Through the Living Wrath

Kongqi looked at the shadow in the corner of his eyes, frowning as it vanished. “I believe I may be seeing things.” He shrugged, studying his surroundings. He had been saddened when the others refused to join him on his hike, but it allowed him to practice with his Dao, this far from civilization. It had been a while since he had used the blade, so he had newly sharpened it proof to departing. This was evident, as the curved sword passed cleanly through the few plant he had set up in the clearing.

Desser vs desert

Your knife does not pierce the skin of the beast.

The girl’s eyes lit up. “I knew it! I knew he was alive! And he’s gonna come back and save us, and we’re not gonna run out of coal, and we’ll all be okay!” A few of the residents gave her sideways looks, but most ignored her.

All of you approach the beast at once, and a tendril strikes and passes (harmlessly) through each one of you. The daggers leave gapping holes in the beast, but no blood leaks from them, instead a blackness that took to the air. The enemy, however, is not slowed. When it registers that it’s tendrils are ineffective, it strikes out at BM with a fist.

@Mystic Syn “I’m Anna! You guys are giving me weird looks… do you maybe know my brother? They tell me soooo much that I look exactly like how he did.”

*nods* Yes You are one of the few to notice that. YOU PASSED THE TEST! @Bird Furious ANOTHER ONE HAS ARRIVED

The air around the Hasrathan momentarily turned black, but you successfully dashed away. It approaches you, death in its eyes.

Welcome! I need you to imagine this… scenario. You find yourself, wits about you, stranded on a dessert island. To your right is a live chicken. To your left are some ration bars. What do you eat first? *squints* Is your brother on the Shard? -i—n-e-e-d—t-o—k-n-o-w—w-h-o—t-o—c-o-m-p-a-r-e—y-o-u—a-g-a-i-n-s-t-

“Why are you here?” The child’s face lit up. “You save us?”

The woman narrowed her eyes further. “Fine.” A child, resembling Nikolas, stepped up to them. “Who are you?”

There was none - she could vaguely remember that the Strands were in full control of its body. The original intelligence was permanently destroyed.

“No. I’ve not.”

It was a Hasrathan monster, seeming to be a slightly bestial version of what Drin and Sain were. Strands extend to the other side, grounding and stopping it. The Strands extend towards you, piercing your clothing, but passing harmlessly through you. The creature is slightly confused.

She snorted. “Anyone can say that.”

The creature burst from the cage, a high pitched screech exiting its mouth. It dashed towards the nearest person (Cep), golden Strands extending from its body and boosting it forwards.

The woman snorted. “Anyone can speak gibberish. I understand there’s another way to tell?” She seemed to know more than she should.

Her eyes narrowed. “Right then. Prove it.”

She frowned. “And why should I believe you?”

The man lead them into the dining hall, which had been repurposed to habitats the survivors. “Most of the servants quarters and many rooms in the upper wings have collapsed. Or there’s a major draft… or a leak… well, we’ve reconvened here, anyways.” One of the survivors took the man’s arm, facing them. “Why are ya ‘ere now? I wan’t aware any knew of us.”

He nodded. “I see. Come - let me introduce you to the rest of the survivors.”

“I’m back. That lady… I don’t like her. She reminds me of my sister.” His voice wasn’t much steady.