The Old Kingdom: Darkness Rising

Discussion in 'Role Play' started by Erik-the-Enchanter!, Feb 7, 2017.

  1. Domino355

    Domino355 Senior Member

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    Drake

    "Wouldn't it be morbidly ironic if, aftereverything we just survived, we all getmauled to death by a grizzly bear?"

    Drake laughed to himself, mainly because the idea was funny, not at all because having Trisiana that close to him made him quite uncomfortable. Was it getting warmer around or was it just him? Plus his pant were uncomfortably tight. Drake looked away and teleported back.

    He took Ms Wintersmith, his stomach slightly fluttering. His ear was still hurting from before.

    He took Samara. "Thanks," Samara said to him when everyone had arrived safely. She clapped him on the shoulder. "And sorry for bossing you around."

    "No prob," he said. Flashing her a smile. He didn't add that he was actually glad of her bossing and taking charge of the situation, while he was scared out of his mind.

    When his teacher made the ice slide he almost whooed, before reminding himself that he was sixteen and supposed to be maturing and all that crap. He still enjoyed himself a little to much sliding down that thing.

    Once he reached the bottom, he saw the others settled in a not-really-a-cave-but -close kind of thing. He was about to sit down with them when he remembered something Ms Wintersmith said about getting rid of the slide. He sat down, knowing there was no way he could help with that, but then he got up grudgingly, remembering that he could help. Damn his brain for thinking about all these clever thoughts.

    He got back out and faced the slide. The idea behind the Vita ex Machina spell was to give inanimate objects a sembalence of life and have them act as they would normally do, just at his control. He normally used that spell for chored, like having a broom sweep his floor or the remote changing channels without him reaching for it. It was a longshot, but what is the common thing ice does if not melt?

    "Vita ex Machina," he said, and closed his eyes. At first it didn't seem to work. Then droplets of water began to appear on the slide. After two minutes the entire thing came crashing down as water, most of which splashed directly on Drake himself.

    "F***" he growled to himself.
     
  2. Domino355

    Domino355 Senior Member

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    Drake

    "Wouldn't it be morbidly ironic if, aftereverything we just survived, we all getmauled to death by a grizzly bear?"

    Drake laughed to himself, mainly because the idea was funny, not at all because having Trisiana that close to him made him quite uncomfortable. Was it getting warmer around or was it just him? Plus his pant were uncomfortably tight. Drake looked away and teleported back.

    He took Ms Wintersmith, his stomach slightly fluttering. His ear was still hurting from before.

    He took Samara. "Thanks," Samara said to him when everyone had arrived safely. She clapped him on the shoulder. "And sorry for bossing you around."

    "No prob," he said. Flashing her a smile. He didn't add that he was actually glad of her bossing and taking charge of the situation, while he was scared out of his mind.

    When his teacher made the ice slide he almost whooed, before reminding himself that he was sixteen and supposed to be maturing and all that crap. He still enjoyed himself a little to much sliding down that thing.

    Once he reached the bottom, he saw the others settled in a not-really-a-cave-but -close kind of thing. He was about to sit down with them when he remembered something Ms Wintersmith said about getting rid of the slide. He sat down, knowing there was no way he could help with that, but then he got up grudgingly, remembering that he could help. Damn his brain for thinking about all these clever thoughts.

    He got back out and faced the slide. The idea behind the Vita ex Machina spell was to give inanimate objects a sembalence of life and have them act as they would normally do, just at his control. He normally used that spell for chored, like having a broom sweep his floor or the remote changing channels without him reaching for it. It was a longshot, but what is the common thing ice does if not melt?

    "Vita ex Machina," he said, and closed his eyes. At first it didn't seem to work. Then droplets of water began to appear on the slide. After two minutes the entire thing came crashing down as water, most of which splashed directly on Drake himself.

    "F***" he growled to himself.
     
  3. Erik-the-Enchanter!

    Erik-the-Enchanter! Banned Contributor

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    Alex looked up at Samara, surprised, as if he had forgotten other people were around. "It's a book about vampires," he said, holding it up for her to look. It was bound in worn black leather with a macabre clasp on the side that was made of authentic vampire fangs. "It's a rare book. I had to save up my allowance for three years, plus get a job as a paper boy, to afford it. The bookstore clerk said no one is sure of its origins, but he thinks it came from the Golden Era. You know, from the old days when there was no Border Wall and magic was everywhere. Anyway, it was hard to decipher at first, but I got used to it after a while. Reading Shakespeare in English class helped a lot."

    He turned the book around and showed the old, yellowing pages to Samara. The words were handwritten in faded reddish-brown ink. "Like this part right here," Alex said, pointing to the top paragraph. "It says: 'The fledgling Vampyre will burneth awaye in the Sun, but the ancient Vampyre maye exist in the Light of Daye for an extended periode'. That means young, newly-made vamps can't go out in the sun, but the really, really old ones can, with little to no consequences. They still prefer the night, though, because bright light hurts their eyes. And at night they are more powerful." As he spoke, his eyes shone with passion; it was obvious that he loved talking about vampires. But then he seemed to realize he was being too zealous and cleared his throat, looking embarrassed.

