Horizon Walkers (Game Thread) Dead

[Anti-American Eagle]

Kyras wandered the plaza as soldiers met him and died. Events blurred around him, everything taking on the quality of a haze as he made his way to the portal that he had saw open. His senses sharpened briefly when he saw something. Dalrel had been cut down in the distance. Kyras started walking to the man when his mind snapped back at him. He was surrounded, too many of the soldiers were between them for him to be healed, and he was already dead with that wound.

Part of him thought to try anyway and die in the square fighting but he had come too far. As he had these thoughts he saw that he was already moving, his mind starting to haze over again as his body walked through the portal.

When the cold air hit Kyras on the other side his mind once again sharpened and panicked as he saw water rising. He scrambled across to the island he saw others standing upon, soaking his legs in the freezing water in the process. With little thought as he saw Zuria chopping at one of the trees he began swinging his Khopesh into another tree nearby, joining her. His thoughts of survival turning from tired and concussed to cold.

 

[DarkRawen]

"No time for shelter, we need to set out as soon as we're ready, I don't know how long we have but we'll know as soon as we're out of time. If you need anything else we'll pick it up on the way from some of the wrecks."

Des just sort of leaned down, waiting for the others to act. He was cold, very cold, and he cuddled against the goats Kes had brought, petting their horns as he did. They were a bit smelly, but at least they were warm.

I'd much rather cuddle with Kes though. Or at least another pretty girl.

He examined her, then the rest. Speaking to her, he whined a bit.

"Kes, I'm cold..." he started, looking at her as he spoke. He wanted to make sure he didn't make her upset, or worse. "Don't you want to get warmed up?"

 

[hiei82]

"Oh and stop them from humping the only boat on this island." Zuria said, referring to several Walruses. She continued adding "No time for shelter, we need to set out as soon as we're ready, I don't know how long we have but we'll know as soon as we're out of time. If you need anything else we'll pick it up on the way from some of the wrecks."

Kes nodded at that as she quickly dismounted from her goat-steed and walked over to where the walruses were. Truth told, she was rather tired from the battle on the last world and didn't want to kill the random creatures. Instead, she made her way over, roared at the walruses nearby in annoyance, and pulled the raft and canoe ashore. One of them didn't take kindly to the challenge and met it's end at her hands as she broke one of it's tusks and buried it deep into the creature's skull by way of the eye. The others learned to not mess with her.

Once the raft was ashore, she put the smaller of the two on top of the taller of the two, picked them up, and carried them over to where the party was - temporarily - setting up camp. When the time came, she'd just take them back to the water.

From there, Kes made her way back to the goats. They deserved a break. As such, she started removing the weapons from the front runner and tied them off to a large tree. She didn't know if they'd be killed for food or not, but if not they needed a rest. Given they had a dead walrus to eat if necessary, she rather hoped the goats would be left alone.

It was as she was tying them off that Des came over from holding the goats to check on her. "Kes, I'm cold..." he started, looking at her as he spoke. "Don't you want to get warmed up?". In all honesty, Kes wasn't cold in the slightest. Between all the fighting and her powers, she was actually on the warm side. Still, she knew not everyone was as well adapted to the cold as she. "Sure." she said with a shrug.

"Zuria! Des and I are going to search the wreckage to see if we can find some clothes for the weather." Kes spun on her heels and made her way off toward a distant wreck.

 

[Josh123914]

Nettil stood there, shivering, while more capable people gathered the wood. Logging wasn't something she had a sufficiency in. She pondered perhaps shifting the ground beneath the trees to uproot them, but they were likely too big, and the prospect of perhaps discovering her powers no longer functioned outside her homeland was a question that she wasn't in the mood to find out. The time for lamenting past mistakes wasn't here. she thought. The main goal tonight is to prove to these people that Nettil can pull her own weight.

"Zuria! Des and I are going to search the wreckage to see if we can find some clothes for the weather." She heard Kes shout. Kes had just finished stabbing a large mound of flesh with its own weapon, so Nettil noted not to piss this one off.
Nettil shivered lightly again, and called back.
"Get m-me a coat?! Pants too!"
She then watched the group depart, smirking at how just a few hours prior, and in another world. the same duo left the rest without her being aware.

Then she heard Zuria. Yelling about meat and travelling.

