[F29-EV] The Final Stand | <<Fatal Error ACT: 2>>

[Corvo 0]

"Disgusting."

His blade came down again, carving a swathe through the shambling corpse. In a blasphemous display of unlife, the creatures crashed against Players like a tide, falling back only to teem again and threaten to swallow anyone who did not stand fast. The others were working together, heartening one another, shoring up defenses, protecting the meek- a display of valor that showcased the brighter parts of human nature in the midst of overwhelming darkness. Corvo remained unimpressed. 

The massive weapon swung with his entire body weight behind it sent the upper portion of several Wight's anatomy lurching to the dirt, ichor spraying wanton. He could see the others convalescing, their unity forging bonds and reinforcing every effort... but he had no intention of joining them in holding hands and singing kumbaya.

In stark contrast to the mobs they were accustomed to, these creatures did not simply dissipate. The torsos torn asunder spasmed for several moments before fumbling blindly about, molesting one another, and amalgamating into a hideous contorted blob of flesh and bone. Twisting, churning, tearing, the beasts undid their own deaths, and became more.

The only thing about this situation that did not disappoint Corvo was the freedom it gave him to keep slashing. As the many-armed monstrosity rose up from the ruins of its progenitors, the red-eyed youth scowled. It was faster, its appendages formed from blade-like bone stabbing at him with reckless abandon. "Worthless. Unfit to temper my axe."

He deflected quick and shallow blows with a wide swing, sending the creature's attacks flailing backward. "But adequate sport for quelling my boredom, I suppose." Corvo raised the weapon and it took on a crimson color, spraying even more ichor across the young man's face, his chest, and the world all around him. 

How long had he been culling the creatures, holding the line? Time had dilated in the expanse, leaving his sense of it dulled and the answer beyond his ability to reason. Not that he cared. Corvo seized his opportunity to fight when it finally came. The King of Crows had spent enough time dawdling around on the First floor, not contributing to the pursuit of freedom. While he wasn't yet strong enough to fight against a floor boss, this was a fitting test of his strength. 

 There were others fighting, too- smattered about the battlefield, all experiencing some manner of tedious conflict. They weren't all undying, but they did just keep coming. And not just undead- creatures otherworldly in nature, beasts that rose from shadows, some without fathomable form. Unlike Corvo, the others were fighting together, deriving strength from one another.

He spat at the thought.

They were benefitting from his strength. That did not mean he had to join it to theirs in a literal sense. He cut into another iteration of creatures, this time twisting and coiling into the form of a bone-shard serpent. Hideous cracking and crunching rose from where he'd struck, but this time, his axe did not simply cleave through.

Corvo paused, eyes rising to consider the creature that had risen from the mire of gore for the umpteenth time. His lips twisted into a sinister smirk.

"You're adapting."

His tongue ran across his teeth.

"I take it back," he said. "This could be fun."

ID: 249422 | LD: 13(+4)= 17 

Running Total: 142

Spoiler

Corvo

Level 9

HP 180/180 | EN 36/36 |Base Damage: 8  | Mit: 12 | Acc: 3 | Eva: 0 | Bleed: 12 | Risky: 8 | Recovery

 

Edited August 9 by Corvo

[Bliss 0]

Bliss’ lips curled into a small, warm smile as she glanced over at Astra. “Y-Your faith i-in me is a-astounding, Astra.” Her voice carried both gratitude and a quiet determination. She’d always been good with her hands... Machines, tools, structures, anything that needed repairing or building had always come naturally to her. She approached the trebuchet like it was an extension of herself, every bolt tightened with precision, every piece of wood fitted perfectly. It came together smoothly, the kind of work that made her chest swell with pride. Before Astra ran off to the front to protect them, she blew him a sweet little kiss. She wasn’t surprised when Siren showed up soon after, stepping up beside Astra like a battle-hardened force of nature.

Bliss was kneeling at a fallen barricade when it happened. First came the deafening crash, then Gale’s urgent shout. She spun around just in time to see the trebuchet she’d poured her effort into shatter into what felt like a million tiny splinters. For a split second, her stomach dropped, but there was no time to mourn it. The barricades were buckling under pressure, eldritch forces clawing and smashing against them. Bliss fought them off in short bursts, swinging and shoving them back whenever she could, before dropping to her knees again to hammer, patch, and reinforce. “A-Astra! We could u-use some help b-back here!” she called, her voice rising above the chaos. Then came Gale’s order, fall back.

