Graded [Frontier] - Holy Draconis

[NeramoDJI]

Zeke nodded, before looking in on the ritual, taking a deep breath before sliding out towards the group, walking up and taking up his confident gait, keeping his mana ready to throw up a portal at a moments notice, ready to banish himself to heaven at a moments notice. "Hello there gentlemen. What are you doing?" He went out and asked, keeping his hands at his sides, keeping that Appraise up in an effort to scan the main guy as soon as he could, approaching steadily.

"I discern you have a statue of an antediluvian lifeform. Pray tell what it's purpose might be for this ritualistic activity you are participating in?" He asked, deciding to ask the robed figures straight out what they were doing and what the statue was for. This was a very risky solution, but it was the only one he could think of at the moment, so he might as well give it a shot. You don't make it in the world by only playing things safe after all.

The only fear he had was if they were able to attack him before he could banish himself to heaven with his portal. If they could, this plan suddenly became a lot more dangerous than it already was. And it was already quite dangerous.

 

[Novama]

Time: 12:40 pm
Weather: freezing, breezey, overcast
Mentions: NeramoDJI _Yang @Roffles Pet Panda
OOC: If zeke uses portal, then the rp will come to an end as all characters as achieved their goals except for Zeke who will be unable to accomplish his goal if he portals away.
TLDR: Zeke is now the obsession of several dragon worshippers who give chase. The other two continue being cold outside.
Post Listenings:

Glattzdan Hills - Temple Ruins

At Zeke's approach, the group of robed men became agitated and several reached for their staves. However, the old man in red that appeared to lead them raised a gnarled hand to steady the group. Zeke was unable to appraise anything about the old man in red robes. He was clearly their leader and more than the average old man.

"Peace, brethren. The Great Dragon smiles upon us for it has presented to us a sacrifice and final piece to our great lord's resurrection. Seize him!"

The old withered man rasped before pointing at Zeke and sicking a robed group of individuals at him. They were as fast as Zeke was so he would be hard pressed to escape merely by running from them. Several of them hiked up the hem of their gowns to better give chase. While Zeke was pursued, the men performing the ritual continued their chants around a collection of items, some of which included Liu's things that managed to survive the flames from earlier. The mana in the air around the ritual was thick enough to be visible. It was clear a powerful magic was being invoked for some purpose not yet obvious.

Gamatsu had found the dragon or at least the dragon. HIs vision was fuzzy, but the statue of a dragon was a great one all the same. Things quickly turned south for Zeke, but Gamatsu also knew the firepower the dragonworshippers were capable of. Were he to start shooting he would not be able to pick off more than a couple of them before the rest would bombard his position to kingdom come, surely. Gamatsu would then note a clacking and scratching sound of bone on stone he just barely overhear over the howling wind all around them. Liu was lurking around nearby.

 

[NeramoDJI]

Zeke's eyes widened, before he got an idea, knowing all these cultist wackos were gullible as hell, getting an internal grin as he raised his hands, using his environmental control to create a more draconian form of the light from before behind himself. "Peace friends, no need for this. The Great Dragon called me here, but not for that purpose. I am to give you an object of great power for your ritual, but it will not work if I die." He said, spinning an elaborate lie, remembering those sandals, looking to the leader. "They sent this as a grand test for you, including my feign of ignorance. Are you ready?" He said, trying to talk his way out of this, grinning a little bit.

He really hoped this would work, since if it did, he'd have the trust of these lunatics, and may be able to distract them long enough to either escape or find out what they were up to. He knew there was a chance it wouldn't work, but he knew that if it did, this risk would be well worth it. "After all, the great dragon would not settle for some piece of mortal flesh for the finishing piece of the ritual. They demand something from the divine realm itself." He said, thinking he'd either offer a sandal, or a jar of cloud mana from heaven. If they didn't stop moving however, he'd hot foot it out there as fast as he could.

He was looking closely at all of them, pressing slowly with his heels in preparation to run the opposite direction if it looked like his bluff wasn't going to work.