"Anyone care to give me a hand cutting the beast up? Or getting it up here."
"I'll help." Nettil said, approaching the Arboreal Hiking Rams, and pulling the spear-staff from off her back. The weapon was over a metre tall and very thin.
"I haven't used the Beam before, but don't worry, it will get the job done." she stated with confidence, holding the weapon in her left hand and lightly bouncing the front of the staff in her right hand.

"We can either wait until morning or try and travel today though by the time we arrive it might be pretty cold and dark."
Nettil then looked at Zuria, and then the sky. "I don't think it would be safe to travel at night. Think of the cold." she then thought about the snow. The ice. The expanse of land that the group will never even see of this world. How cold this area must be, and how much more frigid other territories could be....
Nettil then glanced over, and remembered that she was supposed to be doing things.
"Right then," she said, laughing lightly, "The 'goats'."
The bottom side of the rod was sharp and made of steel. So formed a spear, however the other side was a finely cut gem, and when used glowed green. "Raj used this earlier, so it shouldn't be... too... difficult...." Nettil then eyed the staff towards the neck of one of the large beasts and gritted her teeth.

A loud bang was heard, and next thing Nettil knew she stumbled back onto one knee (caking her dress in mud) and when she looked up, one of the goats had a small gash no more than an inch wide in its head. However, said gash travelled the whole way through the skull. The new hole made the nearby flesh searing red hot, with blood bubbling out of the cavity. The beast was most certainly dead.

She then looked up triumphantly to Zuria. "Good?"

 

[Lunar Templar]

Lucia had started gather wood into a pile, smaller sticks at the base with bigger sticks and branches on top. 'Times like these a wish I was a fire breather ...' she though as she blew small electrical sparks at the base of the pile, it took a few tries for it to light but it did and she nursed the flames till the had a real fire going. "I present to you ... 'warmth'" she announced to those near by as she sat by the fire, more or less keeping watch over it. "Also" She started, taking a look at the skys and general state of the weather for the foreseeable future. "We she wait till morning before setting out."

 

[DarkRawen]

"Zuria! Des and I are going to search the wreckage to see if we can find some clothes for the weather."

Des hadn't exactly meant that, but at least Kes had good intentions. Perhaps she hadn't even picked up on the intention. Regardless, it was a good idea, while he didn't need clothes, he still didn't enjoy the cold. Following Kes, he didn't hear -or really, pay attention to- what Zuria and the others were discussing, instead getting closer to Kes and taking her hand.

"If you don't mind," he said, smiling to Kes as he felt her hand in his. "I'd like to make sure you don't slip and fall. It's a bit slippery on the ice, easy to---" Des found himself losing his balance, barely managing to stand up due to holding Kes' hand, and he laughed, a bit embarrassed.

At least I didn't fall and get all wet.

The only thing Des could imagine being worse than the cold was being cold and wet.

"Like that, I suppose. Sorry, I can let go if you'd rather not fall with me."

 

[Anti-American Eagle]

Kyras replied with a nod and the word, "Welcome," to Zuria as she thanked him for the help and after moving around a bit he made his way to Lucia's fire when he noticed it. With hints of desperation on his face he sat close to the fire and said, "Thanks," to Lucia in recognition of her having started it. After a few moments of sitting he stuck his hands into the flame for warmth, letting the heat wash over them before pulling them out to settle into the space.

When Zuria asked about moving he replied after Nettil and Lucia with a simple "I need time."

Feeling the cold spreading into him again, Kyras took his pack and put it on the ground next to him. He looked into it for a few moments before pulling a bottle of green liquor from it, half-surprised that it hadn't been shattered in the fighting. He eyed it for a moment before pulling the cork from it and then drinking from it.

 

[hiei82]

Kes heard requests for various clothes. She'd see what she could find. Truthfully, she was actually shocked to notice Nettil had followed them through the gate. Looking around, she also noted the absence of Dalrel; she'd have to bring up the question once they were done collecting clothes.

She and Des made their way around the island toward the nearest wreck. Des took her hand in an attempt to make sure she didn't slip - which was kind - though he ended up relying on her more than the reverse. This wasn't so surprising however given she'd spent her fighting in strange places while he... she wasn't quite sure. She couldn't recall having much of a conversation with any of the group over their pasts. In part, this was because she figured they'd speak about them if they wanted to and, likewise, if there was something important about her past that needed to be said, she'd say it. "Like that, I suppose. Sorry, I can let go if you'd rather not fall with me." Des said, drawing a smile from Kes. "I'm not worried; it's not like the cold will hurt me."