    "Eh hem...it also says that burning vampires is a common mistake," Alex continued in a subdued tone. "Fire can kill them, but their remains give off a huge plume of toxic smoke that will kill any living thing for a mile around: trees, humans, wildlife, anything. The ritual Ms Wintersmith mentioned, the Purification Ritual, is the best way to destroy them without any dangerous side effects. The ritual also kills any vampires that they have ever made...and any vampires that those vampires made...and on and on. If we just kill her the regular way, her "vampire children" will still live on." He shrugged to show that he wasn't conceited or anything, glancing down at his battered Converse sneakers.
     
    Last edited: Feb 20, 2017
  4. Silent Lion

    Silent Lion Active Member

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    Andreas

    Andreas had entered a sort of daze. He had milled around, watched, taking it in, preparing to act, too overwhelmed to do much. As everyone else was springing to action and discussing plans and playing pin-the-vampire, he had nodded, followed, tagged along. The thing is, even when he had told himself to wake up and pay attention, there always seemed to be someone more qualified to handle the situation. Samara was better at lifting rubble than he was. Drake could transport. The thing is, he had never really practiced getting power into his spells. But it was when Vetala was stuck to the ceiling that he saw where he might fit into this jigsaw.

    His immediate reaction hadn't been to try and blast her off. He had attempted to grind the tiny patches of material from under (above?) her fingers and palms and feet, where she was in contact with the ceiling, and at the same time moisten them so that she would find no purchase. It was a challenge, being so precise, especially under the circumstances. He was too slow in finding it, and others had swatted her down. But for a moment, he could feel the tiny patterns of solid and liquid where his focus was strongest. While the others could blast, zap and force, Andreas' greatest strength would be in the details. Nobody else put as much effort into making their magic intricate. He reassured himself with the conviction that it would prove a useful distinction.

    Eventually, they had wound up in the cave(ish). His daze had worn off, and his mind had processed events. It was time to recouperate, and to be mentally prepared for the next onslaught, whatever form that would take.

    The ritual also kills any vampires that they have ever made...and any vampires that those vampires made...and on and on. If we just kill her the regular way, her "vampire children" will still live on."

    "Wait..." Andreas piped up. The others seemed to startle a little at his presence. "Don't you guys see a problem with that? All the vampires she's made, all the vampires they've made... how many of those vampires will be tame? How many will be innocent?"
     
  5. AnonyMouse

    AnonyMouse Contributor Contributor

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    "Wait..." Andreas piped up. The others seemed to startle a little at his presence. "Don't you guys see a problem with that? All the vampires she's made, all the vampires they've made... how many of those vampires will be tame? How many will be innocent?"

    "That's... actually a good point," Samara said. A shame she hadn't thought of it. For someone who fashioned herself as a champion of justice, she shouldn't have overlooked that. She was too focused on fighting evil to realize there could be good people caught in the crossfire.

    Then again, is there such a thing as an 'innocent' vampire? Tame or feral, they still preyed on humans.

    Then again, the lion preys on the gazelle. That doesn't make the lion "evil"... does it?

    To the gazelle, maybe, but what does that word --evil-- even mean?

    Samara took off her headscarf and ran her fingers through her hair, sighing in silent frustration. These questions... they don't teach this stuff in school. After a pause, she tied it back onto her head and stood up. "Thanks for the crash course on vampires," she said to Alex, "but all I really wanted to know is how to deal with her mind control." She nodded to Vetala. "This journey will end very quickly and very badly if she does to us what she has done to the townpeople... and what she almost did to you, I should add."

    She studied Alex's face for a long, silent moment, scrutinizing him with those big, brown, unblinking eyes, nearly as mesmerizing as Vetala's, but for entirely different reasons. Vetala's gaze was a trick, a trap. But Samara's eyes were honest, almost too honest. It's hard to lie when someone looks at you like that.

    "Are you sure you're feeling okay?" she said.
     
  6. Erik-the-Enchanter!

    Erik-the-Enchanter! Banned Contributor

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    Alex nodded when Andreas spoke. "That's a good point," he conceded. "But when a vampire turns someone, they inject their essence into them, which is the equivalent of DNA. It is possible that some of Vetala's children are tame...but a vast majority of them are probably just as rotten as she is."

    "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"


    "I...I'm fine," Alex muttered, avoiding Samara's eyes. Her gaze made him extremely uncomfortable. He fidgeted and, for the first time since they left Primrose Prep, pulled his hood down over half of his face. "Vetala's mind tricks work best on regular, non-magical folk. We can resist her, as long as we stay keenly aware of what we are feeling and why we're feeling it. Or we could just, you know, avoid looking in her eyes."

    Ms Wintersmith mumbled in her sleep, "It's a deal, Amen...it's a deal...send me down, send me down..."
     
