The Demon Lands

((OOC: I don't know how I can continue from here lol. Elizabeth fell asleep. Waiting for @[member="Derahex"] to post for Ferl to see how she would react))

 

(( OOC: Sorry for making you wait!! Also, I hope I'm not screwing up your story PrincessVictoria...

^Also, from looking at the posts better, this logically never happened I'm a freakin idiot ))

"Urk...!"
Dintrius put a hand on his head as he felt his grip falter. His body blinked and fizzled in and out of existence, like static garbage on empty television channels. And his head was spinning rather dizzily. The dark forces of this land were probably interfering with his aetheral projection. The Demon Lords were undoubtedly awesomely powerful. He would have to be careful from now on. He then mustered his strength and pulled all his might in staying constant.

It worked! His body became real again, and he no longer dizzy. For now, he was safe. He than remembered he was in conversation...
"I-I'm sorry for that. It would seem am not as stable as I thought I would be." He said, getting back up (For he had fallen on his knees while faltering)

"It would seem this meeting is at a close. I assume you will be heading back to your homes." He said, looking at the last people remaining. His gaze turned to Naomi and Apate. "Now, if I may make a bold request, I ask you if you would allow me to accompany you. If I am to bring back peace, I must have as much information as possible."

"Now, don't go thinking I am a Resistance spy. I aim to bring peace, between both sides. Should the Resistance win the war, the Demons will all be killed, or enslaved, and it will just be a reverse of situation. You may think there is no hope for peace, but look at what has transpired here: All who spoke here had an understanding that this fighting is not... 'Worth it'. You can refuse to bring me along, and that is quite alright. You can also kill me were I stand, however think about what consequences that will bring.

So... What will you do?"

Ferl watched Elizabeth from the corner of her eye, trying not to look to suspicious. "Again, I'm really sorry..." She said, her phrase having a subconscious double-meaning.
As the Lieutenant drank from her glass, Ferl smiled. Her mixture worked perfectly. Elizabeth was passed out on the table. I only have enough time to grab my things back and head out. If I'm quick enough, maybe also supplies. I have to move.

Ferl started running back to her chamber, almost counting the seconds she had left before her 'Friend' woke up. She picked her things in a brazen hurry, and dashed through the corridors, hoping to reach an exit in time. The guards wouldn't have any problems letting her past; she often left in such hurries to go get last-minute, forgotten ingredients in the forest. It would be easy-
Crap

Suddenly there was a huge crowd in her way, and they didn't look happy. They seemed to be angry about... The storeroom. Looks like I won't get any supplies after all. She shoved her way through, and took off when she came to the other side. She stopped, however, when she saw a Resistance guy and an odd-looking man next to another ridiculous-looking fat person. He looked almost like a caricature. But what really caught her attention was that the obese person looked like he was... Flickering? Was he... No. He couldn't be...

One thing's for sure, they were suspicious. She decided to take a look at them. Elizabeth wasn't going to wake up too soon... Right? (Hint:Wrong!) She's just taking a quick peek anyway...

She approached them, as the Resistance guy went to join the commotion. She spoke up to them. "You don't look like you're from around here. Really not. But I think I can help you, in more ways than one. If you want to talk, wait for me farther off from the Resistance Base."

She turned and continued heading out of the fort, whether the mysterious but obvious intruders were following her or not.

 

((Must summon my posting powers to make an actual post! Hyyyah! Though seriously jeeze it has been so long since I posted here.))

Toerga watched the strange resistance woman walk off with a mildly curious expression on his face.

"It seems we will not be reaching our destination soon." He noted, eying the crowd around the store room before raising an eyebrow at Sorush. "And you seem to be becoming conspicuous. We should move away from here, maybe find that woman and discover what she wants."

He waited for Sorush to answer, but a greater curiosity was on his mind. That woman looked odd. I wonder what she knows that made her approach us like that?

Apate snorted in half amusement, half irritation. "My job isn't to cover the consequences," she said coldly to Dintrius. "and you are quite irritating to me. Yes I would like to kill you, and no I don't trust you to bring you back to a stronghold when you're obviously intent on undermining our offensive. Especially after you just faded out of existence a bit." She glared at him, and sighed slightly.

