The North Sea

[old man moomba he/him]

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The old GUESS HQ is down there, and it is possibly unstable, temporal wise.

 

[+Ark1002]

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Yes, and I know at least two of the animals that live there. Check the Son of Krampus for more info.

 

[+Sorana she/her]

Damaya stared at him in disbelief and then shook her head. That had to be a joke. That was his explanation for murdering a child?

"Do whatever you want Nogard. I won't stop you."

[Darth Woodrack he/him]

Suddenly, Breadmunks.

[+Ark1002]

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Please, that isn't appreciated.

@Darth Woodrack

Araha stood back as well. "Neither will I."

[xinoehp512 he/him]

Kate felt the birds cower before her onslaught. She knocked them about, flinging them back and forth, keeping them confused.

Suddenly, she felt Michael there. Sister! he cried Stop! This isn't what you want!

Yes! she thundered back. It is! Did you not see what this island did? 

Michael quieted for a moment. Yes. I saw. 

Then you know. I will not stand by-

No! Michael hissed with frustration. Do you want to start a war?

Kate did not respond. She concentrated for a moment, letting the power build up. Did she?

Michael called out again, softer. Do you?

Kate did not wait to respond this time. If I must.

Then she released the lightning.

~~~~~~~

Rotcennoc snapped out of his reverie. "I wasn't..." Then he ducked as Nogard shot another round of fire at him. "Bah! It doesn't matter anyways. You can do nothing to stop me." He dodged another blast and looked upwards, towards the distant hole in the ceiling. 

A crack of thunder rolled through the cavern. The island let out a scream of pain.  "Now!" he cried.

The ceiling disintegrated, crumbling into dust. Although the storms blocked out the sun, there was still enough light left to show what had been hiding there.

As the dust rained down on them, thousands of shadowbirds took to the air, ready to face the enemy they had been tasked to defeat.

 

[+Sorana she/her]

10 hours ago, xinoehp512 said:

As the dust rained down on them, thousands of shadowbirds took to the air, ready to face the enemy they had been tasked to defeat.

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Are we the enemy, or is it Kate?

 

[xinoehp512 he/him]

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It's the Alleycanes. He won't hesitate to call a few down on someone else, though: he has plenty.

Nogard stared in horror at the mass of shadowy birds. Pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place as he watched them rise. Oh, no...

~~~~~~~

Kate screamed as the birds rose from the hole. Treachery! she thundered. She released another flash of lighting, but it could only do so much. You will pay!

~

Michael watched in horror as the birds kept coming. How many were there?

He cried out as some began flying towards him. He intensified his winds, ready to knock them out of the sky.

Edited January 19, 2019 by xinoehp512

[+Sorana she/her]

Damaya noticed the look of horror on Nogard's face.
"What is going on? What am I missing?"

[+Ark1002]

Araha felt something dark stir. "Is it that man? Did he do whatever it is?"

[xinoehp512 he/him]

"No!" cried Nogard. "N..."

He fell to his knees and screamed as pain shot through his soul. Pain. So much pain. 

~~~~~~~

Rotcennoc felt the island pull, creating a new gemheart. He cupped his hands, ready to catch the new gemheart.

Up above, the storm felt a tug...

A glimmer formed in his hands.

[+Ark1002]

Araha looked at the birds. She had to fix this, somehow. She stood up, waving her hands. "HEY! COME AND GET ME!"

[+Sorana she/her]

Damaya lurged at Rotcennoc and tried to grab the gemheart. One dead island was enough. She would protect this one.

[xinoehp512 he/him]

Rotcennoc yelped and pulled the gemheart away. Damaya crashed into him, knocking him down and sending the gemheart flying. It clattered against the floor.

Meanwhile, forty of the birds reversed direction and shot down on the people below.

[+Sorana she/her]

With a scream Damaya jumped at the gemheart, gasping in pain when she hit the floor. She pulled the gemheart close to her chest, while her body started to heal what damage she had done.

Fearfully staring at the birds she rolled over to the wall and pressed herself against it.

"Tell me you have plan, Araha."

@Ark1002

[+Ark1002]

She turned, a sad look on her face. "I will protect them, however I have to. Even if it cost me my life." She turned, Ran beside her. Ran had a sad look on her face, though it was also a smile. "You're making the right choice." Araha looked up, at the sky. And burst alight. "I know."

With a shout, she flew into the air, Ran imitating her. As she came towards them, she punched, metal flashing on her fists. The birds moved, but to Ran. Grinning, she hit. She stuck two birds together, punch after punch, beating through. Only the stormlight kept her alive. She was like a storm of blood, cut after cut inflicted. Corpses fell around her, but she prevailed. Barely. She could tell it was a losing fight.

@Sorana

[xinoehp512 he/him]

Michael felt the pull with horror. This couldn't be happening. What was this island thinking?

Stop! he cried, struggling to resist the pull while also keeping out the birds

No response.

Please! he begged, as he felt his resistance begin to give way.

No answer.

With a shriek of triumph, the birds breached his eyewall. Unable to fight both the birds and the island, Michael succumbed to the pull of the gemheart.

Goodbye, Sister, he whispered as he fell.

~~~~~~~

In the air, the birds split into two groups. The first began spitting small drops shadow-acid at Araha, a black liquid that annihilated with whatever it touched. The other half descended upon Damaya, attempting to wrest the gemheart from her grasp.

[+Sorana she/her]

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Can I soulcast the birds?

And Ark, pls give me the chance to do something, Damaya will try.

 

 

 

Edited January 21, 2019 by Sorana

[xinoehp512 he/him]

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The birds would be about as hard to soulcast as any other living thing.

