Nameless Hero

[Fae See] Starved Obsidian Necromantic System - Pyramid

Bones scoffed as he heard the threat from Xune and shouted in retort while running past, "Stay here and die then if you like!"

He'd heard the skeletal minions shattering to pieces behind him as he ran and had no interest in sharing the same fate. That aside, what little desire he had to help had evaporated the moment the drider opened her mouth, justifying the sheer disdain he held for her kind.

No respect for life or death, Bones thought contemptuously as he ran on. Better for there to be one less necromancer in the world.

But then Xune called out, "Just buy me a few moments to focus and I can deal with this guardian."

An earnest plea. Suddenly, it no longer felt just abandoning the drider to her fate and Bones halted in his tracks as he thought, hesitated and turned away from the room's exit.

"Gods damn it!" he cursed to himself as he sprinted back the other way.

At that point, instinct had completely taken over and he gave no thought to whether Xune's magical barriers would hold. All he saw was a drider about to get crushed by a giant golem and that there was something he could do about it.

With a leap, Bones tackled Xune out of the way of the attack and shouted, "GET OUT OF H-"

His words were cut off as the blow struck.

[Fae See] Starved Obsidian Necromantic System - Pyramid

Bones stared after Xune for a while before following her down the passageway, hand clasped firmly around the hilt of his sword.

"Fucking necromancers," he muttered while shaking his head. Now that he knew the drider's goals, he wondered if it would not be better to abandon her to this mad quest.

I could stop her right now, Bones thought to himself as he slowly switched his hand to the hilt of his dagger. Stop her right now before she fucks up and brings disaster upon the world.

But then again, what if it worked? It was a maddening thing to consider. That an army of noble heroes could not conquer the pyramid, but this singularly arrogant drider might? And from what Bones had seen, she was certainly powerful. The only question was if she was powerful enough.

Worth seeing at least, he thought as he removed his hand from his dagger.

Upon reaching the end of the passageway, the chamber ahead stirred with necromantic activity and Bones immediately placed himself between Xune and the golem taking form before them. Drawing his sword, he prepared to face this new foe... that continued to grow. And grow. And grow. When its true size finally became apparent, it wasted no time at all in attacking the party.

"You bunch help him keep it distracted," Xune ordered her minions as she skittered away while raising barriers on them all.

"I have a better idea," Bones said as he backed up, turned around and sprinted for the passage where they came from before the golem's massive arm came swinging after them. "RUN THE FUCK AWAY!"

[Fae See] Starved Obsidian Necromantic System - Pyramid

As the dust settled, Bones was awestruck by the sheer level of destruction all around the room. Not a single construct was left standing nor could any of the scavengers be seen. So complete was their annihilation that not even charred remains were left to mark their passing. They were simply... gone.

Magic sure is terrifying, Bones thought as he looked at the drider, shook his head and revised his thoughts. No, she is terrifying. And where was all this power earlier?

The answer came soon enough as Xune mounted her grotesque chariot and said, "Let's keep moving we need to go deeper to make this place mine."

Without being able to help himself, Bones tightened his grip on his sword as he stepped forward to shout, "HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING?"

He regretted it as soon as he said it.

Sheathing his sword and looking down at one of his lifeless hands, Bones continued in a calmer voice, "Many before you have tried to do the exact same thing, but this place... it only takes and takes from you until there's nothing left. Only a husk."

Balling his hand into a fist, he spoke the way he used to when his companions in life were in need of common sense, "If you really want to claim the pyramid then give up on trying to keep it intact. If there is a way to do it then it won't be through its defences. After all, would you be foolish enough to include such a flaw in its design?"

Moving towards the new passage, Bones picked up his thrown dagger along the way and while passing by the drider, he said in hushed tones, "What you said about bringing back my friends, please don't."

[Fae See] Starved Obsidian Necromantic System - Pyramid

If only I had my trusty shield, Bones had time to think just before the construct smacked him clear across the room like Mantis before him.

Unlike the elf however, he was nowhere near as agile or sturdy, nor was he able to use any form of healing magics. Rather, it seemed that the only benefit to his undead form was the inability to feel pain, so when he was thrown through the air and fell upon the floor again, he did not feel the spine shattering force that would have broken a living man for life nor did he feel his ribs cracking upon the stone.

He only stood back up, sword still clenched in his fist as he fixed his hollow eyes upon the construct and snarled in defiance, "Is that all you got?"

With Xune's words in mind for him to keep playing distraction, Bones meant to charge forward again until the situation changed all over again in mere moments. Xune's fire spell, the opening of hidden passageways revealing another party, Mantis's reckless manoeuvres and a sudden chaotic melee between the constructs and new arrivals.

Help us! Bones was about to say until one of them shouted, "Forget the constructs! Get to the pylons! Grab whatever you can carry before somebody else takes it! That drider is feeding the system. Let her keep doing it!"

His shoulders sank as he realized they were no more than a group of relic hunters, their greed the only motivation for their presence here. They would be of no help at all. At least, not by their own choosing. They were certainly proving to be a far better distraction than Bones had been, in spite of his best efforts, and he took advantage of this to move closer to the elf and drider so that he might be in a better position to help.

