Fantasy The Deadlands

[ArcticFox]

Well, their captors were horribly rude and obviously not intent on talking. She was a little curious to see what they were planning to do with them, but she was more anxious to get back to the business she was on. Hoping she would be able to do something, she elbowed the man holding her as hard as she could. Once he let go of her she would enjoy smacking him with her staff.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Dynis' captor stumbled and let her go briefly, but once she raised her staff she felt it plucked out of her hands. Isaac had been thrown to the floor, his captor stepping in to fight. The massive brute glared down at Dynis before whacking her across the chest with her own staff hard enough to bruise later.

"Stop!" Isaac scrambled to his feet and lunged at the man, dagger drawn. Dynis' initial captor, however, yanked him downwards by the ankle and the two wrestled on the ground, each one trying to get leeway over the other. Isaac did not look athletically inclined by any means, whereas his opponent most certainly did.

Dynis, however, had other concerns. The bigger man had tossed her staff to the left in favor of a two-handed, spiked mace. He obviously contributed to the weaponry business - that much was certain. Swinging his mace, Dynis had only a moment to decide what to do. To her right was the door. Parrying the attack with her dagger did not seem the safest idea.

- Duck
- Dodge left
- Dodge right
- Something else

 

[ArcticFox]

Of course, just her luck. She couldn't have found someone more useful to follow her around. Men. At that moment she was equally angry at all three of them in the alley. As her attacker swung at her, she ducked, hoping her size would allow her to slip under the blow. And perhaps stick her own blade between his ribs.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Dynis successfully ducked, dodging the blow. The tip of her blade shot up between his ribs. Howling in pain, her attacker stumbled back, a stray hand flying out to smack her across the face. The blow hurt and, for a moment, she saw stars. The man coughed a small splatter of blood before growling. He reached for her again. Either the wound hadn't hit anything vital, or he was determined to take her down with him. Meanwhile, Isaac and his opponent were out of view, Dynis' attack separating them from her line of sight. She could hear them fighting still.

As though someone spilled a cup of water, clear liquid spread past her attacker's feet from somewhere behind him. He didn't seem to notice. Thinking back on her training with Manir, if Dynis could maneuver him just so, perhaps she could trip him up.

- Attack
- Evade
- Run away
- Something else

 

[ArcticFox]

Giving her best to stay under his reach and evade his attacks, Dynis tried to edge him toward the liquid. What was it anyway? Water? If it was water, then perhaps he would slip on it and fall, giving her an edge.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Having practiced guiding an enemy before, Dynis knew what to do. Rather easily she guided the brute towards the puddle of water and watched him slip after attempting to throw a punch - this one more sluggish than his previous attacks - and crash into the ground. He groaned, having hit his head. Beyond him she saw Isaac sitting atop his own attacker, hair disheveled and fist raised. Around his fist was a large bubble of moving water. Upon getting punched, the man beneath him sputtered and coughed. Around them, the pool of liquid had grown.

Dynis hardly heard Isaac murmur the words "I told you to stop" before he grabbed the man's head. The bubble of water expanded until it encapsulated his entire face. Desperate, the man clawed to be let go. He couldn't breathe.

- Stop Isaac
- Let the man drown
- Something else

 

[ArcticFox]

"Wait, wait!" Dynis rushed to Isaac's side. "We already won, there's no need to kill them." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Could you please let him go, so we can ask them what is beyond those doors they were trying to force us into?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

Almost immediately the bubble popped and the man beneath him gasped for air. Isaac blinked several times, eyes still black, before frowning down at his hands. Though... he did not look surprised. After coughing up a lungful of water, the man glared at Dynis. He appeared too weak to move much, though Isaac didn't get off of him until he answered.

"Rented storage building," he murmured. "Were gonna keep you there until-"

"Until her friends were eaten, right?" Isaac asked. The man's eyes widened despite Isaac making no move to attack him again. Instead, the mage simply scowled. "You're horrible."

Dynis could ask more questions, such as how they knew where to find her or what she'd been trying to accomplish. Or, rather, what they had against outsiders to behind with. It'd be a good way to get into the mind of the general populace but, as it were, she was still on the clock.

- Interrogate
- Rob them
- Leave
- Something else

 

[ArcticFox]

"Well, at least they were not planning to kill us. I think we are even now." Dynis shrugged. Then she looked at the man on the ground. "Why did you do this? Why is it so wrong for my friends to enter? It seems that no one had a problem with me walking around. Well, up until now."

