deeper connection if she wanted to retrieve his mind from its wanderings.

Shrike: The Outsider sighed. She wasn't expecting too much from her initial attempt, but starting witht he easiest solutions was a good way to make sure you didn't miss anything. Looking around for a moment, she settled into her seat further before attempting again, delving deeper into the man's mind in an attempt to rouse him.

Tass: Delving into Arikur's mind, Alberik found his last waking thoughts showing their influence on him. She stepped into a scene of horrible but familiar violence, the bodies of humans and elves and orcs all around her. All things were fuzzy though, the people both alive and fighting faceless, and none of them seemed to notice her. The battle was a stalemate, and in the center of it she saw Arikur, engaged with an orc knight with particularly draconic features, wings jutting from his back and a mouth full of teeth greening as he battered a greatsword against the mercenary's shield.

Shrike: Alberik ducked slightly in the mental battlefield, realizing quickly that she was an observer, and not a participant. Moving between the fights, she came across Arikur fighting a noble orc, draconic features standing out against the facelessness of the rest of the fight. She recognized the scene, this must have been shortly before Karthus had appeared. Looking grim, she started forward, drawing Eric's sword and starting towards the central fight. If she could help, she may get him to move in time, get him to wake that way.

Tass: The closer that Alberik got to Arikur and his opponent, the more the rest of the battle faded out around her, until only those two seemed to be possessed of depth and color. Arikur tried to strike back only to be rebuffed by the savage strikes of the powerful orc, which were rapidly wearing through the man's shield. Alberik herself was still ignored, however, leaving her to strike at the orc's back if she so chose.

Shrike: Left alone behind the draconic orc, the Outsider briefly pondered drawing on her powers again, but the thought of the pain required made her set that aside. She had it for emergencies, but she would try more mundane things first. Stepping forward, she set to slashing at the orc, ready to jump back if it rounded on her.

Tass: This being a mental battle, the orc crumbled as she slashed it in the back, vanishing into dust and leaving a stunned Arikur staring at her. "Ma'am?"

Shrike: Alberik stumbled a bit as the orc vanished after the first strike, glancing upwards before answering him. "This way, I'll explain as we go." She said first, drawing him away from the site of his wounding. "You're unconscious, the fight is over, Arikur. You suffered a blow to the head, nobody has been able to rouse you, though your body is mended. I'm here to try and solve that."

Tass: "Wh... What? Over..." Arikur said, surprised, and for a moment his figure wavered as his mind tried to pull away from Alberik's, intent upon returning to the fantasy. His will proved strong enough to resist that alluring pull, however, as he solidified again and offered a hesitant nod. "I... I don't.... I need.... To get out...." he muttered, and then looked up at Alberik and took a step to follow her. With some prompting, Alberik would be able to pull the mercenary out of his own mind, and back to the waking world.

Shrike: Alberik stopped when Arikur paused, turning again to watch him sternly. Her gaze softened when he succeeded, reaching forwards to put a hand on his armoured shoulder. "Prepare yourself." She told him, drawing back into her own mind, pulling on him to bring him back himself. Opening her real eyes again, she glanced around to make sure nothing else had changed, then checked on the man laying beside her.

Tass: Arikur nodded, and then a few moments after she'd opened her physical eyes she saw him slowly open his eyes. His bloodied clothes and armor had been taken off, but he apparently didn't realize this as he sat up suddenly, the blankets sliding off to reveal more or less everything as he turned to Alberik and demandingly said; "What happened?"

Shrike: Alberik let out a cough at his sudden movement, putting a hand on his bare chest and trying to get him to lay down again, drawing the blanket up with the other hand. "Be still, I'm not sure if what I did will have any side effects." She told him first, waving a medic over before answering his question. "It is as I said before. the fight is over, casualties sit somewhere close to 2 of every 5. some groups suffered more than others, of course. We have few fleers and fewer captives, but both of those are expected. The Reach is secure, but there is still much to be done."

Tass: Arikur resisted, at least initially, but his body was still weak from just rousing from sleep, and so he was eventually pushed down and recovered, and looked reluctantly ready to stay there. His expression shifted to a grimace, and his only visible reaction to the outsider's explanation was to grimace a bit harder at the casualty report. "How did my Falcons turn out?" he asked immediately, his first concern after general victory being his men. She could see his hands close into fists, his muscles tensing, and he added; "When can I start helping?"

Shrike: Alberik paused a second, her gaze drawing upwards as she recalled the numbers. "Nine knighs, twenty-two of your scouts, and twoscore and six soldiers lost, at last count. I don't know their names, I'm sorry." She answered. "As for when you can get up, I would ask her." She finished, looking to the medic that had come over at her urging.

Tass: His lips thinned, but Arikur nodded, supplying; "Thank you, ma'am. At least... At least we died for something worthwhile. How many did we take back from their clutches?" At her urging, a medic came striding over, a gaunt, shallow eyed man who looked at Arikur and said; "Let me take a look at him in a moment, someone else needs me more urgently." He hesitated for a moment, but then spoke up to Arikur; "I'm glad to see you awake sir. It was your men that I was fighting beside for most of this." He went off to tend to a woman, one of the rescued slaves that had turned on their master, as she thrashed in her bindings, the psychological wounds left by her torment having left her with night terrors. Arikur seemed ready to accept the medic's answer after a glance at the woman, and returned his questioning gaze to Alberik.

Shrike: Alberik nodded at the medic, turning back to the Falcon as he left. "More than two and a half thousand, at last count, the majority elves. Some may not recover fully..." She said, glancing back over at the woman with night terrors. "...But most should. It's a significant victory."

Tass: Nodding again, Arikur settled back more comfortably, sighing. Closing his eyes for a moment, he opened them again and said; "A significant victory.... Probably the most significant we've had since Doraleous kicked the aliens out of Therion. Lets hope it marks the same sort of turn... For all our sakes." Pausing again to sigh, he quickly continued; "Greyback? Telvesh? Did they make it? How about your winged friend, whats-her-name...." He cracked a grin, "The blond one with the nice ass? That's as good a name as any, right?"

Shrike: "They're here, and fine. You suffered the worst of the leadership, I think, though everyone is worn. Tariel could not aid here, she's back at the academy last I heard from her." Alberik answered, standing. "Aid when you can, but the worst is over, so pace yourself." She told him softly.
Tass: Nodding once again as Alberik rose, Arikur said; "Ma'am.... It was an honor to guard your back."

Shrike: Alberik nodded slightly, a hint of a blush purpling her mottled blue skin. "Thank you. I'm sorry we couldn't have done better." She offered back, moving off and letting the man rest. Telvesh was next, the Outsider sifting throught he crowds until she found him. "How are you feeling?" She asked when she found him.

Tass: The elf had been the most bloodied of the leaders by far, his wounds far more severe than Arikur's, but he had refused anything more than quick magical healing. He had been fighting long past the time that he should have died from sheer exhaustion, and even now he was among those hunting the stragglers of the orc resistance and the remaining slaves that had taken to hiding when the battle had truly become. The battered elf was to be found in a building, and he briefly glared at Alberik as she finally found him, in a small building that had served as a workshed. An orc and a slave had been found there, the precise circumstances unknown to Alberik, but the former was now dead and the latter had a nasty gash on her cheek and was being tended to by the man's comrades. "Cold," he grunted simply, "Hungry. Exhausted.... But mostly...." He met her gaze, "Hate. I am feeling hateful for the beasts, and what they have done to my people." Adopting a tone of mock pleasantry and mild air-headedness, he asked; "And how are you?"

Shrike: Alberik stayed silent through the elf's short rant, watching him impassively. "Tired as well, Telvesh. You should rest, this was one of the last ones." She told him, glancing voer at the dead orc and wounded slave. The slave was another elf, she noted.

Tass: "One of the last..... Not the last," he said grimly, turning his gaze to the wounded elven girl and scowling. "One of the last here.... In our home where the beasts should never have set foot."

Shrike: "There are rested and fresh soldiers searching for the rest. If you push yourself too hard here, what if you can't help elsewhere?" She asked pressingly. "Take a half hour, get some food and maybe a short nap, and when that's done, i'll find you two groups, and you can hunt them fresh. Go, get some rest."

Tass: The elf looked prepared to argue with Alberik, but one of his companions turned and said; "Go. You're of no use to use if you collapse. Rest, eat.... We will hunt more of them soon enough." It was only then that the grimacing elf nodded, and then turned and calmly walked back toward the brunt of the forces without another word, either to Alberik or to his allies.

