Horizon Walkers (Game Thread) Dead

[Anti-American Eagle]

Kyras looked at the map. Center covered, Houses Covered, Fields... "I guess I'm searching the fields then." A thought occurred to him then, he felt something wrong with the ground and according to... he couldn't really remember his name... it started with an A... It may have been Alex. Alex had mentioned that the corruption was virulent. He couldn't risk Maiar here.

He turned to... Vaerys and spoke "If you're staying here, can you watch my blade while I search?" He detached Maiar and the sheath it was held in from his belt and held it out to Vaerys.

 

[DarkRawen]

"I guess we'll go west then."

"Okay, West it is," Des replied, eagerly. It wasn't so much that he wanted to go off and poke something dangerous -though, not dangerous for him-, more that he could go with Kes. He let her go ahead, turning to Alex and addressing him.

"We're going to west then, we'll probably let you know if we find something."

He then went after, almost running to catch up to her, then altering his pace to fit hers. "So, we're looking for places not burned by the fire, right? What do you think we'll find?" he asked with a curious tone. "What do you think these "demons" look like? I don't think they'll look like me, to be honest, these seem like bad ones." Des did know of evil demons, but he couldn't remember the physical appearance of any of them. Perhaps he had known, once, but not he only knew of them as the entities appearing in people's visions and minds, or so the church claimed.

"Do you think they're evil?" he asked. "Or do perhaps they're more like animals..." Des was thinking aloud now, though he was sure Kes wouldn't mind some casual chatter.

I have to be careful with the compliments, though.

 

[hiei82]

"So, we're looking for places not burned by the fire, right? What do you think we'll find?" Des asked curiously. Kes opened her mouth to speak before being cut off. "What do you think these "demons" look like? I don't think they'll look like me, to be honest, these seem like bad ones." he continued. Once more, Kes tried to speak only to find Des wasn't finished. "Do you think they're evil?" he asked. Kes didn't even bother trying at this point, though she was getting slightly bothered by the talkative being; if you're gonna ask a question, at least wait for an answer. "Or do perhaps they're more like animals..."

It was here Kes cut him off. "Damp, non-burned places, hopefully nothing but our luck has yet to be that good, he said they look like a "rotting mass with powerful magic" so I'm guessing glowing mushrooms so not exactly like you, since Alex seems to think they're evil that depends on your opinion on him, but if they're like any of the animals I've seen, I'm not sure I care." she answered, not understanding or having heard of the concept of rhetorical questions before in her admittedly limited life. Gladiators and monsters never fought with words - at least not for very long.

It was about this time that Kes spotted the first place that might have survived the burning; a storm-cellar held closed by large burned out wooden beams of what must have been a not-insignificant structure. Calling Des' attention to it, she easily moved the beams away (torch still in one hand) but left the door shut for the moment.

Spoiler: OOC

@IFS: I decided to find a cellar; let me know if this is a problem and I'll remove it.

 

[IFS]

Alex waited a brief moment to see who would follow him before departing to the North. The town hall was a large building and while it had not survived completely intact there were still large portions standing. Alex began sifting through the damp, charred wood and other debris. For now the place seemed empty and barren, though Alex had only begun to search.

There seemed to be a cold wind issuing from behind the cellar door that Kes had found, and on the door itself a few carved eyes watched unblinking and seemingly untouched by fire or ash. Des could even feel a strange vitae behind it, faint but present, though certainly not the sort he fed on and perhaps not even human.

Once Kyras began his search of the fields it wasn't long before he could sense something strange and dark in the plants. They seemed to grab at his feet and attempt to trip him up. This hindrance faded quickly though, with the restless wilderness pausing for a moment, until Kyras heard a creaking sound coming from the ground beneath his feet, giving only a brief warning before a monstrous warped tree root burst free of the dark soil and swung down at him, accompanied by a chilling shriek that seemed to come from the air around him.

