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In Reborn in a Fantasy World, This Time I Shall...! → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Sora


《 Level 1 Tamer 》
Location: Ruined Inn

As absorbed as he was in his self-assigned work, and distracted by the very real danger of being eaten (or worse, infected) by zombies, Sora barely registered the little elf’s protest that she wasn’t a child. “Huh?” he glanced at her. He paused mid-step, and where he might have usually sort of flailed at being caught unaware and thrown off balance, the inborn athleticism of his body led him to performing a needlessly graceful half-spin. “Oh.” He looked her up and down. “Yeah, sorry, you look about 12 to me,” he shrugged.

What a fate, though, to be put into a child’s body – or into one that appeared very much prepubescent. “I guess…” he put a finger to his chin. “Your face is kinda adult-ish. Tough to tell with elves. I know I look younger too.” He twitched his shoulders again. “You sound adult enough, so you really must be one. Sorry,” he smiled at her, slightly embarrassed at having acted so parental – or brotherly – towards an adult woman.

Once the zombies were successfully distracted by his mirror-throwing feat, Sora continued the conversation with the others. “Really, you were on the plane too? Maybe we all were…” He frowned as she immediately termed their experience an isekai. “It’s another world for sure, but I don’t know about reborn. There wasn’t really any birthing involved, we were just put here. These bodies don’t look like they were dead – thank god – so it’s possible they were just,” he waved both hands, “created.”

He sighed. “Maybe it’s an isekai, or the afterlife, or the spirit world, or a super-secret military experiment on immersive virtual reality back on our world, I don’t know. I guess it doesn’t really matter.” It’s not as if he didn’t want to know, but finding out the hows and whys of where they found themselves was so far down the list of priorities, it might as well not even be an afterthought.

He just shrugged at the hammer-lady’s question. “Who knows? But I don’t want to be bitten, that’s for sure.”

He watched as the not-child went on to explore her room, and emerged with an honest-to-goodness mage staff. “Lucky,” he whistled. Rather than jealousy, there was pure and simple excitement. They’d been placed in a dangerous situation, sure, but there were ways for them to deal with it. Rather than search the remaining rooms on the second floor, he descended downstairs.

On the first floor, the situation was much dire. “Urgh.” Sora grimaced as he caught sight of the numerous undead lingering outside. Thankfully, even though he could see them through the windows, it was clear they operated based on sound rather than sight. There wasn’t any logic to it, honestly, but then, there wasn’t much sense to this situation in the first place.

There was only one other person inside, and they were dead. Sora approached cautiously, and knelt down. The body wasn’t moving. That was a plus. It was lying down there, but since it was the only one, the question was; how did this person die?

As Sora investigated, the answer became clear. The visor was lowered, specks of rust gathered on the floor, the area of the neck…the body’s hand, and the blade next to it. “Oh, no.” He fiddled with the helmet, removing it from the person’s head. The throat was slit. They must have done it themselves. “You poor thing…” He wished he knew who they were. He felt great empathy for this person, even though they were a stranger. “Were you the last one? Or just left all alone?” he whispered. His fingers gently touched the face; by now, it was bits of dried skin clinging to a skull. “I’ll take care of you, alright? Just…wait a bit longer.”

He picked up the weapon, then. It was a dagger, and all the blood on it almost made it seem rusted. “I’ll put this to good use,” he promised. “Is that ok?” There was no answer, of course not.

Oh, well.

Sora figured it’d be fine. He wanted to give her – he wasn’t sure why, but he got the sense it was a woman – a proper burial. Maybe that’d make up for the stealing.

It wasn’t just the dagger he took; tied around her waist was a belt with a sheath to go with it. It took some work, but he pried it loose. He wanted to clean it before using, which led him to the kitchen. There were many knives here, even cleavers, but…It was sentimentality that drove him to hold onto the dead woman’s things. He’d never known her, but he wanted something to remember her by. To ensure that the brave, lonely, desperate soul who’d secured this area wouldn’t be forgotten.

There weren’t any signs of modern plumbing; no water faucets in sight. However, there were several barrels. At least two he found bore water. He ladled some of it into a small basin, found a washcloth, a scrubbing brush, and got to work. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that hard. Once done, Sora put on the belt, and sheathed the dagger.

“Now, then…” There were so many thoughts racing around his mind, it was difficult to focus. The meditative cleaning procedure had helped some, but Sora still felt overwhelmed. “Ok, zombies, zombies…” he turned around, eyes flitting here and there. The kitchen was too chaotic to help him organize his mind.