"But I'm not the one really making this decision."She growled unhappily. "It seems like that's just not something that's going to happen at this point." She snapped, before looking to Naomi with a tired expression. "It's been a long day and we need to get back. Do you want him to tag along or not?"

 

Elizabeth awoke from her sleep and realized that Ferl had already left her room. She thought about the whole situation and deduced that the only possibility was that Ferl has left the Resistance Stronghold. Worried about her friend's safety, she went out to investigate, but not before she writes a note to her Father.

She then left her quarters and found a man that looked pretty much like a demon. However, as it seems, he didn't take any actions against any of the resistance members.

"State your purpose here. It is my duty to inform you that I have to detain all unauthorized persons that enter the Stronghold," she said to the man.

 

Toerga walked slowly after Sorush, taking in the Stronghold and trying to remember as much of it as he could. The buildings of the Stronghold became sparser and farther between, until there were barely a few people lingering about the area. After a few more minutes he caught up to Sorush, only to find that he was being questioned by a young looking Resistance member. He walked up to her, his look questioning. He casually reached behind him, his hand closing around his warhammer Baelthorn as he came closer. He wasn't expecting a fight, but if one came he certainly didn't want to be unprepared.

"Hello there." He offered in a friendly tone. "We were just helping with unloading supplies, now we're off to go check in with our pa-" He quickly adjusted from his near slip of the tongue. "-artners and get back on the trail." He chuckled, moving beside Sorush and gesturing for him to keep walking, aiming for the forest edge just a short distance from them. "We wouldn't want to be late and get left behind, so I'm sorry to be impolite but we must be going, ma'am."

He dipped his head to the woman, cautiously watching her and still slowly walking away.


((Might as well add something for Apate in here))

Apate smiled a bit as Naomi challenged Dintrius. Now that was how you settled something. It was almost refreshing to see someone using good sense for what felt like the first time that day. Even better, it seemed like Naomi was acting less distracted.

Apate waited for an answer to the challenge with an enthusiastic grin, her magic slowly but steadily regenerating.

 

[SIZE=10.5pt]"Agreed. For the case of this war, more than one necessary evil will have to be [/SIZE]committed[SIZE=10.5pt]..." Dintrius said to Naomi, as he unclipped and flung his cloak aside in a theatrical manner. His cloak floated a bit before it fading away, not even touching the ground. He stood pretty tall, and was wearing nothing on his upper body except his bracers. His musculature did not look particularly impressive, but it was there. Although some details about his body looked... off. More pointers that he was not human, aside from the obvious third eye, horns and skin coloration.[/SIZE]
He then said: "Sometimes the Pen must give way to the Sword." Whilst blades suddenly protruded from his bracers. After which he made an X-sign with his arms and said: "Let us spar."

However, he relaxed his stance rather anticlimactically. "But first..." He went to Naomi and pointed his two arms to her, obviously for Naomi to cast the sparring spell on his blades. "I wouldn't want to injure you during our exercise." Dintrius said with a slight smile. He cocked his head toward Apate, seeing her obvious excitement at the upcoming fight. "So you wish to spar as well? Hm. Very well, it would be rather boring of me not to accept against you too. However, you will have to wait your turn until after this young lady."

((Toerga and Sorush seem to be in a predicament with Elizabeth right now, I'll wait before continuing with Ferl's story.))

 

(Rowena has been dead as of late, so I should give her some action, even though it is mostly talking and walking. I hope this is okay @[member="Northwind'sCall"] )

Avery thought for a moment, she then turned to Morgan. "We are to escort her back to the base, right?" After Morgan's groggy nodding, she spoke to Rowena. "Yes. We are going to your camp."

Rowena felt relief wash over her heart, but then there was something she had to do. She had Sunrise in her possession. It was wiser to find Ewart first, then to decide what came next.

"Actually..." Rowena tried to fish about for the map that she and the three warriors had previously utilised, but it was not with her. "I would think we should find the resistance captain first. I...have to return something to him."

