Graded &nbsp; [Alvheim Ruins] Dungeon Crawl Ho! - Remnant of Ancient Ambition

The moment the giant of wood, and mud attacked Asterism it was grappled by the surprisingly quick mech. Its massive fist was simply blocked by the arms and metal of Astrids creation. With only a slight groan of the armor holding against the attack. Then in a swift movement the mech clasped the giants arm in its own, then following up with a elbow strike. Asterism moved with a grace only seen in martial artists. Now unable to move from its position the Guardian of the Dark Forest took the elbow to the face, hard. The material making up its head cracking and splintering off from the sudden strike. It struggled trying to rip its arm free, but the strength of Asterism was just enough to keep it in place. Motivated by its mission to kill the intruders the Guardian continued to press the attack even from its disadvantageous position. As Asterism attacked it, the Guardian retaliated. Using its other fist to strike the mech on the side of its torso, again and again. Each hit would not be enough to damage its armor. But with each successive strike the chassis of Asterism would grow more and more warped. If Astrid stayed in this position even the armor of her creation would eventually cave.

Lothric for his part swooped through the air falling upon the Guardians head. Exasperating the damage Asterism had done upon it but not able to land any sort of fatal blow. Luckily for the dragon it was distracted by Astrid so it would not strike at him anytime soon. Mitsunari in his worn state disengaged from the battle sticking to the outskirts of the giants skirmish. He would find himself unmolested, for once. At the guardians feet Gawain would engage with the Guardian as best he could with his enchanted blade. The skeletal knight found his blade sank into the "flesh" of the giant surprisingly easy encountering only minute resistance. The poison upon his blade however, if it had any effect at all the Guardian did not show it. All the while the fairy duo of Charti and Titania weaved through the air around the giant. The latter her energy spent in her fight with Persephone could only fire weaker blasts at the Guardian, though they did gouge out a chunk of its armor they were just to small to do much more than surface damage. The other fairy launched a variety of magic both nature and light. Vines, spikes of bark and other supernatural growths struck at the Guardian. Trying to either injure or impair its movement but it was too strong to be stuck in her magic for long. Only the might of Asterism seemed to truly hold it back.

Near Gawains position was TMK who had retrieved his weapons and made for his allies. Though the pink ball would be intercepted by the reappearance of the golden drone who suddenly appeared before him from the top of the tree line. Though for TMK this would be his first encounter with it. "Apologies little voidling, but your part in this play must come to an end. Your existence is a variable the stage simply can't accommodate. Worry not for your allies, they are no longer any of your concern." The voice with its amicable yet dismissive words reached TMK. Then a golden beam shot from the drone encasing TMK before he dissolved into strings of gold light that disappeared from the facilities space. He would then find himself appearing in a field under a lone tree, but would find neither hide nor hair of where he had once been.

lXlGamemaster · Jul 24, 2022

Lothric

Lothric pulled at the giants head, and was able to get away with a few twigs, but it seemed like the massive metal knight was its main focus. Mitsunari stood back and assaulted it with magic while the undead knight was using magic to enhance his sword. The fairies from before were locked in combat, darting around the golem faster than the dragon could follow with his eyes, only seeing streaks of colored light and explosions. The fight as a whole seemed hectic, but Lothric felt stuck flapping his wings, unable to do anything useful. He could try and attack the monster head on like he normally would, but he didn't like the idea of taking a big bite into a tree. He wanted to do something worthwhile, something that only he could do, like the fox man and elf woman, but with the jewel on his forehead not working he felt stuck. Even while he pondered his solutions his pink companion had been spirited away right from under everyone's noses. Roaring in frustration Lothric pulled another branch from a dead tree, attempting to try and impale the giant just as he had with the smaller beast.

Dante Verren · Jul 26, 2022

Gawain
Interactions:

On one hand he felt his blade cutting easily through the weak points on the monster's "flesh", on the other he could tell that he was not doing much. The colorful assaults of the fairies would have even beautiful to behold if he had a chance to focus on them, but it didn't seem like he would. Instead he had to keep moving to make sure he wouldn't be smashed by the two much larger constructs in their battle. Against normal opponents the skeletal knight was rather confident in his abilities, against this creature it was a different story.

He noticed the presence of the pink orb near him, a strange speech bubble appearing over it's head. Gawain also noticed some of those drones coming for them. He tried to yell to the pink blob to look out managing to shout "Loo-" before he was cut off by the drones speaking. In a golden flash the pink blob was gone. For the briefest of moments he was struck by a sudden fear. Was that Persephone controlling them or something else? Would any of the rest of the group be spirited away to who the hell knows where? Was the pink blob even alive or was he disintegrated?

A reptilians roar of rage drew him back to the combat and he witnessed the dragon flying at them with a large branch maybe even a log pointed forward like a spear. That was it! He realized that the best chance to stop this thing was to weaken it enough that the robot could finish it off. If they could skewer the golem on the weapon wielded by the dragon then the robot would hopefully have the opening it needed. He yelled as loudly as he could to be heard over the sound of combats "Towards the Dragon!" and hoped that the others would pick up on the idea. With as much force as he could he slammed his shield and body into the leg of the creature hoping to stagger it towards the charging dragon.