What did people fight zombies with in the movies? Guns. Chainsaws. Bombs?

Fire.

“Fire,” he repeated out loud, marvelling at his own idea. “That’s right, maybe we can burn them, or…” Or find more things to throw at them.

“Molotovs!!” he suddenly exclaimed, then slapped a hand over his mouth. Obviously, they’d have to be hella careful not to burn down the city or themselves, but Sora thought it could work. So, he started gathering whatever could be useful for starting a fire. Candles, broken lamps, and lamp oil. Jars of cooking oil. Pieces of cloth. Small, dried pieces of wood. He set the items on a relatively clear countertop in the kitchen. Problem was, he’d tried fiddling with the lamps, but either they were too broken to function, or he just didn’t know how to use them right. There were also no matches he could find. If there were any anywhere, they’d probably be too small to find easily.

So, Sora wandered back to the main area. “Does anyone know how to start a fire?” he asked casually. Even if they couldn’t do that right away, they could still reinforce the doors. Thus, the elf started gathering up larger pieces of wood, and smaller pieces of broken furniture to barricade the doors with. There was a persistent scratching noise coming from the cellar, but he chose to ignore it. Whatever was in there, he didn't think it could come out by itself. They would need access to the cellar, but first, he wanted to make sure nothing else would be joining them inside.

@VitaVitaAR @RolePlayerRoxas @Aku the Samurai @PKMNB0Y
In Reborn in a Fantasy World, This Time I Shall...! → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Sora


《 Level 1 Tamer 》
Location: Ruined Inn

Sora found the correct door, and a little girl came out of it, clearly scared. He was taken to a few years back, to when his sister was that age, and he was vividly – painfully – reminded of his younger sibling.

He crouched down so she wouldn’t have to look up at him. “Hello, there,” he lowered his tone and made his voice softer. It was easier to sound kinder as an elf; his voice was already different than he was used to. Melodious, warm, and airy all in one. When he was putting in the effort, it was as soothing as a light spring drizzle, as gentle as the warmth of early summer’s morning sun rays.

…

Maybe elves were naturally prone to poetry. Sora didn’t know why else he’d suddenly be thinking about nature like that.

“Ahhh,” he carded a hand through his hair nervously at the little girl’s question. “I was on a plane,” he said, making no mention of the harsh truth to the child. He gave a quick glance at the other two when they answered. It didn’t seem like they knew either. Maybe they were all in the same or in a similar situation?

“I don’t know how I got here. Maybe I got lost?” he joked lightly, smiling at the little elf in a friendly manner. “Did you get lost too? Were you with someone else?” He figured she must have been with her parents, or someone.

Not once did it occur to him that the small, scared girl might not be a child.

“It’ll be alright–” he started saying, but that’s when the pounding started. “Oh, shiiiii–” he bit off the curse on the account of the minor present. His body grew tense however, and his smile slipped.

Don’t panic, easy, think it through, calm breaths, he silently encouraged himself. “Alright, we have to be very, very quiet now, and very brave, alright?” he told the elf child. “We’ll protect you if it comes down to that,” he promised her, then stood up.

“Yeah, you’re not the only one,” he said quietly to the winged man. “When I looked out of the window…I thought I saw zombies.” He inhaled deeply, and exhaled slowly. “If this is all for real, we’re gonna have to be very careful.”

What did he know about zombies? Well, only what he’d seen in games, movies, and other media.

“I’ve seen they’re slow, but I don’t think running out right away is a good idea. They heard us, so maybe a loud noise can distract them. I’ll look around, try to figure out something. Could you two find something to block the doors? Maybe with chairs? Worst case scenario, we could still go out the ground floor windows…” he trailed off.

There wasn’t much time to plan or chat. Sooner or later the undead would burst in, and then they'd be in serious deep shit. In even deeper shit. “Would you like to come with me or with one of the others?” he asked the short elf.

Whatever the girl decided, Sora stood up. First, he headed back to his room. He picked up the mirror, and cautiously moved over to the window. He opened it as carefully as possible, making as little sound as he could. He hurled the mirror out of the window as far as it went. It landed in the distance with a crash. He wasn’t sure if that’d be enough to get the zombies off their backs, however. Either way, he closed the window once that was done.

Next, he went on to explore the rest of the inn. He needed to know what this place looked like. Maybe he’d find something useful, too.

