VG Rumble II

(Since the battle is going to be over by the time Adrian finishes off the last Skamp, I'd might as well get this out of the way. Since I know piepiemann wants two-handed weapons so he can use a spear, I'm going to record that on the site.)

--Victorious!--

Exp. Gained: 115

Kai advances to Level 5!
Enya advances to Level 5!
Reon advances to Level 5!
Balaes advances to Level 4!
Edgar advances to Level 4!
Adrian advances to Level 4!
Ivellios advances to Level 5!

Adam recieves no experience for falling unconcious during battle.

(Sorry for the delay. I'll finish the last Skamp off quickly so our characters can regroup and figure out their next plan of action. For those of you who have leveled up, you have over 10 skill points to spend. The only exception is Ivellios, because piepiemann established beforehand that he wanted Two-handed Swords as soon as he had enough points so he could use his spear. Now he has 9 points left to spend.)

Adrian and the Skamp tumbled all the way down the hill, disappearing past the trees outlining the dirt road. They finally stopped when their bodies slammed into the side of one such tree. The impact caused Adrian to drop his sword.

The Skamp used its body to pin Adrian to the ground as it started slashing at his face with its claws. Adrian shielded his face as best he could with his arms. The creature's claws tore his sleeves to shreds as blood started to trickle down his arms.

He tried to think of a way to retaliate. The Skamp's arms were longer than his, making it impossible to reach its neck. That meant trying to strangle it was out of the question. He caught the glint of steel out of the corner of his eye. He looked to see his sword laying in the grass off to the side. He tried to grab it with one hand and continue shielding himself with his other arm. Unfortunately, his sword was just out of reach.

The Skamp finally got fed up with trying to claw its way to Adrian's face. It grabbed him by the neck with both hands and began to suffocate him. Adrian tried to pry the creature's hands away, but its grip proved too strong. His only hope was to try and reach for his sword.

Just as his vision was starting to go dark, he heard the angry howl of a wolf as a large furry figure came into view. It grabbed the Skamp by the neck with one hand and pulled it off Adrian's body. The small creature flailed about, trying to get free. The large figure slammed it into the ground, face first. It then placed its knee on the Skamp's back to prevent it from escaping. It grabbed the demon by the head and, with one swift jerk, snapped its neck.

Adrian coughed as he tried to breathe normally again. Now that everything had settled down, he could see who it was that saved him. It was Edgar in his werewolf form. Adrian grabbed his sword and put it back in its sheath before saying, "Thanks Edgar, you saved my life."

Edgar merely nodded before changing back into his human form. As he began to make his way back up the hill he said, "The others probably finished off the rest of the demons by now. We should regroup before more of them decide to come through that infernal gate."

(It's been about four days since anyone besides me posted. Are you guys having trouble thinking of what to post?)

My guy is knocked out But uh... you see I knew I'd not have much internet time for a few days which is why I had him get knocked out so for future reference, if Adam goes unconsciouss in a battle it's because I'll not be able to post for a while.

Just got time to give you the details of my new character now. She is finished. Won't be finding the team straight away I don't think but will turn up at the next opposrtunity:

Name: Cathy Lychen
Gender: Female
Age: 19
Class: Mage

Appearance: She's got rich, black hair that hangs to her shoulders, usually in a complete mess and her eyes are a dark, chocolate brown. Her skin is tanned and rough, half through inheritance and the other half through tough training and living out of doors. She's got an athletic and almost curvy build. There's something slightly masculine about her but not enough that it detracts from her beauty though it be a rough and unkempt beauty.

Personality: Cathy is mature, often quiet. She looks out for people but isn't about to put herself or others in unecessary danger. She's very independant. She'll help others when she can spare the time/ has the strength but doesn't expect it returned. She doesn't tell people about herself but will listen to their troubles. She can't sleep inside, not ever. But she'll help build a shelter for others. She's searching. She isn't sure what for: a fight, a friend or maybe just a firmer emotion than the void she often feels.

History: Cathy was born during hard times when the world was dark and no one really knew if there would ever be light again. Her parents saw their baby daughter and knew they couldn't let her grow up to be as helpless as they so she was trained long and hard even after the rest of the dominion believed the world was at peace. While others celebrated and rejoiced, Cathy learned to be quick and independant. At the age of eight, her parents threw her out. They said it was for the best if she was to survive what might come in her future. Cathy didn't resent them for it. She felt little for them, more what a student would feel for a teacher. She learned the way of the woods, of the plains, of everywhere. She knew the towns, she knew the streams and she could get by just killing and camping, moving around. She developed a paranoia for having a roof over her head and she found that a proximity with nature had given her magic abilities. Or at least, that was the way she believed it to work. She did not think to find anyone to train her but merely followed instinct.