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

Vaerys took the blade and watched over it carefully as he watched their little camp for any activity. Once more, Vaerys yearned for combat. Too long had he had a good scrap and his new freedom didn't provide much for that but at least he was doing something, He didn't have to be a magician to feel something wrong about the place. The breeze he felt didn't give him a feel of relief but rather something sickly breathing in the air. Sick, this whole place and world begun to stink of a sick animal.

He made sure to be extra careful around the camp. This dwarf wasn't going out without a fight.

 

[DarkRawen]

"Damp, non-burned places, hopefully nothing but our luck has yet to be that good, he said they look like a "rotting mass with powerful magic" so I'm guessing glowing mushrooms so not exactly like you, since Alex seems to think they're evil that depends on your opinion on him, but if they're like any of the animals I've seen, I'm not sure I care."

"Oh. We'll have to kill them then, don't we? If they're evil..." He wasn't sure what he thought about Alex's opinion of demons, but he trusted the man's judgement, even if mortals often thought whatever threatened their own existence was evil. In the end, if these demons really were a danger to the group, then he would have to protect them. That's what it meant to be travelling together.

But only if we have to. If it can be avoided, we don't have to fight them because they're evil to Alex.

Did that mean Alex thought he was evil too? "Do you think Alex dislikes me?" he asked, as he followed her to the cellar door. Des felt something coming from it, vitae, and he stopped, looking at the eyes on the wood, then at her.

"Don't get any closer, there's something in there; I can sense it. Something living, but I don't know if it is human, or even mortal... I don't like it." He walked up to the door. "Actually, you should probably get further away. I don't want you to get infected or hurt or anything." He spoke in a surprisingly authoritative voice, protective of her. He held his hand out, standing between her and the door.

"I might need the torch, though."

 

[hiei82]

"Do you think Alex dislikes me?" Des said as she was clearing the last of the debris. "Don't know; I don't get along with people. You wanna know, you're gonna have to ask him." she answered with a shrug.

As she neared the newly-cleared door to listen, Des spoke again. "Don't get any closer, there's something in there; I can sense it. Something living, but I don't know if it is human, or even mortal... I don't like it." he said, walking up to her and the door. "Actually, you should probably get further away. I don't want you to get infected or hurt or anything." he said authoritatively, getting between her and the door. Kes snorted - there wasn't anything she couldn't deal with. "I can handle myself" she added in defense.

However, when he asked for the torch Kes didn't hesitate to hand it to him. She didn't need it and was probably better off without it. After that was complete, she reached down and tore the door from its hinges; tossing it aside like it were made of paper. Thus, the insides were revealed.

 

[Josh123914]

"I might need the torch, though."
''Got you covered!'' called Dalrel, jogging briskly over to Des with a stick as he shoots one end of it with searing flames.
He stops and hands it over.
''So, what do you expect to find? Will this beast be hard to kill or will it just be waiting to die?'' he asked in an effort to start a conversation, hoping quietly what they found was in the latter category.

 

[Anti-American Eagle]

Kyras jumped back as the tree root swung at him. It was shocking to see nature attack him like this... but this clearly wasn't natural. He began to spill fire from his hands at the tree root and the plants around himself, bringing flames to the root attacking him and the corrupted land around him. As he forced energy into the environment he grabbed one of the daggers from his belt and prepared himself for the presence's response.

 

[Lunar Templar]

Riviera sat in a small clearing, cleaning her kills. The beasts had proven a worthy hunt, wrangling into a favor position just one proved tricky getting the second, even more so. All in all it was a good hunt, so she for the time being cleaning the second beast, humming to her self a song of her people, one generally sang after the great hunting festivals, which she solely missed.

After both where cleaned and buried the guts she slung both on her back, wedging the legs between her back plates to keep them 'secure' and headed back to town, she was more hungry now, and she was sure the others would be as well.