LadyOfStars · Jul 27, 2022

Seikatsu Mitsunari

So much was going on as everyone engaged the creature that had been conjured by their enemy, but Mitsunari would not risk going out there and becoming an easy casualty . Instead he observed. His eyes took in the magics used by his supposed allies and the way that they fought. But his spectating was interrupted by the arrival of the drones who commanded that their pink companion depart, before they forced him to leave by taking him away. This place was well beyond anything he had expected and that was why he chose to stay out of this fight. Within this facility, these false gods had complete control and it was impossible to know what they would do next or how they would react simply to their being here. In his opinion the facility needed to be taken offline and everything in it destroyed, but it was not something he could do alone. Watching the otehrs he could understand what the skeletal warrior and the dragon were trying to do, but even still he would not put his own safety on the line.

Individual · Jul 29, 2022

Astrid Narrésyr

"Feisty one, isn't he?"

Astrid mumbled underneath her breath as the cockpit shook with each hit to the chest. Alerts flared up on the screens as a series of damage reports came flooding into view. Even the chassis of Asterism could not take repeated beatings of that magnitude, and the elf preferred it if her partner did not get damaged to the point of no repair. Still, this was a dance she did not wish to pass up. And Astrid was always a very rough dancer.

Rather than backing off, the elf also freed one of her golem's arms to retaliate. Keeping the goliath still in a grapple, Astrid brought Asterism's large blade into the elbow of the arm with the bashing fist to skewer it off. The joints were, usually, the weakest part of any simulacrum. But while those in Asterism were reinforced, she probably couldn't say the same for some mud doll. At the same time, Astrid dragged the behemoth down with its grappled arm, lifting her golem's leg to knee it in the face.

Wild laughter escaped the elf's lips which fell on deaf ears.

Though Astrid was the type to condone thoughtless violence, especially from those who only cared for it, there was something so addictive euphoric about moving about a giant machine. In her own lust for violence, the elf did not appear to be paying attention to the battlefield as a whole; though she did register those tiny little pests if they entered her peripheral vision eith the intent to annoy her.

EMIYAman · Aug 3, 2022

The battle with the vile giant had begun to rage in earnest. The various members of the party each contributed to the battle playing off their unique strengths save for Mitsunari who had grown more than wary of the machinations which surrounded them. Astrid continued to grapple with the guardian of the forest within her great machine. Despite the damage her Asterism would sustain she pressed her advantage driving her blade into the arm of the guardian. While the strike would not be enough to sever the forearm of the giant it was more than sufficient to cut away most of the mud and wood which connected it to the rest of its body. A portion of the limb now hung loosely remaining attached just barely but was no rendered useless. The black mud which made up most of the guardians body began to slowly try and knit it self back together but the process was slow going. The elf was no done yet however, as she brought the guardian down and with the aide of its momentum drove Asterisms knee into its head. The wood visibly cracked and shattered one of its eye holes went out completely. The light that was its eye faded. Seemingly spurred on by the damage it took the guardian let out a piercing roar. Though it had no mouth the sound radiated out anyway, twisted and unsettling as it was.

With its great strength it rammed its fist into Asterism chassis even harder than before growing stronger in its primal rage. Perhaps due to luck or even a structural weakness the cockpit Astrid lay in was suddenly dented in. The metal slightly enclosing Astrid from the side caving in and bearing quite uncomfortably into her torso. A educated guess would tell Astrid most of the uncomfortable sensation came from a now slightly broken rib. Though not life threatening, it would be painful.

Below the two titans was Gawain, who had been rather unsettled by noticing the sudden way in which his brief companion had been whisked away so easily. Yet he centered his mind on the battle and had formulated a clever plan. He called out to the dragon Lothric above them as well as his comrades. He then drove him and his shield into the guardian legs causing it to love its footing as the limb gave under the weight it could no longer support. Stunned from the blow it tried to raise itself up but instead hung limply in Asterisms hold its attack upon it now ceased. The fairies who had been taking pot shots to little effect now saw the opportunity and doubled down on their attacks trying for a fatal blow. Lothric took up his preferred method of deling with the denizens of the Dark Forest and raised a large branch from the ground before flying with it up into the air and diving back down to impale the guardian. The notion of a branch no matter how exotic being effective against the monsters which spawned from the forest was laughable at best. Yet it seemed fate or just plain old physics was on the dragons side. The guardians shattered head was the target and the branch impaling it with all the force which could be mustered by the dragon exasperated its wounds. The head finally broke open revealing the light coming from its eyes had stemmed from a shining core. Who's presence was immediately noticed upon the battlefield.