Without hesitation, Bliss obeyed, retreating to Tracker’s Headquarters. What greeted her made her heart twist, the tower was in shambles. She didn’t waste a second, rushing to reinforce structural beams, hammering in supports with frantic precision. She patched every small hole she could find, sealing cracks and fortifying weak points. No matter what came for them next, nothing and no one was getting through these defenses.

* * *

Post Action: Rebuild Barricades
ID: 249456 | LD: 19 (+Armor Skill R1) = 20
Running Total: 162

Edited August 10 by KnightessCiela

[Plot Master 0]

Final Total for Round 5: 162

Raid participants will receive | Reinforcements | +2 Base Damage {DPS}, +50 Mitigation {Tank}, +25 EN {Support}, +1 Disable Activation Range {Scout}
Raid participants will receive | Renewed Hope | All currently drained [Crystal of Divine Light], [Horrifying Visage] Disabled!

Sword Delivery Word Count: 9608/27000

Round 6 has begun
Players will have 72 hours to make a post
[Countdown Timer]

Edited August 13 by Wulfrin

[Pollux 0]

“Olivia,” the girl said airily. “Head of Fermata’s field operations. You’re lucky to have me.”

Yue Hua knew someone who was both a frontliner and a bigshot on a worldwide scale and she swore he didn’t have half this Fermata girl’s attitude. But she strove to maintain decency, reminding herself why she had brought her here. “Yue Hua, player name Pollux. Thank you for helping.”

 

 

 

They hunted the last two mobs in the area separately, then they regrouped to heal each other’s wounds, and for her partner, to check their progress with [Tracking]. Olivia duplicated three map slices from her cluster of floating screens and sent them flying Yue Hua’s way. “No respawns. Next area is more or less the same, but the one after that is crawling with enemies. Count them. What do you suggest? Any fragile objects or facilities that we should steer clear of?”

Yue Hua shook her head. “This outpost’s defenses are stronger the further in we go.”

“Does that have something to do with why half this building is shaped in a descending spiral?”

Clever. Olivia’s gaze pierced at her from behind the semi-transparence of her screens, and Yue Hua could almost hear the criticism she was about to gleefully unleash. She was just as eager to disappoint her. “Yes, but we haven’t been able to utilize it effectively. We only kept one mob; it turned into a Spectral Knight, and the containment areas were swept clean following the event’s first phase. Everything here is freshly reconstructed. The cages are empty.”

“Or they aren’t, and nobody told you otherwise,” Olivia sniffed.

“The Trackers do not engage in the same level of bureaucracy as—“

“You’re a regular member.”

Yue Hua recognized that it was tangentially related, but the shift in her tone was far too glaring and abrupt. She affected a sigh of defeat and returned to studying the map, but in the next instant, it was Olivia’s eyes that she was staring down at, her presence too loud and close to be ignored. The lights flickered; the outpost shook and groaned. But one girl was cornered and the other too immersed in her questioning to pay the outside defenses any notice. “Else you would have said. You have a decent standing with your frontline guild, but you’re otherwise so unremarkable that you can’t even clear this small building by yourself. What are you to Fermata? A frontlines spy? A long-term investment? Why is it that the guild master himself forwarded your request to my department, ranking your safety above the ongoing repair of our own headquarters?”

“If neither of your leaders told you,“ Yue Hua spat, her heart racing under the sudden interrogation, “Then I have no right to either.“

The watchtower crumbled and the frantic yells of retreating defenders spilled from the direction of the entrance. The walls trembled at the disturbed weight. Dust crowned both girls' hair. “Didn’t I just state my position? I am the highest anyone can be in my guild without—”

Olivia wouldn't relent. She had stepped forward again, possibly without even intending to, and though her hands remained at her hips, Yue Hua felt pinned by the weight of her gaze alone. So, in the moment, Yue Hua blanked with panic. Grabbed the girl by her shoulders. Shoved her away from herself as hard as she could. She ignored her startled cry, and finding that nothing else stood in her way, she fled for the inner depths.

