Fantasy Rifts [IC][Closed]

[joshuadim]

"The basilisk job's been already completed, but on the notice board there might be something there that strikes your fancy." Jorah commented to Vera ( Oreo Cookie ) when she spoke of bounties per head of creatures. He also looked over to Fraskia and nodded her way as well: "And for you as well if there's something that catches your eye." he spoke to her ( Breadman ), pointing towards the notice board on the wall near the entrance of the tavern affixed to the wall. Various papers and posters lined its sides and interiors, each describing jobs and where help was needed for certain tasks. Some more suited towards their professions of killing beasts and monsters, the others more menial in nature. They all paid nonetheless, as various payments amounts were listed on each depending on what tasks were asked of them.

When Vera brought up stranger events occurring, Jorah simply shrugged. "Mhm. What's a few travelers to my inn when compared to the rifts, the dead rising... the draivir?" he asked rhetorically, the last word laced with anger that he had not shown previously. It clearly stirred bad memories from within. "Greater things happen than a single night in an inn." And when Edoardo commented about destiny, Jorah audibly scoffed at such an idea. "Trust me, if destiny were to happen tonight it wouldn't happen here. An unimportant place in an unimportant part of the world." ( Worthlessplebian )

Arnas in the meantime had his attention returned to Aelestra when she continued to conversation, much to both his surprise and pleasure, as she transcribed her words to him to read. At the first, he nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I suppose we are." Arnas commented to Aelestra ( Beann ), before watching her hands write again as she took the notebook back and wrote some more. He read her words once more when she handed them back to him, his eyes widening a bit from surprise at such an offer. He looked back at her and nodded, "Well, sure! Never know when it could come in handy in my travels." Arnas replied as he switched seats and sat next to her. "Uhm... well, I suppose I couldn't go wrong with learning the basics." he then said, eagerly awaiting her instruction.

Lucina's arrival to the two patrons in the tavern who had beckoned her was met with a kind response from the blacksmith as he gently bowed his head to her quickly. "Lady Healer, I have but a humble request. My good friend here," he spoke to her ( Arnalia ), motioning a hand to the tailor who sat next to him and was visibly flustered, "He has family in Merish that he worries for. If you could but help us deliver a quick prayer for them I'm sure it would help put his mind at ease." The tailor simply sat where he was and shook his head, "I'm terribly sorry my friend here has bothered you. You don't need to-" he began to say, but was silenced from a quick glance from the blacksmith.

 

[Breadman]

"I took a look at the ones in the market square when I rode in." Fraskia answered Jorah. "You have a serious problem with the beasts here." She got up from her seat and moved herself closer to the innkeeper so she wouldn't have to raise her voice all the time like the local fishmonger "On that one I got three jobs, not counting the basilisk your man took care of." With one hand she counted the jobs on the other as she started to recall what she saw. "Fisherman says he spotted something not quite like a fish swimming in the river and that he hears a flute from somewhere. That's a sirena, which is unusual since they're sea creatures. They prey on men with lonely hearts, so I hope he has a wife at home." She paused for a moment, thinking about the details "If you have spare wax, I'll buy some off you." Fraskia then kept going on the next "Speaking of wax, beekeeper says he saw something messing around his hives. Likely a bear, but there is a small chance a talasum was causing mischief. He can handle it alone if he catches the little freak with a iron rod, but I'm not saying no to a job." She shrugged. "Finally there was someone complaining about their outhouse being haunted. No ghost or spirit would haunt a shitter unless they drowned in it...which has happened more often than youd think." She had to admit almost sounding defeated. Likely had to check on that too. "If that's an actual drowner, this village has some serious problems."

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Edoardo Vargas Melcher​

The oversized crocodilian enjoyed the soothing albeit inquisitive atmosphere of the inn. Surrounded by men and women of esteem, in status or skill and internal ears tickled with the minutae quips and banter of the patrons. He even saw another faith-sayer amongst this jovial collection of drinkers. What a fascinating encounter, he always wished to exchange notes with other religious, not even needing Monarch Albus' decree that sobekoni of ecclesiastical, militarily, or scientific institutions be on their best behaviour when encountering foreigners of similar stature and to be harmonious. Although now, the woman seems preoccupied with her duties. Perhaps, Edoardo will colloquy at a later time.