(All right. I'll put her up on the site when I get the chance. In the meantime you can start thinking about what skills you want her to have. She's going to start off at level 4, so that'll give you 15 skill points to spend.)

***Kitty, your new character is just like my best friend, Connor! Here's a pic of her: < http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=8 ... =773764921 > In case you want to use it for reference, lol.

And as for my skill points...I'll have Two-handed Sword (if I have enough points) for Kai and Protect (if I have enough points) for Enya.***




Enya knelt next to Adam, who was undoubtedly unconscious. Balaes was in better condition; all she would have to do is check him for shrapnel wounds and a dislocated shoulder.

She carefully lifted the hand that Adam had put to his side, covering the bleeding gouges. She had to pull his shirt up to be able to truly see the damage; she winced when she saw what the skamp had done to him. Hopefully, Adrian isn't hurt like this...God, I hope not. But if he was...she could take care of him!

Snap out of it. Take care of Adam, now.

Kai sat next to Balaes; he knew a little about medicine, but not enough to do anything. He could pick up on signs of shock, but he didn't know how to treat it. Even so, he doubted Balaes was so badly wounded to go into shock...

That's when he saw Adrian and Edgar walking up the hill, blood running down Adrian's arm. "Adrian!" Kai stood, but he dared not leave Balaes. "Are you okay?"

(Okay, I'll record it later tonight while I put up kitty15's new character. Just a piece of advice, Ayumi, you should have Enya go for Heal. I don't know if you've read the spell discriptions yet, but Cure gets rid of status effects, and Heal restores HP. You should get it first, then go for the other spells like Protect. Just a suggestion, though. It's up to you.)

***That makes sense, too. Yep, I'll take Heal, 'cause then I could use that on Adam for the story. 'Kay, Heal it is, then.

...(Waiting for others to post...)...***

That's cool! Cathy is actually based off a friend of mine as well though only her personality so now I've found someone she looks like as well XD

Cathy will take Fire, Wands and Thunder. Is it alright if I give her a willow wand? And what does the skill wands actually do - does it make their magic stronger or does it mean they can use wands that have magic in them like wand of paralsys etc.

Adam

His head felt fuzzy, like someone had filled it with a bale of hay and the prickly ends were rubbing up against his eyes from the inside, causing all sorts of discomfort to his retinas. He couldn't make them open. His throat felt dry and fighting for his attention was pain. A deep, solid throb in his side that moved with the movement of... hands? Someone's hands?

Adam groaned and tried again to open his eyes. They lifted a little, giving him two slits of light through which to take in his surroundings which was currently mostly sky and clouds. He was laying on his back. He moved his tongue around in his mouth and wheezed a little, his chest feeling crushed.

"A kiss from a pretty girl might revive me," Adam said absently with a slight chuckle as he finally caught sight of Enya. So it was her hands doing the inspecting. "Tell me girl, how bad is it?"

(To be honest, I just put wands in there because I couldn't think of anything else. I guess they can be used as tools for concentration, since casting a spell through a wand is easier than using your hands. Also, I just realised that everyone's characters will gain a few more levels before they start to move on from Kvatch. Let's hold off determining your new character's level until they leave Kvatch with Martin. I'll still put your character on the site, so don't worry.)

(Enya has 12 skill points, and since you said you wanted Protect in the first place, Ayumi, I recorded that as well. Enya is now down to 2 points. You also have 7 points left for Kai as well, leaving you with enough for another skill.)


Adrian walked up to the group alongside Edgar. He held his his bleeding arm, stopping the blood flow a little bit with his hand. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks to Edgar."

"A kiss from a pretty girl might revive me." Adrian turned to see Adam under Enya's care. It was obvious he had been referring to her. Enya was blushing. Adrian frowned, he didn't like the way Adam acted toward Enya. Even though the boy was in bad shape Adrian could help but feel annoyed toward him.

Salvian Matius and Ilum approached the group. "I appreciate the help, I doubt we would have survived that last wave on our own," the Captain told them. "But this place is too dangerous for you all. Get back to the encampment at once."

Adrian looked around, taking in all the destruction the demons most likely caused. He knew exactly what the cause was, but after studying the damage first hand he couldn't help but ask, "What happened here?"