@VitaVitaAR @RolePlayerRoxas @Aku the Samurai @PKMNB0Y
In Reborn in a Fantasy World, This Time I Shall...! → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Sora


《 Level 1 Tamer 》
Location: Ruined Inn

“HGAAAAAAAAHHH!” Sora woke suddenly with a shout, heart racing. He sat up quickly, enough to make him dizzy. His head swung from left to right as he looked around wildly. “Wha– Where?” he gasped. Hadn’t he heard a scream, somewhere? A hand grasped at his chest. There were no more sounds, however. If anything, this place was…oddly peaceful.

The lack of imminent apparent danger wasn’t convincing, not with his head full of those godawful last memories. It was imprinted on his mind; the panic as the plane started going down, the loud, rending creaking and wrenching of metal, the sensation of suddenly plummeting, the realization that they were fucked, that they might die.

He’d had that classic life-flashing-before-your eyes – well, frankly, it was terror-fueled pieces of thoughts scattering through his head. There’d been the this can’t be happening, thiscan’tbe– phase. There was hoping and praying that somehow, anyhow they’d be saved, that they’d make it out safely despite being told they’d have to crash-land. There’d been thinking of his family. His heart had twisted into itself at the thought he might not see them again. He’d even though of uni, and how he’d never got to go, after all. There’d also been that the one fucking time I decide to actually travel, this happens bitterness at his utter misfortune.

Then…there’d been some sort of dream or hallucination? Something about whether he’d rather be strong or fast or whatever, and what ‘skill’ he’d like…It’d been weird, and it felt like any other nightly figment of imagination, starting to fade more and more as he came to awareness.

Now, there was this.

He found himself in a poorly maintained room, of the kind that were common in cheap inns and hotels. Except, this one had so much dust everywhere, he didn’t think anyone’d come in here in years. There wasn’t even sign that he’d walked in, or that anyone had carried him; no footprints or trail on the floor, just an even dust cover spread on the wooden boards. There was that musty, damp, slightly irritating scent of mold, though he could see no obvious signs of it on the walls or ceilings. The bed – yes, he was on a bed – was lumpy, the covers threadbare and bearing some suspicious spots of yellowish discoloration.

There were a few pieces of old wooden furniture; a night stand with some antique lamp on it, a closet, a dresser with a small mirror, several shelves, what looked like a chest of all things, and a chair set next to the window. It all had a very old vibe – almost antique. But not antique in the way that it’d be sold or shown off as something special. It was like a painting showing a glimpse into the mundane life of a peasant in…He couldn’t really determine the time period.

The only source of light was the window. Glancing outside revealed an unknown town. It had that same olden vibe about it, like an European city from a few centuries back. The streets were empty, and some buildings had accumulated minor structural damage – paint chipping, broken windows, pieces of roof tiles fallen to the floor.

There were…Armoured people moving about?

“What the hell…” As he watched, it became apparent the armoured folks were slow, practically stumbling or half-dragging themselves around aimlessly. “…Zombies?” He didn’t know what fucking else to call them. Cosplayers, maybe, or actors…None of this made any sense.

Groaning, he stood up. A quick glance down resulted in flinch, and Sora almost stumbled back onto the bed. “Ouch,” he mumbled. What was weird was that he was wearing – armour? Some kind of leather, or sturdy cloth, a kind of fantasy-style adventurer and officer getup. It reinforced the idea of this being a show, or an event, or something – but he didn’t remember signing up for anything like that.

“Don’t tell me this is the afterlife?” He scratched at his head – something felt weird. His hair was way smoother, a bit wavier, and longer too. And red?

“Hie?!” he suddenly let out a startled, yelping sort of noise as brushing through his hair suddenly led to a fleshy obstruction. Cautiously feeling it, it was an ear.

“Oh, what the hell.” Deciding to check out what he felt, he shuffled to the mirror. Blue eyes, an unnatural shade of wine-red hair, elf ears. “Uh. Huh.”

He had no idea what to make out of any of this. Inspecting his room – including opening all drawers, the closet, and even checking under the bed – revealed no obvious clues. He didn’t want to risk opening the window, so he went to the only other option.

The door.

Creeeeeeeeak, it shuddered and shook ominously. A shiver ran up Sora’s back. This was waaaay too like the start of some horror movie set-up for his liking.

The hallway wasn’t anything special; more dust, more wooden floors, more faded wallpaper…More open doors?