The innkeeper retorted to Edoardo's stance, prompting the croc-priest to nod his head in mild agreement. "Mayhap you are right, though personal experience has taught me to be expecting of the unexpected at the least expected times or places."

His attention was next grabbed by Fraskia, who rambled off the arduous or banausic tasks. Despite Edoardo's relaxed posture, he listened intently to the lady's words. When she reached the Sirena problem, was when his head tilted in expressed interested. He allowed the tiny woman to finish before stepping into the conversation. "This Sirena problem, I would not mind an attempt to investigate the matter with my own faculty." Speaking both as a priest and as an warrior.

 

[Breadman]

Fraskia froze for a few seconds as she looked to the large crocodile man towering a bit over her. She inspected him head to toe and nodded at what she saw. Big, strong, was a priest of some sort. If he can kill a monster, then he would be useful.

"I see no reason not to." She shrugged "If you have morning prayer, I suggest you hold off. We need to go down by the pond at the crack of dawn to get her. Can't risk the town going without its fisher or him not being able to feed his family."

 

[joshuadim]

Elsewhere in Ember...

"Be merry my hearts, and call for your quarts...
and let no liquor be lacking,.. hic!"

A drunken man stumbled in the street near the First Post Inn, having drank his fill already and was the first man out for the evening. His boots plattered against the mud of the road as he muttered incomprehensibly an old drinking song to himself. He had no-one else to celebrate with, so he was content to celebrate with himself alone in the night. He stepped into a small pool of water, not noticing it as he shambled about in a stupor and continued to ramble to himself.

"To save shooes and trouble, bring in the pots double
for he that made one, made two! Haha... hic!"

Soldiering on, his gaze was kept ahead as he hollered and cheered into the night much to the displeasure of those trying to go to sleep at this hour. Yet it was also in his lonesome revelry he failed to realize what happened to the puddle he had stepped in. For the water that had splashed began to slowly turn about and return back to its original place, as if the collision of water and foot had never occurred prior. History had been rewritten in such a small scale, but that would only be the start of the events tonight.

---

"Aye, plenty of problems. Not enough travelers coming through here to deal with them." Jorah replied to Fraskia, "Though I suppose that's changed now, can finally do something about them." His gaze then was caught by a nearby lantern, whose flame began to flicker rapidly as if a breeze were blowing on it. This caught his curiosity as there was no strong draft of any kind in the inn, but he thought nothing of it as he turned his attention back to his patrons. "Usually, once I hear that someone takes a job from the board I inform the person who posted it. They come and drop off their payment with me and then I hand it off to whoever's the one that completes the task."

He then turned his attention to Edoardo spoke of the sirena problem and shrugged. "Do be careful with them. I've seen one of them rip a grown man to shreds when he let his guard down. A would be hunter of monsters from Lithurnia." he commented to the Sobekoni before turning his attention back to Fraskia, "And you as well, stay vigilant if you are to go after it."

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Edoardo Vargas Melcher​

Edoardo signaled his completion of the fizzy beverage by turning over the cleaned emptied mug, his attention fully diverted to Fraskia as he listened to her assessment of the task ahead. His inhuman cranium with his flagitious-looking eyes peered down on the woman. For a moment, it appeared as though the possibility of him leaving her headless was not zero, but a chuckle—or what amounted to a chuckle for his species, it still sounded sinister—reverberated at her comment. "You'll find my kind are light sleepers. Do not worry, I shall be by your side as quick as the rain in a swamp."

The man returned to Jorah as his words penetrated Edoardo's ears. "Thank you, my friend," A right hand over his left breast, followed by a bow of his head at the innkeeper's words. "Your words will be placed beside my heart."

 

[Arnalia]

Lucina Lux
​

Lucina's arrival to the two patrons in the tavern who had beckoned her was met with a kind response from the blacksmith as he gently bowed his head to her quickly. "Lady Healer, I have but a humble request. My good friend here," he spoke to her, motioning a hand to the tailor who sat next to him and was visibly flustered, "He has family in Merish that he worries for. If you could but help us deliver a quick prayer for them I'm sure it would help put his mind at ease." The tailor simply sat where he was and shook his head, "I'm terribly sorry my friend here has bothered you. You don't need to-" he began to say, but was silenced from a quick glance from the blacksmith.