 

[_Yang]

Though unable to overhear the specifics of their conversation, Gamatsu could tell when someone was about to get jumped. Whatever Zeke had planned, it appeared that it wasn't working out as smooth as he wanted. He was a sweet talker, but maybe not sweet enough. If it was up to Gamatsu, he would have been letting loose a volley of shots right now, but trying to be a man of his word, he maintained his form and waited for Zeke to give him the signal.

"Where's that V at Z? Gotta show me that V." He whispered to himself as he tugged on the mana string tighter. Distracting himself from his impatient, Gamatsu quietly began tapping his foot, matching the tempo of his heartbeat. I mean, you know, if he had a heart.

As he kept his eyes locked unto Zeke and the robbed men, Gamatsu noticed an eerie sound from behind him. Only being able to afford to take quick partial glances, he couldn't make out what it was that was making the sound.

"Hey! Shush!" Gamatsu continued to whisper. "Keep it down. I'm trying to focus here!" His voice was soft and breathy. Gamatsu had to keep his voice quiet unless he wanted to announce his presence to the rest of the draconic cultmen.

 

[Pet Panda]

'Click, clack, click, clack... click --' the footsteps stopped and the sound of stone rubbing on stone could be heard the moment after, when Fei reached up and scratched his head. With intense effort, he slowed even further and carefully placed each step. '.... Clic... clac...' he crept close, though he remained out of the view of Gamatsu, and had he a face, would have looked sheepish at disturbing the marksman.

"Ah, my apologies," he whispered gently. Liu knelt down with surprising quietude and sat awkwardly, looking left to right. His intention was to make the case for not destroying him on sight but not only was he asked to keep quiet rather directly but, following the sightline of this odd figure, there were those cultists again. His bony fingers wrapped together and clenched, producing a little grinding noise. Skin is quite useful for diminishing the noise the body could make.

It's a shame he neglected his martial training during his time as a captain and a civilian.

 

[Novama]

Time: 12:42 pm
Weather: freezing, breezey, overcast
Mentions: NeramoDJI _Yang @Roffles Pet Panda
OOC: Although both boys outside don't have much in the way of damageable tissue, the cold can still negatively impact you.
TLDR: Zeke has words with dragon worshippers. The other two continue being cold outside.
Post Listenings:

Glattzdan Hills - Temple Ruins

The confused dragon worshippers apprehended Zeke while he gave his deceptive bid. The robed men looked uncertain and confused and turned to their red robed leader as they brought Zeke before him. The smell of the group of men together was not the expected body odor but instead the charred scent of a burned out fireplace that used coals rather than wood. Zeke was held by the arm on each side and one man stood behind him with his hand on Zeke's back. The red robed senior looked over Zeke careful seemingly more certain and suspicious than the rest of the men he led.

"Search him. We shall discern the truth of his words and know the clarity of his eyes."

The elder said before the gathering. A couple of cultists moved forward to start patting down Zeke for any items he had on his person. The ring of men just behind the group of 8 with Zeke continued their ritual. It stirred the air and gave Zeke and uneasy feeling.

Meanwhile,

The two outside, Liu and Gamatsu, finally met. While Liu was freshly steamed and still cooling in the cold breeze, Gamatsu had been outside for several hours at this point and his joins were starting to get stiff in the cold. He would need to move out of the elements soon or suffer adverse effects to his body.

 

[NeramoDJI]

"I apologize, but you won't find anything on me, except for some oranges and supplies, and two of a set of tools to begin your test." He said, nodding to the elder who led the hooded group. "The ability to begin the test is innate to me." He said, before realizing an issue with the feeling he was getting from this ritual, thinking that if things went the way they were, the angelic and divine nature of the objects he had to offer would conflict with the draconian nature of what the cultists were doing, and would likely cause large problems with their ritual, which could potentially be of the explosive nature. And he wasn't keen on seeing if he were lucky enough to get a 3rd chance on life.