Shrike: The Outsider stepped aside to let Telvesh through, giving the other elf a nod in thanks. "I'll be back around this area in a half hour then, take care." She offered, then went back towards the brunt of the force herself, looking for Professor Greyback.

Tass: Leaving the band of elves, Alberik knew easily where to find Greyback. The woman was found shortly in the field hospital, preparing the dead for a return to the Academy, where Alberik found her lingering over the body of a young man, her shoulders stooped and a look of pure exhaustion about her. She straightened as the Outsider approached, turning and saying; "Ma'am. Need something?"

Shrike: "Checking up on everyone, now that I have the time." She answered, stepping up beside and looking down on the body as well. "A student? I'm sorry."

Tass: "Mmmm? Yes... Yes, a student," she said, looking down at the body. He looked unharmed, when looking at only his head and shoulders, but it was clear that he was dead. "One of mine," said Greyback, her voice growing quieter, "I taught him in his first year.... He was barely able to conjure a spark or a gust of wind back then...." Miranda looked to Alberik, as haggard as the Outsider had ever seen her, and in a hollow whisper said; "I hate them."

Shrike: "Many share that sentiment." She answered softly, putting an arm around the woman's shoulders. "I try to think of them much like I beleive you think of your students. They've erred, gravely. So I will try to set them on the proper course again."

Tass: Greyback remained utterly still, staring off into space for a moment as she took Alberik's attempt at comfort without any real reaction to it. "I know that I shouldn't," she said quietly, as if speaking to herself, "I know, intellectually, that they aren't all bad... That they're doing this for reasons they perceive as legitimate, that they're not evil so much as misguided.... But I hate them. With every part of my heart and soul, I hate them." She looked at Alberik, her eyes empty, "I thought, when last we spoke, that this could be alright. Sure, some would be killed... Some whom I had taught to use their gifts to make the world better, safer. Some would be snuffed out, forever, because I had brought them here. Because I thought that this was important enough to risk them. I thought that I would be alright with that. I thought that, after I went home, cornered some poor unsuspecting fool into my bed, and let biology take over until all of it was a distant memory, that I would be alright.... It worked after the Invasion, after all. Why shouldn't it work now?"
She had phrased the question as if asking Alberik.

Shrike: Alberik listened intently meeting the woman's gaze the entire time. Instead of answering right away, she just pulled with the arm she had around the woman, drawing her into a hug. "I know. It hurts, and the hurt will always be there. But this -was- the right thing to do, Miranda, always remember that. Nothing worthwhile was ever gained without cost, things will be better because of what we've done. Because of what you've done."

Tass: "What will be better?" she asked, her voice no less hollow but adopting a desperate note as tears welled up into her deadened eyes, "What did we gain from this? Why did this.... Bloodbath... Need to happen? Why have any of them? ...... What will I tell the parents, the siblings of these children tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that, when I'm delivering their bodies for burial?"

Shrike: The Outsider remained still, arms wrapped around the woman as she started to break down. "Tell them you're proud of them, but you're sorry all the same." She said slowly. "We do things like this to ensure that someday, we no longer will have to. It's a flawed system, but it's all we can do."

Tass: "It's all we can do...." she looked down, putting a bit more weight into Alberik's embrace. Supporting Greyback wasn't particularly easy, given the size difference between the wispy Outsider and the much taller and stockier Crolian, but Miranda didn't seem to notice that fact unless Al started to topple over. "Is it all we can do? Is killing each other until the toll is too heavy... Really the only way that we can end this?"

Shrike: "There is more, but we have to appeal to their sensibilities before they will listen. If all goes well, this will end in a cease fire between us, at least until we deal with the invaders." She said calmingly. staggering slightly under the woman's weight, but standing firm after moving a foot back to brace.

Tass: "A cease fire...." she echoed, mouthing the rest of Alberik's attempt to placate the grieving woman. She stood there, silent and motionless for several moments, before straightening, taking her weight off of Alberik and giving the Outsider the distinct impression that her touch was no longer wanted. "Let us hope.... That that is enough."

Shrike: Alberik nodded, agreeing silently. "Things may go back to this afterwards, but I hope not. Get some rest, soon as you can," She said simply, backing off a step. She had the distinct feeling that her efforts didn't work out the way she intended, but it was the best she could manage, it would have to be enough. With little else left to be said, she left again, heading out of the medical tents. It was still too early for her to find Telvesh again, so she found some rations instead, finding a corner of the ruined cafeteria to sit in and eat, leaning heavily against the wall.

Tass: Leaving Miranda Greyback, Alberik headed off to get some rations. They hadn't brought much food with them, meaning she was eating orc food, but the stuff was at least fairly hearty, if a bit bland. "Enjoying the local cuisine I see?" Anya said, practically appearing beside Alberik with some food of her own. The scout was smiling, and looked no less bloodied than anyone else she'd seen. She had a brand new scar across her left cheek that run from the bridge of her nose, under her eye, and almost all the way over to her ear.

Shrike: "That's somewhat subjective, i think." She answered in return, shifting sideways to make sure the scout had room if she wanted to sit. "I'm glad to see you, actually. Lost track sometime last night, and with all the pressure they put on the scouting units when the fight opened up fully..."

Tass: "Thought's I'd been impaled upon some orc's preferred phallic symbol did yah?" she asked brightly, "Or perhaps had my bodily fluids all spilled out by one?"

Shrike: "They were each distinct possibilities." She said slowly, confused by Anya's cheeriness. "I see I wasn't too far off. How are you feeling?"

Tass: "I'm feeling.... Happy to be alive!" the scout said jovially, taking a bite out of a hunk of bread.

Shrike: "Fair enough!" Alberik responded, tapping Anya's bread with a peice of jerky. "Optimism seems to be something sorely lacking, despite the victory. Good for you."

Tass: "I know right!" Anya said with a mouthful of food, making the words muffled and just barely intelligible. "Someone's gotta be cheerful that we didn't all get slaughtered or enslaved!"

Shrike: "Seems an even split for everyone else between mourning the dead, and wishing we had killed more. Both valid in their own way, but they don't exactly engender progress, you know?" Alberik replied, waiting till her own mouth was clear. "I have more work to do after this. Still have to go back to the academy and see how Sera is, as well."

Tass: "Heh, progress...." Anya replied, swallowing her bit of bread before ravenously devouring her store of dried meat. Once it was done, she said; "I don't know about progress, but we sure did kick their asses huh? This is the first time we've won without losing seven men out of ten or more!" She took another bite of bread and chased it with a drag from a fine ornate flask, likely spoils of war, before adding; "Sera the elf friend you met here, yeah? How long has it been since you've seen her?"

Shrike: Alberik nodded along, falling still at the final question. "Two years, give or take. Haven't been back here since the day after the Invaders attacked. Haven't had the time." She answered, shrugging. "I asked Tariel to watch over her when i brought her to the academy, so she's in good hands there, at least."

Tass: "Heh, guess it must be nice to have an angel on your shoulder."

