Cannon fodder (fantasy superpower rp) (closed, started)

[nuba km]

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karen and rias
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The man of stone's veins drained of colour as his other limb ends fated away. It fell to the ground landing on its front 'I thank you for your aid, while I am fine I fear I could not have held this beast back for ever, this fight has been going on since last night and not even I can casts spells forever. My powers are already far below their most powerful. I apologise for my strike against your ally put it was beyond my control.' at that point the group entered the hall.
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The group
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The group could hear a voice 'I thank you for your aid, while I am fine I fear I could not have held this beast back for ever, this fight has been going on since last night and not even I can casts spells forever. My powers are already far below their most powerful. I apologise for my strike against your ally put it was beyond my control.'


They went through a smashed wooden gate leading to a massive oval hall. There were 5 steps leading down from the entrance before the ground of hall was reached, the floor was covered in a layer of swamp water mixed with blood. The roof was filled with holes letting light from the surface in, with the torches extinguished they were the only sources of light, the rays of light created a distinct contrast between the light and dark parts of the room.

The group saw karen, rias and a pitch black horse, its body covered in armoured skin similar to karens power, where their should be a mane was a set of black layered chitin like extra layer of protection. Its tail was a spiked bone like whip, it had a horn that looked like a jagged sword and it had a set of massive bat wings. Next to them was a rock, for clair, bom and william they instantly recognised it, though noted it was significantly larger. For the new members of the group all they saw was a very large rock with what looked like grey veins.

At the end of the room on top of an altar they saw a yama who's scales shimmered brightly even in the darkness, his posture perfect, his eyes filled with fire but yet were also calming. 'Do I get no rest these days, may I enquire to what demands your presence here at this moment.' He said to the group

 

[Lunar Templar]

Karen shrugged " 'friendly fire' happens, hurt pretty good though" she said stretching a bit before sitting on the remains of the stone man. Abumot's comment cause Karen to turn slightly, give a half hearted wave then turn back to Abumot. "So what was stolen from us this time? I imagine something was taking if you all are here and unharmed."

Rias cut in "They are actually with us, though there was an issue in town the separated us, though how they found this place is anyone's guess" she said, even sounding a bit annoyed. the group would notice, Rias was not only alive and well, but totally unharmed, as well as the orb in hands filled with Fromanzio's bombs while Karen was looking a bit on the ragged out side, with the front of her shirt wet with blood from the wound the unicorn gave her earlier.

Rias turned to the group "Oh, by the way, found our bomb thief, Karen is sitting on him, and we got the bombs back" holding the orb out a bit so they could get a better view, then turned back to Abumot "Anyway, about that talk I wanted to have from earlier"

 

[Floris2123]

The tomb was obviously the house of the necromancer, he ran into it holding his weapons ready. He stayed right behind Claire, and waited for her to use her portals to scout ahead. "I've gotten their scent. They're definitely somewhere here. Not only that, but it sounds like someone's in terrible trouble..." Reetch said as he hurried onwards. He had a very bad feeling about this place. Ivaan then spoke "Rias and Karen are alive, Karen's in two places at once though...One especially, it's like it's continually reforming itself." William sighed sounding relieved.

Ivaan growled in frustration "The energy's Euclid, I can't control it...and the last, it's... oh guardians, it's filled with the sould of the dead. Guys, It's a necromancer, I'm certain. A damn good one at that." Ivaan looked wildly at William "It's Abumont. I'm sure of it. William nodded. They would have to face him this soon it seemed, he also looked at Ivaan. He would watch him from now on, he didn't seem to have full control of his power. "Ladies and gentlemen, prepare for a boost." William felt refreshed and awake.

"Thank you Ivaan, now everyone lets go." William said as he pressed onwards. Suddenly he heard a strange voice 'I thank you for your aid....I apologise for my strike against your ally put it was beyond my control.' William was the fist to step through a smashed wooden door. He went down the stairs, and without hesitating entered the room. He saw Karen, Rias and a black horse with its body covered in scales. And then he saw it a giant stone, it looked just like the man they had killed earlier. William turned a bit white and seemed to swallow his fear.

He then spotted an alter with an Yama laying on it. 'Do I get no rest these days, may I enquire to what demands your presence here at this moment.' He said to the group. William used his ash to form a second armor over his normal one. "So what was stolen from us this time? I imagine something was taking if you all are here and unharmed." Karen said taking a seat on the rock thing. It seemed it was defeated, William let out a relived sigh.