However, doubts like that weren't the best to have in the middle of a bluff, after all, have to keep that poker face. "I can begin it any time you are ready." He said, confident they'd believe him if he had the opportunity to show his portal. Or if they found the sandals, those might save his butt too. He really hoped that freaky angel gave him a blessing in disguise.

 

[_Yang]

His armor had turned cool and clammy. It was only a matter of time before the elements took their toll on Gamatsu and it happened during the most inconvenient of times. To make matters worse, maintaining his stance for too long than he'd like gave him a feeling of discomfort. It was the same ache you'd get during a period of prolonged standing. Missing his opportunity to take a shot, Gamatsu lowered his bow and went low, ducking out of sight for now. Turning to the apologetic whisper from before, he was pleasantly surprised by the skeleton behind him.

"...Sup." Gamatsu flicked his wrist with his palms facing forward and fingers partially extended, giving Fei what looked to be a wave. "I'd love to talk, dude, but I'm kinda pressed on time." He whispered before attempting to move forward as subtle as he could.

Gamatsu realized that he couldn't just stand still. Also, he got tired of waiting. Zeke was too far in and surrounded. Gamatsu's gut told him that he had to act. It may have not been the wisest decision, but he wasn't exactly known for his intelligence. Raising his hand just above his shoulder, he signalled to Fei, nudging him to follow him. Why? Gamatsu didn't know either. He just felt that it was a gesture appropriate for the moment.

His plan was simple. Get close enough and attack. Though not exactly warm, the closer Gamatsu got, the less cold he felt. Nocking another arrow, he took aim and fired. He didn't have the time to shoot at each of the cultists, so he just had to take a shot at the one that stood out the most.

Breathing out slowly to focus his senses, Gamatsu tugged hard on his bowstring before letting loose an arrow towards the bald, red-hooded man.

Skill Used: Killshot D - Fighting Style [Archery God] D, Homing F, Penetrate F, Range F - Gamatsu lets loose a magical arrow that can track and follow it's target, going through armors, defenses, and items of similar or lesser grade. If it still misses, it persists briefly and tries one more time before fading/missing again.

 

[Pet Panda]

Liu's jaw opened a little when Gamatsu signaled him to follow. By his clear posturing in opposition to the cultists, Liu had no doubt that Gamatsu was by some measure on his side. Having seen their covert maneuvering earlier, he had to assume they were the aggressors in this scenario. He had no clue how many people this person brought but there ought to have been more people on this kind of angle of attack. There was some confusion on his part about what this other fellow is doing with the enemy. In any case, their objective should be to kill the commander --

His skeletal jaw was moments away from offering some helpful advice to the tune of "kill the old guy in red, he seems important" but the arrow was already in the air. Almost immediately, Liu turned and got into position to take off. He did wait for a moment to see what this new fellow was going to do. He wished for the luxury of worrying about Zeke, but without any equipment or training, the skeleton was just a coat rack. A coat rack that was due for another bonfire. He had no knowledge of how far he could push his undead body and wished not to test the cultists' capabilities.

 

[Novama]

Time: 12:43 pm
Weather: freezing, breezey, overcast
Mentions: NeramoDJI _Yang @Roffles Pet Panda
OOC: The flames involved in this post are too high level to regenerate from
TLDR: Zeke's bluffing was spared any further scrutiny when Gama's special shot killed the leader. Now chaos and fire reign.
Post Listenings:

Glattzdan Hills - Temple Ruins

​

As Zeke was trying to give the cult a run around to buy more time, the audible *pew* of a magic bow being fired could be heard followed by the magical bolt colliding with the magical barrier protecting the red dragon worshipper. Everyone turned to look at the bolt struggling to pierce the magical shielding and the general direction from which the bolt came. The old man raised a long, slender, boney finger at Gamatsu, but before he could say anything, the skull talisman around his neck shattered. The magic barrier blinked out of existence and the remnants of the magical bolt buried itself in the old man's skull through the forehead and sticking out the back. The magic bolt dispersed into mana particles as the old leader crumpled to the floor.