Lucina smiled softly and shook her head. "No no, don't worry good Sir. Nothing would make me happier than alleviate the worry you must feel for them."
She said and then closed her eyes as she began to intone a prayer to her god, her voice earnest and reverent.
"Oh Alandra ! You whose kindness and mercy is infinite, please hear your humble servant prayer.
Bless a family of good souls living in your dear but suffering Merish.
So they can always feel your love and care for them.
So they can have the strength and courage to overcome adversities.
So their minds can be at ease knowing your love is with them.
So they can know you watch and protect them.
So they can be sure your light will guide them in those troubled time.
I ask for nothing but for you to hear my prayer and soothe their hearts.
Oscos torivos indemas."

Lucina slowly opened her eyes and gave a smile to the two men. She asked them if they had any questions and did her best to respond. She began to tell them about the situation in Merish, without lying she tried to reassure the tailor and his friend and give them hope. Asking questions about his family and giving him details about the likeliness of their situations. Citing where she knew the worst of the fighting was and where were the safest zones to be. She also talked about the works the church of Alandra had been doing to help the civilians and how many of them had found safety in her temple as well as the one of the other gods. Reassuring and patient she did not hesitate to offer any advices the tailor could write to his family.





joshuadim

 

[Breadman]

" Not the first one I've had to put down, but I've never had help of this size before." Fraskia pointed to Edorado "Tell the fisherman to stay away from the pond in the morrow while we investigate the problem." She paused to think about the other troubles and sighed as she remembered the outhouse drowner "Do tell the other two that I'll come looking later I suppose."

"What do you think, big man?" She asked the priest with some enthusiasm "Want to join in on those other tasks? I'll split the coin purse if it means I get some company."

 

[Beann]

“Sobek-O-ni,” Terrence said aloud, repeating Edoardo’s pronunciation of the word. “Forgive my ignorance, I’ve only ever read about the Sobekoni, I must say the books do not do your kind justice.” Terrence finished; studying Edoardo’s movements. He caught himself quickly though, trying to avoid staring for too long, returning to Aelestra and Arnas’ conversation.

After Aelestra wrote out a list of words to teach Arnas, she noticed that Terrence had returned his attention back to the two of them. She looked at her merchant friend and signed, ‘I’m going to teach him the basics if you could translate for me.’ It was quite rare for anyone to have the need to use hand signs to communicate but Arnas did have a point that it could possibly be useful for travelers like him.

Aelestra’s comment caused Terrence to raise his brow in surprise before bringing a smile to his face. “Of course, of course, I’d love to!” Taking another swig of his drink, he looked at the words she’d written out so far, briefly signing them over to himself. He likely didn’t get nearly as much practice as Aelestra, so he wanted to make sure he was getting this just right.

She watched him sign a few of the words, nodding as an indication that they were correctly executed. Then she turned back to Arnas and started to sign slowly for him to watch each movement. 'Hello.' The first word she signed, offering Terrence a second to translate it before signing it again, repetition was key after all. She gestured for Arnas to try signing the greeting back. Terrence signed ‘Hello’ to Arnas just after Aelestra, saying it out loud as he did so.

---

joshuadim Worthlessplebian Chaos Gallant

 

[joshuadim]

As Lucina recited her prayer both the blacksmith and the tailor had clasped their own hands together in a praying manner, although the latter did so reluctantly because of how his own issues had been thrown into the forefront, and remained silent as the priestess spoke. Her words visibly had a calming effect on the fears that had plagued the tailor's mind for some time now as his face relaxed and his breathing had a steadiness to it that was like a rock. And even after she had finished the prayer, she continued to speak of the situation in Merish and give news to the man, as well as speaking of the work that the Order of the Alandran Healers was partaking in to help those in need there. The tailor gave a soft smile to Lucina and gave a slow nod: "Thank you for your words, lady healer." he then spoke to her ( Arnalia ), "I did not know I needed this 'till now." The blacksmith gave off a hearty laugh as he brought his drink in closer then, "Then we shall drink to your family up north then!" he said with a grin. The jovial mood was enough to have the tailor join in as he toasted with his friend. For Lucina, this meant her work here was done.

