Expanse: The City Reboot (Dark Fantasy Epic) Main Thread (Open, Started)

[DragonofDecay86]

Vincent - Mage Hunter base - Grim

Vincent finally brought his horse to a stop, the clatter of hooves dying down in the silence of the streets. Lucian reigned his horse in right behind Vincent, and together they pushed into the courtyard of the Mage hunter's base in Grim. They were greeted warmly by the other hunters, and ushered inside so that their gates could close once again. Vincent and Lucian's horses were lead away and then Vincent was ushered into the medical quarters with Lucian following close behind.

Vincent was taken into a separate room from Lucian, and his arm was placed in a cast while his burns were treated with salves and poultices. After about half-an-hour to an hour, Vincent was finally able to leave the infirmary, his wounds all bandaged up and his arm in a sling. Vincent waited patiently for Lucian while he talked with the other hunters about some type of break-in that had occurred just a few days ago.

 

[Korten12]

Lorel Ion ? Eternal Mist - Grim

?Alright, let?s go then.? Lorel and Velen stood up and walked out of the room and down the stairs. There they saw two of the guests they presumed Vergil was going to meet. But they didn?t take a good look at them and walked by them. Lorel could tell one of them had some magic in her, it was a trait of mages to be able to tell.

But just as they were walking out they suddenly found their way blocked. Five men walked into the room, heavy armored, but not the typical guards, these men were special duty. One of the men behind the fully headed helmets spoke. ?Those are the two! Get them!?

Lorel and Velen jumped back and Lorel threw out fire, and the Guards jumped out of the way. Velen took out his swords and began to dual with the men. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see more guards drawing near. After a short struggle he disarmed his opponent and slashed them. These men would not be easy to fight.

Lorel used his magic to burn a whole in the helmet of one of the men and then charred him with drawing fire into it. Another kill, another death, caused by him. Now the whole inn was engulfed in a fight.

 

[tobi the good boy]

Lucian Grey - Mage Hunter base, Medical Wing ? Grim

Lucian flicked one of his black speckled daggers between his spindly, pale fingers with great skill and alacrity. The blade diving in and out of the crevices like a serpent coiling around his hand. This endeavour lasted for a good hour before the doctor finally decided to inspect his patients. Velvet curtains that masked the bed in which Lucian lay were thrust aside allowing the rays of Magi crystals to seep through.

"Didn't break any bones I take it." Remarked a familiar voice drenched in the ichor of facetiousness. Lucian dropped his blade and brought his hand to his eyes, blocking out the sudden assault on his optics. Squinting past the blinding glow, Lucian was finally able to make out his visitor, dressed in a long white coat and with a face shrouded in bandages it could only have been the 'Mad Doctor' Maxwell.

"Don't think I could, even if I tried." Lucian responded, his voice lifted at the sight of a friendly face. Lucian reached out to shake the doctor's hand but Maxwell ignored it and returned to the chart of paper fastened to the end of the bed. He should have known better, the doc' always did have an issue with touching people; harping on about tiny poisons and diseases that spread just by touch.

"So. What was it this time?" The doctor queried, his voice muffled by the bandages.

"Fire, Thunder Mage, he was pretty good, got a few good shots off before we killed him" Lucian brushed the mark on his chest where the mage had landed his attack, the skin was melted in an outwards pattern creating some form of a jagged star-like shape with seven points. It would have looked horrific were it not complimented by a plethora of other scars lining his chest.

"Well, thanks to you're ability your chest didn't crumple inwards under the attack. Even managed to save your partner by absorbing most of the first charge." The doctor put the chart back in the little docking bay nailed to the bedpost.
"In short, you're fine. I'll give you a salve to prevent infection but you'll have to deal with the pain for at least another week."

"I can leave then, doc'?"

"Yes, you can leave. I'd recommend you avoid taking any jobs but I hear they're already lining up to ship you off after some thieves."

"Thieves? I thought we hunted mages, expanding our horizons are we?" Lucian joked, even managing to get a chuckle from the stern doctor.

"There was a break-in a short while ago. We're certain the stolen goods are long gone by now, but the compound is calling for blood. They want to track down the people that made fools of them and have them suffer, personally; I think they're idiots who want to spend resources on lost affairs. But, you might enjoy the exercise."

"I'd rather buy them a tankard of mead, breaking into a Mage Hunters compound is no short task."

"You'd best be off then. I saw a boy in a sling waiting outside, he looked pissed."