 

[+Ark1002]

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So, possible. You can, definitely. I hope Araha survives.

 

[+Sorana she/her]

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Thanks.

Well I just halved those attacking you...

"I will protect them, however I have to. Even if it cost me my life."

Damaya needed a moment to understand, to grasp what Araha was implicating.

"NO!"

She screamed and scrambled to her feet. Staring into the sky she watched as Araha fought, and even she could see that she was loosing.

"TAKE ME INSTEAD YOU STUPID BIRDS!!!"

Her voice was shrill, strange in her own ears.

"You need to practice."

Araha looked at her.

"I know you don't like it, but you need to practice. Trust me."

Practice. Araha had pushed her to practice, had forced her to do it. Damaya breathed in, the storms were still waging, there was plenty investiture. Araha hit another bird and blood dripped down. Blood. Practice. Tears running down her face Damaya reached out, focused on a bird clawing at her friend's back. Practice. It was different from the puddle on the floor, there was a resistance, but then she had no real idea what she was doing and so she simply hurled stormlight at it, pressed her will at whatever was resisting her until it gave way. The bird vanished, rose petals softly started to fall to the ground.

About half of the birds turned towards her and panic blew over her mind, shattered her concentration. They descended upon her, their claws ripping at her, tried to get at the gemheart. A child, they tried to kill a child. She pushed the gemheart down her bodice, while a claw scartched over her face, ripping out an eye. Damaya screamed again, covered her face with her hands.

"Go."

She whispered at Coru.

"Take that gemheart and go."

But he stayed, buzzing softly, as she doubled over, the birds ripping her apart faster than the stormlight could heal her.

"I'm sorry, I blamed you for my oath. It were my words, my responsibility. I am afraid of the sacrifice needed to fullfill them, I am lost in this world full of oaths and I am almost panicking when I try to imagine what this means for me."

Another bird ripped at her arm and instinctively she tried to block it, to protect herself. And somehow she did. A staff formed in her hands, the bird screeching as it touched it. Damaya turned around herself, wildly swinging the staff around her body. She hit a bird straight in the chest and felt only a slight resistance, continued to turn a full circle, dripping blood on the ground. Too many, there were too many. Even with a staff, it still were too many for her.

 

 

 

[+Ark1002]

Araha looked down, at Damaya. "No..." A tear dripped down the face, mingling with the blood. "I have to protect her." She drained stormlight, vast quantities of it, and lashed all the birds in sight, towards the man who had helped the island. He was evil. Enough stormlight in each lash to go for an hour, each bird lashed five times, towards him, with him as the target, not the ground or the area he was, him.Then she lashed towards Damaya, tears flowing. And punched the bird in the back. "STAY. AWAY. FROM. HER." Bird after bird. "SHE'S MY FAMILY." She cracked a birds neck. "LEAVE HER ALONE!"
@Sorana

[xinoehp512 he/him]

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Lashings require touch. Reverse Lashings require constant touch.

Kate fell silent in horror. The island dared do that?

Electric charge began to intensify as her anger begin to rise . This island would pay.

~~~~~~~

The new gemheart awoke to a world of chaos. It reached out in fear and bound itself tightly to the being holding it.

~~~~~~~

Rotcennoc stood up, woozy from the fall. He felt a warning from the island and stepped to the side, dodging the birds that slammed into where he had been. He reached out his gloved hand and shot a burst of silver light at the gemheart, connecting them. He closed his eyes and pictured the pattern of power that would wipe it clean.

~~~~~~~

Nogard felt a release from the pain. He struggled to his knees, water running down his face. Through the rain he could see Rotcennoc, preparing to kill. Again.

Nogard knew he couldn't let that happen. He raised his hands, clarity beginning to return.

Edited January 22, 2019 by xinoehp512

[+Sorana she/her]

Damaya felt a brid rip into her shoulder and cried out, moving her staff over in the direction. She hit another bird acidently on the arm, and it screeched, the arm dangling useless by its side, tried to finish her turn, to get the other one off her shoulder, when suddenly it was gone.

"STAY. AWAY. FROM. HER. SHE'S MY FAMILY." Araha. "LEAVE HER ALONE!"

Damaya sobbed in relief, stumbled a few steps to the side, whacking another bird on the back and it reeled away, smoke rising from it's eyes, while another one ripped out a chunk of flesh from her arm. Pain, she knew she was in pain, but the stormlight kept it away, stormlight and pure shock. Inhaling even more she tried to evade the attack of another bird, but judged the distance wrong and stumbled over a wing, falling to the ground. Next to her, Araha was still punching birds, defending her. Damaya tried to get back to her feet, when she felt something reach out for her, bond to her. Pressing a hand against her bodice she felt the gemheart there, felt the bond settle into place, bringing with it fear. Fear of the chaos and the death around them.

It's alright little one.
she whispered.
Araha will find a way out for us. We'll protect you.

She tried to get up, but strangely her legs had decided to not carry her body anymore, her hands were slick with blood, most of it probably her own. Damaya knew what her body could take, regularly beatings until she passed out had given her some sense for that. And she knew, she had crossed that border already, had lost too much blood, her wounds severe. If not for the stormlight, she would already be unconcious, maybe dead. And yet she needed to go on. She couldn't leave the fighting to Araha. Reaching out for another bird, she desperately threw her mind against its essence turning it to rose petals, because that was what she had practiced. Blood to rose petals. Searching for another one, she saw Rotcennoc create a visible connection her gemheart and called out to Araha.

"Behind you. He's doing something."

@#Voidapple

Edited January 23, 2019 by Sorana

[xinoehp512 he/him]

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It was the gemheart you are holding that he bonded to. Not the bigger island.