Light poured in from the other rooms that had been opened.

Sora looked down one way. Then down the other.

His mouth dropped open.

There was a dragon!

Okay, not really, but a walking, talking, reptile-person. “Is that a costume?!” he whisper-shouted as he approached. Though he saw the hammer-wielding lady, he was too busy being in awe of the reptilian humanoid. There were slitted eyes, a tail, wings, and horns, but barely any scales. “DUDE, can you fly?!” he blurted out. “I soooo need to know about this.”

Usually, he was the type to want to know about things for practical reasons. But this was one of those instances where he wanted to know, just because. He was fascinated, and he literally had to physically shake himself out of it, because he was still in the middle of figuring out some other stuff – like where he was, and why.

“Oh, sorry, my bad…I’m Sora,” he introduced himself to the two. “Where’d you get the hammer?” he asked the blonde lady. She was pretty in that unreal, picturesque way – not that he could say much, though, what with having become an elf.

He looked around the hallway, suddenly remembering something. “Wasn’t someone screaming? Other than me, I mean,” he smiled sheepishly. “And…do you know where this is? Uh…I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure last I checked, I was dying, and this–” he gestured to his body, “isn’t really what I looked like? So weird…” Sora padded from door to door, trying to catch hint of any other sounds. “HEY, is anyone else there?” he called out. “If there is, are you OK?”

@VitaVitaAR @RolePlayerRoxas @Aku the Samurai @PKMNB0Y
In Avalia → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay

Time: Morning
Location: Desert Port
Mention(s):
Interaction(s): Tanithil @Lava Alckon, Amisra @Tae, Zion @Helo, Jun @JJ Doe
There was that moment.

The enemy ship was burning, the enemy was finally going down. Ismael was incandescently glorious in the middle of it. They were all tired, exhaustion seeping into the very marrow of their bones. They were all half-drunk from it, the whole ordeal of the drawn-out battle. Their victory was now viscerally within reach. They could taste it; their imminent triumph sent a sharp zing through the tongue sending a shiver right down to the toes. Yet, they’d prevailed, beating an unlikely enemy, making it out alive!

It was at that moment.

Between one heart beat and the next, within the blink of an eye, a split-second change brought it all crashing down.

Down. Down. Down.

Ismael was cut down.

They could only watch. Some saw it happening before it did. Some didn’t understand what the fuck was going on when they were already sailing away.

The goddamn hero, the phoenix who never would be again, the man burnt it all to crisp, going out with a crazed grin on his lips. It’d be his way or no way, even if it was death.

But it was death.

Final.

Irreversible.

A done fucking deal.

What was, was. What was lost was gone. It’d never be there again.

Ismael was gone.

The worst thing?

It didn’t matter that what he did was downright legendary. No one else would hear his story. No one else would care about it. To anyone else, it’d just be an unfortunate loss, a ‘prized’ human being lost to some ‘no-name, backwater pirates’. What Ismael did didn’t affect the fight against the Dark Elves, so no one else would think it relevant.

Well. There was still them.

Arlen didn’t think he could forget. Days and nights after the fight, he was tormented by that one final scene. That indescribably heart-wrenching feeling of being as high up as the heavens, then incomprehensibly, the world tilted side-ways, and they found they were – not even in something recognizable as hell; instead, they were sent careening out into the fucking unknown of who-the-fuck-knows-where.

Arlen was glad everyone else was just as out of it as he was. They all had the time to lick their wounds in their own way. No one bothered him, he bothered no one. No one even had time to ‘understand’ or whatever else, they just dealt with it each on their own.

Then came the news from out-of-fucking-nowhere.

The world turned, was sucked into itself, and spat back out – similar, but recognizably not the same.

They’d be getting a new human charge.

Was this supposed to be a goddamned replacement? Ismael couldn’t be replaced.

It rankled, but Arlen hated that it also gave some sort of hope – because that meant he was fine with it, as long as there was a juiced-up magic powerhouse to give it meaning.

It was too fucking confusing to think about, as he had such violently conflicting feelings about it all. So, he didn’t. They’d get to meet them right away, so this wasn’t the time to be a sour-puss about it.

Instead, he focused on the promise of treasure hunting with a single-minded zeal.

When the two new folks showed up on the pier, Arlen very intentionally didn’t think about it as the crew getting another human. Cause it was like thinking of a person as just a shiny new trinket being there instead of the one they’d lost-

Yeah. No.