 

 

 

Yue Hua ran from the reminder of her end.

---

-> SLAUGHTERING MOBS: 249821: LD 14 + 5 = 19 TOTAL.

Edited August 14 by Pollux

[Edict 0]

The world was once again strands of memories, ripped cloth swaying on faltering breezes. Edict had a sword; he no longer has a sword. There was a woman, and a promise of rope? They had been stuck; he is no longer stuck. No thanks to the woman.

Edict shakes his head. She was trying her best. They all were, and so he promised himself that he wouldn’t hold that against her. The mysterious girl was there to help the frontlines, not him. It was his own responsibility to make it back safely.

His feet are now moving towards the sounds his ears are picking up; his hands steady his body, resting on thin trees between deep breaths. The wounds (from where?) are not evaporating like they should. No safe zone, and no battle healing. He needed to find a player before he finds a monster. He offers a silent prayer to whatever algorithm spawns them, asking it to send the mobs after the beckoning sword. No, that’s not right. The sword needs to be returned. I’m the optional objective here. So he stops praying.

A glowing town falls into focus, and Edict is now picking up bright, artificial lights that do not match the warm glow of medieval lanterns. There’s a… a concert? He laughs, but a buzzing sensation rocks his skull. <<Exhaustion (Severe) - 4h29m>> So he stops laughing.

The wind shifts, and the memories ripple. Edict is now in town. He sees a person, but he cannot make out a cursor—not that it matters. He cries for help, and the memories fade again.

* * *

@Telrenya

Quote

“Here.”

A warm light bleeds through Edict’s eyelids. Not the concert lights, or the medieval lanterns. It’s a light he can both see and feel, and it feels good.

Quote

“This will just take a few moments…”

“All the… time you need.” His mouth is working, even if his eyes remain closed. An intense buzzing, one that hadn’t even registered until now, begins to fade. Some wounds still remain, but the worst ones are closing. His HUD informs him that his exhaustion now is merely mild (even if he doesn’t believe it).

Edict forces himself up and his eyes open. “Thanks.” Words still feel like a greater effort than they should. “Had a rough time with the sword. But it’s moving forward, and out of my hands.” His own shaking hands distract him, and he pauses to stare. They no longer look like his. I need to think about something else right now. Anything else.

He turns his attention to his savior, a woman with long green hair. “Thanks,” he repeats. “I’m Edict. And I’m sorry to be a bother. It looks like there are other people here that need help as well, probably more than me. I think you’ve nearly topped me off, so please—save your energy for the others. In fact…” Edict stands up, catching himself as his left leg nearly gives out. Exhaustion (Mild), my ass. “Let me help. I don’t have any ranks in first aid. But I can at least find a general merchant for some basic items and treat some of the lesser injuries. Hell, I can just follow you around to hold things or fetch things. Just tell me what you need.”
 

Post Action: Tending the Wounded (sort of mods pls don't ban me)
249882 | LD 8 | 19 + 8 = LD 27

Edited August 14 by Edict

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya knelt, tense all over, as the blue-haired man came to consciousness. Then, a flutter of relief rippled through her chest. The wounds began to shrink, seal, and disappear, though it took two applications. She was about to go for a third, certain there was health that still needed recovering, but Edict’s light protest gave her pause. Her hands hovered in the air between them and she took in his words with a regrettable lack of understanding. He mentioned a sword, but what did that mean?

He moved to stand, ushering her away from a labyrinth of thoughts. She went to stand herself, then flinched to try to catch him when he stumbled. ”Telrenya.” She had to say something, lest she remain a wide-eyed doe amid the battlefield. ”I–” She thought to argue. To encourage him to sit back down, just for a short time. But the not-so-distant sound of splintering wood and mixed shouts stole the words from her throat. Telrenya’s head whipped in the direction of the commotion where another barricade was buckling under the strength of the undead monsters behind it. An anxious sense of duty scrambled back to life in her stomach. She looked back to Edict, catching his eyes. She finally addressed him properly.

