Thinslayer

S E C O N D C H A N C E S (An Isekai Adventure)

I crippled the main antagonist by removing the elements that made her antagonism necessary. In her original story, the entire kingdom has fallen under magical mind-control, and anyone not under its control appears wraithlike and incomprehensible to the victims. The spell works by visually identifying and tracking people's faces to monitor their movements and direct them accordingly. Thus, wearing a mask or other facial covering for a long enough time is sufficient to counteract the spell. Shortly before the spell's infrastructure was completed, the king launched a raid on the estate of the only two people who could stop him: the Witch and her husband. Not knowing she was also immortal, they executed her and captured her immortal husband, the man who would later become the main protagonist of the story. Enraged, the Witch travelled north to raise an army and conquer the kingdom to free its people and her man from the magical mind control.

Due to the shadowy, wraithlike appearance of the Witch and her followers, and the traumatic way those she masks break free of the mind control (seizures and frothing), the populace widely believes her to be villainous, especially since communication with her is impossible due to the magic. While the Hero clashes with her, he also unwittingly aids her cause by saving lives and bringing down Demi-Archons, through whom the mind-control spell is amplified and transmitted.

Since mind control is incredibly difficult to orchestrate and hide in a multiplayer RP, I attempted to remove it, which pulled the rug out from under the entire plot. So a rework is in order if we're to revive this thing.

Unheroic: The Backwards Castle

Wow. Isabella's attack proved far more powerful than I'd intended. Lol She just wanted to introduce a small tear in their large intestines to let the germs and poop out - getting the biggest bang for her buck, so to speak.

Unheroic: The Backwards Castle

What...can I do in a fight?

Isabella faltered. Rarely had she done anything in a fight. She'd always been a healer outside of fights. But...there was no reason she couldn't help in her own way. She had God on her side. Why couldn't she pray for her allies' protection - or her enemies' demise? If she could heal a friend, she could rot an enemy. Especially since they interrupted her conversation with Walker.

I'd tell them to rot in hell, but that's a little late for my liking.

She turned her head in the direction of Violet's voice. Oh, she would tell this wench what her power was, all right. if the girl didn't believe her, that was her problem. She replied cooly, "Then go control things with your ball. I will say a prayer for you." With that, she took a few steps back, pressed her hands together, and began to chant a prayer.

"O almighty God, lord of heaven and earth, and master of all creation, hear now my plea. Bring thou upon these dogs this curse: that their bowels shall tear, and let loose within their flesh all the hosts of filthiness inside. May the filth consume their bodies as a welcome feast, and may the creeping things unbeholden to the eyes devour them."

Isabella lifted her face toward the sky. "And...if thou wilt, protect my love with thy mighty hand. Turn aside their weapons, that nothing which harms his flesh shall smite him with a mortal blow. For this my plea, I return to thee an offering of my blood. Amen."

Unheroic: The Backwards Castle

Isabelle could hear Davon defending her off in the distance. "Stay-stay away from her! I am your enemy!!" he cried out. She clutched at her heart. He'd been wounded so horribly, yet he still had the strength of spirit within him to raise his knife to the enemy. She raised her head and offered a silent prayer to the heavens on his behalf.

Her prayer cut short when she heard a familiar voice, uttering a familiar question she'd heard so long ago: "Now, what's a saint like you doing out in a place like this?"

"Walker?..." she whispered, "Walker? Is- is that you?" She stumbled and caught herself on her cane. "Are you- are you really alive? Oh my- oh my gods. Oh Walker!" Tears welled up in her eyes, and she would have rushed into his arms right then and there had not she heard a fight break out in front of him. It took her a moment, but she realized Davon had drawn a weapon on Walker. Her lips pursed and her brow furrowed.

From that moment on, Davon was nothing to her.

