Horizon Walkers (Game Thread) Dead

[IFS]

"All of that is conjuncture, where is the proof? You might be the one possessed for all we know. Ha."

"Then by all means put both of us under guard, your true nature will reveal itself eventually," Alex replied, only for Des to speak up a moment later.

"How about we say that no one are possessed? That'd mean we don't have to think about this anymore."

"My duty it to the protection of others, regardless of what must be done to achieve that, and I am not alone in those that sacrifice their happiness for the good of others," he said calmly "And forgetting the issue will not free the man who is currently a prisoner in his own body, forced to watch as a spirit makes him abandon his home and gorge himself, if he's granted any consciousness at all under its control."

He would have said more but Serragish stated her intention to leave, and after a short argument with the commander she and several of the others did so. Des and the possessed man stayed though, so Alex stayed to keep an eye on them. Not long after they left the sun finished setting and it grew dark, save for the stars. Then something began attacking the camp, what Alex wasn't certain but they were fast and dark.

"Can you fight?"

In answer Alex drew his crossbow and fired in one fluid motion, the bolt slamming into one of the monsters leaping down on some prey. He couldn't be certain it would kill the beast or throw it off target but if nothing else it would hopefully draw its attention from its former target.

 

[Anti-American Eagle]

"How well can you guys climb?"

It'd been awhile since Kyras had climbed, and back then it had been rocks and trees. Stonework, he'd find out about in a minute.
He removed the gauntlet from his right hand and placed it into his bag before starting to climb. He'd need to be able to grip. He carefully began scaling the structure, taking time to pick handholds.

He made it to the top at about the same time as the dwarf, but he managed it without grabbing onto the cat.

 

[DarkRawen]

Des was feeling down after more than half the group had left. That was because, of the group, every single woman had left, even the one that was a large feline kind of mortal. He had wanted to chat more, and would easily have followed them had he realized before they had wandered off. As a result, he was sorta just resting now, leaning over the table as he breathed calmly, eyes closed. Something sounded like it went wrong, sounds of attackers, probably, but he didn't feel like getting up.

"Can you fight?"

Des sat up, and shook his head. "No, not really." He remembered the arena, having sort of fought there. However, there he had relied on others, and what little fighting he had done had drained vitae. "I'll stay inside, if that's fine with you." No reply, most of the others were busy being fighting. There was a difference here. He wasn't out in the open now, and there was more able fighters there. More sounds of fighting, attackers.

Should I help?

He wondered. But really, what could he do, apart from taking hits? Des kept watching the situation from within the tent, if it got really bad he'd help out, but he really didn't feel like it now.

 

[Lunar Templar]

She watched as the giant bird flew around them, it was certainly an interesting creature, and from the way it was flying and looking at the group, it was clear the bird was going to be an issue. It flying didn't bother her, she could always blast it, but that had a charge time, and a not so subtly tell she was powering up, so she couldn't help be wonder who else was packing some kind of ranged attack to deal with the bird, in any event, she readied her self for attack.

 

[Terratina.]

Id was more interested in who exactly the inhuman voice belonged to and what business the cloaked figure had with the second in command rather than the camp's new inhabitants and Alex's (rather true) accusations. But how quaint it was to see that the man had decided the arcane experiment was nothing but a creature of malice.

It knew kindness, altruism and the value of both in the wide world. In fact, it was rather condescending being reduced to nothing but a pawn of greed. Part of Id wanted to teach Alex of its existence, just to shut the ignorant man up. And what a lesson it would be.

It would be so easy just to hop over, cradle the man's mind and shown its true existence. So easy to whisper into his ea, to tell and to how. Id knew the words it would say already.

'Look within me. Am I truly as mindless as you say I am? Have I not treated my hosts well? They welcomed me into their hearts and their minds, human. I feel their every thought, through the streams of the mindscape - a river of experience. Before that, I was but a current in the aether - primordial but without will.

Man bound me into this existence and it saddens me to find yet another bound only by his prejudices. Nay, it is even worse to see that you are possessed by what you perceive to be "justice". Both fanatics and tyrants thrive on exploiting fear. I am not fear, nor greed; I am but an ethereal embrace. Think on that.'

However, 'Tarquin' had to continue to be Tarquin. Indulging the inquisitor would do nothing but increase the number of hostiles and the Id and its host faced. It was ugly fighting in that flesh, with nothing but swings of an... appropriated gladius - being limited to what the actual Tarquin knew about combat. He was afraid and had been from the very start, only Id's whispers had calmed him.