It was just two folks who’d join them on a treasure hunt. One of them happened to be human, sure. But that was all.

“Hey, guys!” Smiling felt weird – he wasn’t sure it looked right, but he ignored that. He waved at the new arrivals from where he was leaning against the gunwale. Then, he swung over, clung over the edge for a heart-racing moment, kicked off against the side of the ship, and lunged to land onto the docks. That small, nonsensical athletic stunt was enough to make his grin a bit more genuine, a small spark of life emerging from depths unknown.

He stood up from his crouch, dusting himself off. “There’s breakfast, alright; you’re just in time,” he turned to the demihuman. The lion demi at least spoke. The human looked like he didn’t even want to be there. Arlen smothered a frown. It’s not his fault.

To Zion, he said, “We usually eat out and about whenever we dock. Besides,” the enthusiasm was starting to take hold, “no way to go on an adventure on an empty stomach.” The sly smirk alluded to and teased at greatness ahead. There would be, there had to be. "Oh, and it's Arlen, by the way."

In Revue of Annihilation → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Theodore Valentin



In cooperation with @ERode

//A3 - The Mug At Dusk

As soon as the woman was out of sight, Theodore half-sat, half-collapsed right onto the floor. “Ahhh, fuuck,” he groaned. He looked up, glaring into the sky as sweat droplets rolled down his neck, back all damp. He breathed in, almost snarling as he did so. He’d never thought himself weak. He’d won against a fucking two century old vampire and all his minions, fuck’s sake. Granted, they’d been half asleep, but still…

To be proven so undeniably wrong in the span of a handful of seconds. It stung. It served to ignite his desire for power even more, and he swore to himself he’d not be beat next time.

As the surge of adrenaline left, he became loose-limbed, feeling almost light headed. The blood loss probably didn’t help it. “Damn, didn’t think I’d need to resort to this,” he muttered. He let his spear and shield clatter to the floor, shifted into a meditative posture, and concentrated. As his breathing and heartbeat slowed, he could almost feel the blood. He willed it to stop pouring out of his body. The wounds he incurred scabbed over, painfully quick. From the hiss Ezra and Maris produced, the same had happened to them.

“Aaalright,” Theodore sighed. He picked up his gear and stood up. “You two, go with the boys, and handle the selling for me. Buy some good shit too, yea?” He patted each on the back. “You know where to meet up.”

With that, he followed Samuel, who took him to a dingy little bar. After the man ordered them drinks, he naturally wanted to know what exactly was on offer.

"Sure." The dhampir drank deeply from the offered drink. It wasn't the best, it wasn't the worst. It sure beat goblin blood, though. "The deal's that, as far as I can tell, I've got a piece of the dead Thousand-Faced God in me. So, to an extent, I 'rule over' a piece of existence. That piece, predictably, is Blood," Theodore flashed his fangs. "I'm not that far off from your regular human or vampire right now, but...Monsters really want to kill me, looks like." He paused to sip at his drink some more.

"Whoever pledges to follow me gets to drink blood safely. As long as we can hunt blooded monsters in the Abyss, that will cut down on supply costs," he summarized what Samuel might have noticed on their delve already. "You've seen I can do some weird stuff here and there," he traced one of his recently-healed wounds; when he'd performed a miracle after the fight, they'd scabbed right over. The same had happened to his two followers, and if any strangers nearby had had an injury, they'd have experienced this too.

"Now, there's a reason why that sword-lunatic wanted to cut me down too." He sighed, and drank another mouthful. "When I and my followers spend time in the Abyss, we get this sort of...energy. The more of us there are, the longer we live through that hellhole, the more of it I get. Seems like I - and any other Divine, and maybe the monsters - are the only ones who can sense this. I'll need a bunch more of this power, then I'll be able to do more, become stronger. And whatever benefits me, benefits my followers, is the general gist of it."

"And those pledges...they basically about as much as any other religious nutjob in this age? Just gotta say it in order to be one?"

"Hmm..." Theodore took a moment to think about it. "The other guys, they haven't really made official pledges per se." Maybe he should create one down the line though. "So, it's partially based on intent, but the intent can be as vague as 'I'll see what this guy's about' on your side. I also have to recognize you as a follower, but as far as I'm concerned that's just a matter of following some simple rules." He gave Samuel a look. The guy struck him as pragmatic, so he figured he'd understand that much.