Mass panic and confusion took hold of the cultist congregation. Several cultists took their staves and chased after gamatsu and Liu, casting ranged flame magic at them. The long hall Liu and Gamatsu wondered into gave them several exit routes to take. A very fortunate turn of events considering Liu was the only one that was fast enough to outrun the mob in normal conditions. The massive chamber with the dragon statue was even more buzzing. The ritual had been disturbed. All the chanters fell to the ground unconscious and the mana they had been gathering and assimilating into the ritual magic was now out of control. The ritual's various components ensured the mana didn't simply just disperse. The concentration was too high and out of control just to sit, however. The cultists that knew better immediately started running in every direction available. Those not quite understanding what was happening, Zeke included, soon learned when the ritual space began to him and glow brilliantly. The air and ground tremored with anticipation of something to come. Zeke was currently still being handled by two cultists. one on each arm. They were undecided if they should run for it, drag Zeke with them, or something else.

​

 

[NeramoDJI]

"Oy you gits, let me go! Do you want to go up in a ball of flame with this place?! The rituals botched now get out of here!" He said, trying to spur the cultists into some kind of action while trying to get moving, looking at the two. "We don't have time to deliberate!" He said, not sure if whatever this was coming was good or bad, but he didn't want to be in the middle of the circle when it went down, since he had no idea if that was good. However, with a strength of F, he couldn't get away from two people, even if he was actively pulling away, not sure what they were even doing not taking action, but he supposed that was expected from followers and not leaders. He'd need to remember to loot that cult leader after. If the cult leader was anything more than ash when this ritual finished whatever it was doing, trying to get out of the circle at least. He'd need to either thank or kill that armor later. Depending on if Zeke lived that was. He was definitely finding a way to haunt that armor if he died.

"DO SOMETHING AT LEAST!" He shouted, trying to get the cultists to at least do something before the ritual called whatever it was going to call, prepared to get banishing with his portal if they didn't start putting some hustle in their steps. He might do it anyways since being held by two cultists was not a good position to be in regardless of an impending explosion or [god] knows what.

 

[_Yang]

Gamatsu's shot flew swift, flew true, and flew through a cultist-grade skull. Even when he thought it whiffed, his magical arrow didn't want to disappoint and went on, believing in itself when no one else did. Impressed by his shot, Gamatsu whistled long and pumped his fist into the air. Turning to Liu, extended his hand towards the skeleton, asking for a high five.

"Ya see, that? Poggers, am I right?" Gamatsu continued to metaphorically pat himself on the back while he waited for Liu to validate his actions with a palm-to-palm slap.

Gamatsu wanted to continue his streak, but even before he could take aim for another shot, a combination of rage-filled cultists and rage-filled flames were heading straight for him. The warmth was good and comforting, but the idea of getting scorched and melted wasn't. Knowing that the situation was calling for flight rather than fight, Gamatsu turned tail, grab Liu's wrist, and ran towards the long hallway, taking the second exit to the left.

"Hang tight, friendo! We'll be back!" Gamatsu's voice echoed as he fled into one of the exits. He had no intention of ditching Zeke, but he also had no intention of tanking fire spells head one. For now, he needed to juke the cultists via a tom-and-jerry-esque chase sequence before he could assist Zeke with whatever trouble he was in.

The image that visited his thoughts was finally in front of him, but all Gamatsu could think right now was helping out his pirate-y comrade. Was this the start of a budding friendship or was he just not impressed by the dragon statue? Who knew? Well, certainly not Liu. He probably still doesn't know what he just walked into, but it was too late to back out now.

 

[Pet Panda]

Liu, on the verge of running, raised an eyebrow when the shot broke through some kind of barely visible defenses. Confusing him primarily was that he had some kind of intuition for how that worked even though he possessed no memories as Liu regarding such a phenomenon. The secondary confusion was when Gamatsu offered him a hand. The skeleton's head inclined a little and looked into it, expecting some kind of helpful device or -- well, anything. Instead the palm was merely out. It struck him that perhaps he was meant to return the gesture. When he carefully extended his hand, head cocked sideways in visible confusion, he was suddenly grabbed by the wrist and pulled along, letting out a surprised "ah!"