Taking care to avoid the lights on the floor, Bones approached the platform and said, "Looks like our oversized friends have forgotten about us. What's our next m-"

"Burn and freeze, be solid and shattered, crack and crumble. Spirits come and surround, protect from the hot and the cold."

Realizing that Xune was casting another spell, all Bones could say was a simple, "Oh," before hunching up and bracing himself for whatever was about to happen next.

Actions:

1. Move towards Xune and Mantis

On the Wings of Dragons

Apologies for the very late post everyone. I'm starting to think the 3 day time limit may be too short 😅 How does a week sound?

On the Wings of Dragons

@Byte@Zman@Scrawl Banditta

Jinan noted the squad's show of consensus and returned an approving nod, glad to not have to argue the point. That said however, he felt an explanation would be appropriate and so he drew in a breath as he said, "Furthermore, I'm sure you've heard of the so called 'bandit raids' on the borders. We know it's the Empire, they know we know it, yet without any solid proof then we have no choice but to remain neutral... However."

Raising a hand and then balling it into a fist, Jinan gestured with conviction as he continued, "If we ever manage to catch them in the act and it is within our power to do so, we strike."

And then war, he thought while allowing a moment for the squad to absorb the full meaning behind his words. Perhaps it would not come to it, but the possibility always had to be considered and each rider who ever flew over the Sunspire Mountains did so with the knowledge that if a full-scale conflict were to ever break out, it may very well start with them.

"If that moment ever comes, there is only one thing to remember. Do not hesitate. Now, with me!"

With a wave of his hand, Jinan signalled his squad to follow as Duan banked to the side, turned in the air and made for the north with a beating of wings. Soaring through the dawn lit skies.

Song

On the Wings of Dragons

@Byte That's alright and do take care of yourself.

On the Wings of Dragons

Hey this might seem a bit random but this is my first online rp... How do we handle.any dialogue or potential quickly paced scenes? To what grade are we allowed to write for other characters and are we even supposed to?

@Jinxxed

I think @Zman said it best. Another option is to talk to the other person and work together on how things play out so you can collaborate on the same post. I would count that as both people having taken their turns to post though.

On the Wings of Dragons

@Scrawl Banditta you're alright, I like that bit about the ancient wardcraft. Added something interesting to the mountains. For that matter, I encourage everyone else to add their own little details too wherever it's suitable. If I don't like it, I'll simply ask you to change it.

It's @Bacon's turn rn but let us know whenever you wanna post this round @Byte. Wouldn't want you to end up skipping if you don't have to.

[Fae See] Starved Obsidian Necromantic System - Pyramid

Song

As Bones made his way over towards Mantis, he heard Xune calling out and turned to see what she was doing. Noticing her standing in the centre of the pillars and recalling what she had said about putting this place under new management, Bones realized with dawning horror what she intended to do and shouted out to her, "No, don't try it! The pyramid will kill you!"

Too late. The trap had already activated and the drider was now bound in chains, suspended above the platform with her minions standing lost and directionless below. At almost the exact same moment, Bones heard the clang of a blade against something as hard as stone followed by Mantis saying, "Dumb fleshless. No steal, hunter prey."

He turned towards the sound of her voice just in time to see the elf attempting to attack one of the constructs before being brutally struck from behind by another, sending her clear across the room like a sack of grain.

"Shit!" Bones cursed in response as he halted in his tracks, too late to prevent it. Too late to prevent anything.

Moreover, the constructs seemed to ignore him as they turned towards Mantis, marching forward with those damnably heavy and ponderous steps. Everything had happened in only a matter of seconds, but it was more than enough to spell doom for the living.

Not again, Bones thought as he dropped his hands to his sides, looking down at them in despair. Not again...

---

Within that moment of utter defeat, a torrent of memories flashed through the revenant's mind like a sudden tidal wave, sweeping him down into moments of hunger and strife, and dark desperation followed by a hand. An extended hand leading to moments of trial, tribulation and soaring triumph.

Standing side by side with powerful mages, peerless warriors and seasoned explorers. Together they travelled the world facing many foes, overcoming many life and death situations, and claiming many victories until at last they came here, far from home to the See of Fae. To challenge the pyramid.

One by one, they fell to its defences. One by one, they gave their lives to push an unremarkable man to its door and in one leap, that man gave his life to push the one who had first extended him a hand that led to all of this.

O Elara, keep this one alive, he remembered thinking before he fell... only to rise again.

---

"Not again," Bones murmured as he clenched his hands, lifted his gaze and shouted with eyes ablaze, "NOT AGAIN!"

Holding up his dagger, he spun around and hurled it towards the nearest pylon with a chain wrapped around Xune. In the next instant, he shouted out to Mantis, "Hey! Get up if you're still alive, elf! It's not over yet!"

Then holding his sword in both hands, Bones rushed towards the construct that had sent Mantis flying, aiming to deliver a thrust with full force into the back of its leg.

Until I die, even after I die, nothing is over, he thought while charging ahead with a wordless scream, daring the constructs to ignore him this time.

Actions:

1. Throw dagger at pylon.
2. Rush towards construct.
3. Thrust sword at construct's leg.