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2017
  7. Domino355

    Domino355 Senior Member

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    After melting the ice slide, Drake felt a wave of weariness flow over him, just like the wave of water moments before. He longed for sleep, but also to change out of the freezing clothes he was stuck in. So he teleported home, changed into something fresh, and teleported back. Of course, like every new place, he missed the cave by about half a mile. Grumbling, he walked back, and once he reached the cave, simply collapsed on the floor.

    "Wake me up when it's all over," he mumbled and closed his eyes.
     
  8. Lone Vista

    Lone Vista Active Member

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    Joe sat in stunned silence while the others talked. Everything was finally catching up to them: Will was dead. His killer was cuffed to their teacher. They couldn't go home. And they were all heading into the OK, which meant...well, actually they had no idea. That was the problem with a place in such severe isolation, wasn't it? There was no way of knowing what to expect. Surprisingly, what most bothered Joe was the fact they'd probably forgotten to water their plants this morning. Would anyone remember to look after the little guys when they didn't come home? ...Would anyone notice when they didn't come home at all?

    Okay, that was a little more spiteful than realistic. A lot of their time was spent avoiding that house, full of too many people, most of them angry at any given time. But they still felt a little sick knowing they couldn't get back there. Their dad...they weren't too unhappy about avoiding him, actually. A sickening suspicion lodged in their gut that dad's response to the day's events would've been to blame Joe somehow...whether he was under Vetala's influence or not. So why had they already started missing him?

    Eager for distraction from their complicated family relationships, Joe set about applying some very basic first aid to their arm. It was okay. Some debris had scraped it pretty badly, and torn the sleeve of their hoodie in the process, but none of the abrasions were very deep. Applying the too-small band-aids was awkward, and they'd used up four before just giving up. They might need them later, maybe. The back of their neck was harder to reach, and seemed to be a bit deeper - they'd probably need someone to help with that. ...Like they had the energy to ask. A little tensely, Joe glanced around at the others, trying to indicate a sense of need with their body language. Sometimes people took pity if Joe looked helpless enough. ...It often worked, but it made them feel kind of gross to think about it. Life would be a million times less complicated if they could just get up the nerve to talk to people.

    It was during this not-too-obvious-but-hopefully-obvious-enough fidgeting that their eye landed on Nyx again. She still hadn't woken up. Was that normal? Joe hadn't seen this happen before, but maybe it was a normal facet of her powers? They supposed they could just leave it, but what if something was really wrong?

    Okay, they needed to stop panicking. There was good reason to be rattled; Someone had died today. Will's bloody body stuck in their memory like a dagger. But there was still ground to cover before they were safe; they needed to keep it together. Ms. Wintersmith hadn't been worried, so Nyx was probably going to be fine. Now they needed to stop waffling around and sort themselves out.

    Digging in their backpack, they fished out a handkerchief. Like many of the "tools" in the bag, Joe had never had much reason to use it for anything. (Well, before today.) A measuring tape, a screwdriver, clear tape, some permanent markers, string- and nail clippers, really? Under what circumstances would those be useful? Time and again Joe had debated emptying the things out and lightening their load, but the truth was it just made them feel better to have them there. They'd always imagined that in the case of emergency, they'd have whatever amazingly specific object they needed to help them survive.

    Well, an emergency had happened, hadn't it. Too bad their needlenose pliers hadn't been up to the challenge.

    Flattening out the kerchief (or was it a bandanna? Its size made it ambiguous.) Joe folded it as neatly as they could manage and pressed it against their neck. Hopefully they wouldn't get a horrible infection from this and die anticlimactically.

    Everyone seemed to be about ready to pass out. Joe couldn't blame them, but the pain kept them from drifting off as well. Fine with them. They'd stay on watch, or whatever, and keep an eye out for torches and pitchforks.
     
  9. Bewitched

    Bewitched Banned

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    Trisana

    Trisana was listening quietly to Alex and Samara's conversation. She had learned quite a few things: burning vampires would release toxic smoke that killed anything within a mile; the Purification Ritual will not only safely kill Vetala, but it will destroy all of her children; and when a vampire makes a fledgling, they inject their own "essence" into them. Trisana shivered just thinking about getting bitten by Vetala. What would that feel like? What would that do to her? Would she become just like Vetala, swaggering around in extravagant clothes and mercilessly killing innocents?

    "If she tries to bite me, I'll remove her teeth," Trisana grumbled. She gave the sleeping vampire a death glare before sauntering over to Drake and sitting down next to him. He had fallen asleep as soon as he came back from taking down the ice slide. Trisana grinned down at him and stroked his face with one soft finger. Then she leaned back against the cave wall and sighed wearily.

    "I wonder if the OK has in-door plumbing?" she mused out loud, twirling a lock of hair.
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2017
  10. Silent Lion

    Silent Lion Active Member

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    Andreas

    "That's a good point," he conceded. "But when a vampire turns someone, they inject their essence into them, which is the equivalent of DNA. It is possible that some of Vetala's children are tame...but a vast majority of them are probably just as rotten as she is."