Before either of them could get any clothing however, Zuria yelled over the hill at them. "We can't take them with us, the raft will be cramped as it is and I don't see any other way off this island. Do you want to say anything to them? Or would you rather someone else..." Zuria began to say in regards to the goats. The problem hadn't honestly occurred to her. Frankly, long term planing wasn't her most impressive ability. Still, she figured there would be a way to pull it off as long as they all worked together; they just needed the opportunity to talk it out. Regardless, she had no intention of letting the goat's die so long as she had a say. She quickly climbed to the top of the hill to respond as such.

Zuria said something about a vote but Kes didn't retain the memory or respond. This was because Nettil held up her spear and aimed it at one of the goat's. Kes's eyes went wide as she jumped down to stop her. She made it about three steps before the loud blast rang out and one of the goats dropped. The other goat - being nearby - was understandably spooked and bucked in response. It tried to run away but couldn't due to being tied off. The poor beast nearly strangled itself in fear before Kes arrived and calmed it.

Once it was calmed, Kes turned her attention to Nettil who was busy looking quite happy with herself. Kes quickly closed the distance between the two of them, intent on making her resemble the goat she'd killed. She stopped short of this however; her rage contained as her fist wasmere centimeters from Nettil. "You're going to come up with a way to help me get the other off the island or I'm MAKING room on the raft." Kes said, her threat hopefully clear.

From there, she made her way back to the downed goat, put her hand on it for a moment with her eyes closed, then started walking the remaining goat to the other side of the island; clearly she couldn't trust some of the people on the island. She was rewarded for her lack of trust when a wave began approaching the island. She quickly rushed down to where Des was and put the goat behind him.

Without much time to think, she grabbed a large piece of the ship wreck, held it up in front of all of them, and dug her feet into the ground to protect them from any threat the wave might represent. "Stay behind me!" she said mostly to Des, but hoping the goat would somehow recognize the order to stay.

 

[Josh123914]

Nettil felt weaker after firing. Her arms felt numb, and she dropped the staff (which glowed a now faint, albeit more intense green) and scraped the mud off her, as an imposing figure loomed over her, and her handiwork.
"You're going to come up with a way to help me get the other off the island or I'm MAKING room on the raft."

Nettil stood there, confused at how she could have annoyed this one. *You had one job Nettil. One fucking job!*. Nettil watched as Kes moved to mourn her kill, and assumed that Kes had some emotional attachment to the animals, and lamented her rash decision. However, Nettil can't forget the threat that was just thrown her way, And it was probably for the best she killed one of them-- especially a male. These animals naturally had riders as partners, and it wasn't uncommon for this bond to be construed as romantic by the beasts. This usually becomes a burden, even moreso whenever the rider and the ride were of opposing genders...

She then leaned her head out and asked inquisitively, "Do you want a broken anus?"
*What AM I saying?*.

But the large fighter just walked away. Before Nettil could chase after her, a large wave randomly burst forth from up and around the hill. "Shit!" She said aloud, and dropped the staff to claw her right arm in a circular rotation. Where which a cylinder of land was ripped up from the ground to surround her. This shielded her from the torrent, and she then stomped on the ground, turning the formation from a wall to a platform several metres tall (certainly taller than the hill).
She then peered to the other side of the island, watching Kes struggle with the Ram.
*I doubt I'll even need a raft.* She thought to herself with pride.
"*****."

 

[DarkRawen]

"I'm not worried; it's not like the cold will hurt me."

"Yes, but it'd be unpleasant," Des replied, though he held onto her hand, smiling back. "And I don't like seeing you experience a lack of pleasure. You're important to me, after all."

A warm feeling filling him from touching Kes' hand, not because he was in love the way a human would be, but because he cared, more than he could remember caring about most other mortals. However, then Kes let go, angry, apparently Nettil had murdered one of her goats. Kes walked over to her, while Des stood still, though he spoke, first a bit quietly and then louder.

"Oh no," Des said, remembering that he had cuddled with that one especially. "Why would you do that?" Eyes narrowed a bit, mostly because of that Kes was upset, but also because he didn't know they had to harm goats.