"One: follow me, not anyone else. If you ever feel like ditching I'd appreciate a heads up, too." Obviously, letting him know would be optional. With the existence of other Divine, it was more than possible for a follower to switch leaders. Something to keep in mind, for sure.

"Two: Don't ever even think about drinking any person's blood without my permission. I don't care if it's a vagrant nobody would miss, or someone you seduce, or someone you pay for it. Don't do it without consulting me, seriously." At the very least until he trusted Sam a bit more. But even then, it was often more trouble than it was worth. Simpler to stick to animals and monster.

"Three: Don't go looking for trouble, but if something happens, whether it was your fault or someone else's, you inform me. Then we can deal with whatever it is." He smirked as he gave a light shrug. "Basically, don't do anything outrageously stupid, and we should be fine." His smile gained an edge to it as he showcased his fangs again. "I reward loyalty and usefulness, and I punish betrayal, maliciousness, and unconscionable foolishness."

"Reasonable enough." Samuel folded his arms. "So, you basically harvest that 'energy' from the Abyss, and your followers can gather it for you. With that in mind then...let's say every fella in my expedition becomes your follower. Gets you that 'energy'. What do I, being the one who gathers 'em up for you, who protects 'em until they get out of the Abyss, get in return?"

He leaned forward.

"Only the starving'll be interested in drinking monster blood. For folks like me, well, I'd want something else."

Theodore raised an eyebrow, amused. "I don't mind gathering up my own followers." The starving wasn't a bad suggestion; getting desperate souls from the Underpass onboard would be doable. Though, there'd be little point if they just died off soon after, so getting Samuel's men was preferable. "I intended for you to still get your protection fee," he shrugged. "But if you're saying the potential for more money isn't enough..." the dhampir grinned. "Well, more power for me means more of it for you. I'll get to a point where it won't be just 'drinking blood', though I can't say what else it'll be. I expect I could even actively share some once I've enough." That was a guess on his part; he figured maybe he'd eventually also be able to do something himself by manipulating that energy. What that 'something' was, only time would reveal.

"Mhm, well, there's the other thing to consider here." Samuel said, scratching his chin. "Seeing that you need to be alive for this arrangement to work, is there even any reason for you to come down to the Abyss? My boys and I can handle monsters just fine, least normally, but the Abyss isn't a normal kinda place. If you're here to spark up a new faith and all, better not risk your neck, if you know what I mean."

"Hmmm, fair point." Theodore leaned his head on an open palm. He had never considered not delving. He didn't think the strong urge to explore deeper was something he could - or wanted to - resist. "As long as me attracting monsters is useful, I do need to be down there. I need to be there," he emphasized. Without the appropriate context, it was perhaps a strange notion to Samuel, so he rephrased. "At the very least, I'd like to know what kinda place the Abyss is by seeing it myself, but..." he grimaced. "I do need to get stronger if I wanna hang out down there, and not just from the," he waved a hand, "mystical end."

"What, you want to go deeper? Beyond the First Layer?"

Theodore gave the man an unusually solemn nod. "Yes. As deep as it goes. Into the core, unto the end, to The Final Layer - eventually."

He whistled. "Welp, guess you ain't holy until you're crazy. I'll keep on the First Layer myself. Don't expect me to guard you against the swarms that'll come over in the deeper layers."

Theo chuckled. "Fair enough. I won't think about going deeper as long as I've trouble on the First Layer, either. So, deal?"

"Yeah."

Samuel stuck a hand out.

"Here's to a profitable relationship, Theo."

The dhampir reached out and shook it. "To a lucrative alliance," he agreed.
In Reborn in a Fantasy World, This Time I Shall...! → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
In Reborn in a Fantasy World, This Time I Shall...! → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
In Reborn in a Fantasy World, This Time I Shall...! (Interest Check) → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Interest Checks
Idk, might app a tamer or sth if I feel like (Weakest Tamer is p. cute), maybe a mage.
In Revue of Annihilation → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Elys Adair & Theodore Valentin

Collab with @Estylwen and @ERode

//A3 - Adventurer's District
Theodore sized up the unknown woman. She was Divine, he could recognize that spark within her. Only, hers was still an entirely empty vessel. Could she tell his was not? Certainly, she was no blind woman, blindfold or not. She'd snuck up on him almost unnoticed, and she was clearly very skilled. An adventurer who'd been blessed maybe? Overall, a fight he'd rather avoid for now, if possible.

