Rachel looked at the bodies, still disturbed but had braced for the sight after experiencing the walking corpses they had to put an end to. In her mind, despite evidence saying otherwise, she told herself in her mind that a beast mauled them to death somehow. She was however more taken aback when Axol rushed to pick up a bottle from one of them and gulped it down, her face glowering with visible disgust at how easily he fell to the temptation of the drink.
Seeing that Curly, having picked up on his unease, had moved to the barracks by himself, she would follow along without another word.
Zetmit's eyes snapped wide open more than ever before as he covered his own mouth with his hand, a more active attempt to contain his own loud exclaim of excitement. It did however spread to the rest of his body, causing him to bounce up and down and look around feverishly to make sure nobody's watching. He almost dropped the disc in the process, but he managed to catch it with both of his hands before it completely rolled off.
He stared at it once more, held firmly in his palms. This is it, that's what the guy that posted this job had been looking for, no doubt about it! So long as he has it in his person, he will get the reward promised to him! "Hehehe, what a jackpot!" He began to imagine what said reward would look like. Not just gold, but something more, something perhaps shinier! He drooled at the thought before snapping out of his daydreams, wiping the saliva from his face.
Now he just had to find his way back to the entrance, ideally unnoticed. He held the sphere close to his chest, arms wrapped around it in a greedy hug as he began his leave. His ears twitched anxiously at every direction over the corners, attempting to pick up any sound that may indicate activity nearby before he navigates his way out of this place.
As bodies, snow and silence fell in the aftermath of the battle, Rachel's eyes looked down at her dagger blazing with the flame, reflecting its amber-like glow as she stared in awe. Flesh caught by its blade now reduced to ash blew away in the cold wind, along with it the remaining embers slowly fading.
Despite the danger, her breathing was calm and steady albeit heavy. The fact that those words came out of her mouth almost subconsciously, as if she was overtaken by something else, and brought upon the destruction of the physical form of the abomination that was just hulking about in front of her just a minute before. The ritual tool in her hand had undoubtedly responded to her prayer and as she took a long intake of air, new warmth enveloping her body, it had undoubtedly accepted her offering and in turn gave back.
As Rachel looked at the remains of the monsters on the ground, a feeling of clarity regarding everything came to her. The ritual has officially concluded. She mouthed with a quick nod 'thank you.' to this disembodied voice that had been helping her thus far. Hands once more pressed into a praying motion on the hilt of the weapon, she then finally put it away under her cloak.
She looked around to her companions, walking in their general direction away from the bear that had just been disposed of. "Is anyone okay? No bad wounds?" She asked with a hint of concern, the encounter was still scary to her, someone who once lived in a safe place isolated from dangers such as this. She wanted to make sure they all could continue without issue.
When it's time to continue regardless, she was once more quiet. But not the kind that keeps the group on the edge, but one of focus. Her steps once light and prone to falling back behind the group now sped up to the more consistent pace of a march, her once smaller form having also opened up a little more, arms down to the side.
Rachel bolted towards the bear, gripping hard on her dagger. It wasn't just that she had to do something, there was an opportunity, one she couldn't miss. Her relatively small stature would not do to overpower the bear even in its weakened state at all. The creature was large and hulking, but she knows that one well-placed cut can loose all its essence on the ground and kill it.
When she found an opening, she wrapped her arm around the nape of the bear to restrain it and exposed its decayed throat, the loose connections between its head and its body. To cut open an animal's neck was one way to slaughter it, but she had other plans. A better way to appease this mysterious entity who had been guiding her all this time.
The blade aimed directly for the flame that pulses in its core and jabbed straight into it, and upon making contact with it, it attempts to draw it in, use it as fuel for its own fire to erupt from the beast as her mouth began to open, mutter something, a prayer or a declaration all the while the blade slowly carved up its flesh.
"O Lightbane, I make this sacrifice to you and beseech for your power. Bring us day in night, bring us warmth in winter, accept my offering and cast flame to my soul."
Actions: 1) Run towards the bear 2) Basic attack on the bear 3) Blessing of Lightbane [E]
Blessing of Lightbane [E] - [Magic] E, [Type Affinity - Fire] F, [Selective Magic] F ; the blade of the ritual dagger becomes coated in hellish flame, burning anything that touches it - 1 Post Cooldown
Zetmit panted after having successfully escaped from his pursuer and slowed down to a halt. He looked into the gem once more, snickering at his reward. If this belonged to someone who wanted it back, then clearly it's something that belongs to him more. He then took a look around at the current environment around him. More and more trash, but likely even more treasure hidden behind! And the fact that the robots were searching as well tells him that perhaps, seeing where they tend to scour around, there may be higher chances of finding exactly what he wants. Whether it was the memory disc, or just something shiny enough. He stuffed the gem into his pouch and went straight back to work, digging his hands to rummage through it once more.
Zetmit took several steps back as this mysterious figure came out of nowhere and began approaching him. While he was already confused and a little unsettled by its unusual masked appearance, when he heard what it said about the crystal in his hand and returning it, he merely clung tighter on it and raised it higher in the air presumably out of reach even though it's only barely taller than him.
His eyes darted around his surroundings. Finding that there's now more people in his vicinity, he sees an opportunity to be taken in his moment of slight panic. "Z-Zetmit found it first, therefore it is Zetmit's!" Zetmit blows his tongue as he began to run away, crystal still in hand. He attempted to use the masked man's large form as an obstacle against this stranger who may or may not pursue him.