When at last the fight concluded, Davon was on his knees weeping, with her name on his lips. "I- I am sorry, Isabele...h-"

Isabelle put on her Kindest Face and knelt down beside him. "There there, worry not, friend. All is forgiven," she replied, her intonation calm and soothing. "What matters is that you fought in the end, right? You fought, you struggled, and you are still alive."

She touched his withered limbs and whispered a prayer for him. "O gods in heaven, restore thee this day Davon's limbs to their former state prior to the Withering, to their condition three days prior. I offer up unto thee a portion of my blood in sacrifice." Then under her breath, so quietly even one sitting next to her could not hear, she added: "And weaken the tendons in his thumbs so he shall never again wield a weapon against my love."

"Amen."

She felt the telltale tingling of magic surge in her veins as it drew power from her blood. Isabelle felt up Davon's arm and leg to ensure the spell worked, along with a subtle exploration of his thumb, before rising to her feet to find her beloved. As she made to approach him, she remembered that his was not the only voice she'd heard. There was another, a woman's voice, and a pretty one at that. From the way they spoke, he was familiar with her. A twinge of jealousy touched her, but she pushed it aside for the moment - she had more important things to attend to, like hugging Walker. She tried to pace herself at first, not wanting to look more needy for him than she was, but her methodical pace evolved into a full-on run until she collapsed into Walker's arms.

The comforting warmth of his body coaxed a hitched sob from her throat. She pressed her face into his broad chest and nuzzled into it.

Isabelle was home again at last.

Unheroic: The Backwards Castle

The moment she leaped after Walker's vanishing trail, she realized her life was over one way or another. So it was with grim determination that she lifted her crown to watch and see where the trail went. The wind rushed past her ears as she fell, its deafening roar a precursor of an end to follow. Had Walker survived this fall? Was it even possible? It didn't matter much, though. If he was dead, there was no point in living without him. If he was burning in hell, she would burn at his side. Whatever his end, she would meet it with him.

Then, she saw it.

Isabelle screamed.

A horrified, blood-curdling scream.

A splash, and her screams turned to muffled groans underneath the rushing river. As her mind struggled to comprehend the things she'd just witnessed, breath began to fail her, and soon she found herself instinctively clawing at the water around her. Down, down she sank, until thoughts of "air" or "surface" became but a distant memory.

Then just like that, she found both again. Isabelle burst from the water coughing and spluttering, mysteriously alive, but with no conception of where she was. Normally she'd never even go near any large body of water since she couldn't see the coastline, but now she was smack in the middle of one, an utterly foreign one at that. There might not even be a coastline, for all she knew.

She did know one thing, though: if Walker had fallen down here, he was probably floating in the water too.

"WALKER!" she cried out.

No answer.

"WALKER!" she cried again.

Still no answer.

Then she heard someone sob over the sound of the waves. It sounded like a woman's sob. Isabelle turned her head to identify where it came from. It sounded like it came from somewhere right next to her. When she picked a direction and began to paddle, she heard the sound again. Then she realized.

It had come from her own throat.

She was alone.

"...help..." came the whisper from her lips.

"Help."

"Anyone?"

"Please!"

"Oh gods."

The strength in her limbs began to fail, and soon the waters began to slosh at her nostrils once more. Just then, she espied the faint ember of a drifting soul in the distance. Isabelle summoned the last of her strength and swam toward it. "HELP ME, PLEASE!" she screamed. The ember flickered, a possible sign it heard her. The ember started drifting in her direction. Just as her arms finally gave out, someone grabbed her wrist and pull her up onto a wooden surface.

"Oi lass! Y'lalt a breath?" said a young man's voice in a strange accent. "O'll hells y'doin'n a place loik this?"

Isabelle hugged her arms close to her chest let out a few shuddering coughs. "I f-f-fell. Th-thank you f-for rescuing me."

"Ah nah jeh! Hardly a qualm, miss-" they lead to encourage her to introduce herself.

"Isabelle."

"S'moity proper a name... Moine's Davon. Tha pleasures mine, if'n oi may."

