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Arcanis: Gonnes, Sons, and Treasure Runs (COMPLETED)
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<blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 4582715" data-attributes="member: 3285"><p><strong>Purity and Corruption: Part 7a – A Truth of Corruption?</strong></p><p></p><p>Escorting Nutesh val’Mehen back to the Silver Cage was an uneventful but stonily silent trip. Whatever Nutesh thought about the issue, he decided to keep to himself.</p><p></p><p>“I don’t know if this is such a good idea,” said Ilmarė. “Once her story becomes public, what course of action does she intend to pursue to try and see the matter fully investigated?”</p><p></p><p>“More importantly,” said Sebastian, “how does she stay alive long enough to find out? The Auotcrat won’t tolerate this.”</p><p></p><p>As they returned to the Ebon Steed, flames exploded out of one of the windows.</p><p></p><p>Kham drew two pistols. “Looks like someone got to Baecinia first!”</p><p></p><p>Beldin barreled forward with his axe into the doorway. Sebastian followed behind.</p><p></p><p>“Nierites!” shouted Beldin. “Don’t they ever give up?”</p><p></p><p>Baecinia and her companions were buried under a pile of tables. A Nierite sorcerer, fingertips still trailing smoke, stood on top of a table in the middle of the tavern. The dead and dying lay scattered like so much kindling all around him. Behind the sorcerer, with their backs to the door, were five Swords of Nier. </p><p></p><p>“Heretics!” The sorcerer whirled. “You!” he pointed at Kham. “I’ll bring your smoking corpse to the Autocrat myself! <span style="font-family: 'Impact'">Radius Incensio</span>!”</p><p></p><p>A stream of flames spiraled from the sorcerer’s outstretched finger. He was aiming, not at Kham’s chest, but at his pistols. The explosion would blow both of his hands off…</p><p></p><p>Someone slammed him aside. Kham rolled to his feet, only to see Ilmarė take the brunt of the attack. The flames blew her backwards into the wall. She fell down, unconscious.</p><p></p><p>Kham turned to help the elorii but hesitated. </p><p></p><p>“Go!” shouted Sebastian. “I’ll cover you!” The dark-kin sorcerer pointed at the Nierites. “<span style="font-family: 'Impact'">Incendiaries globus!</span>”</p><p></p><p>The ensuing explosion forced the Nierites to dive to the sides. </p><p></p><p>Kham holstered his pistols and pulled a healing potion from his overcoat. He poured it down Ilmarė’s throat. Her eyes fluttered open.</p><p></p><p>“Shh.” Kham put another potion in her hand. “Apology accepted.” The val’s expression turned deadly serious as he drew his pistols again. </p><p></p><p>Beldin slammed into one of the Nierites, but the Sword of Nier blocked it with his greatsword. It was the first time Beldin had faced a serious challenge from a human foe. </p><p></p><p>“Fool,” shouted one of the Swords of Nier. “<span style="font-family: 'Impact'">Suffer Nier’s fiery wrath!</span>” Flames blasted from the greatsword, nearly singing Sebastian. </p><p></p><p>“A Nierite priest!” shouted Sebastian. “They dress just like the Swords!”</p><p></p><p>“On him!” shouted Kham. He fired from each pistol. One Sword of Nier’s head bucked backwards, blood spouting out of his helmet.</p><p></p><p>Another Sword of Nier slashed downwards, nearly cutting Kham in twain. He fell backwards. </p><p></p><p>Kham rapped one knuckle on the breastplate he wore beneath his overcoat. “Good thing I have ole Daemonscar here.” Kham holstered the pistols and hopped to his feet in one smooth motion. </p><p></p><p>The Sword of Nier grinned beneath his helmet. “Come, heretic. I want you to die with your weapons in your hands.”</p><p></p><p>Kham drew Talon and Coomb’s dagger. “My turn.”</p><p></p><p>Beldin barely managed to knock aside a greatsword blow with his shield. It left his arm numb. He hacked downwards at the man’s leg, dropping the Nierite in mid-swing. </p><p></p><p>Another Nierite struck again, this time wrenching the shield out of his grip.</p><p></p><p>“Take out the dwarf!” shouted the sorcerer. “The rest will fall without him!”</p><p></p><p>Something cold and unyielding slid itself through Beldin’s ribs. He gritted his teeth. “It’ll take more than that…” he gasped, yanking himself forward, “to stop…a dwarf!” Beldin hacked the defenseless Nierite nearly in two, greatsword still jutting from his back.</p><p></p><p>There was a strange beat that made them all pause. It was someone stomping one foot. The voice that accompanied the beat demanded attention.</p><p></p><p>Ilmarė was singing. Gone was the beautiful voice that had encouraged them to fight for her, kill for her, die for her. It was replaced by something guttural and angry and ugly. </p><p></p><p>It was a war chant.</p><p></p><p>“<em>Im no mûl an hîr alcuinar!