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

Logs Pt. 2

Spoiler

Shrike7: Alberik gave a small nod. "They are powerful allies indeed. Tariel have saved my life many times in the past few years." She agreed, finishing the last of her jerky strip, and moving onto her bread. "What are your plans, now that the fight is over. Back to the academy and rest?"
HME220: "That's the idea!" Anya replied brightly, "Been a long day. Killed a lot, saved a few people, had a mouthful of orc dick, snuck around a lot.... Gonna go back and sleep like a brick!"
Shrike7: "Sorry about that." The outsider said, dipping her head a bit. "I don't think I'm particularly cut out for commanding armies, but i think we did well enough. I have a few more visits to make, then I'm probably getting some sleep myself." She said, moving to stand again. "Rest well, you've earned it Anya."
HME220: "No worries! It was for a good cause!" Anya replied simply, shaking her head. "You did pretty good for a first timer. Enough of us are alive that we can continue the fight, right?" she added, and then nodded, "Off yah go then commander! I'm off on one last sweep and then will be going back through the portal. Never thought I'd miss those cramped little bunks so much!"
Shrike7: The Outsider gave a nod in response, taking the last of her bread with her as she walked off again. It had been enough time, Erik... Talvesh would be waiting for her. Giving her head a small shake, she turned a corner, headed back to where she had seen the elf's squad last.
HME220: The elf's squad had last been out in the reaches of the fortress, but the elf himself had gone to the infirmary to rest. She found him there, out cold and under the careful watch of a healer.
Shrike7: She was somewhat surprised to see him sleeping, figuring the elf would have just found some food and paced witht he time he was given. The lack of direction must have finally let his fatigue take it's toll. "How is he?" She asked softly when the healer came around again.
HME220: "He should be dead," the healer replied bluntly, "He was healed from near-death over a dozen times and just kept on fighting. As it is, he's exhausted, and I'm surprised his body isn't going into sudden bouts of shock more often than it is." Alberik would know that such was a common problem with being healed too much too quickly with magic, the body unable to understand that the damage done to it was healed. It was another common problem encountered by mages, though not one that hadn't been worked around before via a combination of more natural healing with magical reinforcement, the common practice of care given to serious injuries.
Shrike7: Alberik nodded gravely. "He isn't going to want to stay and heal when he wakes. Tell him I'll keep my promise, but I will have to fulfill it elsewhere, he's in no state to go hunting again." She asked the medic, staring down at the man. Once the healer agreed, she'd thank them, then move off herself, mentally checking what all she had left to do. Sera was the last name on her list. She kind of dreaded seeing the woman after taking her from the battle a day ago, the elf would have had plenty of time to stew in her feelings of betrayal about not being given a chance to avenge herself. Regardless, the Outsider headed for the portal in the cafeteria, headed back for the Academy herself.
HME220: "We wouldn't let him go anyway, but I'll gladly tell him that for you." With that, Alberik was able to leave the freshly-scarred Gods-Reach and return to the Academy. Her passage was, perhaps surprisingly, greeted by cheers, but she wasn't held up long by anything official beyond the good will of a fair number of soldiers. Returning to the Academy itself, she got a similar treatment from the students and faculty she passed on her way to her chambers in the faculty quarters, though it was much more muted in comparison. Once she was at her door in the abandoned hall, Alberik would have as long as she needed to prepare herself to face the elf.
Shrike7: Alberik progressed slowly, managing a smile and nod for all those who stopped to praise her, shaking hands offered and insisting multiple times over that others did the bulk of the work. She repeated the process once she reached the acadamy herself, though the teachers and students there were fewer in number than the soldiers on the grounds below, and less enthusiastic. Finally, she found herself standing before the door to her quarters. Letting out a small sigh, she simply knocked politely, then let herself in, glancing around for Sera and perhaps Tariel as well, though she doubted the angel was watching her fulltime.
HME220: Entering her own chambers, Alberik found Sera and Tariel seated across from one another at her desk, the angel having acquired another chair from somewhere. The elf was still bloated with child, but looked alright otherwise, and Tarial was as calm and radiant as ever. They had been playing a game of chess, which the angel looked to be winning rather decisively, as Alberik walked in, but they stopped and looked up at the knock and silently stared at her as she entered. Tariel was first to speak; "How did things turn out?"
Shrike7: "We won, but it was a hard-fought victory." She answered the angel moving to sit on the edge of the bed. "We lost more than I thought, but not enough to stall it overall, I think. I may need your help for the next stage. Nothing actively, i assure you, just to make sure I get my chance to speak." She said slowly. She wanted to just slide back and lay down, but she knew she'd pass right out if she did, and she wasn't quite ready for that yet. "How are you feeling?" She asked, turning to her houseguest.
HME220: Tariel quirked an eyebrow and opened her mouth to respond, but closed it again as Alberik turned to address Sera. The elf frowned, her hand straying to her stomach, but still she said; "Fine.... I've certainly been worse." She obviously wanted to say more but didn't seem to know how to say, and so allowed a long silence to pass between them if Alberik didn't break it herself, before finally saying; "Thank you.... For whatever that might be worth. How... How many of my people did you recover? I know they moved a lot of us out of Gods-Reach when they took it, but many of us remained after.... We lost."
Shrike7: The Outsider shifted a bit in the silence, trying to find the words herself. Sera beat her to it. "A little over two thousand, the other races recovered bringing that up closer to three. Sera, I... I should have come sooner, I'm sorry."
HME220: "It's alright," Sera said cooly, her voice also distant as she seemingly contemplated the fate of her people. After a moment she looked up and said; "You were busy.... In the grand scheme of things, I'm not that important."
Shrike7: "You're important to me, Sera. You and your people. I took too long, and I blame myself for all this damage." She answered softly, her tone hardening a bit, brooking no argument. Another moment passed in awkward silence before Alberik turned to Tariel again. "You were going to say something, I think. Thought I cut you off, earlier."
HME220: Sera frowned softly and remained silent, saying nothing for the moment. Tariel, having watched the conversation impassively, cleared her throat after being addressed and said; "Yes.... What do you mean, get your chance to speak? After retaking Gods-Reach, I'd be surprised if anyone bothered to cut you off."
Shrike7: "The orcs would." She answered. "We caught enough ranking captives that I should be able to find where their top leader is. Without use of magic, they'd be hard pressed to stop me from getting an audience, but remaining there long enough to speak is going to be a lot more difficult."
HME220: "Ahhhh...... That, may prove fairly dangerous, yes." the angel said softly, biting her lip. "I suppose you'll want to be doing that soon? Not before you've had time to rest, I hope?"
Shrike7: "I need it done before those that fled this attack get word back. Word may have reached them already in any case, but sooner is better. I should have had time to rest though, yes." She answered, nodding.
HME220: "Very well then. Take your rest, I won't be going anywhere."
Shrike7: "Anything you need, Sera?" Alberik asked, leaning back to rest on her hands.
HME220: "No.... Just... A place to stay." She glanced at the door, and then back at Alberik, "Its been a long time since I've slept alone."
Shrike7: Alberik paused slightly, then moved to stand. "My place is yours, for as long as you want it. I have a cot in a back room of the library, they got tired of me passing out at a table. I can use that." She told her, starting for the door. "It's the least I can do."
HME220: "Oh no! I.... Wouldn't put you out of your own quarters...."
Shrike7: Alberik let out a chuckle, shaking her head. "I barely use them anyways, ask Tariel here." She said, nodding towards the angel.
HME220: "She doesn't...." Tariel said hesitantly, but Sera seemed insistent, saying; "You need rest. Besides, I would be more comfortable sleeping with someone else, at least at first. It might as well be you.
Shrike7: "It's not a long walk. But if you'd prefer the company, I can stay here for the first few nights, until you're more comfortable." She answered softly, looking over at the elf. "It's up to you, I dont mind heading to the library at all, I still have three books set aside for me in the history section, and two other sections to pore through after that."
HME220: "Stay here for the night," Sera said insistently, "It will be better... For both of us."
Shrike7: Alberik simply nodded at that, moving back over to the bed and laying down. She could be a presence for the woman easily, she owed her that much. Forgoing the only pillow on the bed, she shifted onto one side, resting her head on an arm as she got comfortable.
HME220: "I'll be going then.... Find me when I am needed," Tariel said, and then let herself out. Alberik heard the shifting of clothing, and then the sound of fabric against the floor. Sera climbed into bed after her, allowing Alberik to feel her bare stomach and breasts against her back, suggesting that the elf had dropped her maternity robes and wore no top underneath. "Thank you...." Sera repeated softly, wrapping her arms around the Outsider even as she was rapidly fading from consciousness, the events of the last two days driving her into sleep all too quickly now that she was letting it happen. Even in the darkness of sleep, however, her exhausted mind was active. Though her eyes were closed, Alberik would see a soft grey light up ahead, finding herself standing in place, her robes gone leaving her in nothing more than her own skin.
Shrike7: Alberik felt the elf sidle up behind her, staying still and letting Sera find where she was comfortable. "No problem..." She muttered with a yawn, passing out quickly. She had no idea how much time passed, but soon enough she found herself standing again, the world around her fuzzy and featureless, a grey light up ahead. She moved towards it, the only feature she could see drawing her attention, even as she noticed she was naked, her robes missing.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

