Shadow Hart - RPLOG
From Rusted Promises
Participants
Date
17/8/475
Log
The party of soulless starts at the city gate. Valente, the hare, seems pleased, "Such a great turn out," he says, looking at those gathered, "Our target for the day is a great black fiend. Might be shadow. It's as ugly as it is aggressive, and we can't have anything like that setting up a den just outside the city."
Hefting two big war hammers over her shoulders, Monique grins widely, "Now, don't you worry about a thing, just stand back and be ready to toss your canteen at me if I turn around." she says, chuckling at a joke she doesn't share.
Bite smirks at the chance to test her shadow hunting ideas. This will be a good chance to see if she can make some money off this whole thing after all. "So it attacked Fefneir?" she hisses curiously.
Fefneir keeps his ears perked listening to Valente as the party gathers. Double checking his gear before they set off to smite the beast, checking the medicine pouch on his belt as well as his armor and weapons. Looking over to Bite and nodding, "Aye was a nasty beast as well, barly got away from it after I realized I was barly hurting it at all."
Tarvek looks at the others and nods, snorting just a bit, the large bull armored heavily and with a large, zweihander strapped to his back. "But we are not sure where it is holed up yet?" The bass voice rumbles almost like thunder.
A sturdy armored lizard has joined the party this, wearing the armor of the city guards and carrying two large sword on his back. His golden, defensive scales peeks from the plate, as his tongue darts out from time in time smelling the air. He seems quiet right now, listening and catching up with the others.
"Something that large can't be that subtle," assures the bardic bunny, "We'll find it, spook it out, and dispense proper justice to it." He looks around at the group, "I don't think I've met all of you. For proper strategy, if you could call out your name, and your specialty? I'll start. I'm Val." He draws two large swords from his back, "Frontline warrior. I'll be taking the front row with the beastie."
Tarvek nods. "Tarvek Strongheart. Also to be fighting in the front lines," he says tersely.
"Monique," begins the thylacine, lifting the two handed hammers, one in each hand, "I tend to hit hard and fast, just try not to let them get excited and hit me back, okay?" she explains.
Bite smirks. "Bite. Magery." she hisses before giggling. "I'm going to stand behind you all and fire spells at it, maybe get in there to stab it if the chance comes up."
Fefneir looks about the others, "Fefneir," fire igniting about him before wisping out. "Magic and support mostly, for the time being."
"Aidan. Member of the city's guards." the armadillo lizard replies, trying his best for a friendly smile and a small bow, "I'm good with the front line, nice to meet thou."
Valente bobs his head, "A pleasure to meet you all. Creators allowing, we'll share a drink afterwards and laugh about our scars together," He hefts his swords, and slips them back into place, "Let's get moving while we have some sun at out side," And off he goes, leading the group around the city, and off into the forest.
Monique smiles to the hare but gestures to one side with one of her huge hammers, "Looks like a bit of a trail over there." she says, "Sometimes it helps not having been raised in a city..." she adds with a lopsided grin.
Tarvek nods, loosening the sword just a bit, and waiting for the scouts to lead. No good charging blindly and wiping out the trail, right?
Bite slithers along at pace with the group, looking about cautiously as preps to be ready for anything. "So how did it fight Fefneir?" she hisses, trying to draw more information on the subject out.
Fefneir rests a hand on his dagger at his hip, ready to follow the others. Glancing over to Bite, shaking his head a bit, "Honestly I was happy enough to get out of there that I can't seem to recall." (it was 5in the morning just before work... so I've forgotten.) "It hurt like hell though and lasted longer than the elementals in the quarry. I would have rather fought three or four of them at once, would have been a whole lot easier."
Aidan doesn't seem out of place, likely due the patrols on his back. Moving on the opposite side of Monique, he covers the left side of the group and offering his body and scales as a strong wall to protect his allies.
Valente raises a brow, "Can't much imagine harder than a damnable thing made of solid rock," he argues with a light laugh, "Should make for a good battle then."