Well, the chase was on. The skeleton had been out of the practice of military strategy for a number of years, but he could remember at least that the thinner the corridor, the less that superior numbers mattered. His knobby feet had little trouble keeping up and Gamatsu would have almost no trouble dragging him along, since the skeleton is quite light, a little less than 30 pounds. In the main hallway, there were several offshoots and side rooms of considerable size. From behind Gamatsu, the voice piped up, though not too loud so that perhaps the cultists would not hear him.

"If we cannot outrun them, perhaps we should bottleneck them. These side rooms are sufficiently large. If we can break line of sight immediately and enter one, we can whittle them down slowly. Your weapon makes little noise. I can also be used as bait; I can recover from any of the injuries I've sustained so far," he informed calmly. It could be doable, they have the clear advantage of range. It seemed, unfortunately, that even in big dresses, the cultists had no trouble keeping up. Breaking line of sight would be the only way to garner some kind of advantage.

 

[_Yang]

Holding hands, bone and metal grasped tightly, as they fled for their lives. Gamatsu was pleasantly surprised at how light the skeleton was. It was like he was running with a little girl. Don't get him wrong though, Gamatsu wasn't in to that sort of relationship.

While he was focused on outrunning their cloaked pursuers, Liu hoped to outsmart them with common sense and wit. Nodding his head in agreement, Gamatsu had no reason not to listen to the bag of bones.

"That's pretty big brained, bud." Clearly impressed with Liu's suggestion, Gamatsu dashed to the closest narrow path, adding a bit of heft to his pull to drag Liu along.

As soon as they found a room, Gamatsu let go of the skeleton and turned around, quickly taking aim at the enraged cultists' dumb heads. He didn't mind the hand holding, but sadly, Gamatsu needed both his hands to shoot. He had to find a way to do it with one hand, but thinking about that had to be done some other time. With Liu in between Gamatsu and their incoming assailants, the living armor readied his shot.

"Riperino." Gamatsu let another arrow fly the moment the cultists got into his line of sight.

Ability Used:

• Seeker + Piercing Shot E - Fight Style [Archery God] E, Homing F, Penetrate F - 1 Post Cooldown

 

[Novama]

Time: 12:53 pm
Weather: freezing, breezey, overcast
Mentions: NeramoDJI _Yang @Roffles Pet Panda
OOC: his mind said no, but their hands said yes
TLDR: Zeke is getting engulfed in stone incinerating mana bomb. Gama and Liu are getting shot at.
Post Listenings:

Glattzdan Hills - Temple Ruins

​

By the time Zeke's retainers had the thought to run, it was already too late. The magic went off, quickly engulfing the immediate area in a stone melting heat and the whole chamber in a blinding light. The ground and air trembled at the beginning of the release.

Liu and Gamatsu fled. The temple ruin was massive with many halls and chambers to get lost in. It worked up until, Gama started firing arrows again. While he managed to catch one cultist unawares, the others with him immediately went for cover and knew where to send their flame. Contrary to the cultists that fired balls of flame into the chamber from behind the statues and stone frames of the hall, Liu and Gama had no such cover as it was a big open chamber with what furnishings and purpose it had rotted away long ago. It turned out the choke point idea only worked in reducing the strength of numbers if it prevent the numbers' attacks from reaching their intended targets. The 3 cultists that had found Gamatsu and Liu lobbed glowing orbs of fire into the room which exploded into fireballs of fire in 10ft radius hemispheres. The heat would be enough to prevent Liu's regeneration if afflicted and Gamatsu's armor body would be damaged unless something could be done to protect them from the blasts.

​

 

[NeramoDJI]

Zeke decided this facade of a friend was over with, using his portal to banish the robed cultists on his left away, tearing his arm away from the still indecisive cultist and running for the large dragon statue. As he ran, he reached into his pocket, grabbing the sandal gifted to him by Fred, holding it before throwing it at the exploding ritual. "THIS STUPID GIFT BETTER DO SOMETHING YOU NAIVE ANGELIC TOUR GUIDE!" He shouted as he ran, diving behind the statue, holding the other sandal in his hands hoping some kind of magic barrier would appear or something to protect him should any of the explosion go around the statue.