Rias then said "They are actually with us, though there was an issue in town the separated us, though how they found this place is anyone's guess" Rias looked totally fine, while Karen seemed to be injured. Rias turned to the group "Oh, by the way, found our bomb thief, Karen is sitting on him, and we got the bombs back" holding the orb out a bit so they could get a better view, then turned back to the Yama "Anyway, about that talk I wanted to have from earlier"

William stepped forward and then spoke. "I am glad to see that you are mostly unhurt, Rias and Karen." He said sounding relieved and happy. His face then turned darker as he looked at the Yama, and asked "Are you Abumot?" William was still holding his 2 weapons.

 

[olza]

Ivaan felt the constantly disappearing and regrowing life force take a massive drop in size, reduced to an almost insignificant amount. It appeared to be emanating from a strange, green rock.
Ivaan felt a draw to it. Like it was a kindred spirit. Almost in a daze, he walked through the scene of the battle and to the shattered earthen being.
Ivaan dug through the the remains, lifting aside rocks, and found the small Heart of the earthen creature, chipped and scarred, a slightly spiked, star-like emerald, and picked it up, stowing it in his new cloak's inner breast pocket.

If the rock's life force began to wane, Ivaan fed it a little of his own energy, keeping it alive, but not giving it enough power to regenerate it's body. It was a fine balance, but Ivaan had gotten skilled enough with his power to be able to pull it off, and it was, strangely, coming naturally to him.

As he walked back to the group, Ivaan also noticed the unicorn, and that it was one of Karen's two life forces's locations. He muttered the Sophronius name for unicorn; "Elastimur, Harbinger of great change", and bowed his head to the new comrade, before giving Karen a politely questioning look about it. There was the occasional unicorn in the forest, but they were so rare that a shaman considered himself lucky to see one in all his life. They were harbingers of great change. Omens of great wars, world-stopping love, of enormous power.

The fragments of life force were coming from the Yama on the altar. It was definitely Abumont. And he was saying;
"I thank you for your aid, while I am fine I fear I could not have held this beast back for ever, this fight has been going on since last night and not even I can casts spells forever. My powers are already far below their most powerful. I apologise for my strike against your ally put it was beyond my control."

Abumont; defiler of the dead, murderer of villages and cities, choker of countries, is... Thanking us. This entire situation feels very, very wrong.

Ivaan approached William with a dark expression, standing beside William and sizing up Abumont, growling a single word;
"Orders?"

 

[Lunar Templar]

Rias turned back to William, his tone catching her attention, she eyed his stance, her expression changing to one of pure annoyance "Hey, I have an great idea, how about we try something OTHER then the use of pointy and explodey things as our opening move. Fromanzio is dead, I see no reason to keep using his tactics" she said in a tone mirroring her expression

Karen, on the other hand, who hadn't really moved while Ivaan was rummaging for a stone of some kind. After collecting it, he gave the Unicorn a look over, and even a bow, then gave Karen a strange look "What?"

 

[olza]

"What?"
Ivaan smiled, cocked an eyebrow, and said, amusedly; "Really? No explanation for the quasi-mythical beast currently acting as a room-mate for your life force?"

"Hey, I have an great idea, how about we try something OTHER then the use of pointy and explodey things as our opening move. Fromanzio is dead, I see no reason to keep using his tactics"
Ivaan felt a little annoyed, but saw Rias' point. However, this didn't stop him thinking: Tell that to the giant undead crab we met before. or the city full of starving, dying people in that city we just left. hell, why don't we go and make friends with the undead roaming the countryside, pillaging and murdering all in their path?

 

[Lunar Templar]

"Really? No explanation for the quasi-mythical beast currently acting as a room-mate for your life force?"

"It's doing what now?" Karen asked, having no honest idea what he was talking about, the confusion written on her face.

 

[nuba km]

Abumot watched the group carefully, though without letting on he was doing it 'speak and I will listen'.