    A nod and a turning away of the eyes signalled that Andreas was satisfied with that answer. In truth, he was not, but he had all the information he would get on that subject, and so preferred to continue the debate in the privacy of his thoughts. The vast majority... a possibility that some... it was all a little hopeful, wasn't it? Oh, that's fine, MOST of them are bad.

    But then hadn't his past already seen the need for difficult decisions? What IF one or two of her children were good, what did that mean? What had Miss Wintersmith called her, a senior or something? Presumably that meant she was very old and powerful. Presumably that meant she'd made many 'offspring', and a great many descendants in total. If, say, two of every hundred were good, wasn't that a sufficiently low cost?

    Andreas could already hear Samara's voice in his head. "Even a single innocent life... " etc etc. But that was the emotion speaking, wasn't it? Not the logic. What about the countless innocent lives that would be slaughtered by Vetala and her descendants, if they didn't take her down? Their mercy would make them responsible for that. Even if some of Vetala's children were good, on the balance of things there would be far greater evil caused by allowing her descendants to remain. It was a cold and calculated answer, but the truth WAS cold. That was how the world made sense to Andreas. The question had been answered - any further doubt on the matter would not only be irrational, it would be selfish.

    He slid onto his side and hoped for sleep.
     
  11. Erik-the-Enchanter!

    Erik-the-Enchanter! Banned Contributor

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    Thirty minutes later...

    The trees bowed in a sudden gust-wind that sent leaves and twigs and dirt clouds blowing everywhere. Ms Wintersmith snapped awake, her eyes glowing fierce blue, and looked out the cave at all the hubbub. "Helicopters," she said with a slight frown. "Low-flying helicopters, and big ones by the look of it. The Army is coming." She dragged herself to her feet, waking up Vetala in the process. The vampire looked confused for a moment, but then her luminous green eyes flew wide open and she hissed at all of them. But when she tried to lunge for Samara, the black ice that covered her entire arm and half of her chest stopped her and she jerked back.

    "What...is...this?" Vetala growled darkly.

    "An enchantment," Miss Wintersmith snapped. "One that you won't be able to break out of. In fact, the harder you struggle, the more ice will grow over you and sap your life force."

    Vetala hissed and raised her hand to slap Miss Wintersmith, but the ice grew several inches up the side of her neck and she quickly lowered her arm. "Witch!" Vetala hissed through her bared fangs. Her entire body trembled with rage, her eyes glowing like beacons, but she was completely powerless. "I will get out of this, and when I do, I'm going to eat you and all your precious students," she said with red-hot fury.

    "Yeah, yeah," Ms Wintersmith grumbled, rolling her eyes. "Save your threats for someone who gives a damn." With that, Ms Wintersmith turned to her students. "We must get to the Wall and penetrate the Gate." The Gate was the only way through the Wall, and it could only be opened by placing official papers into a magical stone basin. "If the Wall is failing, then maybe the Gate will let us through without papers," their teacher said with forced certainty.

    "It will let us through," Alex said. He was on his feet and he had a steely look in his dark eyes. "It has to let us through."

    Ms Wintersmith raised an eyebrow and smiled at him, but didn't make a comment. Alex was getting bolder by the minute. All this adventure and intrigue seemed to really bring him to life. "Okay, let's get going," Ms Wintersmith ordered, striding out of the cave.

    She had only taken a few steps before a two black helicopters swooped down over the treetops and let out a stream of bullets. They would have killed Ms Wintersmith, if Vetala hadn't turned and ran at super-speed back into the cave, dragging their teacher with her. Once inside, Ms Wintersmith staggered to a halt and gave the vampire a confused, distrustful look.

    "Don't look at me like that," Vetala growled. "I had to save you, or else I would have gotten shot up, too. It wouldn't have killed me, but it would have hurt worse than a thousand bee-stings. Sooo..." The vampire turned to the students with a scowl of disgust. "How are we going to get out of this cave without getting shot on sight, little sorcerers?"
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2017
  12. Skye Walker

    Skye Walker Banned

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    Nyx woke up like she did everything else: dramatically.

    It wouldn't have been movie-ish enough without a desperate, incredibly loud inhale. Don't forget bolting upright, sweat pouring down the forehead and dripping into the eyes.

    Nyx didn't get the sweat part, but the other two? Yup.

    She startled a fair amount of people, even waking up a few who were sleeping, so even in her groggy, tired state, she was pleased.

    That small happiness turned very quickly to confusion, and the confusion to anger.

    "What happened?" Nyx demanded. "Who's that, what's going on, why are we in a cave..." she trailed off, intensely staring everyone who had looked her way in the eyes. "I just overexerted myself to attack that bitch," she said. "Someone better tell me what's going on, or I'll... well, I can't do much now. Just... tell me what's going on!"
     