He had no idea if this all would work, but he was frankly done with this peaceful act he had been doing. From now on, he was following the space pirate way. Kill em all, and run if you can't. No more of this testing the waters nonsense, it had put him in this situation, and being himself was what was about to get him out of it. If this gung ho plan of his even worked. If one could even call it a plan. But frankly, if it didn't things were about to get extremely hot, and very painful. That or he'd be burned away so fast it wouldn't even have time to hurt. Both options possible.

Of course, if this ended up working out, he'd have to give that armor some kind of thanks or something. If both of them weren't dead after this explosion that was. Who knew how big this was about to be. What were these robe wearing freaks even summoning that something like this could have happened instead of it just fizzling out or something?

Spoiler: Running for the Hills

 

[Pet Panda]

A well-mannered domestic who has worked comfortable jobs all their life may disdain pushing one's body, for it causes them discomfort. A rugged citizen who toils against the earth in harsh weather or must use their body for labor might pride themself in a day's work, and warmly value their body sculpted by its trials. A soldier must forget their body and move against its borders with the truest force of instinct, for if ever they must think about if they wish to push themself, if ever they doubt that their body is a superior tool, the enemy is already upon them, and they have failed in their training. Liu saw a magical fireball but the few times he had to flee from a lobbed grenade came to mind. During his time in this new world, he was reluctant to push his body to its limits, unsure of the basic nature of it. However, now is not the time for reservations. With his light form propelled by unnatural energy, he planted one foot and shot off toward the side with a speed superior to any he'd acheived before in a picturesque runner's position.

With two rapid steps and a dive for cover, any cover at all, Fei Liu shot away and rolled in an attempt to avoid the brunt of the blast. He realized, perhaps viscerally, that there was some kind of disconnect between his thinking and this innate and untapped knowledge of the world. Of course, he didn't have time to meditate on this conundrum yet, there were fireballs flying over his head.

 

[_Yang]

"With bow in hand, he glimmered black, Gamatsu called was he,
He shot the scaled, he shot the cloaked, his shots were full of glee,
Through chilling winds, or hellish fire, his arrows soared and flew,
Once focused and once readied, his shots were surely true,
Abandoned ruins from ancient times, was where his path had led,
Draconic lore and ghostly whispers, a story left unread,
To their surprise, they came across the sacred and the cloaked,
Secluded from naysayers, a ritual they had envoked,
When bothered and impeded, 'twas rightous flame they called,
Judged, scorned, and unforgiven, once their were left appalled,
But panic rained and chaos brewed, they leader was no more,
In a single move, a lifeless corpse, had fallen to the floor,
Overwhelmed with wrath, the chase was on, Gamatsu he had fled,
To stand his ground would put to waste his life and leave him dead,
Through narrow paths, he ran away,
An empty room, Gamatsu stayed,
Turning around, he took aim,
And took a shot, a cultist maimed,
But foolish was he, he failed to see,
His path was blocked, and there remained three,
The three less foolish than their armored foe,
Behind stone they stayed, their staves would glow,
With mystic chants, they shot forth flame,
To cleanse their loss, to burn all shame,
Gamatsu stood, he had to choose,
Death's calling, for now, he would refuse."​

Gamatsu did not excel when it came to speed. What he had going for himself was his hardiness and accuracy. Taking a few strides backwards as fast as he could, Gamatsu attempted to distance himself as far as possible from the incoming flames. With no clear shot of the cultists, Gamatsu shifted his aim upwards. Hoping that the ruins were old enough, he fired at the ceiling above the stone frames of the hall. Deciding to weather through the flames, he continued his volley of arrows, praying to fate to make it collapse.