So, he smiled. It was a pleasant if a subtly sharp-edged smile. "Looks like it," he remarked to the supervisor. "How unfortunate for you, then, that I have no business with you, Miss Murderer." He could smell that fresh human blood on her. Intriguing. Too bad she looked like she wanted to put him down to the ground too. Maybe some free intel for her would get her to reconsider, at least. "If you want what I have, all you need to do is head to the Abyss. You'll get the same; you'll see what I mean if you stay in that hole for a little while, at least."

Elys' face tightened at the mention of 'murder'. How did he know? Was his sense of smell really that acute? Or perhaps it was a trait his naturally possessed.

It didn't matter. What was done was done. He should really be more focused on himself. She listened to his intel, her curiosity partially satiated, before she took a step forward. Her staff was tossed to the ground. The shling of her sword leaving its scabbard, sharpened tip pointing at center mass of the alighted one in front of her.

"Why go through all that trouble when you're before me, and I can simply take what I want?"

"Come on now," the supervisor sighed, shifting his stance to face her more directly. "This isn't the backstreets. There are rules of conduct to follow."

Theodore's eyes narrowed as the woman unsheated her blade. "A regular brigand, then," he noted coolly. He and his followers shifted, ready to escape or defend if they would need to. Except, the way the lady kept focusing on him, he didn't think running was an option. It was as if he were a shining beacon to her. Was that the minuscule power he had gathered calling out to her? Was she akin to creatures from within the Abyss, recognizing and hostile to any Divine?

"Yet another monster after my ass," he huffed, irritated. Surprisingly, the leader of the adventurer group pitched in. "Oh, really?" Theo questioned him, though he never let the woman out of his sight, did not easen the grip on his shield and goblin spear any. "So, if I don't want to deal with your everyday thugs and thieves, I don't have to? Or is it just more so a 'if someone wants to beat you up, there are specific ways they need to go about it' kinda deal?"

Elys seemed to hesitate for a brief moment, hung up on 'rules', and 'conduct'. And though she could agree with giving a human being, divine or not, their rights to freedom and health, this was something... she couldn't back down from.

The smell of smoke. The shrieks of her family. The worst day of her life when everything was taken from her. It showed her how powerless she was. Showed her that if she ever wanted to right that old wrong, she would need to become a force to be reckoned with.

And staring right in front of her, ripe for the taking, was such an opportunity. She knew it was wrong. But she also knew her own wishes and dreams had to be accomplished - had to take precedence. For her family's memories. For her dream of getting to the top.

The dust ground beneath her feet as she coiled. "This monster can't afford to back down now."

And she struck forward, her sword cutting through the air towards the upper portion of the alighted mass, aiming for the neck.

“Of course. Adventurers are just vagrants and treasure hunters without rules. If you want to take something out on the surface, then you’ll have to offer something up to wager.”

The supervisor backstepped as Elys shifted to offence, apparently uninterested in stepping in to help Theo for free.

“Now, you could cry for help, friend, but I wager that’ll also have a cost to it!”

Theodore stopped consciously listening the moment the blindfolded woman shifted. He adjusted his shield, his stance. Maris, who wielded the other spear, edged to the attacker's side. Ezra circled her, getting behind her, though he wasn't close enough to strike. Not yet. The man picked up her staff, then aimed a strike at her ankle.

Meanwhile, the dhampir was barely able to rise his shield in time. The woman was *fast*. Even with his weapon having a longer reach, she was too good - most times, she could close the distance faster than he could try to pierce her. Even with the other two assissting, they struggled to hold her back. She weaved in between them, as slipery and agile as an eel in water. As lethal as a feral, starving shark pinpoiting onto the scent of their blood.

"What's the-" another parry, yet another poke of his spear the woman sidestepped, "going rate?" He questioned Samuel. It was an acrid realization, that he'd need the help if he wanted to get out of this unscathed.

The parry of blows was like a symphony to Elys' ears. She spun, she danced as the attacks came. And, once again, she slashed forward at the alighted one, meeting his spear and cuffing it. She pressed, causing their faces to be inches from one another.

In that moment, she twisted her sword, shifting the weight, hoping to catch the alighted one off-guard and behead him.

But her blade stopped short.

Images flickered through her mind. Images of the Bladerights.

How would she face them, if they saw her now? How would she explain this.

Elys gritted her teeth, cursing under her breath and taking a step back from the other divine, sheathing her sword.