Isabelle adjusted the crown over her eyes and buried her head between her knees. She could almost feel the man staring at her as he rowed quietly back the way he came. And why shouldn't he? He'd just found a well-dressed priestess floating in the middle of nowhere. That would shock the words right out of anybody.

She lifted her head and smiled at him. "How can I ever repay you for saving my life, Devon?"

Davon awkwardly scratched his head and chuckled, a blush hidden by her blindfold as they boldy considered. "Sh't...ah, oi can think a few ways a lass loik y'self can start, ah?"

"Oh! You have but to name it, kind sir!" she replied, oblivious to his meaning.

"A-AH! W-Well..." he began, now a little nervous about exploiting her naivete, "Y'moit...y'know...show me...a good toim'n oll...when we get back, ah?"

Entertaining people certainly wasn't her forte, to be sure, but it was the least she could do for someone who'd just saved her life. Isabelle clasped her hands and replied, "Then I shall do my absolute utmost to entertain you! I cannot promise to be very good at it, but for you, I shall try my best! Do you prefer dancing, japes, or perhaps a bit of playacting?"

The man let out a long sigh, followed by an exasperated chuckle which a soft grin could almost be heard behind. "Ah hells, f'get it. Tha soft voice ouf a lass loik y'self. S'nuff fer me an tha boys. Long roads, good company, ah?"

"Are you quite sure? My dancing isn't terrible."

Devon burst out laughing. "NAH! Nah jeh jeh.. Oi'm 'eaded back ta join mi'friends, Kedvin and his crew. Oi'll insist ye accept hospitality woill ya recover, ah?"

Isabelle smiled. "That would be lovely, Devon. Thank you."

---

How wrong everything had gone.

Just when she thought she'd found someone she could rely on, the gods had to come and take them away from her. She could still hear their horrified screams as that creature rampaged through the camp, snuffing out their glowing embers without so much as breaking a sweat. Isabelle prayed her hiding spot concealed her, since she had no way to discern whether she was actually visible. The most she could do was stifle her breath and hold still. Hunters were drawn to motion, to change, and if she held as still as she possibly could, she would be less noticeable even if she were otherwise visible. She did not come out from her hiding spot until she heard friendly voices in the distance.

One of them sounded vaguely familiar.

Isabelle emerged from the brush and stumbled in the direction of the voices, her cane unslung from her back in case she had to defend herself.

S E C O N D C H A N C E S (An Isekai Adventure)

Lex & Enya

Location: The Witch's Fortress, Nazir
Interaction: @Thinslayer Ru Bain

---

Hearing that the Witch hadn't had a cigarette surprised Lex. Was this single pack all he had left during his time here? It wasn't good news but maybe he needed to quit. Besides he was no longer under the pressures of tight deadlines and harsh critics. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Either way, he didn't regret sharing a cigarette with her. Despite the information he would receive, the Witch or Ru Bain as she revealed, came off as a pleasant individual.

"It's a pleasure meeting you as well, Ru." He had replied before listening to what the particular woman had to share with him.

Lex and Enya followed Ru, Enya being uncharacteristically quiet. She didn't want to interrupt or butt in, especially a conversation the Witch was having. She had a great degree of respect for the woman, but there was also some fear too. Her feelings caused Lex to feel uneasy, but he did not know why he felt the way he did. Enya took a comfortable seat on Lex's shoulder, her legs crossed as she leaned against his neck.

"Don't mind me. Just taking a seat." She stated as soon as Lex peered down at her. He shrugged and took another drag, accidentally making Enya lose her balance. She didn't fall, but that didn't stop her from piping up. "HEY! Watch it!"

"My bad."

Once the three were upon the magic circle, Lex noted the small green creatures popping in and out of it. Goblins? He didn't have the chance to ask as he was more concerned with Ru's sudden act of self-mutilation to her elbow with a knife. As the blood dripped onto the circle, Lex remained silent, observing rather than negatively judging. And in an instant, the trio was in a different room. Smaller, but made of stone like the last.