  13. Lone Vista

    Lone Vista Active Member

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    Joe hadn't moved since the choppers started firing - less out of terror than realisation of the situation's hopelessness. There was no way they'd cover that ground - and even if they somehow reached the Wall, they might not even be able to get through it. Then the army (they still had trouble really processing that. The army? The army was after them!? It was like something out of a movie) would blast them to pieces.

    "How are we going to get out of this cave without getting shot on sight, little sorcerers?"


    ...'On sight'.

    That was when an even worse realisation hit: They had an idea. ...They almost had a plan.

    "Uh-!" They raised their voice just above its usual level of indecipherable mumble. Had to do better than that. "I- I can get us out of here, invisibly, I mean, but- I can only do one at a time! I think if I take Drake to the wall, he can teleport back here and get everybody else. Only," they swallowed, looking at Ms. Wintersmith and Vetala. This was where things got tricky. "I don't think- Drake and my powers only work on one person at a time. We can't- neither of us can move both of you.

    "But- I think I- my clone. Can lead the helicopters away, if I send it out at the same time Drake and I go, maybe they'll see it and try to follow? I, um, don't know how far it'll get though- I'm pretty sure it can't take a bullet. The only other idea I have that doesn't, um, kill anybody, is...if Drake could, maybe, get inside the helicopters, and teleport the shooters somewhere really far away..." they paused an looked at Drake, not sure how stupid this idea actually might be. "...But that kind of depends, uh, on you being able to 'port up into the air. ...Into a moving helicopter."

    The commotion from outside was definitely getting louder. A chill went down their back, and their last words came out in a rush. "But they definitely know we're here and we really need to do something soon!" Finished at last, they looked around at the others for any better ideas.
     
  14. Bewitched

    Bewitched Banned

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    Trisana

    Trisana shimmied closer to Nyz and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey there!" Trisana chirped. "Did you have a good nap? Anyway, the vampire lady is under control, Ms Wintersmith slapped a big ol' hex on her. She can't harm any of us or the ice will consume her, or something like that. But there's some scary helicopters outside that require our immediate attention." That said, Trisana held out her hand and the Shiny Sword appeared in her grasp. She twirled it around just for show before holding it out in a defensive position and turning to the others.

    Joe's plan actually sounded pretty reasonable. "Good plan, Joe!" Trisana said with a huge smile. "You're a great tactician. Maybe you should consider a career in the Army? That is, if they don't kill us first..." She trailed off and stared out the cave at the leaves and twigs and dirt that was blowing all over the place. "That's really going to mess up my hair," she grumbled to herself.
     
  15. Domino355

    Domino355 Senior Member

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    Drake
    Holy shit! Drake woke with a start. Was that just gunfire?! He was beggining to really hate being on this field trip. People spoke around him, the words just seemed to go over his head. Not again! He took some deep breaths. And tried to concentrate.

    "The only other idea I have that doesn't, um, killanybody, is...if Drake could, maybe, get inside the helicopters, and teleport the shooters somewhere really far away..."

    "...But that kind of depends, uh, on you being able to 'port up into the air. ...Into a moving helicopter."

    It took Drake a moment to realise that Joe was talking to him. He swallowed. The last thing he wanted to do was attempt to teleport inside a flying helicopter, with armed guns and everything.

    "Well, theoretically," he began. Then the pressure was too much and he stopped time.

    Drake walked outside the cave, before stopping short when he saw a bullet, frozen in midair, right in front of his face. Yep, he was going to die if he tried that. His heart beat faster and breath quickened. No, no he can't. He just wasn't the heroic type.

    He sat down on the ground. Would he really leave his, well, acquaintances here to die? He knew he could. But then the army will come after him again. And again. No, they needed to clear themselves, and he wasn't going to leave the only people who could do it. Yet.

    Returning from the time stop, he looked once more at Joe.
    "I'm just not that precise. And I'll need to have a good look at the chopper, which is impossible." He hoped he wasn't talking too fast. He looked at Ms Wintersmith. "I can take us like a couple of roads away from the OK, I think. Then if you can take lead us there that would be great." Then another great idea popped in his head. He turned to Samara. "You think you could do the same thing with the vampire, but with a chopper? Like, bring it down from the sky?"
     
  16. Silent Lion

    Silent Lion Active Member

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    Andreas

    Once again, he thought about his powers and felt redundant. The soil around here was very easy to grind, and then he could use his water powers to create quite a large bog. It might stop vehicles and troops on foot? It wouldn't stop people roping down the cliff, but it might buy some time. And the helicopters were intimidating, but they were safe behind the cover of the cave. It wasn't much, but it was something. He lowered himself towards the exit, peering with one eye from behind cover as low to the ground as possible. From this limited vision, he chanelled his fear and panic into an intense focus, and transformed the approach beyond the stream into a quagmire. At least he'd done something. He stood up.

