Journey of the Accursed: A Dark Souls RP (closed, PM if interested)

[Tactical Pause]

Turning to face the giant wasps which had now focused their attention on him and Rang, Caelius kept his shield raised and began to back away from the wasps at a steady pace, attempting to keep at least some amount of distance between himself and the creatures.

"Hey!" he called out to the wasps, banging his mace against his shield. "To me, you worthless servants of evil!" He had armor, and he had a plan, but he wasn't so sure about Rang. He had seen the man use sorcery, and thought it best if Rang could have some breathing room to continue casting.

The closer the wasps got to Caelius, the more his muscles tensed as he judged the distance between himself and his assailants. If they were just a little bit closer... He didn't know if he could catch an oversized bug by surprise, but figured it was worth a shot. If worse came to worse, he hoped his relatively thick armor would keep him safe.

As the wasps crossed the line he had painted in his mind, Caelius immediately reversed his movement. He dropped his shield to his side and lunged forward, swinging his mace in a wide horizontal arc in an effort to hit as many of the insects as he could.

 

[DarkRawen]

"Hey! To me, you worthless servants of evil!"

Rang saw the wasps go over to Caelius' side, and although he wanted to say that he could handle them on his own, he instead decided to turn slightly, still keeping an eye on Caelius' back, but also making sure that he could hit those who survived Caelius' attack.

There seemed to be little danger in doing so, none of the other creatures were close to them, and the others seemed able to handle them themselves. Even if Rang had used sorcery, those spells he knew were mostly based on stealth, only one of them was offensive, and it took a lot of effort to use, so it had limited uses.

I'm a worthless wizard... But that isn't important right now. I---I have to help.

Rang had to keep himself from getting depressed, this was not the time to feel bad. Besides, he had already taken care of some creatures, so he couldn't be that terrible, right?

Right.

As he moved, he made sure to glance one last time towards the distant, facing away from Caelius. If something was there, he would spot it, and immediately turn around to attack the creature, but if not, he would take care of the wasps that remained after Caelius' move.

 

[Red_Fog]

The lizard's lifeless body hit the ground with a thud as Travis reared Sue around and took a moment to take in the situation. The company of undead seemed to be fairing well and the lizards had been nearly wiped out, the remainders likely to soon route after being so outclassed. The wasps were closing in on Avina but it seemed the group had heeded his words and she did not stand alone.

At this rate we'll soon have the chance to make a break for...

Travis' thoughts were interrupted as Sue bucked and whinnied. The second lizard that had been stalking Travis decided to attack despite it's compatriot's quick demise and had latched itself onto Sue's flanks. Before Travis could even turn in his saddle Isis was on the lizard attempting to pull it off with her blades.

"If you would be so kind, get off of Sir Travis's Horse."

As the lizard struggled against her attempts Travis swung his shield around to bash the lizard's head followed by his blade, thrust in a downward stab.

 

[sage42]

Avina growled as the wasp bit at her chest. Forgoing her flame or blade, she grabbed the mandible of the wasp and pulled as hard as she could the other way. With a wet rip the mandible tore from the wasp causing it to release Avina and flinch back in pain. Tossing the mandible to the ground, she turned and snapped her fingers at the wasp trying to puncture her robes setting it ablaze.

"Hey! To me, you worthless servants of evil!" Avina had to fight not to roll her eyes at the cleric's words. None of the creatures that swarmed them were "Evil" per say. Fighting off invaders to their territory. But he was drawing the creatures to him and away from her. Which gave her time to draw her own blade. No knowing when she would get a chance to rest again, no use to tire herself on bugs. She turned back to the bug that had tried to bite her. With lunged forward with her sword, skewering the bug. Yanking her blade free as she turned, her shield ready, to face the other wasps that had begun to focus on her companions.

 

[IFS]

Driven by the combined blows from Travis and Isis the lizard tumbled to the ground, soon followed by Isis though she fared much better than it, it squirmed and twitched before it finished realizing it was dead and lay still. Drawn in by the noise, more from the clanging on the shield than Caelius's taunting, the wasps homed in on him clustering together as they did so. Most were crushed by his heavy swing, and the fraction that remained were swatted to pieces by quick blows from Rang's staff. The first wasp assaulting Avina struggled as she pulled it free and dispatched it, though it managed to inflict little aside from a few superficial scratches. The second fell to the strike from her blade, failing to even match the accomplishments of the first.