The fairy Charti's eyes widened upon seeing it realizing its importance. Though unfortunately for them the whatever animated the guardian was just as privy to this weakness as the mud worked overtime the head rapidly reforming and closing faster than any of its other wounds. Seeing time was of the essence Charti looked to the strange fairy at her side. The two couldn't be anymore different from looks down to the way they fought and held themselves. Yet in this moment they were perfectly in sync. Hefting her tome Charti summoned great vines of green which grabbed the guardian and forcing its head to remain open contesting the regeneration of the black mud. And at her side the fairy Titania had her twin drones spin rapidly in a small circle in front of her. With her arm stretched out a ball of energy formed, the drones circled around it faster and faster. As it shrunk in size but grew more intense in its light. Finally just as the mud was getting through Chartis binding the orb reached its zenith. With a cold expression Titania thrust her palm out the light in it shot out in a concentrated beam. The beam struck the orb and as it did the ball began to crack. Titania's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she sustained the powerful laser until the ball suddenly gave blasting apart. A shock wave shot out from its destruction knocking Lothric out the air for a moment and causing everyone else to stumble. While the mech Asterism rumbled violently for a moment before a quiet suffused the battlefield once more. As soon as its core was destroyed the guardian bubbled and broke apart fading away into a black ash.

The fairies raised themselves off the ground Charti breathing panting while the other merely watched as the guardian disappeared. Cephus too got up from his own fall soaking in the aftermath of the battle. Their wounds were fortunately minimal for the most part but this was all indeed quite stressful. Titania turned her wings of light emanating from her back. "Where do you think you are going?" Before she could take off however Charti was before her still winded, but her will was unbroken as she glared at the other fairy. Titania paused as she looked back at the other he face just as empty as it had been in battle. Her expression seemed even more frigid than the one Charti usually wore. "To take the life of Persephone." She spoke this with absolute certainty not allowing anything to challenge it. "I do not know who you are, no doubt a Fae perverted by that man into whatever you are now, but I will be the one to kill Persephone. I will not allow you to get in the way of what my family deserves..." These were the grim words of someone enveloped in revenge. Charti wanted Persephone's life for herself in direct conflict with the desires of Titania. The two stared at each other tension growing thicker by the second. "Hey there! I wanted to thank you both, if you hadn't appeared who knows what would have happened to us." Cephus emerged a grin on his face as he showed his gratitude to the two four foot tall fae. The young man gave a small wave to Gawain showing his gratefulness for his help as well. The two fairies stared at him both expressing their own form of incredulousness. Under her breath Charti muttered something rather unkindly about "Unrooted". While Titania blinked at Cephus. Her drones both tilting to the side at him. Extricating himself from the situation he ran up to the expedition team. Bringing his medical supplies out of his backpack. "Everyone all right!? Lets rally up I'll patch up who I can, and I guess figure out whats going on this time..." He heavily sighed at the last part. Noticing Asterisms prone and slightly damaged form he called out. "Ms. Narrésyr you ok!? I'll uh try to get you out!"

LadyOfStars · Aug 3, 2022

Seikatsu Mitsunari

Finally, the fighting was over. The fox stepped out into the open and briefly surveyed the battlefield. It seemed no one had been killed, unfortunately, and that most had wounds that they would recover from. Slapping his hands against his kimono, Mitsunari cleared away the dust that had clung to him, kicked up by the fighting of giants made of dirt. he made a slow and cautious approach to rejoin the group as every time he thought they were safe, this place made a point to prove him wrong. "Well fought." The Kitsune cheered softly as he passed the skeleton warrior. Watching an undead fight was truly the most interesting part of this entire expedition, although he learned a very limited amount about the stranger's capabilities, what he did learn was most exciting. Things he thought the undead could not do, this creature did.

But he was not here to bolster any egos. "We are looking for the way out of this labyrinth, can either of you show us the way?" Mitsunari called out to the fairies, hoping to grab their attention so that they might finally make their way to an exit.

Mentions:

lXlGamemaster · Aug 4, 2022

Lothric

As the titan of wood and mud began to crumble Lothric landed on the ground near the group, a little harder than he would have liked. He lay splayed out and panting on the ground, his wings and front legs aching from performing his spear move twice almost one after the other. "We... *pant* ... did it." The human Cephus came over to check over his wounds and the dragon let him, being too tired to be wary of anyone in the party. If anything his attention was drawn to the newcomer: a skeleton in a suit of armor.

After he was able to catch his breath Lothric sat up and addressed the newcomer. "So we have another knight to add to the roster?" He wanted to say something about him being a skeleton, but felt that the dragon of the party was not the best person to address oddities. "Welcome to our motley crew, currently trying to survive this wretched forest. I am Lothric."

Dante Verren · Aug 4, 2022

Gawain
Interactions:

The plan had worked. The dragon's attack had given the fa the time they needed to finish off the golem, and what a glorious end it was. The laser beam was strong enough to cause a shockwave that forced Gawain to stumble backwards. The explosive end had placed a figurative smile onto his boney face. Slowly he rose back up to his feet to survey the aftermath of the battle. It seemed the people they had happened upon were all alive, minus what ever had happened to the pink blob thing. He let out a sigh of relief then gave a half bow to the human who waved to him. He was not going to exchange words if none were spoken to him first.