    "Look, guys, let's keep this simple, shall we?" he said, standing a little too near the entrance. He flinched as a bullet impacted the ground near his feet. "Drake, you can get everyone out easily, if you pick an obscure enough place to teleport to. We can worry about getting to the Gate from there. Let's just stop getting shot at for now! The only problem is Miss and Vetala. Miss, can you, er, freeze her or something long enough for Drake to 'port you somewhere and come back to get Vetala?"
     
  17. Erik-the-Enchanter!

    Erik-the-Enchanter! Banned Contributor

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    Ms Wintersmith shook her head at Andreas. "If I release Vetala from the ice, even for a second, she'll try to kill all of us," she told him.

    "You're damn skippy," Vetala growled, her green eyes flashing.

    "Drake can take you all closer to the Wall," Ms Wintersmith continued, ignoring their prisoner. "There's nothing but woods between here and the OK; stay beneath the trees and out of sight. I will try my best to catch up with you." Ms Wintersmith took a step toward the mouth of the cave, a look of grim determination on her face. "The only way out of this...is through."

    "I won't leave you to fight them on your own," Alex said, standing beside her.

    "I can't ask you to do that," Ms Wintersmith protested.

    "You don't have to," Alex interjected. He pulled back his hood and rolled up his sleeves. "Let's see just how much I learned in your class, shall we?" That said, he thrust out his hand and a flaming skull exploded from his palm. The skull's jaw opened and closed rapidly as it flew out of the cave and curved up, heading for one of the helicopters. The helicopter shot the skull to pieces almost immediately, but Alex was already conjuring up another one.

    Ms Wintersmith held out her free hand and shot a crackling ball of ice magic at the other helicopter. It hit the windshield and covered half of it in thick hoarfrost. The helicopter raised over the trees and quickly retreated.

    The sound of reinforcements (soldiers yelling orders, marching boots, and a great ripping sound as trees were bulldozed by a large vehicle) reached the cave from a distance.
     
  18. Lone Vista

    Lone Vista Active Member

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    Joe felt a sickening lurch in their gut as the ice hit the helicopter, then a flood of relief when it retreated unharmed. The soldiers were caught in the same curse as everyone else. ...And Joe didn't think they could take it if anyone else died today.

    Focus. Time for freaking out later, if any of us live long enough. They inhaled slowly and summoned their shadow clone. Go as fast as you can. Lead them away from us. They gulped. Please don't get hit. ...I'm sorry. It was the second time today they'd sent it into a lethal situation to save themselves. Even if it wasn't a real person, they still felt guilty.

    The clone just nodded impassively, as always, and shot out from the cave. It crossed the flowing stream, ducked under the trees (hopefully out of range of the aerial guns) and ran in the other direction to the OK. All the while it was calling in a voice just loud to be noticeable: "This way, guys! Quick, before they catch up to us!"

    Back in the cave, Joe grasped Drake's wrist and made both of them invisible. Then a final thought occurred, just as they were about to depart. "Ms. Wintersmith! Please, um- cover the cave entrance with ice and- when you run! When you leave I mean! If they think we're inside, maybe they'll try to- break it down, instead of following us!" Another bullet pinged off a rock not far from the entrance, and Joe almost had a heart attack. "And it will protect everyone until Drake comes to get them, ok we're going now!" And with that they pulled Drake out from under the overhang and towards the OK.

    Bullets scattered around them. For one heart-stopping moment Joe thought their invisibility had failed, until they heard the shouts from soldiers charging in the other direction. They were chasing their clone, and firing wildly. Joe could tell it hadn't been hit yet - at least, not bad enough to dissipate. They could only hope that lasted long enough to lead the main force away from the others. If Ms. Wintersmith couldn't get to the OK, they were all screwed. She was their only hope of crossing the wall.

    They ran on, holding Drake's arm for dear life. If they let go, he'd be there for all the world to see. But after a few minutes of running, they seemed to be leaving the sounds of chaos behind them. Joe was almost tempted to relax a little. Then another chopper flew right overhead, and they kept running.

    It wasn't too much farther to the OK. In fact they'd started running less than ten minutes ago. Even so, as the massive OK wall loomed ahead of them, Joe couldn't help but feel terrified about what was happening to the others.
     
  19. Domino355

    Domino355 Senior Member

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    Drake
    Drake was stunned as Joe grabbed his hand and pulled him after. The queer forteen year old has more balls than you, he thought to himself. But he couldn't help it. Behind his shoulder he saw Ms Wintersmith engage in battle with the helicopters, and suddenly he was glad tp be running from the fray. Though god help him, he was going to go back, he realised.

    Focus on the way, he thought angrily to himself. There was no way he would be able to hit the cave exactly, but he had to be as precise as he could.

    Once they reached the OK wall, Drake let go of Joe's hand. He opened his mouth, and yet no sound seemed to come out. Taking a deep breath, he managed to croak, "teleport."

    A moment later he found himself right beneath a helicopter. The noise was far louder than anything he ever heard, even that heavy metal concert he once snuck into accidently. The wind was strong enough to bolw him back a step or two. He looked up. It seemed as if the soldiers spotted him, and one was beggining to turn his gun towards him.