”Right. Okay, let’s…” Telrenya’s gaze shifted, back over the city. They were close to its center, only considered safe for as long as those barricades held and the enemy numbers were kept in check. Her mind raced until the glint of an idea shone on her face. ”There!” She pointed to an open-faced building that must have been a stables, had this town not have been designed in ruin. ”We’ll set up a triage point. Help me get any injured people and non-combat healers gathered here, and spread the word.” A hand drifted closer to his side and she mentally cursed the bit of light that her supporting skills let off. For all her bravado, she rebelled just a little. But she never was great at being sneaky.

Before any conflict could find her, Telrenya cracked a hint of a smile and hurried off towards her new base of operations. She spied a large cloth covering an old stack of crates and worked to pull it free, shaking it out a bit and laying it out to cover the bare stone floor. It didn’t need to be much, but she’d try to make it look the part a little.

@Edict

Quote

Action - Tending to the Wounded...
ID#: 249883 | LD: 15+5 = 20
Running Total = 27+20 = 47

 

Edited August 14 by Telrenya

[Riardon 0]

The rubble settled around Riardon as he struggled free. Sounds of fighting and the hammering of nails within the remnants of the old school house that the trackers called their forward operating base on floor 29 urged Riardon to regroup with whoever was there. Emerging from the fallen debris, Riardon found KnightinGale with a handful of other players bunkering down for a final stand. KnightinGale looked like she had just went through Hell. A couple other players looked worse for wear as well. He'd watched their position fall from whatever that thing was that chunked the boulders. It was like some eldritch horror mixed with a gorilla.

"Present," Riardon groaned as his body screamed in pain from the attack he had just narrowly escped. "I watched your position fall. Best plan right now is to buckle down here and just wait out the storm. Perhaps we could get the uper floor cleared out so we can have some sort of vantage point."

Riardon took a moment to fully address the situation he had been presented. For now he had no outside info, and he was unlikely to get anymore given the current state. From the sounds he was hearing, they were surrounded. He didn't want to imagine the hoards of eldritch beasts and monsters that prowled around outside. They were only a handful of players against a literal hoard. The scouts would not likely be returning, assuming they even made it out before the hoards broke through the barricades. For now they would be operating without live updates on the sword's delivery progress. The k-pop stars, a surprising group considering the historical rivalries between Japan and Korea, should be taking over soon, but without the reports form the scouts, it would be hard to track.

"With our small group," Riardon chimed in. "It would be best for us to stay put for now. Together we should be able to hold out until the monster number dwindle."

* * *

Post Action: Commanding the Troops (Leadership R5)
ID 249886 | LD 17+5= 22

Running Total: 47+22=69 (Nice)

Edited Friday at 03:25 PM by Wulfrin

[KnightinGale 0]

"Glad to see you're still kicking," KnightinGale replied as Riardon pulled himself from the rubble. "It's just as you said. Our position got overrun. We managed to fall back to here, but it definitely easy. There are way too many of those freaks out there for any players to take out. It's almost like every monster on the floor has been funneled directly at our faces."

KnightinGale sighed as she continued to sit on the verge of exhaustion. She had held the rear vanguard of their group so they could safely retreat, but it had taken its toll. Her body was heavy. It refused to obey her commands to keep going, the adrenaline having completely faded from her body. Monsters thrashed against the poorly and hastily reinforced building. The boards they used were beginning to fall off and shatter under the repeated attacks from the monsters outside. KnightinGale took a few deep breaths as she struggled to her feet. With heavy arms, KnightinGale drove hammer onto nail resecuring the near fallen board. With the bottom level secured, she turned her attention to the stairs. KnightinGale set to work slowly clearing the area around and up the stairs. She could feel a breeze coming from the world above, but she could also hear the eerie groans and hisses of the otherworldly creatures threatening to break down their walls.

"Gunna need some extra hands," KnightinGale called out for assistance as she strained against the heavy debris. "This is a lot for one person to move on their own. Those of you who can keep the mobs at bay do so. Bliss and I can come up behind and rebuild what gets broken. If we can get upstairs we'll have an even better position."

Thuds and thumps continued around them. They were well overrun with little chance of escape. They had to secure this position as it was going  to likely be the last place for them to hold up.