The final lizard seemed undeterred by the loss of its fellows and took advantage of Ulrich's weighty armor hindering his movements. It lashed at his helmet with its tongue to distract him and then darted around behind him leaping onto his back. Its claws scratched at his helm as it tried to pry it free to get at his unprotected flesh beneath.

Further ahead the smog blocking the road began to break up as the breeze strengthened, though more began to flow in behind them. More noises could be heard in the smoke but nothing else surfaced yet, and no shapes could be seen moving in the distance..

 

[Texas Joker 52]

-Isis-​

With a little help from Travis in the form of his shield bashing into the dog-lizards head, followed with a quick stab of his sword, the beast came free from his horses flank, and Isis simply followed it down. When it reached the ground, it twitched for a second, prompting her to stab her Estoc into it as well, though it was clearly unnecessary.

Once she pulled her weapons free, she looked over at Travis and gave him a jaunty salute with her Estoc, before she glanced down the path they had been following before the attack.

The path ahead was starting to clear up, but the fog behind them only seemed to get thicker. Thankfully, even with the hostile noises around them, she couldn't see any forms in the distance, meaning whatever was in the fog was laying in wait. Normally, that would be rather unsettling, but seeing as they were clearing up the last of the wasps and dog-lizards, she considered it fortunate. They wouldn't have to deal with another wave for at least a few minutes.

"The path ahead is clearing! I suggest we make haste to the archives before anything else attacks us!", she called over to Travis, pointing the way with her Parrying Dagger.

 

[Pandalisk]

Ulrich attempted to clutch backwards with his free hand at the lizard that had pried itself to the back of his armor. However despite his best efforts his armor impeded his attempts as the scrapes and slashes intensified against the nape of his armor and his helm.

"The path ahead is clearing! I suggest we make haste to the archives before anything else attacks us!"

A wave of urgency overcame ulrich, if he did not shake the vile scum that had attached itself to his back then the party would advance without him, leaving him alone in the fog to be massacred by the file creatures that dwelled within it.
Dropping his mace with a thundering smash Ulrich mustered all the finesse and movement the armor offered him, reaching back with his newly free'd hand, attempting to grab hold of the lizard's spinly thigh before motioning his bulk to topple down backwards, upon the vile cretin that held onto his back so vehemently.

 

[IFS]

The lizard realized Ulrich's intent too late, and its efforts to scramble free were met with a resounding thud and a slight crunch as it was crushed underneath the rogue knights heavy armor. The leg Ulrich had managed to grab twitched in his hand, the rest of the creature either remained somewhat flat beneath him or began to seep out into the ground around him, it would likely take some effort to clean its remains off later.

 

[Red_Fog]

Through their combined efforts Isis and Travis were able to cleanly free Sue of the Lizard's grasp, quickly dispatching it in the process. The woman of Carim was proving a valuable ally as she saluted Travis using her blade and Travis quickly returned the gesture, giving his blade and solid flick as he returned it to his side to let fly the excess blood that had accumulated on the sword lest it drip past his pommel and threaten his grip.

"The path ahead is clearing! I suggest we make haste to the archives before anything else attacks us!"

Isis motioned to the clearing road as she looked up at Sir MacWilliam to make her suggestion. It then had suddenly struck Travis as to how responsive the others had been to his commands. He was used to commanding a company of disciplined knights and in the heat of battle he had simply acted the way he was used to. Taking charge and taking action. But this was no company of Astoran Knights, he doubted few of them had any real military experience and none of them were Astoran. Yet they had been quick to comply and work together and here was this warrior of Carim looking up at him expecting to receive orders. Expecting him to lead.

Perhaps the Gods bless this company. Perhaps they divine us to succeed. Only time will tell.