Morgan's eyes studied the blade, whilst Avery replied. "You have a rough idea where he is?"

Rowena's golden eyes flickered with worry. She had no clue. Much of the forest was burnt down, and she made sure Ceithan sent Ewart to safety. Remembering a glimpse on where she saw him running to, she spoke. "A little." Albeit, not very confident a reply.

 

((Note: Thoughts are being italicized))

Elizabeth has been thinking. Being the second-in-command of the intelligence branch had not been easy. She wasn't even sure if she should follow them, but it seems as if she had to because they seem to know about Ferl's whereabouts. However, it was not for the secrets within the Stronghold that Ferl knows about, but rather the concern that she has for her friend.

"Something isn't right... They don't seem like those of the resistance... An espionage from the enemy? Or is it something else?" she thought to herself.

Then, she heard one of them saying to his companion, "Listen. I think we are actually following the same person here. There was this girl who was running into the forest, asking us to follow her. You are the only other person in the entire resistance who seems to be looking for someone, so I guess we could follow her together."

"So these two were from yesterday's event at the alleyway... What are they planning anyway? I don't think I can do anything about this, but I need to follow them so that I know Ferl is alright..."

As he spoke, his illusion was starting to wear off. "Anyway, you want to come with us?"

"Very well. But it is my duty to inform you that espionage is a very heavy chargeable offence and the punishment will be harsh... I suggest that you don't reveal anything that is classified..."

 

"I'll be perfect honest," Vetria began. "I wasn't expecting that to go that well." He sat down where he stood with a heavy sigh, making sure to keep close to his weapon more for personal convenience; so that he should not lose the dagger, than anything else. Vetria took a moment to gather his thoughts.

"How and why did that scuffle earlier start?" he asked. Every so often Vetria glanced around between the three resistance members, looking for any sign or movement to tell him that he should flee. "What's the resistance trying to do exactly? I know that you're trying to overthrow those Demon Lords or whatever, but what are you going to do after you succeed, or fail?" He paused.

"Also, are there any specific reasons why you as an individual are fighting?" Without knowing it, his hand began to inch toward his dagger, hiding behind him. Whether this was in preparation for need to defend himself, or preparation to take his leave, was unclear. "I guess what I'm trying to ask is what the resistance is hoping to accomplish by, well, resisting, and why."

 

Toerga raised an eyebrow at the young woman, and couldn't help from laughing gently. "It is a crime, you say?" He smiled. There was no-one left but them at this point, so he felt no need to keep up strict pretenses. "Well, I'll be sure to keep in mind that revealing information is a criminal offense, as I am clearly very concerned by this fact." He said, his tone dipping into slight deadpan.

He turned to Sorush. "Not in my current state, I cannot pick up the scent. Having said that, if you would allow me one moment."

Toerga focused his mind, calming himself. He'd gotten himself back into human form, now he'd just have to work on getting his wolf form back. He could always wait until the night came, but they didn't seem to have that much time. He'd become human again by accepting that he was still able to be human. So to turn back...

Toerga breathed out. His mind filled with the feeling of running rampant through the woods, of fighting with a pack. He opened his eyes, focusing on that feeling. I am not human.

He felt a feeling almost like a shudder starting in his back and growing through him. At that moment, he remembered that Sorush had still seemed hesitant around the girl. He slowed, trying to balance his mind between werewolf and human.

It was odd to say the least. He felt almost dizzy as his human senses collided with his werewolf senses, and he gripped his head for a moment as he steadied himself. It didn't seem as if his physical features had changed much, and he hoped that whatever had occurred wasn't that noticeable.

He looked around, breathing heavily to try and see if he could pick up the scent of the girl they were chasing. It was nearly painful to attempt while he was still keeping himself partly through transforming, but he grit his teeth and nodded.

"I know where she is." He grunted. "Follow me." With that, he began to slowly follow the scent. He didn't think they were far from the girl, which was good. His head felt like it was going to explode...