'There is no need to worry, my friend. As I had said before, I take good care of my hosts.' It grinned.

Fear, adrenaline, flight-or-flight response - Id could override that and produce a more effective warrior but it paid to maintain the façade of humanity; there was sweat on the Leimian's brow and he wore a concerned expression as he stuck at the attackers.

 

[hiei82]

As the massive bird cawed, Kes dropped low and rolled away from where she'd been; hoping to avoid any unseen strike from above. Unfortunately, the nighttime lighting wasn't a great help in spotting their predatory foe. As such, she followed the movements of those who apparently could see and took up a defensive stance. If the creature came near her, she'd pull it from the sky. Until then, she'd wait.

 

[hiei82]

"Someone mind giving me a hand. Well actually a foot, just need you to kick the flat side of this blade towards the centre." one of the others said; Kes didn't even respond. Having seen the bird as it made its first dive she knew it was a threat. If the woman had a plan, she was happy to support it. Kicking off the ground from her crouched position, she rushed over to their guide. Upon reaching the woman, she planted her heel onto the stone hard, transferring the force from the run into a roundhouse kick into the the flat of the blade.

 

[Josh123914]

"Wait, give other people a chance to come forward first."
Dalrel gave a glare at the soldier for a moment as he edged away from the wall and closer the doorway, ''I am fine with whoever goes and fetches the commander,'' He shouted. One of the beasts lunged for him, and after a shunt with his sword and a short spray of fire, it was no longer an issue.

''Just, get him quickly please? We do not need a vote on this right now.''

 

[Terratina.]

"Just, get him quickly please? We do not need a vote on this right now."

"My pleasure." The Leimian replied. With a deft throw, he threw the gladius in the direction of the wolves and snuck away, taking the stealthy option out of the two. The man was somewhat grateful, the threat of the wolves torn down any pretence of democracy. No more stupid debates about spirits.

However, there was also the matter of whether Id could be stealthy in the clumsy cage of flesh it was in...

 

[Anti-American Eagle]

As night fell Kyras eyes began glow lightly, he didn't seemed bothered by it or even seem to notice it. He could hear Serragish looking for something, but his attention was elsewhere. The setting sun, the vast plains of sand, the golden halo over the liemian camp. Then a shriek came.

Kyras watched as the glowing bird flew around in the dark, well it wasn't dark to him just night. He could tell the difference it just didn't matter to him. The bird was kind of beautiful in a way, it had been awhile since he had seen anything like it.

Then the bird swooped at the group and his attention was shunted back onto the reality of the situation. He immediately started drawing in the odd feeling energies of the area while preparing to dive off the platform incase it tried to grab him.

Flames began to envelop Kyras hands as he waited for it to get close.
He unleashed the flames upon the bird as it drew near, willing the fire to envelop it.

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

Vaerys took cover as the bird swooped down at the group. Not exactly thrilled at the prospect of fighting a flying creature, Vaerys decided to hurl curses at the bird instead. Hopefully it would spur the beast so he could swing his axe at it but given the bird's nature he doubted it.

"Bah! You fat chicken, come down here so I can pluck your wings off!" Vaerys yelled angrily. At this point, Vaerys was angry and oblivious to the plan that the group was coming up with. As the bird swooped above he thumped his chest at the bird. "I've seen sparrows but up more of a fight than you!"

 

[DarkRawen]

When the attack stopped very suddenly, Des looked up. Knowing that the danger and fighting was done, he walked outside, casually, it wasn't his responsibility to defend the mortals, and they had managed fine on their own . Nothing seemed to be amiss, some mortals had been hurt, probably, but he doubted that would have changed if he had done something. Besides, Des was busy looking at that one, odd mortal. A woman, from what he could sense. She was... different, certainly, but he couldn't help but to be captivated by her, the same way he was captivated by most women. He tilted his head, wanting to speak to her, but waiting for the conversation between her and some other mortal to allow for it.

"She ran off in the desert without good reason and just happens to bail right before the worst attack in ages. That sounds suspicious to me and even someone as naïve as you can't say she was exactly open. Do you even know her name? I'll bet if we go to the tower now we'll find her doing something, why else would she apparently commit suicide like that?"

"Now now," Des said, smiling friendly to the very unique, but still beautiful, woman. "I don't think she'd do that, she was with us before this, and she didn't seem to intend to do something like this back then." He got closer.