Logs, Pt. 3

Spoiler

HME220: The air in Alberik's dream was warm and moist, and the ground beneath her feet was similarly textured while being soft, its consistency almost fleshlike as she strode across the uneven ground. Sounds filtered in as she drew closer to the source of the light, the soft moans and gasps and wet slapping noises of a large number of people having sex, but the closer she drew the more something influenced her to go faster. The warmth of the room caused her to sweat lightly, her skin glistening softly by the time she found herself at the source of the grey light. Around Alberik were dozens of people and hundreds of aliens. Hunters had human and elven women on their back and on their hands and knees, fucking them in every hole. The corrupted victims of the aliens, dubbed gemini by a scientist in Therion, took member of the opposite sex in every imaginable position, some using tentacles and some using their bodies directly. Tentacles were everywhere, binding and restraining and sometimes stimulating directly, doing everything from full-on rough penetration to the most horrible teasing, lightly running over the throbbing cocks of their male victims and teasing at the chests and pussies of their female victims. The slime was even more ubiquitous, coating everything and causing her body to feel even warmer as it seeped into her system through the bottoms of her feet. As she took in all of that, Alberik felt a touch against the back of her head, the smooth icy sensation of something entering her mind following before she could react. "Submit" it said, and rapidly overwhelmed her mental defenses, steadily pushing her not only toward compliance, but outright eagerness when combined with the effects of the slime. Tentacles coated in the substance began to rub slowly over her body, touching her everywhere from her calves all the way up to her thighs, around her waist, up her sides, over her bare chest, and even around her neck. Two figures were placed before her, both bound in similar appendages to those presently molesting her, one male and one female. The female, a human, was squirming weakly in the grasp of her captors, her lewd whimpers suggesting that she wanted stimulation far more than escape. The man, an elf, was still, looking down with unheeded need as tendrils slowly wound around his iron-hard, throbbing manhood in a teasing manner.
Shrike7: As she walked, the world around resovled itself more clearly, the sounds of an orgy coming to her ears, the air getting thick and humid, the ground underneath spongy and warm. She began to fear she knew exactly where she was, just before she reached the source. Suddenly, she was surrounded on all sides by the Invader's orgy, hunters and gemini all fucking fresh victims all around, some bound into the walls, some loose to be taken on the floor, or hanging in the air by the masses of tentacles all over. She felt the slime coating everything between her toes, feeling the aphrodisiac effect start to seep into her, raising her heartbeat. She had to do something, quickly gathering her power through her still-burnt channels t-{Submit} resounded in her head, the smooth and cold sensation breaking her concentration, then her will. Tendrils started to slide over her, spreading the liquid heat further and making her moan. She was shifted, or others were, as she found herself watching a pair in front of her as her own lusts rose, a human woman squirming the same way as she was, herself, and an elven man, head down and out of her view, the both of them watching as the invaders tentacles slowly teased his rock-hard erection. She was already starting to moan herself, her legs shuddering and spreading a bit wider for the tendrils enveloping her...
HME220: The elder lord behind her wrapped a tentacle softly around her shoulders, such that it would be easy to squeeze her neck, and as its tentacles ran all over her skin she felt that tendril again press against the back of her head. {Consume} its voice said, and directed it to the two people set before her, seemingly uncaring for which she chose. shivers were sent rising up her spine as the tips of two tentacles opened only to clamp over her modest breasts. What felt like hundreds of cilia were allowed to run over the surface of her skin as the tentacles began to suck, but more and more they seemed to concentrate their efforts on her increasingly hypersensitive nipples, the pleasure prompting the alien to sink spiritual tendrils into her soul, allowing it to feed upon her through the almost unbearable levels of stimulation.
Shrike7: Alberik gasped at the stimulation, her sensitivity rising as more an dmore of the slime worked it's way into her system. the voice spoke again, her mind drawn to the two in front of her again, but she resisted, shaking her head even as she struggled to remain standing, the new sensation at her chest causing the creature behind her to sink more tendrils into her soul, drawing off her power to feed itself.
HME220: The tendril against the back of her head pressed harder, the icy sensation growing firmer even as the slime left her entire body burning with lust. {Submit. Consume. NOW.} it demanded, and at the same time the cilia inside of the tendrils clamped onto her chest began to vibrate. That wasn't all either, as one of the tentacles that had been running over her thighs went just a little bit farther, spreading the slime over her petals and then aligning itself as if it were about to slip into her sex, though it didn't do so yet.
Shrike7: "Aaah!" She screamed, her head pressed down as the pressure on her head and in her mind increased, her chest's tormentors doubling in intensity and a tendril lining up to her folds, the slimy pressure at her vulva making her gasp and pant with lust. The small barrier of willpower she erected shatttered all over again, and she slipped to her knees, leaning forward towards the elven man slowly, her eyes glazed with lust, half rolled back in her head.
HME220: The tendrils over her breasts never let up on their constant stimulation, though they at least leveled off as her resistance snapped and she dropped to her knees. The tentacle teasing at her entrance didn't let up, however, leaving Alberik just at the edge of being impaled onto it but never actually pushing past her petals, their greatest stimulation provided in the rare moments when she would feel it run over her clitty. Leaving toward the elven man, she would find the tentacles already teasing his erect staff retreating before her, leaving it completely unstimulated. The man would moan with need, his muscles flexing uselessly in some effort to gain release, and in her mind Alberik would feel the undeniable urge to provide pleasure, knowing that through it she would be able to feast upon his soul just as the alien lord was doing to her through its own touch.
Shrike7: Alberik moaned from her place on the spongy ground, the tentacles sliding across her also keeping her from pressing back onto the one at her gates, the stimulation at her gates, chest, and soul driving her mad with lust. She leaned forwards eagerly, her own tendrils replacing the Invader's at the man's shaft, sliding along it firmly before she wrapped her lips around it, moaning.
HME220: The man moaned as her face tentacles wrapped around the man's throbbing staff, even the slight stimulation causing him seemingly unbearable pleasure. She got a taste of his precum upon touching her lips to the tip, the slime running through his system making him so sensitive that he started throbbing even harder in the grasp of her tendrils, her own spirit reaching out and beginning to leach upon his soul. The tendril at her petals began to roll around her clit, never quite touching it but sending pleasure coursing through her all the same.
Shrike7: The taste of his precum and his spirit urged her on, her head starting to bob along him, the tendrils sliding along his balls and his shaft when she pulel dback. Most of her focus was on her own hips already, the tendril at her gates sliding around her jewel now, making her gasp and squirm, desperately trying to writhe and shake her hips, trying to catch the sinuous shaft and press herself down onto it.
HME220: The slightest touch seemed enough to drive the elf to ecstasy, and the motions of her tentacles and the suction of her mouth was enough to have him writhing around and screaming in absolute pleasure after the teasing he'd endured at the hands of the tentacles. The appendage at her entrance proved no less elusive than before, her every effort frustrated as it squirmed away from her attempts to impale herself onto it. After only a few moments of bobbing onto the elf's shaft she did get some relief, however, as the teasing tentacle suddenly coiled its fine tip around her sensitive jewel. Pleasure lanced through her like lightning, and it began to squeeze and tug in a way that made Alberik feel not entirely different from the elf who's cock she was sucking on. While she was steadily driven towards a powerful orgasm, Alberik found that the elf was well ahead of her. The tentacle she had rubbing over his sac felt it tense and contract suddenly, his balls drawing upwards, and not more than a few heartbeats later his entire body tensed in the grasp of the tentacles. His cock jumped in the embrace of her mouth and tentacles, his first eruption coming just as a loud moan escaped his mouth. Wave after wave of his hot cum shot out into her mouth, thick and bitter and salty, but even as his seed spurted into her she was able to suck out vast quantities of the helpless man's essence, draining away at his powerful elven soul. The tentacle around her clit continued to tug and pull throughout his climax, sending intense waves of pleasure coursing through her....
Shrike7: Alberik's entire body shuddered as the tendril latched on to her jewel, the surge of pleasure making her moans reach a fever pitch around his cock. He reached a climax seconds later, spunk and soul flowing into her in equal measure. The energy didnt stay long, however, barely entering her before the tendrils on her own soul leeched it away, making her gasp in helpless arousal all over again.
HME220: Though she had brought him to orgasm, the slime ensured that the elf's refractory period was brief and that he never even softened in her mouth, ready for round too as soon as she'd milked the last dregs of his climax out of him. {Consume} the voice demanded, the tentacle coiled around her clit constricting suddenly while the suckers on her breasts did the same. The sensations that those provided were nothing compared to the pleasure caused when a fourth tentacle introduced itself however, the newest appendage suddenly pressing against her petals and smoothly sliding into her, filling the void of need in seconds as it pierced all the way to her womb in the first go. The appendage was covered in soft fleshy lumps that writhed against her inner walls, making the stimulation all the more intense, and it's first entrance into her was enough to push Alberik into a powerful, body-quaking orgasm that allowed the alien to drain away everything she had taken from the elf and then some.
Shrike7: The Outsider screamed and shook as she was finally filled, the elder lord draining her again as the pleasure of the nobbed shaft rocked through her. It repeated it's command, and she started licking and sucking again immediately, the lust making the command impossible to ignore. One of her tenrils even slipped below his hips, snaking around and pressing itno his rear, slicking itself with the slime covering them both.