"I can't do it. I've had everything taken from me, and I still can't-" A heave of air, of frustrated exasperation.

She reached for her staff that had been picked up, and made to leave.

"You still can't become someone who takes?" Theodore filled in for her. He was breathing harshly by now, sweat lining his brow. He'd accumulated a few more cuts, but otherwise, he and his followers were still alive and kicking. "For fuck's sake," the dhampir growled. He spat a glob of saliva and blood onto the ground. "Just get into the fucking Abyss like I told you in the first fucking place, you goddamn lunatic." He watched her warily as she made to leave. The staff Ezra had 'borrowed' was thrown her way where the woman proceeded to pick it up. The trio she'd attacked out of nowhere was understandably tense. They watched. They waited. They were ready for another unpredictable attack.

No response was given. The monster-slayer had already disappeared into the crowd.
In Revue of Annihilation → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Theodore Valentin



In cooperation with @ERode

//A3 - The Abyss, 1st Layer

His offhanded offer about being able to drink blood was met with more interest that the dhampir had expected. He was asked if he was for real, and if it meant he’d be turning whoever was interested into vampires. “No, no turning required. You’ll be able to stay human, don’t worry.” That led to more questions; if what he was claiming was true, how could it be. “Well…it’s a special ability of mine. You see Ezra, right? He’s weird for a human, but he can drink monster blood fine because he follows me.” Ezra did not enjoy it, but he demonstrated being able to do so with a recently dead wolf. There was some suspicion, some interest, some wariness because the workers didn’t know what to make of it.

“Think on it,” Theo shrugged. “It does mean you’ll have to accept me as leader if you’d like to be a blood-drinker, though.”

The mining trip continued. Theodore didn’t think much on the attack once it was over. However, the reality of it was that more and more monsters came. Goblin raiders slipped through, injuring or killing the workers while he tried to mitigate as best as he could.
They were always going for him.

It must be because of his Divinity that they were drawn to him, that they wanted to eliminate him.

The realization was unsurprising, if annoying. Theo headed outside. “HEY! These bastards are going after me. Watch!” He ran around some, acting as bait, throwing rocks at any monsters which got too close. After some observation, the adventurers were convinced that he was in fact a very appealing monster-bait, even if they didn’t know why. “C’mon, work with me here. I can’t do shit against the bastards without any equipment.”

He was given a shield, and a shoddy ill-fitting helmet. Theodore resented he would have to take the role of bait, but given that monsters were naturally drawn to him, he would simply have to accept this. At least for now.

After another incursion of monsters was dealt with, Theodore spent some time with the adventurers. The boss asked him what the deal was, that monsters went strictly for him.

“To be honest…I have a piece of Divinity in me. Believe it, or not, there’s something that makes me special. Anyone who follows me can drink blood safely – even monster blood. Looks like monsters have a thing against me, too.” The boss-adventurer was clearly calculating something. “Interested in working with me?” Theo went on to ask. However, the lead supervisor said they could talk more up above. “Sure,” the dhampir agreed with a shrug.

The rest of the mining trip was the same; he remained outside as a monster attractant, his followers and the remaining workers were inside, mining. Theodore had been able to procure two goblin spears; he kept ahold of one, and gave one to Maris. It helped with defending against the goblins; even crap weapons were better than nothing.

At the end of the trip, more than half of the workers of the initial group were dead. Theo and his followers looted some of the corpses; if they didn’t, someone else would. Most of the survivors were disillusioned, and he got a ‘oh, so you’re the same as the rest of ‘em’ kinda treatment from a few. Greg gave him a nod of understanding, though. Theodore wasn’t strictly a fan of looting corpses, now, but it was what it was.

The adventurers were over all excited about this trip; the venture was much more profitable than usual because of the monster drops they got. But Theodore and his followers weren’t unscathed; they were bloodied enough that they could not simply ignore their injuries. They would need to get some medical supplies, and have their wounds tended to. They were tired too, but being able to drink monster blood made them better off than the other workers, who were thoroughly exhausted.

The trip was finally over, though, and they were all starting to make preparations to leave. Theodore looked up at the skies. Would he make it in time for sunset to meet up with his other followers? There was also still the deal of discussing a potential partnership with the adventurers, maybe with the surviving workers too.

“I’d like to pick up my other three followers at sunset by the tower, but would you like to meet up somewhere today to talk?” he asked the leader. “If any of the workers are interested, I’d take them on too.”
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