"It was just standing there, innocently. And it was cute, I---" he trailed off, noticing the wave. At first, he didn't realize what Kes was doing. Then it hit him, she was making it some sort of wall, to protect some of them.

"Stay behind me!"

"Let me help," he replied, and stepped next to her. "I'm stronger than I look," he continued. "That's what happens when you're a demon." He looked to the other, hoping that they would get that they were supposed to get behind it as well. When Nettil made her own wall, Des just shrugged, he didn't feel like helping her either way.

 

[Anti-American Eagle]

"I'd not drink if I were you, you'll need to be up and active early tomorrow. And you don't want to feel warm when you're not."

After a few moments of silence on his part Kyras replied "Cold either way."

When Kes started yelling, he hadn't heard the bang when Nettil had killed the goat but he could hear the yelling, he just shook his head. They didn't need more meat and even then the animals more more useful alive, even if just to be given a chance in this frozen wasteland...

And then a loud bang, a deafening bang. The others were moving around. He looked around trying to figure out the problem. Kes was holding a piece of the ship, Nettil was something... Then he saw it, a wave. He quickly got his pack back on his back and thoughtlessly dropped his liquor. A couple of seconds later he was behind the piece of the ship and preparing to brace against the wave with them. They were doing it, clearly they had some idea of how to survive this.

 

[IFS]

The group almost predictably descended into squabbling, Nettil killed a goat for some reason and Kes was upset over it. Perhaps I should consider leaving on my own when I get the chance. He shook his head, being with a group was safer than fighting on his own, though given what they had been through he was beginning to wonder if that was really the case.

As if to add to this point there was a sudden surge through the waters around the island, and in the distance a massive wave could be seen approaching quickly. Is this a tsunami? I've read about these, I thought they kept low in the water until they started to reach the shore, I guess this island qualifies. Healer's preserve us.

"Well this looks to be uncomfortable," he said, glancing over at how Kes was bracing herself I'm not sure even you can fight the ocean. Nettil meanwhile raised a barrier around herself, which Alex wasn't sure would hold back the wave either.

Still he had to do something, and Kes's plan at least left them something to hold onto if they all got washed off the island. Quickly he darted over next to her, grabbing onto the piece of shipwreck as well.

 

[Lunar Templar]

Having heard the roar of the wave couldn't help but just roll her eyes at the constant 'wave' as it where of 'bad to worse'.

the group seemed to be mostly going for the wreck near by, not a bad plan she had to admit, but she had a better idea then hopping a bit of wood would save her. So she took off on up the hill spread her wings and threw her self off the top and took to the skys, partly cause she knew she could get higher then the wave, it'd be easier to spot survivors and pluck them out of the water if she had to.

 

[hiei82]

Des pushed up against the wooden plank with her as the wave hit. She might have argued but there really wasn't time. Instead, she quickly made room for him and braced for the impact. A moment later, Alex joined in on the plan. She made note that the others had similar ideas; Kyras hid behind a different black of wood, Lucia took advantage of her wings, Nettil summoned some sort of earth wall, while Zuria went for a tree.

Meanwhile, the goat - much to her annoyance - had apparently run off to protect it's dead mate. She could understand of course, but it was damned stupid. She supposed she couldn't blame the goat for that though.

When the wave hit, Kes lost sight of the other groups and just had to hope their strategies paid off. As the wave crested the hill, Kes pushed with all her might against the plank to keep it up. The wave only lasted a few moments, but the devistation it left in it's wake was tremendous. Trees were uprooted, wrecks lost and gained, and even the wall Nettil had erected had faced considerable erosion.

For their part, the plank worked well enough, at least in the sense that they weren't knocked back into the sea. The hill had taken the brunt of the wave for them, so the plank had only needed to stand against a relatively small force. Unfortunately, they were knocked back somewhat into the shallows. Further, the plank did little to stop them from being blasted with near-freezing water.

For Kes, this wasn't much of an issue. She wasn't really affected by temperature changes. However, she knew had no such special protection. Once the wave had passed, she quickly helped Des and Alex out of the water. While doing so, she grabbed the clothes that were starting to wash away and dropped them near Des.

That left the others. Lucia had avoided all of the issues which was good. Zuria seemed to be the worst off of the party; her tree having collapsed. Nettil was caught in a pool of mud which Kes considered a sort of karmic vengeance; she was now as dirty as her hands. Meanwhile, the remaining goat...