 

[IFS]

"Excuse me; a lot of this isn't making sense to me. Am I missing something or is everyone just shockingly able to adapt to new situations now? If you wouldn't mind starting at the beginning, pretend I've forgotten everything."

"Sure, we fought in an arena, escaped, went through another horizon which you said was your home, a desert place of sorts, then went up an elevator and came out here to this horizon which is my home," Alex said "I think most of us are experienced enough with horizon walking that we adapt quickly."

He frowned for a brief moment, the building had been large but hadn't possessed much in the way of hiding places. The rooms were all meant to accommodate most of the village at once if need be and it lacked a cellar of any sort. There was still more rubble to search through though so he couldn't be certain yet.

"So does forgetting things happen often to you?" he asked conversationally. If so it would certainly help to be able to prevent having to repeat this too often.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kyras' flames engulfed the grass and the root repelled somewhat by the damp and cold but still undeniably effective. Parts of the root seemed to recoil and the shriek in the air became a pained scream for a moment. The shattered remains of the root fell to the ground and some distance across the field an old gnarled tree seemed to shudder in pain before with inexorable slowness it tore itself free of the ground. Once free it hunched over, seeming to twist into a new shape though not one that quite matched any animal Kyras knew of. The limbs and roots were spread all around it simultaneously resembling those of spiders and squids.

It shrieked again it began to move towards Kyras, making it heard even back at the camp if only faintly, and those who had remained at the camp needed only to look out at the field to spot some dark form moving about. Its strides lengthening as it seemed to adjust to its depraved form. His senses told him that the dark force that moved it had hidden itself deeper in the corpse of the tree, creating a shield from the flames out of the wet wood.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The door was torn off and the torchlight cut through the darkness revealing what lay at the base of the stairs into the cellar. The carved eyes watched from the walls all along the descent, some even sitting on the steps, and there in the base of the cellar sat the bloated corpse of a man, hunched over a table with a knife in one hand. Some black mass was growing from his back, tearing up what tatters of clothing remained on his form. He seemed ignorant of their presence, his hand moving in the same repetitious gesture over and over again, carving small eyes on the wood only for them to blink or dart away, off the table and onto other surfaces.

As he repeated his motions he repeated a mantra as well, muttering to himself desperately "How many more? Let me die," he said, voice full of hope and despair.

 

[DarkRawen]

"Don't know; I don't get along with people. You wanna know, you're gonna have to ask him. I can handle myself"[/b"

"Oh, right. I don't think he'd respond well to me asking him, though... Wait, what are you doing?" Des titled his head, taking the torch that was handed to him, but worried, as she stepped up to the door.

"Alex said it was dangerous, though... I'm immune, so I'll be fine, but you..." Before he got the chance to hinder Kes' opening the door, Dalrel entered, having followed a bit behind.

"Got you covered!"

The mortal said, and handed him another torch. Confused over the fact that he was now holding two of them, Des just sort of... well, held them, not sure of what to say.

"So, what do you expect to find? Will this beast be hard to kill or will it just be waiting to die?"

As he spoke, Kes opened the door completely, revealing quite the saddening sight, a mortal in a very bad shape, black, ehm... -what was that?- coming out of his back. The mortal kept carving eyes into the wood, eyes that blinked and disappeared, only to appear somewhere else. That was probably something related to the disease.

"How many more? Let me die,"

the mortal kept muttering, and Des felt rather dejected. Was this mortal the demon? Was the thing on his back the demon? Regardless, it was clear that the man was suffering. Des didn't like suffering, it was not in his nature. He aimed to bring and receive pleasure, though, he doubted he could do anything else for the man but to let him die.

"I think he wants to die," Des murmured, stepping forth without second thought. "Excuse me, mister. Who are you?" he asked, both torches still in his hands. If he was threatened, he'd simply use those, Alex had said fire was the way to take them out.

 

[IFS]

"Excuse me, mister. Who are you?"

The man seemed to lurch upright at the words, his face was contorted into an expression of fear as he stumbled towards Des clearly moving against his will.