HME220: The man moaned again as Alberik began to suck in earnest, and his anus offered only a moment of resistance before her tendril was able to slip inside. The tentacle that had buried itself into her pussy started to piston steadily without any hesitation, every thrust into her hypersensitive flower so potent that they were nearly orgasmic all on their own, though they didn't prevent Alberik from feeling the knots of tension building inside of her. The tendrils clamped onto her breasts and clitoris only made that buildup happen faster, and the source of her stimulation showed no signs of stopping even as it siphoned away more and more of her soul. The elf that she had in her mouth was, if anything, speeding toward his next climax even faster than she was, her attentions to his shaft via her mouth and tentacles, as well as the tendrils rubbing over his balls and pushing into his ass, seemingly had him as much at a loss as the elder lord had her, and she could feel him pushing quickly towards another release. It was likely to be his last, as she could feel his essence rapidly waning, the poison aphrodisiac making him incredibly easy to drain. When she made him cum again, Alberik would easily be able to take the entirety of his soul, something that the presence in her mind compelled her to do regardless of her own wishes at that point. The strength of that voice was impossible to ignore all by itself now, and the pleasure coursing through her and the lust that had built up made it even harder to fight against.
Shrike7: She knew what was coming, feeling the last of teh elf's soul bunch up just as his cock tensed in her mouth, ready to give the last of itself to her. She hated herself for it, but the voice in her head and the liquid lust running through her veins would not let her stop, the thrusting tentacle pounding her hips more in control of the Outsider than her mind was. Her own orgasm was rapidly approaching, and a thought crossed her mind that she wouldn't be much longer for this world than he was, her own soul rapidly drawn out of her by the creature that had Alberik in it's grip. She sucked all the harder, pressing the shaft deeper into her throat as she felt him tighten, Too hungry to resist the incoming deluge of lust...
HME220: Soon enough, the elf was at his limit. He screamed, his voice filled with mixed ecstasy and terror, and seconds later his balls receded up, producing another massive load that pumped down Alberik's throat via his steadily jumping cock. His entire body tensed, but more apparent was his spirit, holding onto his body for dear life for only a few precious seconds, before Alberik tore it from his body and consumed it. She could feel him inside, a separate entity from herself, for only a few seconds before the elder lord suddenly pulled her away from his empty body. The tentacles had slowed their ravaging of her body to a crawl as the elf suffered his final orgasm, but after pulling her away from him they started up again at double speed, rapidly pushing Alberik the last bit of distance that she needed to reach another climax. As pleasure tore through her, Alberik felt the elder lord seize the core of the elf's soul where it lay within her own, quickly tearing it free and claiming it while she writhed within its grasp. She was lifted up, the pistoning tentacle still going while the others continued sucking on her assorted sensitive spots, and then she felt it. Those spiritual tendrils coiling around her own soul. She was still too attached now to be taken like that, but a part of her would certainly recognize that it was only a matter of time.
Shrike7: She felt the elf's soul enter her, her own torment slowing in the moment, wanting her focus solely on the horrifying experience. The soul writhed within her, it's last moment of pleasure and terror resonating with her own as she was hauled upright, suspended in the air as the fucking returned doubletime, the thrusting and sucking and slithering around her quickly fogging her mind after the moment of recollection. The elf was torn away from her, and she quickly felt the draw on her own soul returning, hips bucking and head thrown back as she realized her fate, helpless to stop it...
HME220: Alberik's legs were pulled apart, her body shifted so that she was curled inwards, allowing her to see the tentacle pistoning into her sex.... And shortly thereafter, the fat lumps traveling along it. It stopped moving suddenly, but the bumps along its length suddenly elongated inside of her and started to thrash, replacing one stimulation with another that was equally potent. While the bombardment of pleasure would leave her barely coherent, Alberik would be left to both see and feel the first of the lumps part her petals and be pushed into her, the spasming tentacle suddenly breaking through into her womb just before she felt the lump leave it and enter her, a wave of hot thick goo pouring into her fertile depths alongside something fleshy and solid. It looked as if it wouldn't be the last of such either, as more and more were appearing along the length of the tentacle buried inside of her...
Shrike7: The Outsider bucked and screamed as she got a front row view of her own end, unable to stop her hips from rocking to meet each thrust of the tentacle, feeling the lumpy appendage stimulate her entire core, spasms of pleasure running through her. The drain on her soul suddenly stopped though, leaving the woman barely sensate enough to see the lumps passing into her, the stretching sensation making her breath catch in her throat. The thing was using her for more than her soul, and it wanted her to see it before it took her completely. The first warm rush in her womb made her gasp, the heavy weight it deposited along with sending a spasm through her, already feeling another press against her womb, and more slipping into her tunnel, her body starting to thrash as the stretching brought her to another peak, every muscle in her body trying to break free of her skin.
HME220: The alien lord filled Alberik again and again, quickly causing her stomach to distend as her womb stretched to accommodate the spawn it was impregnating her with. Her orgasm caused it to start draining her again, and as she was impregnated her soul was torn from her body in full, leaving her to watch from outside of herself as her body stretched, her spirit being sucked up into the elder lord, toward oblivion.....
Shrike7: "Aaah!" Alberik screamed out loud as she sat up in bed, drenched in sweat and shaking. Still in the dream-filled panic, she shook her head around wildly, trying to find the creature again before it could get a grip on her, drawing her power up for use reflexifely, the burn from such startling her even more.
HME220: Alberik snapped awake to find herself alone save for a slowly rousing Sera, the elf awakened by her own startled jumping. There was no elder lord, nor any other threats within her room that she could detect. "What's wrong?" Sera asked sleepily, blinking into the darkness of Alberik's otherwise empty chambers.
Shrike7: Chest heaving with her panic, Alberik looked down, running a hand over her own belly, finding it smooth and flat. "I, uhh... Nightmare, sorry. Shoul dhave remembered to mention that before I promised you a comfortable sleep, heh." She explained slowly, laying back down and focusing on her breathing, bringing her heartrate back down.
HME220: "Do you have those often?" she asked curiously, now seemingly fully awake.
Shrike7: "Every few nights, when I strain too much. sometimes similar, sometimes quite different. I've had variations on this one for some time." She said softly, pulling the planket back up her form. "Usually doesnt hit twice in a night, you should be fine to sleep again, sorry for that."
HME220: "It's quite alright.... So you've had this sort of nightmare before?" she asked, lying back down but not closing her eyes, "What was in it? What happened?"
Shrike7: Alberik gave a little shudder. She considered not answering, but sighed and started talking. "The invaders. Inside their ships, or another of their hives. Bound and helpless, too late to save myself or those around me." She explained quietly, staring at the ceiling.
HME220: Sera went silent for a long moment, and then softly said; "Tariel was right... Perhaps you understand better than I gave you credit for."
Shrike7: "I've seen what goes on, I just havent lived it like you have, for months and years. "I'm sorry Sera. I... I just buried myself in thie other war when i heard the news. Fighting every other day, scouting when I wasn't at war. Barely time to think, I was hiding."
HME220: "Haven't you?" Sera asked curiously, "I was enslaved for a few months.... You were beholden to no less than two wars for two years. I think I might have gotten the easier deal."
Shrike7: "Hardly. I had a warm bed, and my own privacy all this time. You're a fighter anyways, sitting bound... I wouldn't wish for that, Sera. Even by comparison."
HME220: "I had a warm bed too, though rarely with company that I welcomed. Not at first, anyway. I was already pregnant by the time I was handed to the... Owner.... That you found me with, but my time under her was only marginally unpleasant compared to what I suffered initially. Though we were slaved, there were few bindings beyond those of pragmatism. It wasn't pleasant, and I planned constantly for escape, but I know of many who had it worse than I. You, on the other hand, are not a warrior. You are a scholar, made a warrior by necessity rather than choice, and to have lived for years with such titanic burdens forced upon you sounds far worse than what I suffered."
Shrike7: "We think." She said. "I've been surprisingly effective, for not being a warrior. And I certainly seem to be used to fighting, of a sort. Those flashbacks, fully half have been violent in some way." She said, before shaking her head. "Regardless, kind or not, nobody benefitted from the orcs in the Reach, yourself included. But you're dafe now, and so are they, that's what matters."
HME220: "Safe is... Probably kind of subjective at this point. The war with the orcs isn't over, and there are still other threats out there beyond them. Still, you're not wrong that freeing us from them was a good thing for us, and for that my people will surely be thankful. We have long memories, Alberik... And so long as we remember, we will do everything in our power to aid you."
Shrike7: "Just focus on yourselves, there's few enough left that you can't afford anything else. God's Reach is now the front line again, but at least you should have more help, now."
HME220: "And we have you to thank for that... We won't throw ourselves to oblivion for you, obviously, but we'll do all that we can. Even with our oldest home retaken, we know that the fight is far from over."
Shrike7: "We'll see. With luck, this will be their stalling until the invaders are gone, at the very least." She said, clutching her arms around herself a bit tighter. "With luck, I won't need any help, though I would love to live there once this is all over. Fair trade?"
HME220: "Fair trade," Sera agreed amicably, smirking in the dark.
Shrike7: "Good." She answered, shifting to her side, figuring the conversation over. "Sorry again for waking you, sleep well."
HME220: "You too," Sera replied, wrapping an arm over Alberik's side and once more pushing her front against Alberik's back

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

Spoiler

Alberik: HP = 60, PP = 71, EP = 91, Status = Fine

(Alberik gains 12 exp, to spend now.)