* * *

Post Action: Rebuilding the Barricades (Heavy Armor R5)
ID 249887 | LD 20+5=25

Running Total: 69+25=94

Edited Friday at 03:50 PM by Wulfrin

[Corvo 0]

CRACK

The bones splintered again as the axe- massive in contrast to the lithe and toned man swinging it- stood in defiance of the hulking creature that seemed hellbent on coming back every time he managed to put it down. Unlike the other monstrosities besieging the fortifications, this amalgamation had zeroed in on Corvo and continued to come at him, just as relentless as he was. He wasn't breathing heavily, but he was drenched in sweat, gore, and stank of death. 

Somehow, the Crow failed to notice. It was as though he were accustomed to the rank ichor already, transcending his own contempt and disgust to meet the creature where it was- constantly gorging itself on the minions that the Player was putting down, forcing him to remain where he was with no hope of flight. Unfortunately for the beast, this particular man had no designs on breaking and running. He wasn't a team player, perhaps, but when he got something in his head and resolved to do it, he was unflinching.

Even with the gargantuan skeletal millipede writhing and circling around him, staring down its mandibles through sightless eye sockets. 

More chitinous bone sloughed off, and his blood colored eyes narrowed. "I came seeking a challenge," he grunted, hefting the axe over his shoulder, standing tall as the beast collected yet more viscera and added to its venomous form. It undulated back and forth, a faint cockroach-like hissing emanating from deep within its mass. 

"All I found was you." Corvo rolled his shoulder out, cracking his neck as the creature heard his words and let out a piercing wail to the heavens before it lashed out at him with unabashed hate in its movements. "You can't begin to imagine how disappointing that is."

He brought the head of the axe crashing down into the beast's tail as it slammed into him, the colossal impact sending a shockwave through the man as he sent the attack sprawling away. They were getting heavier. More precise: targeted to where he couldn't just parry and ignore the repercussions. Corvo hit the dirt with both feet dragging, blade biting deep as he anchored himself. Three small trenches were dug out where he was, for the first time since they had engaged one another, forced backward.

A wicked grin formed on the blonde's face as he used his weapon to support himself back to his full height. He was yet unbroken.

"You'll have to do better to get past me."

Post Action: Slaughtering Mobs (Weapon Rank 4)
ID 249892 | LD 3+4= 7

Running Total: 94+7= 101

Edited Saturday at 03:42 AM by Corvo

[CosmiQueen 0]

The music shifted again, a fresh track surging through the speakers as a sharp yellow spotlight cut across the stage. Ahri squinted against the glare, raising a hand to shield her eyes. Her spotlight. Her stage. Except… it didn’t feel like it anymore. From the shadows stepped five men, materializing like ghosts through the haze of smoke and light. They were tall, sharp-featured, robed idols pulled straight from the fever dream of a producer obsessed with symmetry. A boy band. Of course it was a boy band. 

Her lips curled in a sneer. Were they illusions meant to distract her? Manifestations of the boss twisting and forming the floor? Or worse, actual enemies summoned to siphon the raid’s momentum away? Whatever the case, She wasn’t about to let them steal the stage. Not from her. Not from STY/L.

When they opened their mouths, harmonies poured out, smooth, silky, almost intoxicating. The sound slithered into her ears, coiling like golden thread around her thoughts. Her heart stuttered, her pulse quickening. She swayed, her body moving without permission. The yellow spotlights multiplied, dizzying her, until it felt like she was surrounded by what felt like an endless sea of eyes. All of them staring, judging, waiting for her to break. No. No. Absolutely not.

She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. She wasn’t some starstruck fangirl to be lulled into submission. She’d built her empire on never bowing to anyone. With a deep inhale, she threw her head back and let her voice rip free. Low at first, then rising, climbing, until it shook the stage itself. A haunting, harmonious cry, her song surged outward like a tidal wave crashing over their polished act. The boy band’s melody faltered, fractured under the weight of her power. Not today, boys, she smirked between verses. Her voice rang louder, prouder, brighter.