The group follows after Monique, who has quietly been elected the group scout, coming across a few corpses of purple hearts and squirkiks bent at odd angles and thrown against trees hard enough to wrap around in some cases. The trail is more obvious now, approaching a hillside.
Following the trail, careful not to lose it, Monique spots the broken creatures, chuckling, "Almost looks like I have been here." she murmurs, a soft giggle coming after it as she continues along toward the hillside.
Bite gives Monique a look, barely catching what was said. Saying such a sight was not far off from her own doing speaks nothing but brutality and needless use of power. Shaking her head she pushes forward, trying to look towards the end of the trail from her position slightly behind everyone.
Fefneir isn't to far from Bite, moving along but keeping an eye for that beast. Wouldn't do to have both mages down in one shot so he leaves some space between him and Bite.
Aidan seems to digest the scene, even if not with the same approach of Monique. Still, such brutality and display of power force the lizard to rise his guard. "No good..." he murmurs lightly.
The group approaches the cave. "Stop!" someone calls out. Sharper eyes from behind spot something. The group pauses long enough for a large pit to be pointed out. A crude trap, but effective, and deep looking. A nasty fall waiting to happen. From the animals at the bottom, looks like it's already worked once or twice.
Bite comes to an immediate halt mid slither, barely able to see the pit, but more focused on finding the source of the voice since the pit isn't going anywhere. "Thank you sssweetie, why don't you come show yourself?"
Still giggling, perhaps even more so at the trap she nearly put her foot in, Monique scans around, looking for what could have made it, her eyes looking hungry, her mouth half open, soft laughter coming from her.
Fefneir comes to a stop scanning the area slowly, well if theres a trap must be near. Traps don't just make themselves do they. Kind of stood out like a sore thumb to him. Who knows maybe bat sonar, one of those mysteries of life. "It might be near by, or out hunting."
After the call out for the trap, Aidan makes sure that no one could slip into it, seeking around for others of such traps. Or ropes with little bells that could reveal their position.
Tarvek looks out, actually stepping back to make sure that nothing can come at them from behind. After al a trapper mght work at an ambush from an unexpected direction.
It's not much further past the pit trap, but another hole, this one a dank den, leading darkly into the demesne of the described dire demon. There are sounds coming from within at the moment. "Shall we?" asks the rabbit, "Maybe throw some fire down the throat and see if it comes out screaming?" he ventures.
Bite hops to it, preparing some flames quickly and sending them off to the den mouth. She waits to see what happens.
Fefneir gets another set of flaming bats ready just in case something does come screaming from the den, might as well add insult to injury.
Standing to one side, but her excited eyes peering into the dark, Monique is laughing louder now, her humor clearly not the kind that could be infectious, waiting for her 'target' to make it's appearance.
"Fire in the hole sounds quite a good plan." Aidan comments, his swords drawn and ready for a fight. He moves behind the side of the entrance, just in case someone should run out.
Tarvek goes in front of the den to give whatever comes out an obvious target. ANd has his sword out and set in case the thing decides to charge him and impale itself on the sword
Valente barely has time to draw his swords before fire is firing past him, "Creators preserve," he grumbles. The cave is lit up for a moment as the fire goes in, to vanish with a splash of sparks against something inside. A dull roar that becomes quite louder as a creature that looks like a purple hart, but three times larger, and inky black. It sends rock flying as its horns tear through the mouth of the rock in its angered speed to face its irritants.
Laughing louder and louder, Monique is impossible to stop as she runs at the thing, all thought of plans and strategy lost as a target presents itself. Cackling insanely, she seems to be paying no mind to whether it swings back.
Aidan will shortly follow Monique in her charge, but first he shields with his though body the more frail magicians from the flying rocks. A single warcry comes from the lizard, inspiring his teammate to fight hard and strong... especially the one already jumping at the throat of the monster.