    "Teleport," he said, glad that the noise could hide his extremely high pitched yell. And he was in the cave.

    He lut his hand on Anreas's shoulder, and without asking teleported to the OK. Well, close enough anyway. The guy would have to walk a minute or so, but at least the wall was clearly visible. Drake let go of Andreas's shoulder and teleported back.

    His next two attempts had some more near-death experiences, but at least he seemed to be getting closer to the cave's entrance each time. Unfortunately, that was were the bullets were heading as well. He managed to grab Nyx and Trisana, and dropped each one slightly closer to the OK wall. With Trisana he even made the gesture of teleporting them a second time, about twenty meters away from the wall.

    Finally he managed to reach the cave precisely. He took Samara's hand and turned to Alex, "You... Tou sure you don't... You know, want me to come back for you?" Damn, why did his voice habe to squeak so much when he was scared!? And why was he holding back the urge to pee?

    He teleported back, landing right next to Joe and the others. He was getti g good at this.
     
  20. Silent Lion

    Silent Lion Active Member

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    Andreas

    Joe had successfully led most of the troops away. But not all of them. They could still hear the clatter of voices, with their military focus and efficiency. They could hear choppers still lurking above, coming in to search and reinforce. He could feel hostile intent, around them, above them. They waited for Drake's return, and again Andreas felt like baggage. He tried to wait calmly, but his teeth ground and his toes clenched. They would be found any moment now, and there they would be like children hiding in the closet. Waiting to be shot. His calves primed for flight. He listened hard, but it was the sight of dislodged rubble falling from the rockface above their cave that broke his restraint. Resolved to put himself on the frontline, he darted for the cave exit... and that was when Drake appeared and whisked him away.

    He stood a little confused in the forest. The sounds of battle were muffled and distant. His heart pounded, ready for a situation he was no longer in. He took a look at the Wall looming behind the trees, and began to run.
     
  21. AnonyMouse

    AnonyMouse Contributor Contributor

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    "I'm going back," Samara said, the moment she'd arrived at the wall. "Someone has to make sure Miss Wintersmith, Alex, and Vetala," she added the vampire's name in a low, annoyed grumble, "get here in one piece. I cannot just stand here and hope they survive. I will try to meet them halfway."

    She summoned her armor and ran off before anyone could argue. Honestly, she was confident they would reach the wall unharmed, but at what cost? Miss Wintersmith seemed to be fighting defensively, but if Alex kept slinging those flaming skulls, someone was going to get hurt. They needed to prove to everyone that they weren't the enemy. Samara's defensive magic was perfect for that.

    I'm coming, she thought as she charged through the woods.
     
  22. Erik-the-Enchanter!

    Erik-the-Enchanter! Banned Contributor

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    "I'm staying," Alex told Drake with a firm nod.

    When most of Ms Wintersmith's students were gone, she let out a breath that she hadn't even known she was holding. She would never be able to forgive herself if one of them was killed under her supervision. Like Will was killed by Vetala. Ms Wintersmith blinked hard and tried to force herself not to think about Will, his ripped-out throat, the glistening blood on the tiled floor, Derek's heartbreaking sobs...

    "Did you hear me, Ms Wintersmith?" Alex asked, snapping her back to reality. "I said there's more soldiers coming! We have to take down the second helicopter, fast! Can you ice the windshield like you did before?" He threw another skull out of the cave. The helicopter blew it apart just like the first one, and then it lowered closer to the ground, turned to the side...and pointed the machine gun straight at them.

    "No!" Ms Wintersmith cried desperately. She flung out her hand and a dazzling blue bolt struck the floor. An ice-wall immediately started to grow up to the ceiling to block the entrance, just like Joe had suggested, but a few bullets got through before the ice-wall was finished. Ms Wintersmith flinched and closed her eyes; Vetala hissed and raised her arm in defense...but they were not shot down. Instead, there was a loud thud-thud-thud! Ms Wintersmith peaked open one eye and saw that Alex had kneeled down and placed both hands flat on the ground, and a huge tombstone had emerged in front of them. The tombstone had stopped the bullets.

    "Nice work, Mr Wilder," Ms Wintersmith breathed. "Very nice work indeed." She peered around the tombstone and saw that her ice-wall was complete. They were safe, but not for long. The machine gun was already chipping away at the barrier, rapidly wearing it down.

    "Now what?" Vetala asked, glaring at her captors.

    Ms Wintersmith and Alex did not reply, because there was nothing left that they could do. Ms Wintersmith put her arm around Alex and pulled him close. "It's okay," she whispered, even though it wasn't. "It's okay."
     
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2017
  23. Domino355

    Domino355 Senior Member

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    Drake
    "I'm staying,"


    Drake nodded.

    "I'm going back," Samara said, the moment she'd arrived at the wall. "Someone has to make sure Miss Wintersmith, Alex, and Vetala," she added the vampire's name in a low, annoyed grumble, "get here in one piece. I cannot just stand here and hope theysurvive. I will try to meet them halfway."