That changed when the fox spoke to him. It was only polite to return the compliment so he did. "Thank you. From what I saw your magic was quite impressive." He said to Mitsunari. Holding his sword in front of him he left the black poison fall freely from the blade until the magic ended and he could safely sheathe his sword. He then turned towards the rumbling voice of the dragon and nodded in confirmation. "I would not exactly say my existence is one of survival, but thank you for the warm welcome. I am Gawain. It is a pleasure and an honor to meet you mighty Lothric." He gave a bow as he finished speaking, this time a little more deeply then the bow he gave the human. A sign of respect for his courage with the branch.

With things heating up between the fairies he decided he should intervene. Charti didn't like him, but she didn't seem to hate him any more either. That gave him a small chance of making this end peacefully. He stepped up next to the much shorter fairies. "Lady Charti, It would be wise not to turn this help away. It may hurt your pride but pride does not matter in this circumstance. What matters is the death of Persephone, justice for your sisters, and closure for your mother's anguish. If allying yourself with this strong warrior leads to that end then you should take it so that you can defeat Persephone once and for all". He then turned to face the new fairy, "I'm sorry I don't know your name, but you have seen how well our combined efforts do against a foe. Let us fight together so that we can slay your target and complete your mission. That way all of our objectives are completed." With that said he hoped that the two fairies could see the reason in his points.

Individual · Aug 4, 2022

Astrid Narrésyr

"Tsk…Damn it."

The battle was over, but Astrid was not satisfied in the slightest. Asterism dropped itself to one knee, causing the forest to shake from the massive golem's sudden movement. It clutched its damaged side as though in pain, but the action was most likely reflective of its pilot's distress.

The elf gently felt her ribs, biting her lips in pain as she accidently brushed over the injured part. She could still breathe properly for now, but the pain was a massive nuisance she had to deal with. Not to mention, her machine had suffered some damage - too much for her liking and she most likely needed to get it repaired back at home. It wasn't that big of a deal though, as all systems were still functionally. Astrid would have to be a bit more careful from now on.

"Sorry dear. I guess it was a mistake on my part."

The silver haired elf mumbled to her inanimate golem, before viewing her companions through the cockpit screens. As far as she knew, none of them could really heal; though the skeleton and that fairy might be an exception to that. It would be beneficial if she could at least stave off the pain she was experiencing…but Astrid wasn't exactly the type to ask for help. Whether her companions would notice, was up to their own perception.

EMIYAman · Aug 10, 2022

The group slowly but surely wind down from the battle. Tending to wounds and taking a breather, the constant fighting against the vile forests inhabitants now having fell into a lull. Cephus stood next to Lothric bandaging his wounds, while most were superficial and would not cause any lasting harm the dragons sheer size even if smaller than its average kin made the sheer amount of medical supplies consumed far more than Cephus had anticipated. He fretted over the dragon any fear or uncertainty at its presence having long since disappeared. He nodded to Gawain as he passed and spoke with Lothric the young man taking in the presence of the Undead in stride.

Where the two Arch Fae stood, one glaring and the other blankly staring a tension was brewing. The sudden appearance of the other Fairy had been overlooked in favor of the battle, but now that the issue could be addressed Charti was quite disturbed at her presence. An unknown Fairy of such power within the Dark Forest could only be trouble, is what she thought. The fact that the whole situation with Persephone to be a rather personal matter only made her more emotional. Before the normally calm Charti could launch into a tirade they were approached by Gawain. The two looked up at the Undead Knight. The glare of Charti seemed to vaporize their height difference while the other merely watched the drones which dogged her emoting far more than she. At Gawains words she crossed her arms and appeared to do battle within herself. Before taking a deep breath to calm herself. "I... suppose you are correct Persephone will not fall so easily and with her help our chances are all the better. I'll do it for mother." The Fairy acquiesced to his wise council though she didn't like it. She shot a look at the other Fairy. "I will be watching you, any Fae touched by 'that' man can only be trouble for us." She appeared suitably assuaged but the lack of trust was apparent. The direness of the situation was enough to egg her on however. The Fairy enveloped in Magitech spoke up. "My designation is Titania. I will accept your aide in killing Persephone; I have dealt her insufficient damage in our previous engagements. Additional combatants appear necessary." Looking up to Gawain Titania gave a slight bow of her head. Her drones circled swiftly around her before performing a maneuver as if to show the Fairy off to the Knight.

Chartis eyes narrowed, but her attention was drawn elsewhere as Mitsunari approached. The Fox man appearing rather exotic to the Fae. At his request for an escape she

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looked displeased then resigned. "Unfortunately, you Unrooted came much to deep into the Dark Forest to leave of your own power. Many years ago I may have been able to escort you out on my own, but now that Persephone is this powerful and the forest this prolific that is no longer the case. Fairies such as myself can manage our way out thanks to our mother Demeter but you Unrooted are trapped until either the forests consumes you, or Persephone lies dead." Her expression was cold sparing no pity for their plight. "This forest is a parasite with nary an equal, you could wander for the rest of your days and be no closer to escape. The very trees themselves conspire against the natural world." Her declaration was grim, and spelt an unavoidable confrontation, much to Mitsunaris chagrin.