And then, after some more restful sleep than what had preceded it, Alberik awoke in the warm embrace of the newly-rescued elf. She could feel Sera's breasts against her back, as well as the slight bump produced by the child that an orc had undoubtedly given her during her captivity. The elf was still asleep, but Alberik was free to start her day however she preferred then, as enough of yesterday's fatigue had passed that she was at least able to function.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

((Will manage XP when I get back home, too difficult to manage here.))

Alberik woke with Sera pressing against her back, the elf still sleeping. Staying put for the moment, the Outsider took stock of herself, slowly stretching her mind and body independantly. The rest had definitely done her good, her sores in each area softened, though not gone entirely. She paused to wonder if maybe Tariel had something to do with her speedy recovery, but decided it didn't much matter.

Her thoughts strayed to the statue in her pocket, having neglected to change before passing out. The daemon had remained quiescent during her wrapping up of duties the day before, but she had a fair amount to discuss with it as well. Now that she had made a bargain with it, she was fairly certain she could trust it to keep to the pact, and wouldn't require backup to speak with it as she had previously.

Reaching a hand into her pocket, she did just that, making contact with the bound Daemon in her mind. {Greetings. I believe we have much to speak about.}

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

Spoiler

Alberik: HP = 60, PP = 71, EP = 91, Status = Fine

Contacting the spirit locked within the small artifact was easy enough, and it quite promptly responded; {That we do... Like how to get me out of this fucking statue for one!}

(More chat at some point.)