Arnas in the meantime was watching intently both Aelestra and Terrence ( Chaos Gallant ) as they taught him the first word with hands signs, a simple 'Hello', and tried to replicate it as best as he could. He understood the signs given and repeated several times until he felt as though he could somewhat remember it on-call. He then did so one more time, just to get it stuck in his head as he gestured to Aelestra 'Hello.' ( Beann ) with a smile plastered on his visage. "Well, I'm practically fluent now aren't I?" he then joked, before taking a swig from his own mug of ale. "Got any more?" he then asked, eagerly awaiting for the two to continue.

Jorah didn't know exactly what to say to Edoardo's words ( Worthlessplebian ) save for a grunt that was approving in nature. "Could also bring the other along." Jorah then commented to Fraskia ( Breadman ), "I'm sure she'll be of use in dealing with the beast." He turned his head to Vera ( Oreo Cookie ) and shrugged: "That is, if you want to join along. There are other job postings of course. Still, more the merrier to deal with this town's problems."

 

[Oreo Cookie]

Preoccupied with downing the last of her drink, Vera lowered her mug in surprise when Jorah referred her. Having been loosely following the conversation, she wore her best contemplative expression as she mentally caught up to the topic at hand. "Hmm. Been some time since I last split gold with someone else. Let alone two people." She said after a moment. Her gaze shifted from the other lady knight to the crocodilian as she evaluated them. "But if neither of you have misgivings with splitting the earnings three ways, then I don't mind lending a helping sword."

Her face turned truly contemplative before she spoke again. "Not sure how much help I'll be with the... what was it? Sirene? Serena? Eh. The sea fiend. Never had the pleasure of meeting one of their kind before."

 

[Breadman]

"Sirena." Fraskia clarified what exactly the beast was for Vera. "They're harder to kill in the water, but if we can get her on land, she's done for." The knight looked at the giant crocodilian "I think you can do that if you grab her by the tail. Just grip and tear her out of the water." She motioned with her arm, imitating the motion of a fisher catching fish with his hands. "As for the purse, I'm not struggling for money right now, so I can split it three ways."

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Edoardo Vargas Melcher​

The Priest listened and nodded along with Fraskia's explanation, even snorting when she did the fishing notion. "An agreeable notion, I shall be the trap then." In the marshes, aquatic struggles are the bread and butter of sports. Akin to pugilism contests for surface dwellers. Even as a Priest, Edoardo is proud that he has a few victories under his belt." Oh, supplies would prove to be more adequate. I strive to avoid monetary compensations. For what is a Priest if he abuses the patrons for his greed."

 

[Arnalia]

Lucina Lux

​

Lucina smiled at the two men, relieved that she could be of help she bid them goodbye and returned to her seat. Streching herself a little she saw the young white haired woman next to her using sign language, visibly teaching it to the brown haired man and helped by what seemed like a tall orcish man. Lucina ate a little and observed her teaching him the word "Hello" , grinning she waited for a pause in their conversation to insert herself. She signed to the young girl and the orcish man. ( Beann Chaos Gallant ) "Hello, I'm Lucina. If you want I can help you ?" Her eyes darted to the brown haired man. ( joshuadim ) "I learned sign language so I could better communicate with the people that need it most. Although I hope I learned the most common one and not just a Merish dialect." She let out a chuckle.

 

[joshuadim]

Arnas turned his attention to the newcomer priestess as she approached and greeted the three of them. He recognized her as some form of priestess, though he wasn't entirely familiar with whatever Order she came from. Plenty of priests and paladins roam western Ergos in their own holy missions or quests, so he was curious to see what exactly brought her here to Ember. "Oh? Well the young lady here speaks with these, uh, hand signals and I just learned how to say 'Hello' with it!" Arnas replied to Lucina( Arnalia ) as she approached the conversation, "You know it as well? The more the merrier then."

In the meantime, Jorah calculated the total payout for a completed job that would be split three ways based on the reward posted on the board. Dealing with a Sirena was no easy matter, and thus the payout was rather high even if there were three people to claim it. Though he then heard that Edoardo would not accept monetary compensation out of religious belief, and thus made his job easier to split the reward two ways then where, between Fraskia ( Breadman ) and Vera ( Oreo Cookie ), it would come to 75 coin a piece. "Well then, I'll have the bounty posted ready for you first thing in the morn." Jorah then spoke to the trio, before turning his attention to Edoardo ( Worthlessplebian ). "If you won't take money as a reward, then I suppose you can have a free room to stay in for a few nights to cover that. With food and drink as well."