After he finished dressing the wounds of his compatriot, Cephus made his way to Asterism. He looked on in awe at the Mech for a moment admiring its form. He then climbed upon it with some difficulty going up to the head and looking around for any sort of opening. "Ms.Narrésyr are you alright! Ms.Narrésyr!?" He yelled trying to get her to hear him and unsure if she could. Despite how scary intense she was Cephus had taken a liking to the intelligent elf, in part cause she was really pretty, but respect as well! "Dammit, how the hell do you open this thing?"

In the distance the forest around them groaned with the sound of wood being stretched and shifted, it was almost akin to a wail. Titania perked up. "My sensors indicate multiple organisms coalescing onto a single location." Her gaze was locked onto a far off point. Where her gaze fell the trees had moved forming a sort of arch and opening a pathway for them all, leading deeper into the forest. "Persephone no doubt, she's leading us to her. A confrontation with her is your only hope of leaving this forest with your lives. You Unrooted have no other options." Charti spoke aloud to them all. Her words on their own were rather cruel, yet she did not seem to say them out of malice. But out of a foreboding necessity, and fear. Far off in the dark Persephone laid in wait for her victims. Staring up at a large black and red mass a grin stretched wide across her face. "Soon so very soon. Then, I will save mother..."

LadyOfStars · Aug 11, 2022

Seikatsu Mitsunari

A furrowed brow creased Mitsunari's forehead in response to the expression upon the fairy's face when he inquired about a way out. It took everything in him not to hurl a spell at the creature and attempt to strike her down. Unfortunately these beings who saw them as playthings were his best chance at leaving the facility and he wasn't so arrogant that he'd assume he could take them on. He had no intentions of becoming tree food however, he'd sooner burn the forest down before he let himself fall prey to it. He looked around to the members of his group and then to the skeleton who had arrived with the fairy. He was uncertain of what the undead's experience had been like thus far, but he imagined his team was tired. Without arguing, the kitsune found his way back to the outside of the group, searching for solitude to quiet the storm that raged within him.

He would not find it however as the forest groaned, as if challenging the group to face it once more. Whoever this meddlesome fairy was, she was clearly strong and that made Mitsunari wonder if he was seeking help from the wrong people. He turned his gaze to the direction which he had heard the sound originate, and contemplated his options. One thing he was certain of was that he would not be a pawn in whatever petty squabble had been occurring in this forest. Waiting for the others, he leaned against a nearby tree, ready as he'd ever be.

Dante Verren · Aug 12, 2022

Gawain
Interaction:

Despite her small stature, Charti had a fire in her. So much so that when she turned her fierce gaze on him he almost shrank back a bit, but managed to hold firm. His empty eye sockets met her angry eyes and held the stare until she eventually gave up and agreed to his suggestion. It was good that she had seen reason. Turning to the other fairy he bowed his head in respect. "Thank you Titania. It is an pleasure to fight with you." Having said his piece he turned to watch the Fox man's reaction. He could se that even though Charti wasn't exactly kind to the fox, she still treated him better then when Gawain first met her. So over all that interaction could have turned out worse.

Once it was pointed out that a large group of enemies was starting to converge on one point, he wanted to get moving immediately. Still the shouts of the human trying to get his companion out of the machine caught his ear. He was mildly curious to here that it had a pilot. Not only did this world have robots but also mecha? The more he learned about this world the stranger it became. The skeleton knight moved over to the man and the machine to see what he could do to help. " I might be able to help. If your normal exit isn't locked I can probably pull it open even if it is stuck. I just need to know where it is. That or I might be able to widen a break in the armor for you to crawl out of. Though seeing as there is one more fight ahead of us it might be best if the pilot stays inside for a bit longer." He said the last part more to the man then to the machine, glancing over at the seemingly panicking human.

lXlGamemaster · Aug 13, 2022

Lothric

Lothric made a nod of approval at the human once he finished applying first aid to his injuries. Despite not participating in combat he proved his usefulness in other ways. He listened to the fairy tell her story and frowned, looking straight up at the darkened sky, wondering if he should try and fly straight up to see if he could escape on his own. He debated for a second, but ultimately decided against it. If the evil fairy had something that could swat him out of the air he didn't think he could survive the fall, let alone find his companions again if he did. Turning to the massive knight that had wrestled with the tree monster he addressed it towards its face. "I don't know where you came from, and your armor lacks an insignia to see which house you belong to, but without you we would have had a lot more work to do, and for that I thank you." He had no idea why the others were calling out to the knight's chest when his eyes were clearing up there.