* * *

Post Action: Slaughtering Mobs
ID: 249897 | LD: 8 (+Weapon Skill R1) =  9
Running Total: 110

Edited Saturday at 03:23 AM by KnightessCiela

[Astra 0]

Even with the amount of people fighting on the frontlines that formed around and in Illridge, more eldritch beasts and creatures continued to spawn, rushing the players and barricades that were erected to protect the settlement. Astra continued to fight off any and all mobs he could, leaping around the battlefield, swinging his sword with everything he had. His sword clashed with a beast, slicing into its chest - as it released a bloodcurdling scream, more enemies began to rush Astra. It was getting increasingly harder to handle the amount of targets around them, and if this kept up, Astra had a good chance of being overwhelmed. 

Shit! The barricades! 

Swiveling on his feet and looking behind him, the boy watched as massive boulders destroyed the barricades, turning them into rubble. 

“A-Astra! We could u-use some help b-back here!”

Within an instant Astra had dashed back to where Bliss was situated amidst the chaos. He stood poised to continue fighting any mobs that came close, but before they even had a chance, Knightingale had barked an order to fall back, and make their way to HQ. For a brief moment Astra questioned the order, but as he looked at the battlefield in front of him and saw an overwhelming mass of creatures shambling towards them, he knew it was the right call. 

Making his way to the HQ wasn't as easy as it seemed, as the horrors had broken through and made their way into Illridge. The players would be forced to fight as they moved, quickly hacking and slashing through whatever stood in their way. The HQ was finally in Astra's sight, when another boulder had some hurdling through the air, crashing right into the tower. Bricks and stone fell from the tower and towards the players gathered below. There were no safe spaces here, nowhere to retreat to. There were little options but to fight. 

Astra did his best to fight off whatever he could, while also opening up space for others to retreat, throwing himself into the fray with everything he had. By now he was covered in scrapes, cuts, and bruises. The metallic taste of blood began to form in his mouth. He thrust his sword through the chest of the horror in front of him. From over its shoulder he could see a looming figure emerging from the darkness. If he was adamant about staying in the battlefield, more trouble would surely find him soon. 

***

Post Action: Slaughtering Mobs
ID: 249901 | LD: 18 (+Weapon Skill R5) = 23
Running Total: 133

Edited Friday at 03:29 PM by Astra

[Bliss 0]

Bliss continued hammering and tightening joints along the tower’s base, sweat rolling down her temple as she worked. The ground shook beneath her boots once again, and when she looked up her eyes went wide. A massive boulder, bigger than anything even her best trebuchet could have dreamed of launching, lay embedded in the dirt like some god had hurled it straight from the heavens. “R-Riardon, what the h-hell t-threw that thing?!” she shouted, half in awe, half in disbelief. Her hands froze for a moment, then flexed back into motion, her mind spinning with the terrifying reality that something out there was capable of tossing around mountains like pebbles.

Her gaze swept upward, following the broken wall toward a long window. That’s when she spotted it, cannons. Old, rusted, but mounted and ready, their barrels still angled toward the battlefield. A hulking beast loomed in the distance, lumbering its way closer to their position. Bliss’ heart skipped. “H-Hey Gale? I-I’m g-gonna fix these u-up a-and we m-might actually have a f-fighting chance.” She darted forward, dropping to her knees beside the nearest cannon. Most of them were fine, shockingly fine, though one needed a full reseal. For Bliss, resealing metal was like patching up a gasket on a transmission; muscle memory took over. Her fingers were quick, precise, almost calm despite the chaos outside. In moments, the cannon was whole again.

“M-Moment of truth,” she muttered, ramming powder and shot into the barrel. She aimed low at the creature’s leg and fired. BOOM. The recoil nearly knocked her backward, but her grin broke wide when the shot smashed into the beast’s leg with a thunderous crack. “Success!” Bliss beamed. She glanced out again, catching sight of Astra and Siren on the frontlines, their silhouettes straining to keep the monsters at bay. Her chest tightened, both with pride and fear for them. From her perch, she could barely see the stage in the distance, but the glow of the yellow spotlights still reflected faintly across the battlefield, strange, surreal, and eerily beautiful against the chaos.

* * *

Post Action: Rebuild Barricades
ID: 250043 | LD: 20 (+Armor Skill R1) = 21
Running Total: 155

Edited Saturday at 03:43 AM by KnightessCiela

[Plot Master 0]

Final Total for Round 7: 155

Raid participants will receive | Reinforcements | +2 Base Damage {DPS}, +50 Mitigation {Tank}, +25 EN {Support}, +1 Disable Activation Range {Scout}
Raid participants will receive | Renewed Hope | All currently drained [Crystal of Divine Light], [Horrifying Visage] Disabled!