Ability Used (Followed by normal shots):

• Seeker F - Fight Style [Archery God] F, Homing F - 0 Post Cooldown

 

[Novama]

Time: 1:03 pm
Weather: freezing, breezey, overcast
Mentions: NeramoDJI _Yang @Roffles Pet Panda
OOC: crafty crafty and lucky lucky
TLDR: Zeke gets spared by Fred. Liu gets saved by Gamatsu
Post Listenings:

Glattzdan Hills - Temple Ruins

​

Zeke's time to get away had already passed. He barely got the sandals into his hands before the searing heat cooked him and continued to bake him like a furnace for several agonizing seconds that each felt like an eternity. Perhaps the hell he deserved finally caught up to him. Despite how much it hurt and how much he might have wished he could die, he did not, and finally the burning stopped. Eventually the blinding light in his eyes faded as well. Looking around, he saw that he was the only one that survived the explosion that had encompassed most of the room. A large hole that went down the foundations of the chamber was present and half the dragon statue was boiled away and now slowly pouring into the massive hole in the room. Zeke would also feel particularly stiff. A self examination would reveal his flesh had darkened and there were bloody cracks throughout and all over his body.

"...over here..."

A quiet voice in Zeke's mind would sound. It felt like it came from the dragon. As the molten portion of the dragon flowed away, the dragon remaining was a very realistic cross section of a massive creature's insides. In a cavity within the statue, a handful of broken eggs sat. One in the back under the busted shells of the others remained intact. The eggs were sizeable.

Meanwhile,

Gamatsu's shot to the ceiling managed to weaken enough of the old stone to fall. Massive chunks fell to the ground just in time to shield Liu and Gamatsu from flames hot enough to reduce them to nothing. Debris filled the air. The cultists could see them and they couldn't see the cultists. A lucky occurrence had provided an opportunity.

 

[NeramoDJI]

Zeke's breathing was strained, the pain of the explosion having been something he had never expected to feel in his life. He would have screamed, but the pain was too much to even manage that. He felt the fire and flame wash over him, looking down at himself and gritting his teeth, straining himself to even breath. His breath was raspy, forced, and unable to get much out without grunting in pain. He heard the call in his mind, looking towards the statue slowly. He began to force his body to move, trudging towards the statue through the agony, refusing to give up now. If this was what he came here for, he'd get it, especially if it cost him something like that agony he just experienced.

Placing the sandals into his shirt, or what was left of it, he slowly placed his hands on the statue, hissing from the pain of his cracked skin, crawling into the dragon, keeping himself over the molten part to avoid further agony, moving towards the egg with a pant, slowly placing his hand on it. "Alright... What is it...." He slowly choked out, looking at the egg slowly, his body in pain all over from the cracks along his skin. He'd need to find some kind of medic for this.

 

[_Yang]

"Bingo." Gamatsu flicked his wrist, finger-gunning the stone ceiling he had just shot at.

Gamatsu's trigger-happy quick thinking bought them some time. For now, the option of a scorching death was no more. As stone fell and flames fizzled, dust and debris filled the space between the room and the hallway. Not allowing himself to be overwhelmed by the gift of no pain, yet again, Gamatsu took aim. His line of sight was obscured but he still prepped his shot. After all the fire Gamatsu had encountered, the image of glowing heat was embedded into his psyche. He couldn't tell where the cultists were, but if they decided to keep pelting them with magic, Gamatsu would shoot as soon as he caught a glimpse of that eerie orange glow.

Slowly moving in a side arc, Gamatsu side stepped to keep himself on his toes, ready to leap away in case another ball of doom flew his way.

"So, guys. I threw some arrows, you threw some back. Why don't we call it even, kay?" Gamatsu, the diplomate had appeared. Indirectly influenced by Zeke, if you could say that, Gamatsu dipped his toes in the world of haggling; he tried earlier that day, and he was sort of successful?

"Think about it. Would taking me out be worth possibly losing one of you? Why not just take what you can get and start over. I'm pretty sure one of you would look great in red."

While busy performing some Talk no Jutsu, Gamatsu took glimpses at Liu, hoping that he'd do something smart. Something that he wouldn't do. Gamatsu had the impression that the skeleton was much wiser than he was. Much, much wiser.