EMIYAman · Aug 18, 2022

Deep within the bowels of The Dark Forest lay its harbinger, Persephone. The fairy sported a maniacal grin that didn't reach her eyes. Which stared listlessly at the pulsating mass an eerie red glowing from within its depths. Her gaze was locked firmly onto it. It undulated as if in response to her presence. "Its alright, soon so very soon. The time will come for you." She placed her hand upon it, and the black mud which formed it wrapped itself slightly around her limb. "Ah I see. You are hungry, poor thing..." Persephone ran her hand along it caressing it, the mud rippling wherever it fell. "It has been long has it not? My errant siblings were a great feast but not enough." The fairy gained a thoughtful look seemingly lost in her mind. Until she suddenly straightened and raised her hand. The mud underneath her wriggled and formed itself into a reflective liquid. Upon it appeared the expedition team along with Charti, Gawain, and Titania. Persephone watched as they recovered from their battle with the guardian. She looked at them as if seeing them for the first time. Then her eyes locked onto one of them. Her smirk returned to her face.

While Cephus stood upon Asterism doing what he could to check on Astrid he was met by Gawain. "Oh, yeah thanks the help would be great." At his offer Cephus awkwardly thanks him, but his face hardens at his suggestion to leave Astrid within. "I get it I do, but look at this." He gestures to the warped metal on the mechs torso. "We've heard nothing from Ms.Narrésyr since that thing was killed. Who knows what happened to her in there?! She could be unconscious, hurt, or worse! We can't just leave her. Even if we end up having to fight that... thing." He threw out his arm gesturing in the direction of the pathway that had opened up in the trees. His expression was one of uncertainty and fear. "I appreciate the words sir knight, but I'm not risking it. These people with me have been charged with my protection, but I too have a responsibility to them." The young archeologist returned to his examination of the mechs chasis searching for some way in. But inside he knew it was unlikely and he could only hope Astrid was alright.

Unknown to them all was a shadow traveling along the ground. Blending in with the dim forest it was practically invisible. The shadow came up behind Cephus. Then it rose from the ground into the form of Persephone. She floated behind him before wrapping her hands around his neck. Stiffening up from the contact Cephus's eyes darted around he could see everyone from where he stood, so the person behind him... "My how caring of you boy. I feel much the same. Responsibility, its such a pretty burden is it not?" At her words Cephus' heart beat even faster. The others would notice her presence and voice quickly. Charti and Titania raising their weapons. Chartis spear sailed threw the air towards Persephone while Titanias drones flanked her and fired energy blasts. Unfortunately, or perhaps not, their attacks missed. The fairy dodged out of the way traveling through her mud bringing Cephus along with her. Emerging a second later Cephus began to cough and hacked up black ichor from his mouth he appeared shaken and trembled in Persephone's grip. "How boorishly violent, what would mother Demeter say?" Charti's normally calm expression contorts into an abject rage. "My mothers name doesn't belong in that putrid mouth traitor!" She brings up her book the pages flipping rapidly as great lances of Fae wood form around her and launch themselves at Persephone. Just like before each strike was proven futile as she dodged each one. By the end of Charti's assualt Cephus appeared on the verge on blacking out. His eyes were half open and the ichor flowed out of his mouth. "Poor boy look what you've done to him." Persephone stroked his cheek but her smirk showed she felt no pity for his plight. Looking to the group a manic smile split across her face. "I'll be taking my leave then. Though don't worry we'll be meeting again very shortly. Right?" Her words hung in the air leaving a grim reminder as to both their own survival and Cephus'. Then she fell back into the mud disappearing into the ground though this time she remained gone. Soon after beyond the path of trees a dim red glow could be seen.

Dante Verren · Aug 20, 2022

Gawain
Interaction:

It was shortly after the conversation with Cephus that Gawain would finally get to see Persephone up close. It was then that he also realized the extent of her darkness. Banking on his small memory of the classics involving the gods, Gawain had hoped that Persephone was merely a deluded prisoner who herself hadn't actually fallen to darkness. In those few seconds that she appeared and used the human as a toy to bait them he had his answer. She was evil, she would likely not be able to be redeemed, and she had to be killed.

The skeleton in knight's armor turned on his heels the moment that the dark fairy vanished into the mud. Other more suited could look after Cephus. Raising his shield he sped down the path illuminated by the red light, sword draw and ready for a fight. This was likely a trap, or at the very least he was running headfirst into serious danger. While the thought occurred to him, he didn't care. He had already failed to kill one great evil due to his hubris. He would not fail again. This time there would be no speech's and no hesitation. This time would be different.

lXlGamemaster · Aug 23, 2022

Lothric

Lothric could hardly get a breather before the evil fairy returned to ruin their day. He was too slow to see her shadow sneak up on the human Cephus, and could only watch in horror as the fairies assaulted his body as he was dragged away. Anger boiled in his veins and he followed the knight, determined to end this once and for all.

EMIYAman · Sep 1, 2022

With Cephus' capture the groups situation seemed to spiral and grow more dire. Astrid lay inactive within her mech. Unable to be stirred or reached. Mitsunari had vanished when no one was looking. How he had gone from them was unknown, and whether he was alive or dead even more so. Along with the strange being TMK's disappearance as well the group had been reduced to a mere four. Of the original expedition team no one remained. Gawain, Lothric, and the Fairies had quickly become the only ones who stood a chance at slaying Persephone. Their only hope at escape lay in overcoming the Forest.