 

[Floris2123]

Ivaan appeared besides William "Orders?" he growled. William figured it would be best to kill the necromancer now. Rias spoke up, "Hey, I have an great idea, how about we try something OTHER than the use of pointy and explodey things as our opening move. Fromanzio is dead, I see no reason to keep using his tactics"

William got annoyed and said, "Well exuuuuse me, princess. We were called here by some kind of mental message, in which you call out Karen's name in panic. So we might have thought you were in danger, and that there is a very dangerous necromancer. So I am sorry for coming across as a bit aggressive, and you" William said pointing at the necromancer, "Why are you attacking villages and corrupting the land?" William was starting to get very annoyed, he hated this country.

 

[Lunar Templar]

"Well exuuuuse me, princess. We were called here by some kind of mental message, in which Karen call out your name in panic. So we might have thought you were in danger"

Rias quirked an eye at this "What are you talking about, Karen doesn't have me" Rias started then pause mid sentence, turning to her gaze to the unicorn "we're gonna need to have a sit down with Karen's new friend to find out just what the full effect of it being around is, if the whole group could hear Karen after the stoneman failed to blow me up"


"and that there is a very dangerous necromancer. So I am sorry for coming across as a bit aggressive, and you"

"He's also been the only one to not rob us or threaten to kill us on sight so far, so I'm a touch more willing to hear him out then some one asking for help with weapon in hand and spouting threats with the prior breath"


Karen, on the other hand, looked toward the Unicorn surprised then sighed and shrugged "Well, least I don't have to worry about you getting us killed" she said but thought "Could be worse I guess, least it 'gets me'

 

[nuba km]

'I am not corrupting the land, the living just fear the dead that is why the wild life is hiding. As for why I am attack the villages, its is so I can find the one who brought me back form the dead and also figure out how they did so. It does not matter how many I kill if I cure death itself, wars would be useless, famine won't matter, and even the deadliest illness cured by extension.' Abumot put his hands together as if he was about to pray and then started splitting them apart slowly, as he did so the swamp water cleared from the floor to the sides of the hall, forming walls of ice. The floor was covered in a strange ritual circles, almost alien looking signs written over lines connecting the ritual circles 'This is what brought me back from the dead all I need is to work out how it works, all I know for certain is that it requires sacrifices.'

 

[evilengine]

Reetch stuck his head out, as he had been hiding from view behind William, as Abumont mentioned 'sacrifices' he saw a rather large flaw.

"You say you need sacrifices in order to raise the dead? For someone who claims to want to 'cure' death, aren't sacrifices rather counter-productive? In the end there will only be dead and undead, not 'living' as you seem to call them."

He gripped onto William's coat and slid back behind him after this, now very nervous of the thing's response to his criticism.

 

[hiei82]

As the group entered the room, it was just in time to see the death throes of what appeared to be the same kind of creature as they had faced at the bridge so long ago. Claire would have payed it more heed, but there were more important things going on. First and foremost, Rias and Karen were safe; a true relief. She wanted to hit them for going into a tomb without them and putting them all in danger, but that could wait. For now, relief.

The feeling of relief however was short lived as the presence of a mage became clear. She couldn't be sure it was really Abumot, but it was a fair guess. She kept a close eye on him as the others acted, not wanting to miss even his slightest move.

"I am not corrupting the land, the living just fear the dead; that is why the wild life is hiding. As for why I am attack the villages, its is so I can find the one who brought me back from the dead and also figure out how they did so. It does not matter how many I kill if I cure death itself; wars would be useless, famine won't matter, and even the deadliest illness cured by extension."

Claire heard what he had to say, but wasn't quite ready to buy it. "It might have been more productive to ASK who brought you back, rather then try to take the information you wanted by force. What more; if those ghouls are what count as "an end to death", then I'm going to stick with the famine, disease, and war."

He turned from the group and looked at a strange series of magical runes, then commented. "This is what brought me back from the dead all I need is to work out how it works; all I know for certain is that it requires sacrifices."

Claire stared at him for a moment and sighed. "And now we have a problem." She put her hand to her longword - but did not draw it - so she would be ready for whatever he might try.

 

[nuba km]

A smile flickered across abumots face 'Ah a good question, its simple once I know how the dead can be brought back to live rather then just animated, I will bring back the greatest mages of all time, and with all of existences finest minds working together it will only be a matter of time for death to be solved. Also those ghouls are merely minions, I am the final product of what this magic holds, someone back form the dead, at their peak condition. Also do you not think I tried to ask for the one who brought me back, but my search was in vein, they did not seem to be want to be discovered. So if I won't be given the answers I will get them myself'

 

[hiei82]

"...So if I won't be given the answers I will get them myself" he said, ending his speech.