 

"Demon or no?" a cloaked figure asks Ormise who has been strapped down to a chair.
"No.. well half demon." Ormise says.
"Half?" the cloaked figure asks folding his arms.
"Dragon and Demon." Ormise says.
"Impossible." the cloaked figure says shocked.
"Yet here I am." Ormise says.
"Well do I get a name?" the cloaked figure asks.
"Ormise Bloddwind." Ormise says watching the cloaked figure jump up from the chair with a gun in his hand.
"I see you heard of me." Ormise says.
"Yes your known by many as 'Phantom' why?" the cloaked figure asks.
"I am elussive, a nomad.. I move from place to place." Ormise says.
"Yet we caught you." the cloaked figure says with a smile.
"I let you catch me." Ormise says lifting his now free hands from the chair.
"How?" the cloaked figure asks.
"This is not my first capture. I have been practicing." Ormise says.
"Your a loose cannon." the cloaked figure says.
"I am.. but I fight for who ever pays the most." Ormise says shruging his shoulders.
"I have a job then.. there is a group of people I wish killed." the cloaked figure says.
"Name's?" Ormise asks.
"Just one, he's been a pain in my side for a while his name is Toerga." the cloaked figure says.
"How much?" Ormise asks.
"5,000 gold." the cloaked figure says placing a bag onto the table.
"Any reason?" Ormise asks.
"Your not to ask.. just kill. Half now, the other Half when the job's done." the cloaked figure says.
"Very well." Ormise says taking the payment and leaves the barrak behind.

 

And so the fight began!
As the Dwarf made the first attack he awaited her, in a defensive stance, ready to counter. She made an overhead attack, and he readied himself to counter accordingly. However, it was only a feint, and Naomi quickly changed her swing to jab Dintrius on the arm instead. With almost no time to react, he attempted to dodge the attack. A stroke of luck made him successfully evade the strike, and even scratch her leg.

I am rather out of practice, it seems. He thought to himself. It was true, it was a long time since he had to use his blades, especially in this form. Truth be told, he was better at using magic. But this was a swordfight, so he would fight accordingly.

There was something that bothered him, though. That girl was fighting far to clumsily. Was she holding back? No, that couldn't be it. Maybe something troubling was on her mind... She had said she was 'Not as dumb as she looked'. What did she mean? In any case, he had a problem as well. Should he try to win the fight, or lose? If he were to lose the fight, he would probably fall very low in their eyes. On the other hand, The Dragoness looked like she would kill if anything was to happen to her friend, and a real fight would break any chance of them seeing eye to eye. Of course, victory was not guaranteed, even if she was distracted, the Dwarf knew what she was doing. Such a dilemma... Maybe if he lost, but cut it close...

However, while Dintrius mused at the situation, the fight continued. Naomi charged at Dintrius once more, and he his train of though derailed completely as he snapped out of it. He tried to glance the blow away, sadly he was not as fortunate this time. The blow was deflected, but only while leaving a red mark on his left cheek, which would have looked like a nasty gash were the blades actually slashing.

Damn it! Focus on the task at hand! He thought. Dintrius then turned toward his opponent, and began charging toward her before she could do the same, and began a series of quick jabs, more intimidatingly than offensively; He would rather most of his jabs not hit home if it meant he would not be countered.
No holding back now.

As Ferl trudged through the forest alone, she decided to start her plan. First, she would make the damn Resistance Bureaucrats pay, then she will prove the world how amazing she is as an alchemist. But who would, or could, stand up to the Resistance? No one except...
Ferl smiled. She knew who. It was quite ironic, but nonetheless appropriate. They wouldn't dare refuse her talents or information. She will finally get the respect she deserved!
But first, she needed some supplies. She didn't have any (Elizabeth and the large mob made sure of that.) She also need a map. She would also need something else...

She stopped walking. She was near a gnarled, twisted old tree. Ferl started to rummage in a hole within the roots of the tree, and found a small pack. Right where I left you. She opened it, and found everything was there. Good. She closed it and attached it to her backpack. Now she was ready to move on...

That small pack contained various highly toxic ingredients and alchemical mixtures that were... 'Not exactly ethical' or 'Somewhat legal'. Hence the fact that it was hidden away, as the stuff was either 'too dangerous' or 'not allowed in the base' (Bunch of wusses).