But then something strange occurred to Jorah in that moment, as if it only became perceptible now. The tavern had gone quiet for the most part save for the travelers who had arrived here. He looked about and saw that he and those others were the only ones in the tavern now. Confused, he looked around and saw nobody else in the establishment and blinked twice. "Oi, did any of you see the others leave...?" Jorah then asked aloud to the group. Arnas quickly turned his attention as well and was surprised to see that they were all by themselves in what had been a lively establishment just moments earlier. He slowly stood up from his seat and looked around.

"No... can't say that I have."

 

[Breadman]

Fraskia looked around the inn. Most patrons were gone. No trace of where they went either. Just gone into the thin air. She exchanged glances with Vera and Edoardo to try and see if they feel the unease as well. Something was off in the tavern and she could only guess what exactly was the center of it.

"Is there any chance this town was build on some sacred or cursed grounds?" The question was a long shot, but worth a try.

 

[joshuadim]

Jorah was quiet for a moment, taking in the sudden shift in their surroundings with a sinking pit forming in his gut that was shared with everyone else in the establishment. He didn't know what to say for a moment and breathed in heavily with a nervous tempo as he tried to compose himself. "Nothing of the sort." he replied tersely, "Just normal farmland..." The group could hear him reach for a blade from behind the counter, an old broadsword, and removed it from its scabbard as he stepped out from behind the counter to look at the room once more. Arnas himself also put a hand on his sword's hilt as he slowly stood up and felt a shiver run up from his spine. He took a glance at the nearby window and saw that the moon had shifted position considerably than it had earlier in the evening, which meant one thing.

"The moon's as if its late night, but we haven't been here for more than two hours at most, have we?" Arnas then asked aloud to everyone, "It was only dusk not so long ago. So... how does that happen?"

Breadman Beann Chaos Gallant Arnalia Worthlessplebian Oreo Cookie

 

[Oreo Cookie]

Vera whistled appreciatively upon hearing the expected payout for the Sirena job. The reward was a bit higher than she had anticipated thanks to the Sobekoni's selflessness, and she would have offered to buy him a sparkling water in thanks were it not for the sudden quietness that filled the tavern. In her experience abrupt silences usually meant trouble, and a quick survey of the tavern told that was the case. Many of the occupants had simply vanished. A few drinks or not, Vera was confident she would have noticed at least one person leave naturally. She grumbled a curse and stood alert, scooping up her helmet in one hand while getting ready to draw her sword with the other.

"Perhaps this is just an illusion?" Vera said following Arnas' observation.

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Edoardo Vargas Melcher​

His spirits had been lifted while he conversed with his patron-goers. All seemed well for the Sobekoni... Until Jorah mentioned the vanishment of the clientele AND the dislodged time, indicated by the moon's presence in the nightly sky. A guttural snort came out of the priest as he slid away from his chair near the bar counter. His eyes surveyed the abandoned premises, a hackneyed notion for the giant reptile. He scares off people all the time, but the drunkards couldn't find their thumbs let alone the sensibilities to be afraid of a giant crocodile. No, the quietness of it all, the precipitancy... All pointed to an equally dangerous possibility: a trap. A trap must be prepared, primed, and armed... Both requirements were already satisfied, the third one is in tow then it will be sprung.

He moved away from the counter, listening to Vera's words. "An illusion of this magnitude?" The priest flexed his arms, steeled his chest, and calmed his legs. "Prepare yourselves. I sense this will be less benign than expected."

joshuadim Breadman Chaos Gallant Beann Arnalia Oreo Cookie

 

[Arnalia]

Lucina smiled at Arnas and prepared to respond when her mind registered the ominous silence at the same time as the others. Her face slowly fell down as she turned and saw the empty tavern, devoid of life safe from those near her. Furrowing her brows, she said almost whispering. "It does not. This......this isn't night." ( joshuadim ) Turning completely toward where all the patrons had been she began muttering prayers toward Alandra, the sinking feeling in her chest alarming. The priestess clenched and opened her hands preparing to heal others and if necessary, to fight. "Everyone stay together." She said