"Let's not worry about things like that, okay? We'd be better off relaxing, or even going to see how they're doing, than to assume that. I suppose, however, that is a habit of you mortals. It's a bit troublesome at times, though you certainly make up for it by being interesting."

The women, at least.

 

[hiei82]

"Damn! Ok now what are we going to use to rip this cap off." Serragish said, oblivious to the bird.

Kes herself was rather annoyed by all of it herself. This of course was also the potential solution. While finesse hadn't worked, perhaps brute strength would. Calling upon her inner fury, Kes reached down and grabbed the cover. Then, with all her strength, she pulled up on it; trying to lift at least her end of it high enough off the ground for the others to slip through the gap.

 

[Lunar Templar]

After a quick assess of the situation she decided getting close was probably not a good idea not that it was grounded and pissed, so she waited, and charged up, waiting for a opening to exploit to remove this bird creature from their way. She had to wait a little bit but the opening she wanted presented it self when the bird creature cawwed/roared at them again, in that moment she fired on the bird creature, aiming for the head, and more specifically the opening mouth.

 

[Josh123914]

"She ran off in the desert without good reason and just happens to bail right before the worst attack in ages. That sounds suspicious to me and even someone as naïve as you can't say she was exactly open. Do you even know her name? I'll bet if we go to the tower now we'll find her doing something, why else would she apparently commit suicide like that?"

"Now now," Des said, smiling friendly to the very unique, but still beautiful, woman. "I don't think she'd do that, she was with us before this, and she didn't seem to intend to do something like this back then."

It was at this point Dalrel would have said something else, but facing facts, the one that left is a stranger to him, along with the rest here.
''Are you saying she allied herself with direwolves? I find that hard to believe.''
If these soldiers actually knew about our group's relationship status, it'd probably cause some migraines.

 

[Terratina.]

"...I'm sorry for doubting you."

Well, well, nothing like the more cowardly side of humanity to take advantage of, but what was a so-called 'Commander' doing acting like a scared pleb? Regardless, the Leimian's reply was so... Leimian.

"I simply did my duty, sir." Tarquin stated, "Now let's get you to the others."

'No point in taking this one.' Id thought. While there was clearly ample opportunity for the arcane experiment to take over the Commander's body, it would only serve to arouse suspicions.

Instead the noble Leimian carried his superior officer to the others.

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

Vaerys saw Kes lift up the cover and like a rat, he slipped through to get out of there as fast as he could. He didn't particularly like birds but he liked birds that attacked him from the sky he disliked even more. He stepped through the gap with axe at the ready in case anything else wanted to jump out and attack him. How he ached for an enemy he could actually hit with his axe.

 

[Lunar Templar]

As the others all started to climb down into the tower, she stood guard over the entrance. She took a couple pot shots at the bird, nothing at full strength but enough for the bird to get the point it wasn't welcome, though it seemed to get distracted by something else and left, which was fine with her.

She turned and also descended into the entrance to the tower, her back plates still a glow with the charge she was holding for her breath weapon.

 

[Anti-American Eagle]

Kyras's attention went back and forth from the Bird to the party emerging from the portal. Mild panic erupted in his mind as he saw Liemans again. Then he saw the gears and Serragish investigating them. He took a moment to look at them, but realized he didn't have time to fixate with more important things going on.

He walked over to the hole in the tower, crouched, and looked in on the gears. His knowledge was incredibly limited but gears connected to gears and there was a pattern to find in it.

 

[Josh123914]

Dalrel jumped blearily through the Horizon along with the rest of the gaggle, figuring he'd either get lost or eaten if he stayed in the tent. The Horizon transported them to..... a tower. Same planet, same landmass, same physics. ''I thought Horizons were looooooong distance?'' He asked, questioning his own understanding of the portals. If Horizons could be used like this, then why did his homeland bother with ships and carriages?
He pondered for a moment, then remembered he hadn't been there for years, or at least, his body had aged that much.....

After spending a bit too long thinking to himself, he looked around to take in his surroundings. There was a great tower looming above the party, with people definitely standing on top of it. ''Must be the other group,'' he said to himself.

Dalrel saw the tower entrance, with a familiar beast of unforgettable proportions clogging the doorway.
He heard shouts over his shoulder. Liemian troops [which Dalrel made a mental note for: Cannon fodder] where they were struggling to fend off a giant...... bird?

Dalrel was hoping it wouldn't make itself his problem, so he jogged steadily towards the entrance and away from the ensuing lucid nightmare behind him.