</em>” screamed Ilmarė. She was no slave to any god.</p><p></p><p>Kham was hard pressed to stop the Nierite. He had to use both Talon and his dagger to catch any blow the greatsword might land, putting him on the defensive. </p><p></p><p>“Sebastian, do something!” he shouted over his shoulder. “I can’t keep this up forever!”</p><p></p><p>“I’m trying,” Sebastian yelled back. He ducked a greatsword swing as the Nierite priest closed the gap between them. “But I’m a little busy!”</p><p></p><p>“I will finish this,” snarled the sorcerer. He raised his hands to cast another spell. “<span style="font-family: 'Impact'">Incendiares</span>—“</p><p></p><p>Two arrows sprouted out of the sorcerer’s open palms. He opened his mouth to scream, but another arrow shaft pierced the back of his mouth.</p><p></p><p>“<em>Im no mûl an ardhon almeleth!</em>” screamed Ilmarė. She was no slave to an uncaring world.</p><p></p><p>The Nierite amulet pulsed at her throat. </p><p></p><p>A Nierite lifted his greatsword over Beldin’s head. The dwarf just looked up; he couldn’t possibly get out of the way, not with a greatsword piercing his chest.</p><p></p><p>“<em>Maeth</em>,” screamed Ilmarė. Fight!</p><p></p><p>The Nierite’s aim was ruined when an arrow shivered out of his arm. Beldin took the opportunity to cut the man’s legs out from beneath him.</p><p></p><p>The Nierite priest knocked Sebastian to the ground with a wide swing. The priest lifted his greatsword over his head. </p><p></p><p>“<em>Maeth!</em>”</p><p></p><p>An arrow speared both of the priest’s wrists, pinning them together. He dropped the greatsword, staring at his wrists in disbelief.</p><p></p><p>Sebastian raised one palm and flames blasted into the Nierite at point-blank range. His melting corpse fell to its knees.</p><p></p><p>Kham found an opening in the last Nierite’s defenses and plunged both blades into the man’s chest. He withdrew them, waiting for the inevitable death rattle.</p><p></p><p>The Nierite kept coming. He wound up for another swing with his greatsword…</p><p></p><p>”<em>MAETH!</em>”</p><p></p><p>An arrow protruded from the Nierite’s eye socket. He fell backwards without a sound.</p><p></p><p>Finally, the killing stopped. Only the crackling of the flames and the moans of the wounded could be heard.</p><p></p><p>”Althares!” Kham exclaimed as he took in the carnage. “She never stopped…”</p><p></p><p>Arrows jutted from every Nierite. They looked like pincushions, their bodies almost impossible to recognize. Arrows sprouted from every limb, in men that were most certainly dead already. </p><p></p><p>Finally, the amulet at Ilmarė’s throat stopped pulsing. The elf dropped her bow to the ground and held her face in her hands.</p><p></p><p>Sebastian turned towards her but Beldin, wincing in pain, stopped him. “Let’s help the ones with wounds we can heal,” he said. Then he yanked the greatsword out of his abdomen.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="talien, post: 4582715, member: 3285"] [b]Purity and Corruption: Part 7a – A Truth of Corruption?[/b] Escorting Nutesh val’Mehen back to the Silver Cage was an uneventful but stonily silent trip. Whatever Nutesh thought about the issue, he decided to keep to himself. “I don’t know if this is such a good idea,” said Ilmarė. “Once her story becomes public, what course of action does she intend to pursue to try and see the matter fully investigated?” “More importantly,” said Sebastian, “how does she stay alive long enough to find out? The Auotcrat won’t tolerate this.” As they returned to the Ebon Steed, flames exploded out of one of the windows. Kham drew two pistols. “Looks like someone got to Baecinia first!” Beldin barreled forward with his axe into the doorway. Sebastian followed behind. “Nierites!” shouted Beldin. “Don’t they ever give up?” Baecinia and her companions were buried under a pile of tables. A Nierite sorcerer, fingertips still trailing smoke, stood on top of a table in the middle of the tavern. The dead and dying lay scattered like so much kindling all around him. Behind the sorcerer, with their backs to the door, were five Swords of Nier. “Heretics!” The sorcerer whirled. “You!” he pointed at Kham. “I’ll bring your smoking corpse to the Autocrat myself! [FONT="Impact"]Radius Incensio[/FONT]!” A stream of flames spiraled from the sorcerer’s outstretched finger. He was aiming, not at Kham’s chest, but at his pistols. The explosion would blow both of his hands off… Someone slammed him aside. Kham rolled to his feet, only to see Ilmarė take the brunt of the attack. The flames blew her backwards into the wall. She fell down, unconscious. Kham turned to help the elorii but hesitated. “Go!” shouted Sebastian. “I’ll cover you!” The dark-kin sorcerer pointed at the Nierites. “[FONT="Impact"]Incendiaries globus![/FONT]” The ensuing explosion forced the Nierites to