Travis took a quick glance around making sure everyone was clear of adversaries as the last of the beasts was felled by Ulrich's great size then nodded back as Isis, "Go." Then he shouted out to everyone, "Go! Make best speed to the town! We'll take shelter in a building and take rest where we're less exposed, quickly now!" He would let the speed of the others dictate his own, using his speed on horseback to act as a screening force to intercept opponents that might catch the slower members of they're party. Travis expected to run interference mostly for Caelius and Ulrich who's large and heavy armor encumbered them, making them easier to catch.

 

[Tactical Pause]

After dispatching the hellish wasps, Caelius examined his surroundings. The group appeared to have neatly dealt with each and every wicked creature that had attacked them. Today was a good day; Caelius felt invigorated by the recent scuffle, and empowered by his ability to come out of it unharmed. Turning his face to the sky, he thanked Gwyn for his divine protection, and asked that it continue until this humble servant's task was complete.

"The path ahead is clearing! I suggest we make haste to the archives before anything else attacks us!"

Looking down the path, he saw that it was indeed clear, though for how long could not be known. He threw a second glance in the other direction, and saw that the poisonous mist had begun to envelop the road which they had just traversed, like a malevolent force devouring the land behind them, biting at their heels. He still felt somewhat apprehensive about the toxic nature of the fog, but was confident that he would make it through unharmed. He was, after all, protected.

"Go! Make best speed to the town! We'll take shelter in a building and take rest where we're less exposed, quickly now!"

It was the knight who had begun to call out orders. Mounted atop his warhorse, his steel armor reflecting the dull glow of the mist, he looked like the commander of an army. Caelius had no qualms with taking orders from this man, and hastened to obey. With a noble leader, and guidance and protection from the gods themselves, he knew there was no possible way this quest could fail.

 

[DarkRawen]

"The path ahead is clearing! I suggest we make haste to the archives before anything else attacks us!"

Yeah, we should.

"Y-yeah."

When the scariest of them killed the last monster, Rang couldn't help but smile, relieved, as he started to follow the others. They had to be fast not to be affected by the fog, and he cleared it a bit up with his staff as they approached it. Rang wasn't as scared of the people there anymore, as they had just defended each other, and worked together. It was clear that they understood that their survival was dependent upon having as many people as possible, and no one seemed to think he was a burden.

Well, that's not true. They might just not be saying it out aloud...

He probably had been a burden, the others were stronger, after all.

I'll try to do better than next time.

"Go! Make best speed to the town! We'll take shelter in a building and take rest where we're less exposed, quickly now!"

He kept following, although with his speed, he quickly ran ahead of several of the others. He couldn't outrun a horse, obviously, but he was fast enough for it to be noticeable.

No good, I can't run in front of people like that.

With that, he slowed down a bit. He wanted to say something to the others while they ran, thank them for not just leaving him behind to deal with it, like his parents had done a couple of times. However, he kept his mouth shut, and his eyes on the road in front of them, and the area around them.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

-Isis-​

She smiled under her porcelain headpiece as Travis returned her salute, and he hesitated for only a moment before he barked out their next orders.

"Go. Go! Make best speed to the town! We'll take shelter in a building and take rest where we're less exposed, quickly now!".

She nodded and broke into a run, though she didn't dare sheathe her weapons. After all, she had no clue whether or not they would run into anything else along the way, or in whatever they deemed suitable shelter. It was when the slight Sorcerer, Rang, managed to overtake her with surprising ease that she pushed herself to speed up in turn.

She wasn't fond of the idea of letting him rush into their prospective shelter alone, possibly to get ambushed. As such, she was thankful when he slowed somewhat, letting her get alongside him. This way, if they were to run into anything particularly nasty, the Sorcerer wasn't left on his own, without any help at all.

 

[sage42]

"The path ahead is clearing! I suggest we make haste to the archives before anything else attacks us!" Avina found it odd to travel after the smoke cleared. Yes it stung the eyes and chocked the breath, but it did so with everything. Surely it would have been wiser to move under the cover of smoke. But no matter, People were moving, and she would not be the only one out here.

"Go. Go! Make best speed to the town! We'll take shelter in a building and take rest where we're less exposed, quickly now!".

Avina was starting to like this Travis. She ran along the path after the others. She was glad to see she wouldn't be the only one with her blade still drawn. The other woman was defiantly odd, but she had sense. What was surprising was seeing the Sorcerer take of like a well trained soldier. Interesting, veeeeerrrry interesting. I may have to pester him later. She thought as she ran.