With that much brain, they definitely needed some brawn. Brawn in the form of a powerful magic arrow.

Ability to be Used:

• Killshot D - Fighting Style [Archery God] D, Homing F, Penetrate F, Range F - Gamatsu lets loose a magical arrow that can track and follow it's target, going through armors, defenses, and items of similar or lesser grade. If it still misses, it persists briefly and tries one more time before fading/missing again.

 

[Pet Panda]

Fei Liu

Strength - E ■ Precision - D ■ Intelligence - D ■ Vitality - E ■ Speed - D​

Liu wasted no time in standing to his full height. A shaft of weak light streaming through the dust cloud drew his attention upward toward a newly formed hole in the roof. His bony form turned toward Gamatsu and he pointed directly upward at the hole. Desperately sprinting around the other side of the rock so that its bulk could shield him at least partially, he scaled the rock. All 6'7'' of bones hopped backward a couple of steps and took a running leap onto the side or top of this obstacle, scrambling up toward the hole, and hopefully freedom. Absently, he wondered if Gamatsu would be able to make that kind of climb. More gravely, he wondered if he could even help Gamatsu make that kind of climb. It would, however, be rather convenient for them to escape in this manner. The shot at the roof is more helpful a shot than Liu could have ever advised him to make. In the midst of all the chaos, he could not hear even a hint of of Zeke's tribulation.

 

[Novama]

Time: 1:13 pm
Weather: freezing, breezey, overcast
Mentions: NeramoDJI _Yang @Roffles Pet Panda
OOC: fred sandals have been used up and need removed from inventory. Creature egg discovered, May be added to inventory until you get enough points to do something with it.
TLDR: Zeke gets creature egg. Gama and Liu are abandoned and eventually get themselves free of their situation
Post Listenings:

Glattzdan Hills - Temple Ruins

​

"...hello..."

Zeke could hear in his mind as he touched the egg. Fred's sandals faded away into shimmering light. Zeke would briefly think he saw the smiling angel in the fading sparkles. Other than looking abstractly hideous with cracks running throughout his body, the pain subsided.

Meanwhile,

Gamatsu's words were making sense to the cultists. Little did Gamatsu or Liu know, the cultists wrote them off and left them to ponder their situation in the dusty ruin. Liu would eventually overcome the climb that likely woulda killed him had he been a normal man. The weather outside was just as miserable as he remembered and was more windy on top of the ruin. He'd likely get blown off if he wasn't careful.

While the ruin still had the straggler cultist or wandering monster, the main threat was removed and all involved had more or less found what they came for. What fate had in store for them at that moment was too early to tell.

The End​

 

[Novama]

Isekai Hell RP Grade
​

Party needed some things and we did some things. Life gave lemons, and we made the best tart water we could. Plans didn't quite work out. Some worked better than hoped. Magic item shenanigans to complete the ensemble. A good tale for a beginning. Hopefully, it'll give the characters enough of a boost and an idea of what to do next.

Aftermath
The cultists, for the most part, have cleared out of the ruin (those that survived). However, with the cultists gone, Monsters are starting to lurk again and 3 are too few to secure the whole area. To make the place a base of operations would take more man power or other ingenuity. From the ruins highest point, some villages were seen down the hills among the forests and prairies. All of Liu's things were toasted in the explosion. They can be reacquired in most settlements by varying degrees.

Rewards
Novama - 11 points for narrating

Zeke - 1 Creature Egg - 22 points - optional title acquired [Icarus] - character and their black soul have flew too close to where angels walk. Character has been scorched by protective divine light, illustrating the corrupted nature of the character. All those with a religious knowledge would see and know. Only those with connections to the planes of hell would have a chance to offer remedy...at a price.

Gamatsu - 22 points - optional title acquired [William Tell] - Character has distinguished themselves as a marksman. Whether they hit the boy or the apple, they decide.

Liu - 22 points - optional title acquired [Falling Apart] - Character has been damaged and destroyed so many times they can now dismember or reassemble themselves on a whim.