"Aye, Vincent. We've still got a mission to finish and he's likely getting agitated at waiting. Thanks Max." Lucian picked himself up from the side of the bed and pulled a black, long sleeve tunic with silver highlights over his shoulders. When he was done fastening his belt he pocketed his daggers, fitted his hat and walked past Maxwell to greet his companion.

"That thing looks terrible..." Whispered the bandage clad doctor as his friend exited the room.

 

[DragonofDecay86]

Vincent - Mage Hunter Base - Grim

"Lucian, pack your things, we're leaving again." Vincent said, sitting down on a bench beside the room Lucian had just exited. Vincent appeared to be in about the same shape as Lucian, his arm bandaged up and set in a sling, while the rest of his body appeared to be heavily bandaged as well. Vincent's cloak was laying in a heap beside him, more tears adorning it then there had been a few days ago, while his weapons were nowhere to be seen. Vincent stood up and began walking to the large metal door that had been blown clear off its hinges and now lay in a useless heap on the floor.

"I've managed to piece together a profile of what our thief looks like based on the descriptions some of the guards could tell me. Our thief has black hair and red eyes, he's probably around your height and he uses many types of explosives. That's pretty much all I managed to gather, the hunters around here weren't very helpful..." Vincent said, stepping inside the vault and looking around the room. Vincent began examining the scorch marks around the door frame and sighed, "Well do we hunt this man or let the hunters here take care of it?"

 

[tobi the good boy]

Lucian Grey - Mage Hunter Base, Vault ? Grim

Lucian's eye's wandered lazily around the room, examining a shelf of crevice should something appear out of place. There were scorch marks emblazoned around the vault door but aside from that the inside was relatively unscathed. Vincent was right, this man was an expert with explosives. His partner's arm was held firmly in place by a cast and sling; Lucian was hoping the explosion in the courtyard had only dislocated it, but it appears this was not is lucky day.

?I'm not entirely sure what we should do.? Lucian stated almost flatly, his voice betraying a hint of intrigue towards the whole situation. He walked to one of the shelves and noted a lack of amulets. While they were not the most advanced of devices the Mage Hunters had to offer, they were a signature, and a valuable tool.

?We do have a mission we have to complete...? Lucian announced, knowing well enough the final part of their mission was a cake walk. All they had to do was take the house crest they had picked up off the mage and plant it in the premises of the opposing family. Infighting among mages would be a valuable tool the Mage Hunters could use to their advantage.

?Alright, we'll find this thief... but we're not doing it for the Hunters. This man's peaked my curiosity, I feel meeting him might make an enjoyable story.?

 

[CrazyBlaze]

Telnor- The Eternal Mist- Grim

Telnor saw the guards attacking two people and worried it might be Vergil or Vessel he raced to help them, as he got closer he saw that it wasn't Vergil or Vessel but two men, one in ruined Nobles clothes. He ran towards a guard and sliced at his left leg and cut the tendons at back of the knee. As the guard fell to the ground on left leg, Telnor turned and began to slash at him when took a step back to avoid another guard slicing down at him with his great sword.

As the guard brought back his sword Telnor charged into him, catching the guard off guard and sending him stumbling backwards. Telnor kept pushing the guard and at the same time, wrapped his left leg around the guard's right and sent them both sprawling to the ground. Telnor quickly disengaged himself from the guard, and as he made his way up grabbed the guard's helmet and yanked it off his head. As Telnor rose to his feet he pivoted and stabbed the guard through the eye with his sword.

As Telnor pulled his sword from the dead guard's head, he saw three more guards approach him. Each one covered in armor and a full helmet and each carrying a longsword.

Telnor swore under his breath. He knew they could encircle him if he wasn't carefully enough. if it was two he could throw the helmet to distract one and hope to catch the other by surprise fast enough that he could remove him from battle, even if was only temporarily, but with three no matter how he attacked there would always be one who could cut him down, unless he was fast enough to get out of their reach. As the three guards approached, Telnor bent his knees in anticipation.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Vergil Crawford - The Eternal Mist - Grim

From the window in his room, Vergil could see that a fight had erupted outside the Inn, and from the noise he could hear, it had spilled into the lobby area. "Too crowded downstairs to be effective, I shall engage those outside". Vergil thought to himself as he grabbed his katanas, his throwing knives, and dived through the window, landing next to a guard wielding a halberd.

The guard had noticed Vergil and started swinging at at him. Vergil ducked and rolled out of the way. "Halberd, long reach weapon, fighter has adopted stance to give him maximum range, both katanas and throwing knives ineffective at dispatching foe. Will have to disarm opponent to deal with him effectively."