Tarvek is still between the trap and the den, holding the steel sword. At the creature's bellow, he lets out his own: loud, long, and low, and charges forward, sword held in front to ram into the Shadow.
Fefneir thrusts his hand forward releasing the flaming bats flying toward the beastie. It didn't like Bite's fire might as well give it another taste of seared flesh. Give those with the big swords time to hack their way into it perhaps.
Bite stays behind until the rocks settle and then begins prepping an explosive force to greet the monster, preferably when it opens its mouth. She winces at Moniques battle temperament, it seems to be getting worse.
Valente is a simple warrior on the field. He brings down his bade across the tough hide of the beast, forcing it to ooze thick blackness in a long but narrow line.
The beast bellows in defiance at this sudden assault, lowering its head and charging that which charges it, crashing headlong into Monique and throwing her like a weapon against Tarvek. Its maneuver is stymied as flame washes across its face, making it pull up short, Monique sent skidding, but short of crashing into Tarvek. Val and Aidan are unmolested in their first attacks, scoring hits well, though it seems too large to be downed so swiftly.
Her laugh growing in volume, Monique tries to regain her feet and run back at it, the girl lost to any sense, her mind focused down to one thing and one thing only, break the thing in front of her.
Tarvek snorts and jumps over the sprawling Monique, not sweeping his sword in an arc, but using it as a giant rapier, trying to thrust into the creature and keep its atetntion away from the mages behind. Or the sprawled Monique getting to her feet.
Bite sets loose the explosion upon the creatures mouth, hopping it's insides will be much more giving than it's rough hide. She shifts slightly, moving into a safer and better position to follow up with another spell.
Fefneir moves his hands across each other in front of him, shards of ice quickly forming in the air between where the hands passed. The shards barbed and rather painful looking before thrusting his hands forth once more. With that big a target kind of easy to avoid everyone else, but still remains as careful as he can with others moving about. Most things don't deal well with being rapidly heated then rapidly cooled.
"Thou crazy..." Aidan hisses, before stepping forward and calling out, "Let's start with the legs, let's take away the ability to charge!". Then, he intervenes to attract the attention of the shadow over himself, giving time to Monique to stand back and to the mage to prepare their flashy plans. At the same time, he prepares to receive with stoic acceptance the punishment that's about to come.
Legs? Valente brings his swords together across a leg, and catches an indistinct hoof to the chest for his trouble. The sound of hoof against metal rings out as it strikes his armor and he slides several good feet away, swords flying. He's already reaching for his axe though, scrambling for his feet.
The creature catches Tarvek's sword as flecks of ice irritate across its front. It lashes out with a great shake, threatening to send the heavy warrior back despite his sure footing. A sudden sweep of its antlers comes baring down on Aidan, smashing into him as the beast looks him in the eyes with its own dark orbs, seething malice seeming to live within the nothing.
Seemingly ignored, due to Aidan's work, Monique charges into one flank of the creature, bringing first one hammer down, then the other in quick succession, all her rage and anger flowing into the strikes.
The wash of flames seems to bring out the creature's features, if only briefly, showing the play of its large muscles as it struggles against the soulless that face it. The fire licks and burns at its darkened hide.
Tarvek grunts and bellows, digging in his hind-legs and pushing forward, ice travelling up his sword, while he's pushed back a bit, then he pushes forward. Single-mindedly focused on trying to jab his weapon past the Shadow's defenses.
Bite focuses on Aidan and works to calcify his flesh, aiding in his distractive struggle. Agreeing with the armored creature she picks out what she feels will provide the most effective result for another fire spell on it's legs, and prepares to work her magic.
Fefneir switches to support after hearing Val catch a hoof to the chest. Chanting slightly to start causing one ally at a time to get a layer of stone skin to help them all make it home alive. (calcified Flesh) Might as well start with the ones keep the beastie's attention, might take some time as he can only cast it on one person at a time, starting with Val.