 

[Pandalisk]

Once the leg of the foul lizard had stopped twitching Ulrich rose from the ground, an audible sound of breaking bone could be heard as the rogue knight shifted his excessive bulk and rose to his feed, ashed mixed dirt sprinkling off his armor, as he reached for his mace and nestled it neatly across his shoulder.

"Go. Go! Make best speed to the town! We'll take shelter in a building and take rest where we're less exposed, quickly now!"

Ulrich began to lurch forward, his armor impaired his speed tremendously and his was only able to maintain a steady amble down the road behind the party, obviously the slowest of the entire group, as the vile fog began to nip at the back of his heels.

Though it had only been their first engagement lasting but a moment Ulrich appeared as though they had been in combat for days. The already unseemly armor looked all the more ghastly with its tattered white surcoat further tarnished by ash and the jagged ebony armor weeping blood and gore, trailing patches of blood behind the party.

Dragonet kept his eyes forward and his pace steady, not allowing the baneful fog he had gotten to know almost intimately over the week he had spent waiting for the party to unnerve him.

 

[IFS]

As they ran down the road the town quickly began to come into view, the closer they got the thinner the smoke became and the noises of the plains fell steadily away. The buildings that remained had suffered from age, weather, and much more, few had anything resembling an intact roof and those that still stood were largely composed of grey stone. The nearest to them appeared to have once been a church of some sort, it was missing one wall, though the other three stood well enough and while the roof was gone the floor of the second story of the building provided some shelter, though it was composed of rotted wood. The stairs and furniture in the building were in pieces for the most part, though a stone altar still stood well enough. The statue over the altar was broken, its head had been smashed off from the looks of it though its hands were outstretched in a welcoming gesture and it seemed otherwise intact. A small welcoming bonfire sat in the center of the building, just before the altar.

Looming over the town could be seen the grey stone keep that was their destination, oddly faint sounds of clamor could be heard coming from near it, though the town seemed otherwise desolate and quiet. In the distance past the keep a mountain range could be seen emerging from the smoke. It seemed the group might have time to rest here for a moment, though their journey was still only just beginning.

 

[Pandalisk]

Ulrich stepped across the rubble of the old church's former wall, finding easy footing upon the weathered, moss covered stone. Clearing a path through the few defiant rotten wooden pews still within the church, he reached the bonfire but did not sit, rather began to walk the length church, scanning the area methodically with his limited vision.

He then stood upon the stone rubble once more, his visor fixed upon the grey tower and the faint booming sound that emanated from it. Though the clamor from within its walls was slight, it had a tremendously substantial presence among the dead ruins of the town.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

-Isis-​

The Carim Assassin was immensely thankful when their small group made it to the ruins of the town. But, she couldn't help but wonder just how long it had been since the town had fallen to the beast that had been mentioned earlier. The buildings were crumbling into rubble, what wood remained was clearly rotted, and the only intact remains were stone.

She slowed slightly before glancing back at the others, as well as the fog that continued to grow behind them. Whatever noises there had been were dying off, but she knew better than to think that the township was safe.

"Keep vigilant! Don't assume anywhere is safe.", she called, before following the massive Ulrich in the direction of the church.

The church itself was intact, save for the collapsed wall and missing roof, the the floor to the next level remained, forming an acceptable shelter from the elements. The statue, on the other hand, was a curiosity. Striding to it, she sheathed her Parrying Dagger before reaching up to it. But a moment before she could touch it, her hand flinched away, and she shook her head.

Turning away, she made her way to the Bonfire and watched for the others.

 

[Red_Fog]

As the group began moving off Travis kept a careful eye on the rear and flanks should something jump out from the haze and threaten one of the party. As expected Isis had taken up the front, her slim figure and light gear easily allowing her to out pace the others. Save for one, as surprisingly the sickly looking Rang managed to pass her almost like she was standing still. The young sorcerer turned out to be incredibly fit, and had shown himself quite capable of defending himself with his staff. Isis, not one to be outdone upped her pace as Rang slowed down a bit and the two acted as the team's vanguard. Ulrich on the other hand was moving almost painfully slow, his hefty armor and immense figure allowing him to keep up a slow jog at best. Travis kept close to the hulking warrior, occasionally dashing up to briefly check on the others. Thankfully no more creatures of the border challenged them and the group was able to make the remainder of the distance to the town unopposed.