As the guard tried to attack, Vergil sidestepped out of the way and towards his opponent, stabbing him with a throwing knife to the chest, forcing the guard to loosen his grip a little. Vergil then knocked the guard, dropping the halberd. Vergil then grabbed the weapon, and teasing the guard to come and get it. Despite being in a full face helmet, the guard was furious and charged towards his attacker.

Vergil then swung the halberd at the guards lower body, sweeping him off his feet, and cutting the left leg in the process. Vergil finished the guard off by stabbing him through the chest, causing blood to flow through the armour. He then casually dropped the halberd, and joined in with the rest of the fight.

 

[Korten12]

Lorel Ion ? Eternal Mist - Grim

The fight was engulfing the whole inn and parts outside. Lorel clapped his hands together and in a burst chunks of ice grew on his hand. He rushed at a guard who jumped out of the way but Lorel turned and hit with both hands. The man?s armor began to freeze, and so Lorel then punched it shattering it. Exposing his torso, Lorel charged two fires attacked and launched them at the man. When another man jumped up from behind him to do another attack, Lorel rolled out of the way and then got back up to go again. And once more repeated the tactic to take out another guard.

While there was none on his hands, his mind told him that now there was blood on his hands now. Death surrounds him and is starting to comfort him.

Velen began to learn the ways of the guards and slice one by one as he lured them in and then sliced them at the very few exposed spots they had. Suddenly he noticed they began to retreat knowing that they couldn?t take them out. But only four survived, Lorel began to chase after then Velen stopped him.

?I need to kill them! Come on!?

Velen felt disgusted by his words. ?What do you mean you need to kill them! They already know we?re here! Killing them only sheds more blood!?

?Blood? Yes? The Blood?? Lorel was almost in a trance like state but then shook his head and then went back to normal. ?Sorry, I don?t know what came over me.?

Something inside of him was starting to break down?

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Vergil Crawford - The Eternal Mist - Grim

Before he could enter the main area of the fight, Vergil saw that four of the guards were retreating. He whipped out two of his throwing knives.

"Not on my watch!" Vergil exclaimed as he threw the knives. They landed in the skulls of two guards, killing them instantly, their bodies collapsing simultaneously at the moment of death. He began to walk over to the rest of the group, but he heard the sound of someone groaning, it was one of the guards.

"We should probably interrogate this once, find out who sent him and the others." He said, kicking the guard afterwards.

 

[FinalDream]

Scarlett Verneer - Eternal Mist - Grim


Velken Draigor was a towering man of seven feet. Working with the guard he had entered shortly after. His fine silver armour sparkled with the light streaming in from the open door as he walked casually through the conflict around him. Another man with no connection to the fight, he was not even armed, chose this time to make his escape and sprinted for the door from under a table. Velken extended his shield out to his left and not even bothering to watch caught the running man, sending him crashing to the ground. Reaching to his back Velken drew the barbed claymore sword with his right hand, usually a two handed weapon, and swung upwards cutting the fallen man into two pieces with such a force that it sent his remains hurtling across the Eternal Mist.

Velken stopped still catching sight of Scarlett and raised his sword in challenge. Taking a lunging step forward he swung across his chest aiming for Scarlett?s head. Scarlett quickly dropped to one knee and lowered her head feeling the rush of air left in the wake of the sword tingle the hairs on the back of her neck. She drew her knife, blade pointing backwards, and adopted a defensive stance taught to her by Sera all those years ago.

?Do you really think you can better me woman?? Velken roared.
?You? Easy.? Scarlett scoffed faking disinterest in her voice.

As expected Velken lifted the claymore and putting all his strength into his arms swung downwards hoping to cleave her into two pieces. Scarlett had no chance of blocking the attack with her knife or deflecting it from her armour. Which was built more for speed and manoeuvrability than protection. Instead she rolled to the side and watched the mighty barbed claymore come crashing down into the wooden floor. Splinters of wood exploded outwards as the blade cut through the floor like soft cheese and became lodged. Scarlett snorted in amusement as Velken struggled to free the blade, now was her chance.

Sweeping her right leg across the floor she tried to trip Velken up from the front but found his mass to heavy to move and merely bounced off the shinguards. Twisting her body around she brought her left leg up and kicked hard into the back of the knee on Velken's exposed joints, free from armour. Success! His left leg buckled and with a similar kick to the other leg Scarlett had brought the giant crashing down to the ground. Climbing on top of the fallen mass of metal and man Scarlett looked into the eye slit at the cold blue eyes peering back from the darkness.