dive to the sides. Kham holstered his pistols and pulled a healing potion from his overcoat. He poured it down Ilmarė’s throat. Her eyes fluttered open. “Shh.” Kham put another potion in her hand. “Apology accepted.” The val’s expression turned deadly serious as he drew his pistols again. Beldin slammed into one of the Nierites, but the Sword of Nier blocked it with his greatsword. It was the first time Beldin had faced a serious challenge from a human foe. “Fool,” shouted one of the Swords of Nier. “[FONT="Impact"]Suffer Nier’s fiery wrath![/FONT]” Flames blasted from the greatsword, nearly singing Sebastian. “A Nierite priest!” shouted Sebastian. “They dress just like the Swords!” “On him!” shouted Kham. He fired from each pistol. One Sword of Nier’s head bucked backwards, blood spouting out of his helmet. Another Sword of Nier slashed downwards, nearly cutting Kham in twain. He fell backwards. Kham rapped one knuckle on the breastplate he wore beneath his overcoat. “Good thing I have ole Daemonscar here.” Kham holstered the pistols and hopped to his feet in one smooth motion. The Sword of Nier grinned beneath his helmet. “Come, heretic. I want you to die with your weapons in your hands.” Kham drew Talon and Coomb’s dagger. “My turn.” Beldin barely managed to knock aside a greatsword blow with his shield. It left his arm numb. He hacked downwards at the man’s leg, dropping the Nierite in mid-swing. Another Nierite struck again, this time wrenching the shield out of his grip. “Take out the dwarf!” shouted the sorcerer. “The rest will fall without him!” Something cold and unyielding slid itself through Beldin’s ribs. He gritted his teeth. “It’ll take more than that…” he gasped, yanking himself forward, “to stop…a dwarf!” Beldin hacked the defenseless Nierite nearly in two, greatsword still jutting from his back. There was a strange beat that made them all pause. It was someone stomping one foot. The voice that accompanied the beat demanded attention. Ilmarė was singing. Gone was the beautiful voice that had encouraged them to fight for her, kill for her, die for her. It was replaced by something guttural and angry and ugly. It was a war chant. “[I]Im no mûl an hîr alcuinar![/I]” screamed Ilmarė. She was no slave to any god. Kham was hard pressed to stop the Nierite. He had to use both Talon and his dagger to catch any blow the greatsword might land, putting him on the defensive. “Sebastian, do something!” he shouted over his shoulder. “I can’t keep this up forever!” “I’m trying,” Sebastian yelled back. He ducked a greatsword swing as the Nierite priest closed the gap between them. “But I’m a little busy!” “I will finish this,” snarled the sorcerer. He raised his hands to cast another spell. “[FONT="Impact"]Incendiares[/FONT]—“ Two arrows sprouted out of the sorcerer’s open palms. He opened his mouth to scream, but another arrow shaft pierced the back of his mouth. “[I]Im no mûl an ardhon almeleth![/I]” screamed Ilmarė. She was no slave to an uncaring world. The Nierite amulet pulsed at her throat. A Nierite lifted his greatsword over Beldin’s head. The dwarf just looked up; he couldn’t possibly get out of the way, not with a greatsword piercing his chest. “[I]Maeth[/I],” screamed Ilmarė. Fight! The Nierite’s aim was ruined when an arrow shivered out of his arm. Beldin took the opportunity to cut the man’s legs out from beneath him. The Nierite priest knocked Sebastian to the ground with a wide swing. The priest lifted his greatsword over his head. “[I]Maeth![/I]” An arrow speared both of the priest’s wrists, pinning them together. He dropped the greatsword, staring at his wrists in disbelief. Sebastian raised one palm and flames blasted into the Nierite at point-blank range. His melting corpse fell to its knees. Kham found an opening in the last Nierite’s defenses and plunged both blades into the man’s chest. He withdrew them, waiting for the inevitable death rattle. The Nierite kept coming. He wound up for another swing with his greatsword… ”[I]MAETH![/I]” An arrow protruded from the Nierite’s eye socket. He fell backwards without a sound. Finally, the killing stopped. Only the crackling of the flames and the moans of the wounded could be heard. ”Althares!” Kham exclaimed as he took in the carnage. “She never stopped…” Arrows jutted from every Nierite. They looked like pincushions, their bodies almost impossible to recognize. Arrows sprouted from every limb, in men that were most certainly dead already. Finally, the amulet at Ilmarė’s throat stopped pulsing. The elf dropped her bow to the ground and held her face in her hands. Sebastian turned towards her but Beldin, wincing in pain, stopped him. “Let’s help the ones with wounds we can heal,” he said. Then he yanked the greatsword out of his abdomen. [/QUOTE]
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