Nazir.
Nazir?

While Lex took note, Enya was left surprised. The location was less welcoming than the last and appeared to have a rough history that hadn't finished telling its tale. The look Ru gave him reminded him of someone silently apologizing for their house being a bit messier than usual. The hidden passageway made Lex smirk, finding it fitting in such a world, but the smirk quickly faded. If he had to describe the sudden feeling he felt once the passageway was open, he might say fright or paranoia. Enya feeling quite similar only made his feeling more dreadful.

Lex hesitantly followed the witch into the chamber where the humanoid of darkness was chained. His eyes locked on its glowing crimson ones. Even as Ru started the tale, Lex stared. He stared at the creature who used to be Hallim Chaom. The story was rather grim as Lex was informed how a party of adventurers was attacked by the Voidspawn.

Once known to be benign creatures by this world, yet they could wreak havoc upon it.

"We'll beat them, Lex. You and I will be ready for them!" Enya got up and flew up to Lex's face and pointed at the tip of his nose, a confident look about her. "You just have to trust us. Especially me! No offense though!" Enya turned to the Witch with both hands raised.

"How?" Lex was wondering if there was some type of training he would receive or perhaps some grand artifact he needed to venture out and find. Maybe a weapon, or a key… Actually wouldn't a lock be more suitable with this kind of thing? A weapon would be cooler though.

"Our pact! You and me. We have power and I'll show you! We'll get the greater flame and help Ru keep our world safe from them." Lex liked Enya's spunk. She was actually inspiring in a way. He pulled his still-lit cigarette up to his lips and took a longer drag than previously. He flicked the cigarette butt to the floor and stomped on it to put it out. With an exhale of smoke, he gave a confident smirk.

"What's first?"

@FunnyGuy

@FunnyGuy@Zerofighter@Conejitoooo
Heliodor probably wasn't the first place you thought of when you thought of fantasy towns. It looked more at home in the Wild West, with its adobe structures and run-down buildings in a dusty old desert. Stretched out around the outskirts was the refugee camp, with tents and mud huts numbering in the thousands. Two figures made their way into the camp, one a very tall, buff human male, and the other a shorter human male smoking a cigarette.

The "human male" was the elf bodyguard Mai, magically disguised to look opposite to her natural appearance with a masculine physique, rounded ears, dark skin, and a deep voice. The other human was Lex, who was magically disguised with a lighter skin tone more in line with the average Hume citizen, together with a variety of adjustments to his face and voice. Their orders were to infiltrate the party of Reincarnations and study them, and to inform the Witch of any relevant plans the heroes might form. "I can't manipulate them if I don't know them," the Witch had explained. "I want to know who they are, what they love, what they hate, what they think. I want to know their habits, their vices, their plans. I want to know what drives them, what motivates them. Tell me everything you can find out about them. And try to help them build strength while you're at it - because remember, our true enemy is the Voidspawn. Communicate with me only when it is safe to do so."

Since she couldn't really trust a newbie with the record-keeping, the journaling of their quest fell to Enya. With the sprite being Lex's primary "weapon," she would need to acquire Bane powers in order to kill Voidspawn. Supposedly, there was an innkeeper in town who could help them with that, and their secondary objective was to rendezvous with her while they were here. Mai's job, as always, was to be a bodyguard, this time for Lex. "They will not soon return to strike at me," the Witch reasoned, "and even if they did, I am more than capable of defending myself, especially while I hold the Sealed Tower. Lex could use your protection more than I."

When they arrived at the camp, people assumed they were fellow refugees, and let them in without a second thought. Thus began the next stage of the plan: sidle up to the Reincarnations and get close to them.

S E C O N D C H A N C E S (An Isekai Adventure)

@ArmorPlated
The clunk and hum of the elevator was the first sign that something was amiss. Goblins from all around the tower froze to sniff and stare at it. Snahl in particular studied it with grim determination, his ears flat against his skull. After a while, the others resumed milling about their respective duties, but Snahl refused to take his eyes off it. That elevator had been moving for a long time. After about half an hour, it suddenly ground to a halt. Then reversed direction.