Breadman
Beann
Chaos Gallant
Oreo Cookie
Worthlessplebian

 

[Beann]

Aelestra snorted at Arnas’ joke, fluent was obviously an overstatement but at least one word in sign language was more than what most people knew. Her gaze turned upward as she tried to decide the next word she would teach him. Another basic one would be fine, right? She turned her attention to Terrence, ‘should we teach him how to curse -’ her hands stopped as a priestess approached the three of them. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise as the woman signed to them in an introduction. Out of all the people here, she supposed it made sense for both a merchant and a member of the clergy to know sign language. Did that mean she had two translators for now?

A buzzed blush had just set on Terrence’s face as the clergywoman approached the three. He raised a glass as he proclaimed, “The more the merrier!” Aelestra offered a more calm response as she signed back: ‘Aelestra. The loud one is Terrence.’ Finishing the last of his port he set his cup back down onto the bar, about to pour another, but the chills that ran up his spine stopped him. He sat the bottle back down as he looked at the now few folks left in the tavern. “Well… It’s certainly a bit early for everyone to have gone home…”

At Arnas’ words, Terrence looked out the tavern window, ‘I don’t think I’ve had that much yet.’ Noticing the reactions of the others, he raised his guard, giving himself a few slaps across the face in a futile attempt to sober up. He studied the tavern for any sign of danger, as he reached toward the ax at his waist. Meanwhile, Aelestra pushed herself off the barstool, her eyebrow raised in suspicion at the observations that were made out loud. She turned to look at Terrence, waving a hand to grab his attention.

‘Ask if anyone has interacted with the patrons before they disappeared. Were they acting strange?’ Terrence nods slowly as he relays Aelestra’s message to the group aloud, “She wants to know if any was talking to the townsfolk before now, anyone acting funny?”

---

Arnalia Breadman Chaos Gallant joshuadim Oreo Cookie Worthlessplebian

 

[joshuadim]

Before anyone could answer Aelestra’s inquiry however, the air in the room changed suddenly as if an immaterial void had drowned out all energy from the area. Everyone could feel their skin crawl, and the hairs on their body stand up at attention like soldiers on guard, as the air grew heavy and all sound was reduced to nothing. The pits that had been growing in everyone’s stomachs only grew larger, as if a sudden ailment had suddenly taken their bodies. Beads of sweat formed on Jorah’s brow as his breathing grew heavier, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the hilt of his sword from the growing tension.

Arnas in the meantime darted his eyes around the establishment, looking for what exactly was causing this but to no avail. He tried to speak, yet almost nothing came out of his mouth as his lips moved. To those who were mighty in their hearing, they could barely make out Arnas asking what was happening out of apprehension and fear. The silent void that enveloped the group, immaterial and unwavering, began to change however as soft thuds could be heard. At first, it felt as though it was from a great distance away as if it were drums bellowing from a deep chasm. Then came another, and another, as they grew more intense in strength.

Arnas brandished his blade now and held it out front in a stance as if to prepare for a fight, though he was unsure as to what exactly they would be fighting should it come to that. And Jorah simply stared off into the air, waiting for something, anything, to come forth and make itself known. A droplet of sweat fell from his brow but did not hit the ground as quickly as it should have. Rather, it began to slow as if something was pushing back against it, almost rejecting its intended destination until it became no faster than a falling feather.

It was when it touched the wooden floorboards of the inn that the situation changed, and a cacophony of noise blasted into the air: a painful, shrieking noise that was like nails being dragged across steel. Arnas, Jorah, and the others clutched at their heads, attempting to alleviate the pain but their attention was soon turned to something else. Like glass breaking and winds howling, the very air itself began to crack as webs of iridescent red lines went through the windows and walls and into the inn itself. Jorah himself, eyes wide in shock, quickly motioned to the door.

“EVERYONE OUT, NOW!” he bellowed as he rushed for the entrance of the inn, practically kicking the door to his own establishment down. Everyone inside managed to safely make it out, but were greeted with a horrifying site. Just down the street, not even thirty yards away, a massive hole had been sundered into reality itself, the edges of its opening cracking away and peeling off further as tendrils extended elsewhere into the town.