Gawain and Lothric raced through the arch of trees which beckoned them further into the depths. The Fairies quickly followed behind maintaining formation with them. The dim Red light gre brighter and brighter in the distance until eventually they broke through into an open area. The source of the crimson glow revealed itself. A black sphere hung in the center, seemingly fused unnaturally with the nature around it. Suspended in the air in front of it was the unconscious form of Cephus. Persephone floated idly by his side. Her trademark grin upon her face. She had been waiting for them. "I am so glad you could join us. The boy is rather boring company, just look at him. He hasn't spoken a word!" She giggled to herself finding the situation humourous. Titania's eyes narrowed while Charti radiated a cold fury. "Damn you Persephone! Don't think I'll hold back just because that Unrooted is in the way!" The fairy meant it too. Too much was riding on this for her to allow the life of an outsider to stay her spear. A hostage wouldn't work on her at least. Even if her mother wouldn't like it. Persephone let out a deep laugh her manic aura growing more prevalent. "Oh my you sound just like Oberon! He said something similar before I killed him." At this Titania reacted letting out an energy blast at incredible speeds. Below the black sphere lay a pool of mud which churned below splashing violently up into the air intercepting the blast.

The wall of mud obscured Persephone for a moment. When it fell her face was devoid of emotion none of the mirth or sadistic joy of before, only a dead and resolute gaze. She raised a finger. "Let's end this centuries long charade my dear sisters." With a flick of her finger Cephus fell back into the sphere. It swallowed him up swiftly. Then began to grow brighter and brighter. Eventually the crimson light grew almost blinding before it suddenly disappeared entirely. The entire forest seemed to

grow perfectly still as if it too lay in wait with bated breath.

A quiet rythmic sound emanated from the orb. Which grew louder and louder till it was clearly heard by all. A limb burst from the orb. A shower of black ichor succeeding it. It was a hand outstretched as if to grab something. It placed itself on the side on the orb sinking it's figners into it. It began to rip it open. Cracks began to form along it not unlike an egg. Until it could hold it's form no more. The pieces exploded out launching themselves throughout the clearing. Causing a figure to fall from it's remains. It fell face first into the ground unceremoniously collapseed. With shaky hands it raises itself up. Standing upon it's equally unstable legs. The full form of the being was revealed. Similar to the creatures they had fought it's head resembled the skull of an animal. Yet that's where the similarities ended. It's body was lean and covered by black muscle. It was almost like a man yet stood taller than most at seven feet tall.

The creature let out a deep raspy breath though no mouth or even eyes could be seen on it. With each second it seemed to grow more used to itself. As it no longer stood on wobbly legs, but straight and balanced. Persephone said nothing but a smile stretched across her face as if it was slit by a blade. The creature clenched it's clawed hand into a fist and stared at it. Then it noticed the presence of others for the first time. It looked to them all lingering it's gaze on each of them. Then it began to walk towards them. Measured and slow it's grew closer and closer. Oddly enough the two other fairies seemed stunned into inaction merely staring at the being before them. The rage of Charti replaced by an incredulous stare. While Titania stood ramrod straight and unmoving, her drones fallen to the ground inactive.

lXlGamemaster · Sep 2, 2022

Lothric

The fairies may had been shocked into silence, but the scene made Lothric roar with outrage. All the frustration he had felt that day was being let out: the inability to escape, the futile efforts that meant nothing, him loosing his friends one by one. All of it fueled his movements and turned him into a ball of teeth and claws, crashing into the being before them. His serpentine body thrashed and coiled, employing everything the dragon had at its disposal. After he had delivered a bite, his legs would spin himself around so he could swipe with his claws, wings, and tail, before rearing again for another bite.

Dante Verren · Sep 3, 2022

Gawain
Interaction:

Gawain's teeth grinned against each other as the frustration built up inside him. As the party bursted into the clearing they came upon the sight of the poor human being turned into a dark creature standing before them. To make matters worse there fighting power was less then half then it was in the last fight. The fox was missing, the robot knight was inactive, and the purple blob was stolen away. This was going to be difficult.

The skeleton glanced over and saw that despite there earlier outburst, both of the fairies were frozen in horror. He was going to speak but Lothric's rage threw him off guard. The dragon roared into action and blitzed the enemy before him, unleashing a ferocious attack. Chances were it wasn't going to be enough. Gawain's gaze shot back to the two still faiers. He couldn't fly therefore he needed them to reach Persephone. "Charti, Titania. Snap out of it! Persephone is right before you, Take her down. For your sisters, for your mission, and for your respective creators! Slay her while Lothric and I deal with the beast!" He shouted at them both attempting to spur them into action. He had to make sure they would hear him in their stunned state and above Lothric's roars.