?You think you have won!? Velken spat. ?I am only the beginning of the nightmare that will haunt you and your friends.?

Scarlett had heard enough. She forced her knife into the neck gap of his armour and watched the thick red blood come oozing out. Velken coughed up blood as he slowly died and Scarlett watched the life drain from his eyes. He looked terrified of death in the end.

Standing up over the body Scarlett cleaned her blade and looked around the Inn for the others. They had done an admirable job at finishing the remaining guards and she felt a little proud of her new found friends. Seems they had even managed to take one alive for questioning, how smart. Scarlett walked over to investigate. Pushing her way past the Vessel she bent down by the injured guard and shouted.

?What do you want with those two, listen to me! You didn?t come here for us because if you did there would be a shit ton more of you, so what huh?? Scarlett pointed at the two people Vergil had been with earlier.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Vergil Crawford/Risenforth Court Guard - Outside The Eternal Mist - Grim

"I'll never tell you woman!" The guard screamed at Scarlett.

"Wrong answer!" Vergil sneered at the guard as he stabbed him with his wrist blade. The guard screamed in pain.

"Now what was it you were saying?" Vergil asked the guard in a sadistic manner.

 

[FinalDream]

Scarlett Verneer - Eternal Mist - Grim

?We are wasting our time! Why don?t we just kill him and get out of here?? Scarlett stood up and took a step away. ?He doesn?t have anything worth telling us!?

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Vergil Crawford/Risenforth Court Guard - The Eternal Mist - Grim

"All right, I'll tell, please don't kill me!" The guard screamed, sounding scared at his fate.

"Look Scarlett! This little bird's gonna squawk, now tell us, who sent you." Vergil exclaimed, shifting from playful to serious.

"Okay then, we were sent by the Risenforth Court to kill Lorel Ion and Velen Majl." The guard replied with.

"So, can I go?" The guard asked, still sounding scared.

"Unfortunately no, we don't you running back and bringing a larger force. So sadly, you have to die." Vergil told him in a cruel tone of voice. He then stabbed him once again, this time killing him. Vergil then rose up, and headed towards the others.

"Well, that is the end of that chapter."

 

[Korten12]

Lorel Ion ? Eternal Mist - Grim

?The Court of Risenforth! Fuck..!? Velen said as he slammed the closest wall to him. ?Now they know we?re here! We can?t go back to the Tower, now we need to find Itsuka at all cost before she gets home.?

Itsuka Maen ? Grim.

Itsuka heard the battle before she saw it, as she walked around buying goods she heard the clatter of swords and magic. But it was still a far bit off. As she got closer to it, the battle noises dimmed and eventually stopped. Luckily she had already bought all of her goods.

Have they been discovered?

She turned the street and saw the scene, blood everywhere, on the walls, and on the cobble streets. That?s when they saw them, but there wasn?t just Lorel and Velen she saw but four other people who she didn?t recognize. ?Lorel, Velen! What happened here?? Itsuka spoke as she walked closer.

Lorel Ion ? Eternal Mist - Grim

?Itsuka?? Lorel spoke softly.

Velen put away his swords with the blood still on them, knowing that soon he would need to wipe it off before it hardened. ?Guards from the Risenforth Court attacked us here. They know we?re here!?

?Well then that changes things. Now more than ever we can?t get to Gallu and go to the South like you planned. Us three will need to go to the North and if they attacked now, then more will appear soon. I say we can?t stay here. If Deathly Continuation is going to go, we need to leave now.?

?You?re right.?

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Vergil Crawford - The Eternal Mist - Grim

"I take is that Deathly Continuation is the name you have given to the operation to bring down the Upper District then? " Vergil asked jokingly, butting in to the conversation between Velen, Lorel, and their associate, his hands behind his back.

 

[Korten12]

Lorel Ion ? Eternal Mist - Grim

?No point in hiding it. Yes it is. And it?s been nice meeting you but we will have to leave now.? Velen spoke the last part in a sarcastic matter.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Vergil Crawford - The Eternal Mist - Grim

"It has been a pleasure meeting you three as well. You sure you don't want to rest up here after this little engagement first? Despite the condition of the lower floor, all rooms are situated on the upper level, meaning they will of suffered minimal damage, and the rooms are quite comfortable. Regardless of your decision, should you have need of me, speak with Tobias on how to contact me over long distances." Vergil exclaimed to the trio, playing both the gracious host, and potential contact for their plans.