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

Spoiler

Shrike7: {Indeed, and time may be short.} Alberik responded, shifting in her place on the bed slightly. {Do you know the process to set you free? If not, I had best start on research.}
HME220: {Time is always short with you young ones.... Always thinking your problems are so urgent!} the psychic voice replied, {I was sealed her by a cabal of sorcerers who did so with a key. It was obvious that I was just a trial run, however, as if it wasn't they'd have used more than one key. All you need to do to free me is... Find the key. And perform an unbinding ritual of course, but that shouldn't be a problem for you!}
Shrike7: {My time is limited because I have dedicated it to aiding the angels fight back the invaders. When -their- problems are urgent, time is indeed short.} She answered, her mental voice sounding cross for a moment. {This key is a physical thing, yes? Do you know it's location, it's description?}
HME220: {Its location, no. My perceptions were... Limited... After I was sealed in this damned figurine. I know where I was sealed, and that the key to my prison is a portion of this very statue that was removed. The staff, to be specific. It's brass with a diamond head, but it was hidden to avoid being detected by sorcery.}
Shrike7: {Ah, the statue must be whole for you to be released from it. Simple, but effective.} The outsider replied. {The location of your sealing is as good a place as any to start. Where was it?}
HME220: {Trielma, a village West of Therion by about a day as a man walks. There was a library there, and it was in the archives beneath it that I was imprisoned.}
Shrike7: {I've been to Therion. Could make the trip fo Trielma in a few hours, so long as you don't expect to be trouble waiting there.} She answered. She still had to interrogate the captive orcs before word got back to the main force about the loss of God's Reach. This trip sounded like it should be short overall, though.
HME220: {I doubt there would be anything there to concern you, but you might want to watch out for traps.}
Shrike7: Alberik nodded slightly, something of a useless gesture in the mental conversation. {I'll find a way to deal with those, i'm sure.} She answered, starting to get out of bed and ready herself for the day.
HME220: {See that you do. Being stuck as a statue on your corpse wouldn't be particularly appealing.} Sera began to stir as Alberik rose and dressed, but the elf didn't awaken as yet.
Shrike7: The outsider took care not to disturb the elf overmuch as she set about, sending a confirmation to the daemon in the statue before reaching her mind further out, to find her angelic companion. {Tariel, are you free? I'm having time management issues, can i ask for your aid?}
HME220: {What do you need?} the angel replied back, her mental voice somewhat unusually constrained, as if she were doing something requiring a great deal of her attention. {I'm a little bit busy myself at the moment... Can it wait for about an hour?}
Shrike7: {Definitely. I need to search the orc prisoners for one that has been to their king's throne room, or wherever he is most likely to be. I have one possibility already, just need confirmation. I need to head west for some reasearch, should be gone for several hours. I'll check in when I return, but you can reach me as always, if you have questions or need my aid for something. Tell Charles I said hello, after.} She sent back , cutting the connection before the angel could reply with more than the mental version of embarassed sputters. A note to Sera that she'd be gone for half the day, and she was set. She doublechecked that she had the figurine in her pocket one last time as she drew on her powers, levitating off the floor a foot or so before blinking away, headed for the skied above Therion. From there, a quick series of jumps through the air took her rapidly towards Trielma.
HME220: After shutting off the angel's embarrassed sputtering and concluding her preparations, Alberik enacted her powers to enable her to lift off from the ground, ensuring that she would not fall back to it once she vanished in a flash and appeared above the tower Goldspike. The air was frigid and the wind biting, but she floated there for only a moment before orienting herself to the West and flickering along, teleporting again and again to the maximum distance of her vision. Eventually a small village loomed below her, but whether or not it was Trielma was difficult to tell by sight alone.
Shrike7: Alberik paused a moment there, examining the small cluster of buildings below. Her math put this at somewhere around a day's travel, and she considered asking the daemon if it was the right place, but after so long, enough had likely changed that the entity wouldn't know either. Which left the best option as heading down and asking in person. Taking one more teleport, she reappeared a short walk outside of the town, not wanting to startle anyone. These days, the town likely had guards, she suspected she'd be stopped shortly, walking along with her staff in hand and Eric's sword on her hip.
HME220: Popping down to the ground, Alberik's suspicions at being stopped before entering town were confirmed shortly.... Though it wasn't done by guards. "Halt!" a male voice called as a figure stepped out from behind a tree, "Stand and.... Deliver?" The man's tone became much less assured when he saw her face properly, and he glanced off into the woods once before looking back to the staff wielding outsider before standing about twenty feet ahead of her awkwardly.
Shrike7: The outsider couldn't help but crack a small smile, having halted at the command and finding herself faced with what appeared to be a bandit, instead of a guard. Poking around with her mind after he glanced back to the woods, she was surprised and suspicious to find no other minds hiding in wait. "Please, let me pass. I have nothing of value to you or any friends you have in hiding." She said calmly, keeping her milky gaze centered on the man in front of her.
HME220: "Uhhh...." the man said, glancing again at the woods, where Alberik would detect nothing besides the assorted shrubbery. "Sure... Go... Go on ahead," he said, before vanishing back into the woods.
Shrike7: "Wait." She called out, holding up a hand for a second. "Is the town ahead Trielma, by chance?"
HME220: "Uhhhh, yes. Yes it is," he replied, and unless called back again would quickly scamper off.
Shrike7: "Thank you." She answered, confused about the encounter as a whole, glancing around at the woods as she resumed her walk. Reaching out to the figurine as she did so. {You're watching, I take it? Any idea what that was about?}
HME220: {How should I know? It was a bandit. They probably figured it wasn't worth attacking you, tentacle faced as you are. If you're referring to the fact that he seemed to be alone, it's hardly unheard of for outlaws to figure out ways to hide from magic,} the being in the figurine replied. Alberik was again stopped as she entered the town itself, the small palisade around the community unguarded save for one man who came forth holding a crossbow. "Halt alien! We'll have none of your witchery here!" he called, leveling the weapon at her. Alberik could sense the anxiety rising from the man even from thirty feet off, and he looked about ready to open fire on her immediately if she wasn't careful with him.
Shrike7: Alberik raised her hands and stopped, resting her staff in the crook of her arm. "I'm not an alien, just an unfortunate, and I mean you no harm. I come here looking for an old library, does it still exist?" She replied slowly, remaining still.
HME220: The man seemed surprised by her ability to speak, but for the moment kept his crossbow raised. "Decrepit and abandoned, but it stands. It's also outside the wall, if you'll have something from it, going around the wall and see it for yourself."
Shrike7: "I see, thank you." She answered, slowly pointing to either side of the wall. Once he nodded which way was faster, she'd settle again, making her way in that direction and trying to keep about the same distance from the palisade as she had currently.
HME220: He wouldn't respond in any capacity, simply holding his crossbow on her until she opted to start moving. Either he wasn't reading her body language properly, or he simply didn't care.
HME220: Walking around the wooden barricade, Alberik would eventually find herself at an old stone building, its windows mostly intact save for one on the front that had been smashed in, making the heavy padlock on the door somewhat pointless. It was fairly large, and even from outside she could see the shelves of books within, the ones on the right half having been toppled over for some reason.
Shrike7: "Hello?" Alberik called into the smashed window, glancing back towards the palisade momentarily. Could be a decent place for the bandits to camp, if there wasn't a clear sightline. If she got no answer, she'd slowly climb in herself, glancing around and heading for the toppled bookcase first. Chances are she was looking for a secret entrance, that was as good a place as any to start.
HME220: The building was in clear sight of the village, the woods around it having been cleared out and kept clear save for some underbrush that looked like a recent development. No answer came to her call, and so she entered to find the inside in much worse shape than the outside. Most of the book cases looked to have been looted, many of the volumes destroyed outright ot left open to the elements such that they were beginning to decay. The toppled bookshelf seemed to cover the stairs leading downwards, which weren't secret so much as inaccessible with the large pieces of furniture piled over them. Another flight of stairs led up to a balcony, while the area immediately in front of the door was reserved for a number of tables, several of which were smashed while one was missing outright.
Shrike7: She could spot the stairs through the shelves of the bookcase, though she didn't think she could reach them through the same. She went upstairs to check the balcony while she pondered that problem, both to actually search, and just to get a feel for the place, settling her thoughts.
HME220: The top floor balcony had more books on much smaller shelves, as well as a number of more private desks that were set before a massive clear window, likely a very expensive fixture that hadn't yet been ruined by looters or the elements. {This place has seen better days. There used to be a fairly thriving scholarly community out here... I guess that changed.}
Shrike7: {A lot has changed, from what I understand. Now, towns like this are fast becoming a rarity, and you've seen how on edge everyone is. My reception had i looked more normal would not have been too much warmer, I expect.} She answered, glancing down at the shelves below. From this angle, she could see the scene well enough, she figured, drawing on her power again, she reached out to lift the bookshelf, shifting it out of the way far enough for her to get to the staircase underneath.
HME220: Lifting the stacked shelves with her mind proved difficult and costly, the unwieldy set of furniture proving initially difficult. Still, her mind was strong, and she pulled the shelves aside and formed a path back down into the basement, though it would still require some climbing on her part.
Shrike7: Deciding that was good enough, She set the bookcase down before the strain became too much, choosing the rest on one of the chairs while she recovered her energies. {What do you know of the catacombs down there, before your imprisonment?} She asked softly, keeping an eye on the stairs in case there was some creature the bookcase had been toppled to block.
HME220: {I wouldn't really call them catacombs,} the voice replied conversationally while Alberik reclined in one of the chairs that were present. {It's just a basement with some stored scrolls and the like that were deemed unfit for viewing by the public. There wasn't any magical security, nothing but a big locked door that wasn't so useful in stopping me. I was bound in the center of the place, where there's a big circle.} No horrible monstrosities came forth from the basement, and her energies soon restored themselves naturally over the course of a few minutes.
Shrike7: {Alright.} She answeredstanding a few moments later when she felt more refreshed. standing, she made her way down to the main floor again, picking her way carefully along the aging and rotted books down the staircase to the level below. pausing on the bottom step, she cast a simple spell, aimed at detecting any magical traps that lay in wait, before continuing, looking around the area carefully.
HME220: No magic was detectable to Alberik's spell as she went down the stairs, but it was extremely dark down there. Too dark for a normal person to see, but her mutant eyes quickly adjusted to the lack of light, and in the outsider went. Down below, the shelves were more tightly packed and set into a loose ring, the rounded room allowing for a bit more storage. The place was, thankfully, not wrecked like the upper floor was, but it was very crowded with all of the tightly packed shelves.
Shrike7: The basement seemed to be in somewhat better condition, at least. Alberik wound her way along the thin shelves, skimming the area with her eyes as she searched for two things: The brass and diamond staff the statuette was missing, or some written confirmation of where it went, be it a record of the ritual, a missive to it's members, or anything else of that nature.
HME220: Alberik found no obvious sign of the brass staff for which she searched in her brief skim of them. Some volumes and scrolls had seemingly been taken, but what they might have been was left a mystery that could only be solved if she could figure out the cataloging system and determine what the numbers set on the shelf might mean. A few minutes later she arrived at the center of the room, which seemed entirely normal as the shelves spiraled out away from it.
Shrike7: {I fear you may have been sealed too long ago.} She commented as she reached the center of the room. Any traces of the ritual seemed to have been removed or faded away, if anything permanent had remained of ti at all. She saw no sign of the staff, and none of the books she had passed seemed like personal correspondance. {What do you know of the books, here?}
[Wed Oct 9 2013 09:06:34 PM] HME220: {They were things deemed too fragile or too dangerous for use by the public,} the voice replied, {don't just give up! We've been looking for ten minutes!}
Shrike7: {I'm not giving up, simple forewarning you. The books are categorized and sorted, do you know the system? Would the ritual used to seal you reside in here somewhere, perhaps?}
HME220: {After a couple thousand years? Nope. And could be. You might want to look upstairs for that filing system.}
Shrike7: {I doubt the system has changed, people tend to be hidebound in that respect.} She commented, but nodded anyways, heading back out of the spiral to continue her search, trying to find some mention of the system the old keepers of the place used to catalogue their collection.
HME220: Going back upstairs, Alberik would be left with the decision on where to look. There was a door on the second floor balcony and a door on the first floor near the entrance that she hadn't yet explored, their contents having not seemingly been relevant to her search when she had entered, and also a number of binders filled with paper on one of the shelves near the front.
Shrike7: glancing between the three option, she started with the binders near the front, opening one and paging through it carefully. It made sense to store a global index there, where people could access it quickly and efficiently.
HME220: And her choice paid off quickly. The binders had a codex of numbers, letters, and explanations for them, leaving Alberik with a quick understanding of how the basic system worked. The things stored in the archives tended to be books of a sorcerous nature, ranging from mundane texts on the fundamentals of magic to more in depth books on rituals ranging from the obscure to the very dark. Several of the missing spaces she had noticed on her brief skim had contained books that had been of the last category, dark volumes containing knowledge of arcane rituals, the summoning of otherworldly beings, and of necromancy.
Shrike7: Chances are looted, with someone who knew exactly what they wanted to take. Frowning, the Outsider, took the binder with the listings for the shelves downstairs, making her way down again and starting to cherry pick the books that remained, searching the archive for anything that may contain mention of the sealing ritual used.
HME220: Many of the books on rituals had been taken, it seemed, but there were a number of volumes on it as well. Many of them were quite valuable, in fact, and some were on the Academy's watch list of desired texts. It would take her about an hour of searching before she had gathered up a pile of useful books, the limited lighting making it difficult to read even with her specialized vision.
Shrike7: It didn't take her long before she started to recognize a few of the titles she came across, starting to set books aside by the staircase up in addition to her search. not long after that, the eyestrain began to set in, causing her to grumble and summon a floating orb of magic to help light the pages she was skimming. an hour passed and she finished a first scan through the shelves, a small pile of collected tomes arranged by the stairs. {These seem to hold our best chances, plus a few extras.} She explained, taking a moment to sit on the stiars and pause.
HME220: {Then what are you waiting for?} the force in the figure replied impatiently.