Sword Delivery Word Count: 9608/27000

Round 7 has begun
Players will have 72 hours to make a post
[Countdown Timer]

Edited Tuesday at 01:39 PM by KnightessCiela

[Corvo 0]

Crack! Clang! Crash!

The dense bony chitin had gone from malleable to immovable as the creature reconfigured itself time and again. Corvo's blade sparked and slid across the surface like grinding against a whetstone rather than richocheting off as it had during previous iterations. The creature showed no signs of slowing, and it's growth showed no signs of abating. It had gone from milipede to wurm in the proper sense, a charnelhouse of corpses and insect viscera ironically swatting at him like a gnat.

Albeit, a gnat that did not simply evade and buzz annoyingly. 

Corvo could feel the strain growing with every sweeping stroke from the Reamimator. It had gone from shambling denizens of the deep to clear and present danger in only minutes. With the way it continued to consume itself, it was on target to evolve nigh into an Ouroboroan monstrosity.

If he was going to keep it from crashing against the Barricade, Corvo would have to act quickly and draw its attention further away from the others. That meant rushing headlong out into danger, away from safety, beyond any chance of retreating behind fortifications.

He knew, if he didn't- the danger would very likely overwhelm the others. That part wasn't quite so important to him, other than that failure here for them did throw a wrench in his own growth. Begrudgingly, the Crow slung his axe over his shoulder, and with it on his back, darted past the beast. It narrowly missed clipping him with its tail as it came down, crashing against the dirt road and sending dust and grime like shrapnel in every direction.

Fortunately, as he was the only one fighting the beast, its hate was centered solely on him.

"That's the way," he crooned as he sprinted full tilt away from the others, cutting a path through shamblers and other creatures that were summarily digested by the atrocity behind him. 

"Just keep your eyes on me."

Post Action: Slaughtering Mobs

ID: 250952 | LD: 9+4 (Weapon Rank) = 13

Running total: 13

Edited 17 hours ago by Corvo

[Pollux 0]

This time, there was no call.

The massive shuriken ripped through the horde. It traced an impossible trajectory, bouncing from one shambler to another until it reached a full circuit of four, then it wheeled back into its owner’s hands, who threw it again with little wind-up. The monsters that were crowding Yue Hua screamed like cicadas in the late afternoon. Some of them [Froze]. Yue Hua fought her way out of the wriggling mass, hacking and stabbing at its remnants with none of her previous heed to their pain. She had lost it somewhere in her charge.

She emerged covered in blood and entrails, HP only a little worse for wear. The taste of the bitter herbs she had crunched to force her recovery lingered on her tongue. At the top of the stairwell, Olivia was wide-eyed, rigid, her white form backlit by the feverish glow of the flickering ceiling lamps. The outpost shook from an unseen attack. Olivia’s chest heaved with exertion.

They regarded each other warily.

“I won’t ask,” Olivia said, voice hoarse. “In return, don’t give me any trouble.”

Yue Hua thought she had heard someone yelling her name as she ran. But why was she the problem here? She discarded her earlier thought, giving herself over to indignation. “As it should have been from the start.”

 

 

 

“Shortly after you left, your friends started flooding back inside—”

“Any casualties?”

“—I don’t know. What’s important is, the barricades have fallen. Your defenders are cornered on two sides and they don’t know it. We may not have been able to preserve this place from damage, but it’s imperative that we find and kill the root of the breach before it comes to stab them — and us — in the backs.”

But there was nothing. Yue Hua’s fight had made such a commotion that the entire spiral had emptied her way. Her increasingly unpleasant company had insisted on going down regardless and Yue Hua had no choice but to grudgingly follow. Her eyes rested on the back of Olivia’s head now, sullen, and she slowly came to a realization.

“I told you earlier that there is nothing in there—”

---

-> SLAUGHTERING MOBS: 251073: LD 12 + 5 = 17: 17 + 13 = 30 TOTAL.

Edited 15 hours ago by Pollux