Many of the buildings began to break down as townsfolk, having been roused by this commotion, fled in pure terror as screams filled the air. “Gods… it’s a rift! HERE!” Jorah then yelled aloud, shocked at this revelation. “What do we do!?” Arnas then asked, pointing his sword at it, which garnered a guffaw from Jorah. “DO? WE DO NOTHING! WE *CAN* DO NOTHING!” the innkeeper responded, but just as he was about to speak, an otherworldly scream was heard nearby.

The group’s attention was turned to see a man being mauled to death by a hound-like creature with needles for teeth, and a deathly gray hide that made it seem as though it was rock. Its mouth was slick and red with the blood and innards of the person it had just killed, and then turned its eyeless gaze towards the group and charged towards Arnas, who was closest. The young mercenary barely sidestepped its lunge and slashed wildly as a reaction, his blade connecting and driving a deep wound into the creature’s neck as foul green blood spilled from the wound and onto the ground below as its body crumpled.

It let out a gurgling howl, choking on its own fluids until it finally expired, leaving its corpse for the group to stare at. “W-what in the hells is *that*!?” Arnas then spoke, pointing his sword at the creature’s lifeless body. Yet he would not get an answer as then, more growls were heard, this time as not only more creatures stepped out from elsewhere in the town, their own jaws slick with the blood of other townsfolk, and from the rift itself as they clambered out of the red void and snarled. The beast had called its pack to avenge it.

“Jorah, get as many people as you can out of here!” Arnas then yelled out, steeling himself as he brought his sword to a close right position and prepared to fight. He was scared, that much was certain, having to face these... things, and being outnumbered in such a fashion, it was unlikely that he was going to survive. "Are you with me!?" he then yelled to the others that he had been with in the tavern. It was a lot to ask for, risking their lives in such a fashion, but he hoped that they would stand and fight to try to save the lives of good people.

Breadman Beann Chaos Gallant Arnalia Oreo Cookie Worthlessplebian

 

[Breadman]

"I didn't see-" Fraskia tried to answer, but was quickly silenced by the sudden rush of overwhelming energy. She barely had time to adjust when the shriek made her cover her ears. Eventually it all went away and they hurried outside to see the tear in reality. The monster hunter couldn't do anything but watch mouth agape. A rift? Here? The sight of the gorehound made every description of the beasts in the old books pale in comparison.

"Avoid their bite." Fraskia could only give advice for now "They act like wolves so watch your flanks. Aim for the underbelly." The knightess took a stance and prepared to slash any of the beasts that tried to move in on them.

 

[Oreo Cookie]

The immense wave of pressure that assailed the tavern made Vera recoil. It was just one unnatural event after another here, and she cursed her luck through gritted teeth as she hastily donned her helm. She was still adjusting the damned thing when her ears were assaulted by the most horrific sound. With her ears ringing and blood pumping, she drew her sword just as the tavern itself seemed to fracture and break. It just kept getting worse. She didn't need to innkeeper to tell her twice about leaving, or at all far that matter, as she was hot on his heels as the group evacuated the inn.

Upon stepping outside, her attention was instantly drawn to the rift. For a few heartbeats she simply stared at the distortion, unwilling to believe what she was seeing. Then the nightmarish creature appeared, and she quickly snapped back to reality.

"Don't have much of a choice." Vera said in reply to Arnas. She steeled herself with a controlled breath and focused on the approaching pack, the point of her sword following the movement of the closest beast. "C'mon you mutts..."

 

[Chaos Gallant]

Terrence reeled from the events unfolding before him, the effects of the port he’d been having earlier only led to further the disorientation he felt from the situation. By the time he had found himself outside with the rest of the party, he’d barely collected his wits. Which quickly turned into shock moments later, as the reality of the situation began to sink in.

The rift agape before them pushed his thoughts towards his horses, then to his cart, before the sight of Arnas gutting a beast in front of him pulled him back to the present. The scene developing around him got his heart beating fast. The cries of the villagers, the smell of blood in the air, and the foul look of these beasts made Terrence’s blood begin to boil. Maybe it was alcohol still in his system, but he could feel his temperature rising with his vision getting blurry.

He could barely make sense of Arnas’ words as he readied his ax, his vision fixed on the beasts in front of him.