Gawain charged down the monster created from the human's sacrifice. Angling on the side he dodged around Lothric's rampage and brought his own weapon down with all the strength his bones could muster. Aiming for the creatures left knee, Gawain was hoping to sever the creature's leg clean off. If he could cripple it, then it would surely have a tough time defending itself from Lothric's attack.

EMIYAman · Sep 7, 2022

The dark being before them walked with a steady gait towards them. It seemed calm and measured in its steps. And while not it did not make any inherently threatening actions. The vile feeling which had served to root the Fairies in their place only grew as the distance between them shortened. Suddenly with a loud roar Lothric charged crashing into the creature head on. In a flurry of claws and teeth the dragon fell upon the dark being knocking it to the ground. The dragon put his whole body into his rage fueled attack each bit dug into the creatures skin drawing black blood, and ripping through flesh. It let out a long deep groan like tree falling over.

Spurned on by Lothrics attack Gawain sought to rally the Fairies. Stunned into silence the two were startled heavily by Gawains voice. Charti blinked as she realized what was goin on. She looked at Gawain with an expression he had never seen on her face before. It was a haunted look of revulsion. "You cannot understand that thing, its horrible. I can barely bear to look at it... it shouldn't even exist! How is it here!?" While she was back to a fraction of coherency Titania was also stirring from inactivity. In a rare display of emotion she grit her teeth and moved as if carrying a heavy weight upon her back. Behind her, her drone were doing what they could to prop her up and help her move. Yet still it was a struggle for both of them. Whatever force held them back mentally and physically affected them in a way it did not Gawain or Lothric. It even seemed to affect Persephone, but the difference was her expression was rapturous and blissful. Her gaze was locked on the dark creature, yet she made no move to defend it.

As Lothric continued his ferocious attack the Undead Knight Gawain came up on the creature. With sword held high he brought his blade down upon its leg. While it did encounter some resistance the quality of his sword pushed through and severed the limb cleanly. The moment it was the creature let out a piercing shriek stunning Lothric and Gawain briefly. And spoke in a quiet wispy voice, sounding eerily similar to Cephus. "H̷̞̦͋͜ṳ̶̠̥̤̀̃r̵̳̺͕̱͛̉̉t̵̢̥̉̿͐́ͅs̵͍̺̍̃̐͌..." Then in an unnatural display its body moved like a puppet on strings out from under the dragon and away from the undead knight. Raising itself back up it stood before them, its black pits where eyes would be bearing down upon them. Somehow it stood straight despite missing an entire leg. Standing by the pool of black mud it had emerged on top of the creature stuck its stump into the pool. Pulling it out a scant few seconds later with a new leg. It regarded the two of them, a malice they had not felt before was palpable from it. It raised its clawed hands in a bestial fighting style. Then in a speedy movement retaliated against Lothric slashing him with his claws. The fairies were still struggling to join the fight but were making headway. And the creature before them had only just begun to fight back.

lXlGamemaster · Sep 7, 2022

Lothric

The dragon cried out from the blow, each hit meaning more now that he didn't have someone to care for it. Lothric reared back up and latched onto the creature's arm, digging his teeth in and refusing to let go, much like a dog.

Dante Verren · Sep 9, 2022

Gawain
Interactions:

"Shit", Gwaian murmured as he was forced to step back from the force of the roar. He glanced back and saw the faieres still struggling to join the battle. There was a spark there, but not a fire. They didn't have the fight in them. What ever was holding them back physically he couldn't do anything about but maybe he could do something about the mental block. "So what if it isn't a thing that is supposed to exist, Am I not the same??? I am a skeleton, a being that should not live yet was given a second chance to do what I could not do in life. Here I am using that second chance fighting for you, to save your home, and to save your respective masters. Acknowledge your fears, face them, and silence them once and for all."

He adjusted his line of sight, peering from the monster that was now being grabbed on by Lothric's mad dog offensive over to Persephone who was stunned with a blissful look on her evil face. "Charti, you have two choices. Face the monster that should not be and save your family, or run back to them and explain your cowardice. Explain to your family that you had a chance to defeat your foe but instead of standing and fighting you left the pathetic unrooted to handle it. That the very undead you mocked and distrusted was brave enough to give his only second chance at life fighting while you ran. You face a similar choice Titania. Fight in your master's name, prove that you are not some left behind creature and that you are worthy of your creation. Succeed and prove to everyone here that your master was the wise and brilliant man for creating you, or run back to where you came from in failure. By running you tarnish not only your masters name, but allow the monster to destroy everything he worked to create. Now make your choices, run or fight !"

Finishing his final speech he rushed forwards towards the fight. There would be no more words for him, anymore would have been a waste of effort. Either the fairies would join or they wouldn't. At this point it really didn't matter to him. He would have to plan assuming that they weren't going to join the fight. With that fact in his mind he kept running forward, past Lothric and the monster straight to the heart of the problem. He had noticed that the dark fairy's focus was glued to the monster, that meant he had an opening. He raised his blade and swung it in an upwards cut at Persephone hoping to end the source of all this evil in one final swipe.

EMIYAman · Sep 10, 2022