Something was coming back up.

Snahl's hand drifted down to his sword and danced along the hilt. The elevator continued its relentless winding for what felt like an eternity, until at last it began to slow down. ["Gungun,"] Snahl warned softly over the comm. The old goblin trotted inside from his training outside and wiped his hands on his pants. ["Yeah boss?]

["Something's coming."]

Gungun leaned over to try and see down the elevator shaft. He scratched an ear. ["Well that's plain, innit?"]

Snahl's scowl deepened, but said nothing.

["Want me to pop off an shoot somethin'?]

["No. We wait."]

When the elevator finally ground to a halt at ground level, every goblin in the tower turned their eyes upon it for the strange sight they now beheld. Snahl visibly gulped hard as he lifted his gaze to look upon the hulk of metal standing before him - and promptly averted it when his eyes found the red glare of death staring back at him.

Gungun just raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. "So yer what, another humie? Ptooy. Got enough o' them fleshbags for one day."

Snahl whispered behind his teeth, ["Watch your tongue, old goblin..."]

S E C O N D C H A N C E S (An Isekai Adventure)

@FunnyGuy

Emperor Dragan

"Ahem! I require assistance in my throne room!"

The Emperor's call brought a team of servants running back in. When they saw the dumplings scattered on the floor, they all gasped and hurriedly began picking them up. No sooner had the last dumpling made it on the tray than the palace doors opened to let a certain bald soldier through. His every step had presence in the room as he walked, and in his stern gaze was the face of a warrior.

"I have come at your request, your Majesty," he said with a deep bow. "I understand you have concerns about the quality of my service to the Empire."

---

@Rabidporcupine

Chatak

At Chatak's request, Kolgat closed his eyes. And began to snore again. Shaktak took out his monocle and pocket watch and started timing it. The old goblin slept standing upright for exactly 4 minutes and 31 seconds before coming back with an answer.

["We will be needing their labor back later. If you can train replacements and send them to us, that would be fine. You could also send back their products if they can be shipped quickly. However, I suggest we discuss this sort of thing when it becomes an issue. For now, just take them, and if Her Ladyship wants them back, we can talk about it then."]

Shaktak sniffed. "Well color me shocked. The old boy did it. He awoke from his slumber."

Kolgat frowned back and retorted, "Shock is not a color, stupid goblin," prompting a laugh from his victim.

"Thou learnst not of figures of speech, I see! For a scholar, thou hast much yet to learn of the linguistic arts."

The goblin gave him the side-eye and turned back to Chatak. ["If you can create a nation without that bastard, I might consider visiting. Anyway, I look forward to seeing what you come up with."]

S E C O N D C H A N C E S (An Isekai Adventure)

Yeah, I'm not sure I can do it all at once anyway. Still, I do need to get on top of this RP, or it'll die out by my own hand. It may help to make a schedule, or else I'll talk myself out of it.

For my writing schedule, I'll post Dragan-FunnyGuy's and Chatak-Rabidporcupine's replies today, Faust-ArmorPlated's tomorrow, then Lex & Enya-FunnyGuy's the day after that. I've messaged Conscripts about bringing Robert back into the plot, considering Dark Cloud's absence, so we'll see where that goes.

@Conejitoooo, are you down to write about an elf lady (your character) seeking help from MacKensie to defend the elvish side of Pelinor? I've been looking for a reason to have the PCs defend a city against the Witch's forces in earnest, and Pelinor looks like the best place to do it. The elves have a secret treaty with the Empire there allowing the humans to mine for iron in elvish territory, and the Witch is looking to cripple that industry.

S E C O N D C H A N C E S (An Isekai Adventure)

Today is my day off, so it'll become my Writing Day to catch up on everything and make my mega-posts. :P