The legs of the sturdy, tough lizard bent under the impact of those antlers. Blood starts to flow between the scales, before he stands again, solid as stone... for the most part. His sharp, defensive scales are quite good to both protect and hurt the opponent. Still, Aidan keeps working to attract the attention of the huge shadow, even more when he feels his flesh getting calcified. Taunting and encouraging his allies, the lizard studies his mortal enemy to find a weak spot, a nice place to land a strong hit to confuse the creature.
A sudden wet noise. Monique's brutal attack knocks the beast just a little off kilter, enough for Tarvek's blade to find purchase, piercing the outer layer of goop. Underneath proves much softer, and the blade almost falls forward, penetrating the beast and sending a spray of its foul ichors. So infected with the shadow, rather than dying properly, it begins to fall apart and disintegrate, unraveling like old paper with a final wailing cry of sorrow.
Monique doesn't stop, finding each part, bringing her hammers down again and again, sinking steel into the earth as she pounds again and again to 'finish off' the thing, her laugh still loud and maniacal.
Tarvek is covered in the foul fluids but lets out a bovine bellow of triumph, finally starting to swing the huge blade to hasten the process. When finally done he steps back, snorting a bit and looking down at himself in...distaste. "NOw...was there only one of these things, or were there spawn or a mate?"
Bite sends a flaming spell at it's remains, and shouts "STOP. It's done for." to Monique, frowning at the seemingly deranged beserker. "Sssweetie snap to it, you're done. Start chanting something." she adds and waits for a response, watching the creature for any last ditch attempts.
Fefneir stands by for the moment, being ready to either a support spell or another attack just in case it isn't finished off fully. Not like he's seen one die before. Better safe than sorry.
Valente sets his axe back on his belt, and moves to fetch his blades and get them properly situated on his back, "Never heard of shadows making families, but best to be safe I suppose. Any volunteers to check? Everyone alright?"
The words, the thought of more, filters through the red haze around Monique and, without a thought, she charges into the hole that was it's home.
Tarvek snorts a bit, but..you never let someone go alone. Always back up, so he charges in as well. Besides, it was his suggestion.
Aidan doesn't treat his wounds yet, instead he walks directly to Monique, trying to grab her wrist before another hammer falls. "Stop. He's dead." he says... already too late, the berserk already disappeared inside the hole. Giving a look to Valente, he hisses, "I can patch myself later, I shall go."
Dark! Fortunately, besides the dead, recent or old, the den is safe. Well, there is a matter of the valuables and crown the creature apparently laid claim to from some of its victims... Of the creature's body, there's nothing left to mourn over, dissolved to shadowy fragments that fade away.
Bite follows them in, then surges froward in an attempt to collect as much as she can carry. She hisses in delight and sways as she pockets trinkets and goodies.
Fefneir moves in a well, no sense letting spoils go to waste, besides he's got a few recipes he's had his eyes on. Of course if there was more pretty sure that Monique would have smacked it a few times and everyone would know.
Aidan follows, but doesn't seem attracted much by the valuables around.. he seems fine with his guard's pay. Instead, he watches over the group, especially now that they seem to have completely lowered their guard.
Laying about herself, bones, rotting corpses, anything she can find is beaten with her hammers, her anger and bloodlust still feeding on themselves, still compelling her to destroy.
Laying about herself, bones, rotting corpses, anything she can find is beaten with her hammers, Monique's anger and bloodlust still feed on themselves, still compelling her to destroy.
Valente moves up to the entrance of the cave, peering into the darkness, "Don't have any magic or torches on me. How's it going in there?" he calls into it.
Fefneir lights a flaming bat and sends it guide Val inside, "Quiet as a tomb...unless you count the one with hammers breaking shit."
Bite giggles. "Come in and take some treasure sssweetie, theres plenty." she hisses, peering out to the rabbit briefly and lighting a her walking stick on fire. She doesn't really need it anymore. She sets it on the floor and goes back to her treasure.