Alberik took a moment to answer, thinking the question through carefully. {I'm not sure. I just feel like there's some angle I haven't considered.} She said finally. Unable to Come up with a sufficient reason to stay, she shrugged, hefting small stacks of books and porting them back in waves, choosing her arrival point to be her usual worktable in the back of the academy library.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

Spoiler

Alberik: HP = 60, PP = 71, EP = 91, Status = Fine

Soon enough her books were teleported back to her work table, and soon enough Alberik followed them find a mildly confused student piled beneath them. "Uhhhh.... Sorry, miss!" the young man said, hurriedly unburying himself, and the scene she had created more or less ended there as everyone got on about their usual routine. The books she had acquired were numerous and lengthy, however, and searching through all of them was a task that would take some time. She got through a few things, learning a number of things that weren't particularly useful to the being trapped in the statue but were interesting nonetheless, theories on contacting beings from outside reality and on binding them to one's will for instance, before she was interrupted by Tariel's mind touching against her own. The angel's voice quietly spoke into her mind; {Alright, I'm no longer occupied.... You wanted something?}

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

The Outsider jumped slightly when she arrived to find a student had been at her usual table, something that almost never happened. “Oh no, you have nothing to apoloogize for. I‘m sorry, let me help.“ She answered, helping free the student carefully.

Once that was done, she resorted the books back into their original stacks, and starting at one end, she began to read.it was a monumental undertaking, but she had been comfortably reading in her spare time since she arrived at the academy, this was simply a new set to start.

She was in the middle of the second book, finding the treatise on beings from outside reality especially interesting, when Tariel sought her out, mind to mind. {Some time, glad you enjoyed yourself.} She replied, her mental tone deadpan. {As I said, I‘d like you to search the minds of the orcish prisoners we acquired. I need to locate as best i can where their king makes base, and one of them having a memory of the place would be the best method carrying forwards. Can you aid me with this?}

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

Spoiler

Alberik: HP = 60, PP = 71, EP = 91, Status = Fine

The young man took the offered assistance, but quickly cleared out to give Alberik her space so that she could look through the books she'd acquired from the abandoned library. When contacted mentally be Tariel, her deadpan tone inspired a sense of nervousness from the angel, the mental equivalent of an embarrassed blush, but then the angel replied; {I could... I'm not sure how comfortable I am with the idea though. You know our policy on involvement in mortal conflict. Given the circumstances, I could do it as a favor to you, but it would require a minor favor on your part.}

The angel paused briefly, gathering herself and giving Alberik an opportunity to answer if she wished, but unless Alberik outright dismissed the angel's assistance immediately Tariel would continue; {I've been looking for references to an artifact that was lost during the war somewhere in Eastern Crolia, called the Heaven Cleaver. If you could keep an eye out for it during your weekly perusal of the entirety of the Academy's archives, I would appreciate that enough to do your mind scouring for you. Assuming that the military interrogators allow it, at least.}

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

{I'd consider that acceptable. If you'd rather avoid coming that close to involving yourself in the conflict, I have a large collection of books you could 'scour' instead, while I deal with the interrogators. I collected them on my trip just now, It's a considerable amount. Either or, I simply do not have the time required for both.}

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

Spoiler

Alberik: HP = 60, PP = 71, EP = 91, Status = Fine

{Nah, no reason to take the extra time to move.} Tariel replied, her mental tone cool and pragmatic, {besides, it gives me a reason to get my.... Uhhhh, legs stretched. Yeah. I'll report back to you when I find anything.} And with that, Alberik was left to her studies in her search for a way to unseal the daemon from the object that she carried.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

{Many thanks.} Alberik responded simply, returning her focus to the books once the connection was severed. Leaning back in her seat, she rested the book on the table, taking caution not to read too quickly, lest she miss somethink by skimming. Every few moments, one of the small tendrils hanging from her face reached forward to touch the edge of the page, flipping it to the next without smearing too badly.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

Spoiler

Alberik: HP = 60, PP = 71, EP = 91, Status = Fine

{No problem,} Tariel replied, and then closed the connection if Alberik hadn't, leaving them to get to their respective tasks.

Reading the numerous aging tomes, most of them hand-written and worded more like journals than proper textbooks, was as mentally exhausting a process as the repeat spellcasting she had done the day before even if it wasn't going to push the outsider's limits quite as quickly. None of them were related in particular to ancient magical artifacts, even though the name that the angel had given was one she was familiar with from her own delving into the Academy's extensive library in her search for the object that she had been seeking upon arriving on this plane. The Heaven Cleaver was the sword wielded by the knightly god Boris, though there was much conjecture on how it had ended up in mortal hands, and had been handed around over the last few centuries to various wielders, all of them traditionally noble and fitting the image of the blade's former wielder.

Where it had gone most recently she could not remember, however, and such wasn't among the books she got through over the course of the next few hours. Lore on the binding and summoning of demons, daemons large and small, faeries, angels, and things far more outlandish were to be found, but very little of it spoke of unsealing a daemon bound within an object, at least not when a key had been used. She might be able to find a way to unseal him by replicating the key using information gleaned from a few similar rituals that she found details on, but such would be a timely process with potentially disastrous consequences if she got it wrong, as doing it improperly might shatter the spirit contained within, destroying it. She did find some things of note among the myriad of tomes that she went through, however, and found hints of more.

Just as her eyes were starting to ache with the strain of reading and her mind was starting to go fuzzy with the information it had taken in, Alberik felt her angelic counterpart contact her once again; {I've got a bit of information for you, if you're not busy. None of them knew where the king was in particular, but they did know quite a few places where he could be. He's been touring the cities that the orcs have conquered, and if his pattern is holding he'll be at one in particular within the next few days.}

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

{That's good news. Has that orc been there himself? If not, I need you to find one that has.} Alberik responded. {I'm on my way, These books can wait. If it truly is a day or two until the orc king arrives there, then I can return to my duties to you until then.}

Alberik kept her end of the mental connection open, picking out the direction Tariel's mind lay in, and heading that way herself. She left her collection of books where they lay spread on the table for the time being. It was usually a few days before the librarians got annoyed with her and put the books back. Since these were not part of the library, she figured she had about half that time.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

Spoiler

Alberik: HP = 60, PP = 71, EP = 91, Status = Fine

{Yes,} Tariel replied, and upon finding the angel's general direction she would realize that Tariel was outside of the Academy itself. Not particularly surprising given that the Academy had no place where prisoners could be safely held save for the area where unnatural creatures being used in experiments were held. Arriving at the fairgrounds where the army was encamped, Alberik had to pass by the large tents being used to house and care for the wounded on her way to prisoner housing, reminding her of the toll that her assault on Gods-Reach had taken on the ranks of the militia stationed there. Most of those injured had either died or stabilized by that point at least, and cries of pain and woe were rare among the largely sleeping warriors who had been injured by the orcs.

Past that was a structure built of thick logs cut from the nearby forest, a primitive but effective prison assembled and reinforced by magic and hard labor, and inside she would easily be able to locate Tariel, the angel's aura easily detectable even through so many walls. The captive orcs had been placed into cells in pairs or groups of three, and each cell had at least one guard to watch over it in case the captives should try to escape, leaving the fairly narrow halls relatively crowded. The captives had all been stripped nude, some of them displaying wounds that obviously hadn't been attended to by anyone, and had nothing more in their cells than an extremely small window and a bucket. The building offered some protection from the elements, but it was still a Crolian autumn, and thus the squalid conditions were enhanced by the cold.

Tariel was located in the only cell with an open door, alone save for a single orc who was on his knees. This particular specimen was nude, like the others, and displayed an incredibly impressive physique that included a number of scars, suggesting an experienced warrior. He knelt with his arms chained behind his back and his eyes closed, his head downcast and his long black hair tied in a braid that ran down his back. He made no reaction as Alberik entered the cell, but Tariel turned away from him and gave the outsider a brief grimace in greeting.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

Alberik smiled at the angel's response. Everything she needed was coming together.

The cheerful mood faded once she saw the living conditions for the prisoners, the Putsider making a mental note to look for the one in charge of the place as soon as she could, to see about improving it before half the orcs died from exposure. For the time being, there was little she could do, though she resolved to do it. Using her own magic to summon torches into being, providing some small measure of warmth to a few cells until she reached the back, where Tariel waited.

She saw the angel's expression, which matched her own. "Thank you. I don't require you to remain, if you feel you're done here." She said apologetically. "Once I'm done here, I should have a surplus of time to aid you in return."