Salvian bore an expression of pure anger. "We lost the damn town, that's what happened!" he shouted. His anger wasn't directed toward Adrian, but rather the demons responsible for the attack. "It was too much, too fast. We were overwhelmed. We couldn't get everyone out of the town in time, there's still people trapped in there! The Count and his men are still holed up in the castle, and now we can't even get into Kvatch to help them. That damned Oblivion Gate is blocking the way!"

"What will you do now?" Reon asked.

"The only thing we can do," Salvian told him. "We'll try to hold our ground, that's what! If we can't hold this barricade, those beasts could march right down and overrun the encampment. I have to try and protect the few civillians that are left, it's all I can do now!"

"It doesn't look good, though," Sir Ro pointed out. "We've been fighting off wave after wave of demons for eighteen hours straight. Most of the town's soldiers were killed during the initial attack. Only twenty-two of us made it out in time. Seventeen of Captain Matius' men died at the hands of those demons while we tried to keep them from getting past the barricade. Gerrald's neck snapped in half during that last wave, and the other two men are in critical condition. I may be strong, but if another wave that big comes through even I won't be able to handle it." He shook his head, as if trying to clear his mind from whatever thoughts that outcome gave him. "Enough of that, though. What are you all doing here, anyway?"

Enya had finished with Adam's injuries and was now starting on Adrain's. Adrian said, "I don't think there's enough time to give you the long version, but we're looking for a man named Martin."

"You mean the priest?" Ilum asked. Adrian nodded. "Last I saw him, he and Karana were leading a group toward the chapel of Akatosh."

Enya perked up then. "Mother? Is she okay?"

Ilum shook his head. "I don't know. If they're lucky, they're both trapped in the chapel with the rest of the survivors, at least safe for the moment. If not..."

Captain Matius angrily kicked the dirt. "My home... my goddamn home in flames. It kills me that I can't get in there and do something! We couldn't have been any less prepared for this. There was just so many of them... it's like they were coming out of nowhere! If only I had a way to strike back at the enemy, but we can't leave the barricade as long as that Oblivion Gate is still open!"

"Maybe we can help," Adrian suggested. "If Martin and Karana are still alive, we need to go in there and save them."

Salvian gave him a look that said plainly he thought Adrian was joking. "You want to help? You're kidding, right?"

Ilum turned to the Captain and said, "Maybe they can help, Salvian. We won't be able to hold the barricade for long on our own."

Captain Matius sighed. Turning back to Adrian, he asked, "If you're serious, then I do have a job for you. It would most likely mean your death, though. Are you sure?"

"An even worse fate awaits us if we don't get Martin out of Kvatch," Adrian told him.

"All right then." Salvian turned to look at the Oblivion Gate. "I don't know how to close that gate, but it must be possible, because the enemy closed the ones they opened during the initial attack. You can even see the marks on the ground where they first appeared. I sent men into the gate to see if they could find a way to shut it... they never came back. I need you to go in there, find out what happened to them. If they're still alive help them finish the job. If not, see what you can do on your own."

"Wait a minute!" Adam shouted, bolting to his feet. The pain from his wounds caused him to cry out and drop to his knees.

"Don't move, Adam!" Enya told him. "Your injuries haven't had a chance to heal yet!"

"Screw that!" With a firm finger, he pointed at the burning portal and shouted, "Are you saying we have to go in there!?"

(Sorry it took so long to post. I know I said I was going to post yesterday, but college stuff sucked up all my time. Once I finally made it back to my room last night it was around 8:30. I didn't have enough energy to write. And just so you know, every town has a count or countess in charge of the surrounding region. They live in small castles.)

Kai nodded. He didn't like it, but it was the only option they had. He looked at Adam, whom Enya - with a jealous-looking Adrian - was currently forcing to lay back down. "Yeah...It's our only choice, at the moment. And we have to something. This death and destruction has to stop!"

He could feel his heart breaking; he loved battle and action, but so much at one time, with so many dead and many others wounded? It was overwhelming, physically and emotionally.

"Kai is right," Ilum concurred, also nodding. "But it's going to be dangerous. Very dangerous. I might actually be able to admit it's more dangerous than the missions I went on as a teenager, when I met Karana. We will need to rest and recouperate - especially you two, Adam and Adrian - before we head in..."