Her laughter slowing, Monique drops to her knees, the hammers slumping down but not leaving her hands. At last, resting the two handles in one hand, she takes out a book and begins to read, her laughter fading as she reads by the light of the bat.
Tarvek looks at the trinkets and assorted things. Gold? Silver? Gems? No. Iron and steel, or things more...useful.
Valente does enter, and begins nudging through things, "If you see anything with a noble seal, we should try to get it back to them. The reward will probably be more than you can get hawking it at the market, and it's a good deed beside."
"Safe here." Aidan hisses to Valente, his eyes wondering around the room. He takes out his bandages, starting to patch himself. As he hears Valente's words, he stops for a moment, before starting to seek for the noble seal.. likely more for duty than for the promised reward.
Tarvek rumbles a bit. "I can guarantee that for my House," he says. "But what would be missing, and from which Houses?" He sounds a bit puzzled, looking through the debris and bits.
Panting slowing, her laughter finished, Monique continues to read, out loud, a passage about fighting giant beast, of how they used strategy and cunning to bring the creature down. Oddly, the little passage seems to make everyone feel a bit renewed, refreshed and ready for anything. The girl closes her eyes, folding the book and putting it back in her shirt. Sighing and standing, she seems a completely different person from the almost rabid animal fighting earlier.
Bite blinks. "Do you really think nobles, who probably had some form of escort or company were taken, if Fefneir was able to escape?" she hisses but searches anyways, looking through her stuff just the same.
Most of the haul is only marked with tradesmarks and crafter seals. A precious few however, a scabbard with the Good King's royal mark on it, and a ring with a tiny mark of the shamed noble house of Longtails, is located.
Bite snatches up the ring and scabbard, looking for the blade that goes to it, and hands them to Valente. "Here sssweetie it was your idea, you carry them."
Tarvek snorts a bit, looking at the ring, before tossing his head. "Longtails! What...this will prove more trouble before the end, mark my word."
Valente peers at the ring he was given, studying it a moment, "Huh, so it is. I know a song or two about them, none of them terribly flattering. I don't think we'll be getting much a bounty on this, I'm afraid." The scabbard though... "This will make up for it. Good King pays well. Maybe it was one of his guardsmen?"
Fefneir doesn't go noble treasure hunting, besides he'll make his own way as a craftsman...once he's decent enough and has enough materials really.
Standing up, lifting the two hammers in one arm, the muscles rippling as it lifts them to her shoulder, Monique looks around the cave, seemingly for the first time. Wandering around the party, particularly those who had waded in at her side, she checks their wounds, checks for head injuries in particular but also checks to see if any of the shadow seems to cling to anyone.
Tarvek mmphs. "Maybe. Or a Knight. Or...why would the two seals be together? One of the traitors? A descendant, trying to finish the job?"
Aidan seems quite fine, bandages covering the wounds got during the fight. Still, he gives a severe look to Monique as she gets close... he likely wants to say something, but he sagely choose to wait to be back home. Just in case.
Thankfully, no one seems to be shadow tainted from the battle. That would be most unfortunate.
"Or they were killed at separate times. We can't say they were together at all," argues Valente, "Well, let's move on then. No reason to linger in this cave."
Fefneir nods to that and lets a flaming bat lead the way out of the cave, no sense walking into walls after all this.
Tarvek follows and snorts again now, muttering under his breath about water and baths, and the like, hooves thomping on the ground.
Giving a nod to the bard, Monique makes her way back out into the sun and stretches, her body rippling with muscle as she tilts her head up, eyes closed, letting the sun flow back over her, "The Creators be praised, lets get this home and report about what happened." she says, the two hammers slung over her shoulders, one each direction.
Aidan is the last to leave, turning to the already empty cave. He closes his right fist, placing against the open palm of his left hand. Bowing his head, he murmurs a short pray for those who have fallen here. Then, the lizard follows the others, back to the surface.