"At what cost. Everything has a cost; you should know that better then most. If you can't find the person or people who brought you back - who presumably had a reason to do so - then don't you think there's a problem; one that even you can't overcome?"

Claire was growing tired of the conversation; it sounded more like blind-hubris then anything born by wisdom.

 

[Lunar Templar]

"There's another flaw." Rias said cutting in behind Reetch "The resurrections you seek are a kin to your own right? A flawless raise from death? It won't get rid of war. It's reasonable to assume you are your own person correct? There is no unseen force guiding your hand, like the ghouls, your simply continuing your work from before right? How is simply removing death from the equation going to put an end to wars? I mean it's a nice wish, but as long as the resurrection is 'prefect' and the person returns just as they where before I don't see it making things better. I can actually see them getting worse. Wars for example my start and just never end, if troops can't die then there's no to stop fighting, granted there's no reason to start but we are talking about the current ruling class of idiots. Pretty sure they'd see an immortal army as even more expendable then they do now, and view the general population in an even worse light cause, they can't die, so it doesn't matter how we treat them now right?" Rias pause a moment to let what she said sink it. Her comment at the end meant exactly as the dig it sounded like.

"There's one other flaw that I can see. 'Quality of life'. The 'fear of death' ether on a conscious or unconscious level, is a powerful motivation, knowing your time is limited has proven to push people to change them selves, and some times the world around them out of the 'fear' of, dieing in unfavorable circumstances, like being poor on the streets, or make a lasting impression on history. Take away that hour glass counting the second of a persons life do and what would a person seek to do? Sure I imagine there will be some people who would use immortality to actually better them selves or the world around them, but the vast majority will not, if anything society as a whole might actually slip backwards, with a 'No death, No consequences' attitude." Rias again pausing

"All that said I'm not blind to the benefits what Immortality and Perfect Resurrection can bring, more then the rest of the group I know the effect 'death' can have on the survivors, and the ugliness it can bring to light. But the world, as it stands currently now, is not even the slightest bit ready for what your proposing."

 

[nuba km]

Abumot shook his head slowly 'I am no more responsible for giving people the tools to live a perfect live but them instead using it to be horrible to each other then a blacksmith is for making a butchers knife which is then used to kill a king is responsible for his death. With me and other great minds we will be able to make countries out of thin air, every faction of society can splinter into their own groups never being effected by others. Everything they need will be provided, there will be no need for war and the world will be a paradise, if people decide to fight when they have nothing to gain from it those that mean others do not deserve a eternity of happiness?'

 

[maninahat]

Spoiler: OOC

Hello folks! let's pretend Bom was around and had been keeping up with the conversation.

"It does not matter how many I kill if I cure death itself, wars would be useless, famine won't matter, and even the deadliest illness cured by extension."

Bom thought about it. He glanced around the chamber, wondering how many had died over all this. To a Yama, death was a permanent obstacle - He was from a land where thousands died before maturity, and survivors lived in constant peril ever after. A world without death would see the end to so many of the Yama's problems. Maybe if a cure could be found, it would be worth all the sacrifices. But then...

"Even if you find this cure to death..." he said slowly, "...we would all be at your mercy. It would be you who decides who stays dead and who lives. You say it's just a tool, but it's a tool which gives you the ultimate power over everyone else."

 

[olza]

Ivaan growled in agreement with his companions, "You aren't a god, Abumont."
Ivaan raised a paw, gently brushed aside the links he had with his companions and extended one to abumont.
"Did you know, Abumont, that we have way to tell if you are truly back from the dead."
Ivaan inspected Abumont's life force for a moment.
"He is... A patchwork soul of different life energies. it's like someone transplanted the souls of others to heal this one man."
Ivaan shook his head.
"This is not a perfect 'final product' of necromancy. this is the murder of hundreds... maybe even thousands of people for the life of one man."

 

[nuba km]

'I would not keep such a spell to myself, I would teach it to all that could learn it, I would never try to give myself ultimate power over others.' Abumot said to bom before turning and pointing at ivaan 'YOU, no form of animancy tells what form a life force is like merely that is there. Either you are the one who brought me back from the dead, or you tell lies.'