 

((OOC: Sorry guys. I'll be going overseas from February 17 to February 22. May or may not be able to post for the week

 

((Thanks, Sachi!

Also I have no idea what's going on with Ormise but I might as well give you something to work with and get you more in the story here.))

Toerga turned to respond to Sorush, but found the world spinning. His jaw worked in an attempt to form words, but he ended up simply groaning in pain.

He leaned against a tree, gritting his teeth. Some part of his mind still capable of coherent thought suddenly came to the realization that half transforming was probably a bad idea. At least he now knew why he was always told not to try it.

"Five hundred paces north east." Toerga ground out. "Sickly tree. Potent chemicals. Girl is there. Meet you later."

With that, Toerga turned to the forest and began to run, the only thought he retained being to put as much distance between himself and any other being as he could. He stumbled through the overgrowth, his thoughts failing as his body shifted, claws growing and shrinking again and fangs appearing and dissapearing.

Eventually, Toerga rammed into a tree and fell at its base, shards of bark falling around him. He breathed heavily, trying to steady himself and failing in his attempt. He simply closed his eyes, his mind and body locked in a war with itself.

 

After making his unrelenting assault, he let himself be kicked away. He had completed his objective, proven by the dozen or so red marks on Naomi's body. Of course, they wouldn't affect her fighting ability as she wouldn't begin bleeding, but the intimidation factor went up on his side, or at least that's what he hoped. He also observed that she became slightly more focused, indicating that her next attack would probably be done with a greater level of skill.

He began circling around her, seeing that she was watching her very intently. I'll have to make my next move unexpected. He thought. Naomi then addressed him, almost as if she had read his previous thoughts: "Before you think anything, Apate won't do anything to you if I lose." Ah, good. That was a load off his mind. She then continued speaking: "So, how about we fi---"

Then, most unexpectedly, the Dwarf girl charged at Dintrius in mid sentence. Although he was focused on the spar rather than his thoughts, he had lowered his guard ever-so-slightly for Naomi's talking, leaving him wide-open. Naomi's blade arced at Dintrius, and all he could do is raise his arms in defense. Bad move. His wrist blades provided no leverage against the weight of her swing, as Naomi used her whole body to strike as hard as possible.

Dintrius was pushed down to the ground by the force of the impact, but he used the movement to attempt a dodge roll away from Naomi, preventing any further successful attacks. He recovered from his roll, only to see that his left arm had a large red mark below the elbow. Technically, it was cut clean off. Now how did that happen? He wondered. Maybe his dodge attempt was not as successful as he thought.

So Dintrius put his hand behind his back, simulating his loss. "Playing by the rules." He said. Whether Naomi would interpret that as a lash against her cheap shot was possible, but not entirely in his intention. She was free to use any method she would normally use in combat. He began to advance toward her, slowly. Dintrius prepared an all-out strike, like the kind of attack done by warriors who knew they would die there, with no-self preservation. He still disguised it as slight goof from 'Arm Loss', hoping his act was as perfect as he thought.

As Ferl finished integrating her 'Secret Stuff', she was surprised by a voice behind her. He seemed to be offering her help with her alchemy. Instinct told her that it was one of the two gentlemen she encountered before, but he looked much different. Maybe that's what the flickering was? Some sort of illusion? But how did he find her? They didn't follow her at first, so how could they...

Of course! Her rare and dangerous chems... Somehow he probably knew about them. Maybe all he needed was for her to find them, and now he wants to sell her stuff to other alchemists! If she was right, and he was from the other party, she needed to prove him that doing such a thing was a mistake. "Look, I think you got it wrong. I'm the one who can help you. No offense, but you stick out like a sore thumb. Kind of like me." She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"The Resistance has wronged me, and want them to pay. If my suspicions are correct, you have something to gain from messing them up. You can pass up my offer, but just know that someone else will get me, and their superiority will be apparent as you eat their dust, and fall at my feet." She awaited his answer, though she had a feeling what it would be... She prepared accordingly.