Isis and Rang had spotted the remains of a church on the outskirts that was suitable for making camp. Travis sheathed his blade as he made his way to the ruins and dismounted to lead Sue into the church where he examined her injuries. The bleeding seemed to have stopped, though she appeared to treat her left hind leg gingerly. Travis cooed the mare as he patted her neck. "There, there Sue. That's a good girl. We've had worse, right?"

Satisfied he made his way over to Ulrich who seemed to be staring intently at their objective in the distance from which faint noises could be heard. "Something troubling you, Dragonet?"

 

[JudgeDAN]

On the second floor of the cathedral situated overtop the enterence was a room locked from the outside with a large metal door. Inside was a rather large man in traditional Catarinan attire sitting and staring at the door for quite some time. His name was Marcus, and if it were any other moment he would be considered a proud warrior. Unfortunately this is not one of those moments as he sat staring rigorously through the window of his prison, attempting figure a way out of this trap. Or in this case the trap that he sprung on himself, which frankly was the smart thing to do at the time, but now it has simply become a major nuisance.

"Bah! This is stupid! If I had me Axe I wouldn't be in this stinkin' room!", yelled and groaned the bitter Marcus. He then gave a sigh and looked around his small enclosed room, and even though his situation looked gloomy, he couldn't help but chuckle at his situation.

"I bet the others are lookin' fer me right now! Yep! Can't leave good ol' Marcus! After all, I can handle anything! Yes sir!", he boasted.

As he continued his rant he heard voices coming from outside. Marcus picked himself up and rushed over to the small window overlooking the front of the cathedral.

"Keep vigilant! Don't assume anywhere is safe.", spoke one of the travelers as they were heading towards that cathedral.

Marcus' head tilted in confusion, he didn't recall any other groups coming this way... not since he and his party came through not too long ago. He tried to yell out for help, hoping they would hear him from afar, that was until a small bluebird squirmed his way out of his helmet and started to sputter and fly sporadically around his room.

"Derrick! I thought you were still asleep in me helmet! You okay buddy?" , Marcus said in concern for his small friend.

The bird continued to fly around the room until it flew out the window towards the party. For only a moment, Marcus' heart sank as now even his pet had left him as well. He stood shock in awe for a brief moment until he rushed for the window screaming.

"DERRICK! NO!", he cried as he tried to grab for him. Unfortunately, his arms were not small enough to fit through the window, and he stood staring at the window, pondering why his choice of armor had to be so ridiculously bulky.

 

[Pandalisk]

"Something troubling you, Dragonet?"

Came a voice from Ulrich's side, it took a moment for the words to sink in and break the intense gaze the knight had placed upon the grey tower. He turned his helm towards the knight as it audibly scraped against his bloodied black cuirass, it would have to be reshaped and cleaned once more by his loving hands.

"Hmmm?, hmmm, worry not Knight of Astora, I merely feel something.. familiar.. about the disparity etched into this land, I am no stranger to it. He turned towards the Travis fully this time, lifting his large mace off of his shoulder and upon the church's old stone floor with a loud bang and rested his gauntlets upon the up righted red shard pommel.

You did well knight, leadership is gained through action, not appointment. Whether you wanted it to happen or not the others have flocked to your guidance it seems, I hope you rise to the challenge.

Ulrich's tone of voice became more dark intense and his eyes appeared glassed as if he were peering back into a time long ago.

I have witnessed far too many undead knights crumble under the responsibility.. or leave their brothers behind

The gravity of the black knight's words may have been lost however as a small bird landed upon the top of his cuirass' shoulder and began pecking rapidly in the jagged blood stained folds, a sharp tapping ran up his armour as he reached for the source, however his armour impeded his attempts

DERRICK!! NO!! can a loud shout and Dagonet look towards its source, his helm making a deafening screech across his armour once more as it moved. The little bird flew up from his shoulder and landed upon his helm, tweeting haphazardly.