"Please, run," he said "I am no one of importance, just save yourself."

As he spoke his right hand raised up, trembling and dripping with black ooze. Though the ooze seemed to edge away from the flames though as afraid of them.

 

[Anti-American Eagle]

Kyras looked at the creature lurching towards him, its perversion of nature disturbing him. He placed his dagger back into its place on his belt and he began to spread fire around himself in a circle while he thought, trying to burn the wet grass away and light the ground on fire. After a moment he remembered the hand axe he had brought and pulled it from the small cloth sheath he held it on his back. He took the lit piece of wood he had took from the camp sight in his left hand and started forcing the spark in it to erupt. If it had the gall to walk through or attack him through the fire he had spread around himself he would hack it open and burn it from the inside out through its cuts.

 

[hiei82]

"How many more? Let me die," The man at the bottom of the cellar said as the group entered.

Kes was vaguely aware Des had begun questioning the man and that Dalrel was present. She suspected they were all still reacting to the strange man in their own unique ways. She didn't know what that entailed with the other two travelers, but her own thoughts were not new. The specifics of the situation were entirely new, but the spirit of it was something she'd seen countless times in the great arenas of Liem.

This person was broken; physically and mentally. She'd seen it in other slaves whose legs had been shattered by some beast primordial, she'd seen it in mighty warriors left broken and beaten on the field of battle, and she'd seen it in the eyes of dying monsters. She'd seen it in every race and species from Kalidonian to Liem to species without name. It was the sight of a person in so much pain with no hope remaining, begging for the end to come swiftly and mercifully.

And that was a gift she'd given countless times herself. Having missed the entire conversation between the man and Des, Kes walked forward. She grabbed a piece of dry broken wood from the ground mid stride and continued forward. Kes held the piece of wood up to one of Des's torches allowing it to flare to life. A moment later and with her other - still free - hand, she punched the table with all her might, trying to shatter it and force the man to fall forward upon it. In the same instant, she tossed the new torch toward the (presumable) shattered table intent on turning the table into his pyre.

Spoiler: ooc

@DarkRawen and Josh12345: You can make reactions to Kes's decision to kill the guy - including stopping her if you like. I worded the post such that you both can react to the attempt

 

[DarkRawen]

"Please, run. I am no one of importance, just save yourself."

"It's okay," Des said. "We'll help." He was about to step closer, but Kes acted before him, set something on fire on one of the torches, and punched the table, trying to burn the man alive. Or in whatever state this mortal was.


"W-wait!" Des exclaimed, and tried to stop Kes. He pointed at her sword. This was a death he understood, but not like this. It would be too painful. "Burning alive is a horrible way to go..." Could they even kill him? "I can do it, I can... stab him. I wouldn't be risking anything." He put one of the torches in his other hand so that one hand held the torches and the other was free.

This is the only way, right?

He stepped closer to the man, and touched the icky hand, paralysing the mortal so that he couldn't move. He then grabbed the dagger he was still carrying, ready to stab the man, his hand shaking. Des hadn't liked killing the creatures in the coliseum, and he wasn't any more eager to kill someone.

 

[IFS]

"If you're telling the truth there's nothing to worry about, I promise."

Alex shrugged "Alright then, but be quick about it," he said, holding out his gloved hand.

Kyras

The thing moved around him, staying back from the circle of flames he had created and seeming to flinch back as he waved the torch. Clearly it was still cautious of fire even if its shell of wood afforded it some protection.

The cellar

The man stiffened at Des' touch, even the infection in his flesh remained still though the eyes swarmed along the walls giving hateful but impotent glares at Des, though they seemed to edge away from the firelight.

 

[Lunar Templar]

Riviera walked back into town, her kills slung on her back and headed back to where they had been camped out the night prior and after setting the meat down, gather more wood for a cooking flame, as well as trying to track down something to roast them on proper.