    Why do I even bother? He thought to himself, annoyed. He teleported by Samara's side, and returned her to the cave.

    They were behind the helicopter this time, and things weren't looking good. At all. Ms Wintersmith had an ice barrier at the entrance of the cave, and the machine gun was chipping at it slowly.

    Drake looked back. The OK seemed so safe now. But on the other hand, Ms Wintersmith apparently couldn't handle herself.

    And could he? He wasn't bulletproof, couldn't control ice, or create light swords. God, all he could do was get from place to place faster. He shook his head, and teleported behind the ice shield with Samara.

    "G-got you some backup miss," he said. "What do you want me to do?"
     
  24. Erik-the-Enchanter!

    Erik-the-Enchanter! Banned Contributor

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    Ms Wintersmith started when Drake and Samara appeared in the cave. She quickly wiped away the tears that had begun to fall down her face before shouting, "No, no, no! I sent you away! Why did you come back? Do you have a death wish or something?"

    Alex stepped in front of their teacher. "Drake, Samara, we need your help," he said in a business-like tone. "The barrier won't hold for long. We have to take down that helicopter and get out of here before the rest of the Army arrives."

    "If you let me free, then I'll reverse my spell," Vetala announced suddenly.

    Alex turned to her in shock. "Wh...what did you say?" he asked.

    "I'll reverse all of this if you let me out," Vetala repeated with a one-shouldered shrug. "I don't want to get shot to pieces. Do you know how long it would take me to reconstitute myself? Weeks. I'd much rather spend my time doing something worthwhile. So, what do you say? Will you let me free?"

    "Don't listen to her," Ms Wintersmith began, but Vetala's hand whipped up and she covered their teacher's mouth. "Don't listen to her," Vetala hissed. "Think for yourselves for once, little sorcerers. Let me free and I will fix everything. You can go back to your humdrum lives, and I will go back to the OK and never return. I swear it. I've had enough of this side of the Wall."

    "Let go of her!" Alex barked. "You can't hurt her of the ice will cover you!"

    "The ice isn't growing, is it?" Vetala snapped, and she was right. The ice wasn't growing. "That's because I'm not going to hurt her, I'm just keeping her trap shut." Ms Wintersmith clawed at Vetala's hand, but she wasn't nearly as strong as an ancient vampire. "Will you do as I say or not?" Vetala demanded.

    Alex opened his mouth and closed it again, at a loss. He turned to Drake and Samara for guidance.
     
  25. AnonyMouse

    AnonyMouse Contributor Contributor

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    Samara Butler

    Samara was running through the woods when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She wheeled around, expecting to deck a soldier in the face, but instead found Drake there. Before she could even react, she was in a cave, face to face with Alex and Miss Wintersmith.

    “You really do have something against walking, don’t you?” she muttered, more to herself than to him. “I mean, really, you should try it once in a while. It’s nice. Good for the body and the soul.”

    "G-got you some backup miss," he said. "What do you want me to do?"

    Samara straightened and tried to look dignified, like a proud knight ready to charge into battle and stare down death.

    "No, no, no! I sent you away! Why did you come back?” Miss Wintersmith said, in tears once more. “Do you have a death wish or something?"

    “N-No, of course not. We were just… ummm…” Samara stammered as she tried to console her teacher. She totally wasn’t thinking about ‘staring down death’ a moment ago. Did I say ‘death?’ I meant rainbows. Yeah, those darn rainbows need to be taught a lesson.

    Samara was about to give her a big hug and tell her everything is okay, but Alex stepped forward. "Drake, Samara, we need your help," he said in a business-like tone. "The barrier won't hold for long. We have to take down that helicopter and get out of here before the rest of the Army arrives."

    And that is when Vetala did what any vampire with half a brain would do: she bargained for her freedom. Oh, the irony.

    “You take your hands off of her right now,” Samara said coldly, her eyes locked on Vetala’s searing green gaze. Vampire or not, she wasn’t afraid. “Everyone here has the right to speak, even you, vampire.”

    She stepped closer. “Funny thing is, I actually believe you… sort of. You want out. That much is clear. I was planning on asking you to lift the spell earlier. It would have saved us a lot of trouble.” She smiled. “But I have no intention of letting you go free. Ice or no ice, you are going back to the OK, under my watch. I will stake my life on it. Yeah, I have a death wish and I'm proud of it.

    “Why should we free you? It will not reverse Will’s death or what it has done to Derek. It will not bring back your countless other victims. It will not heal the breach in the Wall that allowed you to slither into this town like a lowly snake.” She scowled. “A few bullets? I can take that. What I cannot take is the thought of you roaming free after what you have done, Vetala. But, please, tell me how wrong I am. Lie to me. Add weight to the scales of justice I will use to bludgeon every inch of life from your cold corpse when this journey reaches its inevitable end.”
     
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2017

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