The goat was injured. Kes could see it easily. It wasn't clear how badly, but given their position and resources, it didn't matter. An injured animal was as good as dead. Kes cursed under her breath. She didn't like any of this. Kes wasn't the only one to notice. "Do that thing a favor; there's not future for it where we're going and I'm not letting you slow us down delaying the inevitable. Not when my people need me." Zuria said, drawing an annoyed grunt and a glare from Kes. After all, from what she could tell, it was Zuria's wonderful people who got them all aught in this situation. Kes would have likely said as much if she didn't feel she owed the woman something for helping with the slave situation on the last Horizon.

Slowly, Kes mad her way over to the goat. She calmed it as best she could. She held the confused, cold, and hurt creature close; petting it to calm it further. She wrapped her arms around it's neck, continuing the petting. Then, in one move in one moment, she rotated her arms and snapped the goat's neck. It was gone instantly; not even getting a chance to yelp in surprise or pain. Like with the other, she closed her eyes and touched it briefly to send it on to another world.

Finally, Kes glanced around to make sure no one else was in immediate danger - save Nettil who she really didn't care one way or the other - before making to search the new wreckage by herself.

 

[Lunar Templar]

"I'd love to know what magic your used to that allows a camp fire to survive a wave like that." Lucia retorted as she landed on the now squishier ground. Lucia, however, complied since it was getting colder and heat would be needed sooner rather then later, and again she reared back then launched a lightning bolt from her maw, albeit significantly smaller then the last one. This time she didn't need to fiddle with it to get the downed tree to burn, the raw heat, while less effective then a plume from a fire breather would have been, did just fine setting the tree ablaze, though given the situation, she doubted the sound of thunder so close by did much for the others.

 

[DarkRawen]

Des was wet. He was wet, and cold, but they were fine. Somewhat. Not the goat, though, like its friend, something horrible had happened to it. Zuria said that they had to kill it, but honestly, Des didn't understand her reasoning. He didn't look as Kes killed the goat, granting it mercy, but still. He didn't understand why.

Mortals always made other mortals, "animals" into something less than them. Would Zuria have been so quick to suggest that they kill the injured party, had it been herself? Had it been Kes, or Alex, or Kyras? Or---

"Where's Dalrel?" he suddenly asked, looking around. "Didn't he... didn't he come with us?" Thinking about it, Des hadn't seen him, and now the horizon was... he looked to Alex. Alex was the clever one, he knew a lot about... well, a lot. He then looked to the others, but not Kes. He wasn't sure what to say to her. Besides, Des wanted to give Kes a chance to be alone, she was upset about the goats, and with good reason. Perhaps she'd cheer up a bit if she got to be alone, it wasn't something any of them had much of a chance to do since the coliseum.

"Do any of you guys know what happened to Dalrel? Did we leave him behind?" He ignored Nettil, she could probably get out of there herself, and she had made Kes upset. Besides, if something had happened to Dalrel, wouldn't it be the one dragging them around, resulting in him getting hurt, that was at fault?

 

[Josh123914]

Nettil uprooted herself from the mud one leg at a time, sloppily grabbing spare branches and hauling her pouch and staff above her waist. She was now completely exhausted, and lit up like the downed tree at the prospect of not having to work any more tonight.
She wanted to sleep, but safe in the knowledge that the cold wouldn't prevent her from waking up.

By the time Nettil had unplugged herself from the muck, she violently slapped her dress as the mud and caked sand flew off of her. Even leaves that found themselves wound in her hair were tugging to be freed. She was just about ready to curl up into a sleeping position for the night, when she heard someone shout something,
"Do any of you guys know what happened to Dalrel? Did we leave him behind?"
Nettil went to say something before looking back down at the ground, "He, well..."
He sounded and looked visibly distressed, and judging from earlier interactions he seemed to have a simplistic mindset. She also couldn't quite recollect this one's name.

I can't tell him, not yet. Who knows how he would react... The only possible witnesses were myself and that one. She thought, looking up and shooting Kyras a look. I'll sort out Kyras later...

She then went back to the distraught one. "Before we left, I saw Dalrel behind a pillar. I wanted to shout, but he was too far away, and then the Horizon opened. I'm sorry he was left behind Kes..."
She smiled and patted him on the shoulder reassuringly, satisfied with her explanation.