Actions: 1) Run away using his Skitter ability
Skitter [F] - [Stealth] F, [Fast] F, [Small Size] ; Zetmit does what a goblin does best and hightails out of here - 0 Post Cooldown
Rachel nodded to Bromann, having already settled on her current footing and remaining on guard. The torch has been lit, the harsh incense of flesh burning seeping through the cold air even as the hellish flame dies out quickly. It did not matter that the fire did not last, blood was spilled onto the snow from wounds carved by blade and arrows of companions. It has officially begun. Her first ritual.
Her grip on her dagger tightened even more, taking a deep intake of breath as her own bodily warmth grew stronger for the first time.
1) Remain in position 2) Prepare to attack the monsters when they get into melee range
A familiar sensation to Zetmit, the feeling of having a pair of eyes on him from somewhere he could not see. It's something he always had to risk feeling every time he crashed into someone's garbage. It didn't really matter that he saw a bunch of memory disks that he could attempt to snatch from this large man that could probably crush his skull with his bare hands, the chill sent up his spine made him look around for any visible signs of the stalker. He values shiny treasure, but he values his life more, and if he feels he's in immediate danger, he wouldn't risk it.
Zetmit was quite delighted at his find, immediately picking it up with his eyes glittering along with it---not noticing the out-of-place mound with his tunnel vision---and closely inspecting it with a sharp grin. While he could not make out anything from the runes or the bullet mark, he did not care about any of it. He was more interested in how the light travels so elegantly through each and every edge and curve, and all he was thinking of at the moment was how he was right, that this is indeed a secret trove of treasures in which he has practically hit the motherload!
When his ears picked up the footsteps, his celebration was cut short as his attention snapped to the direction from where he heard it. He couldn't help but feel a little jolt of fear when he recognized who that was, that was the large and weirdly intimidating guy that was hanging with those scrawny punks! Palming the crystal, he scampered with his back against the piles, using his assortment of discarded tools and other parts to become camouflaged along with the garbage and attempt to sneak past his radar unnoticed.
However, seeing as he's much closer this time, he attempted to find a good vantage point to figure out just what the man could possibly be doing hovering his hand over everything with his strange unknown technology, then perhaps while he's at it, peek over the corner that he had just left to see if the other two were still there bickering among each other.
When they head out on the path away from shelter, Rachel once more fell completely silent. She was focused, always facing forward, her face far too calm for the situation at hand. This winter, even if it felt like it was waiting for her to die so it could swallow her whole before she was taken into safety, it had always been with her since the beginning of this strange pilgrimage whether she'd like it or not; whether it was in her surroundings, in her body or in her dreams. When she looked at her palms one more time on the way, snowflakes resting on her once warm skin, they did not appear as signs of frostbite anymore. Now, the snow feels more like a friend. White, soft and pure, just like...
The heavy stomps crunching into the snow-covered ground snapped her out of her long train of thought, realization sinking in as the inconspicuous mound before her grew in size and began showing its true colors. A monster beyond her own limited imagination, limbs contorted with bone growing and sticking out of their flesh in cold air, black ichor dripping, oozing and popping endlessly from its mutilated husk of a body. Two in fact, flanking on her group from two sides, equally horrific as the first one.
Rachel froze for a moment. She has felt lost many times before, always unsure what to do unless someone came to tell her, but only once has he ever truly felt this feeling of being trapped. She either would have ran away or stayed in the comforts. This time, there's no easy escape. Her hand kept twitching at the belt on her waist, was she shivering from the cold again? Or was she hesitating?
Rachel, Little Lamb...
It called out to her again, momentarily taking her out of the terrifying encounter. When it came, her eyes snapped open, and for a short moment, everyone and everything blurred out into nothing and she saw nothing but trees and white snow.
Light a torch, then the ritual shall begin.
As Bromann let loose his arrows at the smaller creature, if he were to look at her by his side in his moment of nervousness, he would see her eyes had locked in on the same target as his as she slowly reached into her white wool cloak. From it, she slid out something that is a complete contrast to her otherwise harmless appearance, its unusual nature starting with a glint of a steel that shouldn't even shine light with everything blocking the sun from ever fully reaching it.
A sinister-looking dagger with a sharp crooked blade like the fire of a lit candle, its handle of dark wooden texture although mostly covered by her hand can be seen bearing hints of scorched marks. She then adjusted her grip, allowing her to keep the blade pointed down and tighten her grasp on it in a particular stance.
Her face showed grim determination in the face of the morbid creatures at first, before turning slightly at Bromann, her scrunched brows softening for a more amiable expression. "Mister... I never asked your name, didn't I? That was very rude of me. My name is Rachel, Rachel Backe, and I would like to borrow one of your arrows for a moment, please." She raised her free hand already expecting his cooperation, a dim glow of color glowing at her fingertips.
Actions: 1. Should Bromann offer her his arrow, her hand emits a warm glow. She casts Hellblight on the arrow, its hellish flame, small and contained, now coating its point and holds onto it, basking in the small light. - Hellblight [E]
Hellblight [E] - [Magic] E, [Type Affinity - Fire] F, [Type Affinity - Indirect] F, [Selective Magic] F, [Magic AoE] F ; causes target to combust in hellish fire - 1 Post Cooldown
2. Aim the arrow towards the smaller monster.
3. Throw - Hurl the burning arrow towards the smaller monster.
Not a Sayan
SkyeOfStars
Neziul
Haha
tvfl22
BaronOBeefDip