Kai's thoughts trailed off. He looked at Adrian, his best friend. His arm was a shredded mess; there was no way he could fight without trouble. And Adam was far worse; he couldn't move without writhing in pain. Even at that moment, Enya was expressing her views on both of their conditions, "You need to regain your strength" to Adrian and "You're in no condition to be moving, much less fighting; that skamp shredded your side" to Adam.

Kai sighed, shaking his head, and sat down right where he was. He folded his hands behind his head and held his head between his knees. He had to calm down, to understand.

Why is this happening? What is going on? Will we make it out of this alive? God, please...protect us. Please...

Balaes

He nursed his arm, waiting for Enya to finish up with those in worse shape than he. He considered simply popping it back in, the way he'd learnt to under his father's tutelage and made extensive use of during his years in the capital. The thought made him a little sick. In those times, he hadn't had pieces of stone sticking into him as well. He hadn't felt as though magic had sucked the life out of him. If he tried to fix himself up now, he'd probably botch the job.

So far, luckily, no one had picked up on his use of dark magic who didn't already know about it. The only indication that anyone was even thinking about that aspect of him was from Adrian. He caught a sidelong glance for a moment, before the warrior's jealous gaze turned back to where Adam sat with Enya.

He coughed once, drawing their attention, "I think we could probably survive going through, and that's also probably the easiest way of closing it." When he got a questioning look from Sir Ro, he continued, "I mean, if it was opened on that side, you're probably right in thinking it would be easier to close it from that side. But we shouldn't all go through, someone needs to stay behind in case the others fall. After all, if we all die on the other side of the gate, then there won't be anyone to protect the refugees."

Captain Matius snorted, "Wise words, boy. I suppose you'd be volunteering to stay behind while the rest of us risk our lives?"

"Not at all, sir," Balaes sneered, showing an inkling of his father's personality, "I'd rather go through to the other side. I thought that you might like to hold the line, though."

Why am I doing this? He wondered, Why do I want to go back to that place I've already seen? Memories of the dreams he had had flashed through his mind - the burning wastelands, the gigantic, centipede-like machines on their unstoppable march towards the mortal realm. Mehrunes Dagon himself, towering above Balaes' weakened spirit-form.

It's because this is the fastest way into Kvatch - probably the only way. And we need Martin to get us out of this mess. It's either him or going toe-to-toe with a demon lord, and I could barely handle one of his minions.

"Then it's settled," Adrian said. "We'll split up into two groups. Four of us will go in, and the other four will stay here with Captain Matius and Sir Ro to stop any more demons that come through that gate. I'm going in, and Balaes wants to go, too."

"Adam and I will stay here," Enya said as she went over to work on Balaes. "Adam is in no condition to be going into that thing, and I need to make sure no one on this side gets seriously injured, or else the barricade will fall and the demons will attack the encampment."

Adrian didn't like the thought of Adam being alone with Enya, but he knew that was the best course of action. He nodded.

Edgar went to stand beside Adam. "I'll stay here as well. With Adam's condition he won't be able to fight at his full strength. We'll need someone strong to pick up the slack."

"All right." Adrian looked at Kai, Reon, and Ivellios. "That just leaves you three. One of you will stay here and the other two will come into the gate with us."

Adam

It seemed that Adam didn't have a choice and while his pride and honour were wounded, he couldn't help but feel relieved as well. His near miss with death had taught him how to be afraid. Right at the end, he hadn't wanted to die. Until that moment he'd been willing to give his life for the sake of honour and their cause but right at the end, fear had seemed to swell within him. It was under control now. It had only been sensible to remark on the dangers of going through the portal. Truly. But even so...

Staying behind, he could make himself of equal use in protecting Enya and all the world that lay beyond the boundary. He just needed a little time to get his strength back, just a day or two to recuperate.

"Any chance you've got some medicinal liquor around here?" Adam asked, turning his attention to Sir Ro. He turned his body slightly, attempting to move his injured side to the most comfortable position possible but it wasn't worth the trouble. Whatever which way he lay, he could feel the spasm of pain as his body struggled to hold itself together. Sir Ro was looking at him in confusion and what was possibly indignation. He could not be used to mere thieves addressing him so bluntly.

"Alcohol," Adam explained. "Brandy, rum, beer. Something to give me a moments peace." Sir Ro shook his head and Captain Matius said sternly:

"You stay alert or you die. That's the rules of the border." Adam sighed and nodded. Normally he would agree: alcohol was a vile substance that impaired a man's senses. But right now, a good drink might actually get him on his feet and into some sort of position to fight back.