 

[Cartoonicat]

Scowling worse than Isaac, the man laid his head back on the ground, defeated. "The Deadlands is filled with scum," he explained. "We do not want that scum in our city. You, on the other hand, are not from the Deadlands." Glanced at her with sunken eyes that, despite his obvious fatigue from nearly drowning, held a fire in them. "You have morals and expect a higher standard of living than they do. They'll... destroy everything we have made."

"But the Nightmare-"

"Idiot," the man snapped, "you think a few people dying will keep the Nightmare around? Imagine hundreds." At that point, Isaac stood up and stepped away. "If people catch wind - and they will - of Magdarene allowing just anyone in, hordes will flock here. We'll be forced to let them in otherwise the Nightmare will slaughter them all." He sighed. "If your friends enter, Magdarene City will no longer be the safest place in the Deadlands."

Beside her, Isaac looked shaken. It seemed he'd never thought about the repercussions as this man had. Ultimately, the decision was Dynis' to make: Continue trying to bring her friends in at the cost of an entire city's quality of life or leave them to die what some would say a noble death, though her friends would probably disagree on that. Similarly... if she felt bold enough, Dynis could leave the city now while she still had an hour or so of daylight and try to outrun the Nightmare's clutches with those who waited outside. The latter was highly unlikely, but perhaps she'd be lucky.

- Continue to Lady Michelle
- Give up and stay inside
- Leave Magdarene City

 

[ArcticFox]

She understood the man and what he was talking about. The thought had been bugging her most of the day, but she decided to suppress it. However, there was no suppressing it now. Her group she knew, she could recall their faces and she shared memories with them. It was much easier to sacrifice a city full of unknown people for the sake of those she knew. She would do it if it came to that. But a larger part of her hoped that it wouldn't.

"But what if we could kill the Nightmare?" She said, leaning down toward the man. "You have strong mages here, strong guards too. I know my group is willing to help." She doubted that, but she hoped she'll be able to guilt them into helping. "If there was no Nightmare, then there is nothing to fear, right?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

At that, he laughed bitterly. Sat up and rubbed his head, "They've tried, believe me." Glanced towards the other man who'd been stabbed. During their talk, he'd come to. Dynis' dagger had dug deep yet he bled little, though he did look in pain. Perhaps he could thank the excess weight and bulk on him - the fat likely protected any vital organs she narrowly missed. Groaning, the stabbed man clutched his stomach and murmured something beneath his breath. "Well, don't just sit there. Heal yourself! Idiot..." And so the man did, but his healing light was nowhere near as bright as Helen's, much less Dynis' own. Apparently mages were abundant in Magdarene.

"Ah, what he means is... well... yes, the city has tried," Isaac said. He sounded more confident speaking about this than the consequences of letting outsiders in. "We're not sure the Nightmare can be killed; every time we think we have it, the thing disappears. Always comes back, though, after a time... feeds off the worms by Mount Neshoba before circling the Deadlands again. Has a thing for mages, though I think I mentioned that earlier."

The man on the ground nodded. "Anyway, if you can find a way to kill it, you'd be the first. I'm not inclined to bet on that, though."

Perhaps there was a place in the city that held historical archives of some kind. A place for information, be it a library or city hall or even a museum. With what she knew of the Nightmare now, however, indicated there was no slaying the beast, and time was running out to make a decision. Dynis could ask about such a place but would not have time to research the Nightmare and speak with Lady Michelle.

- Continue to Lady Michelle
- Ask about historical archives
- Give up and stay inside
- Leave Magdarene City

 

[ArcticFox]

"The important thing now is to get my friends inside. I know you disagree, but I'm doing it, one way or the other." Dynis straightened, taking a deep breath and feeling sore already. She did not need that scrap. She walked over to pick up her staff and then turned to Isaac. "Let's do what we set out to do and once we get all the Councilors in one place, we can think about to deal with the monster."

 

[Cartoonicat]

The man frowned. "You'll destroy our city-"

"She understands, thanks," Isaac interrupted him. It shushed the man, who sighed and went to check on his wounded comrade. When Dynis turned to Isaac, she could see conflict in his eyes. Yet he did not oppose her decision. Just simply nodded once and lead them back to where they'd been abducted - which was a rather lengthy journey, considering he found himself lost several times, having never come back into the alleys so far.

​

Eventually, and with only a few minutes to spare before sunset, they came across a massive building. In front of it, an even bigger courtyard cut from marble that shined under the darkening sky. Ahead of them, a tall, regal woman dressed in white robes stepped out of the building. Despite her straight posture, wrinkles lined her face and the color of her hair had been peppered with plenty of gray. Isaac pointed her out. "That's Lady Michelle," he sounded less eager to speak with her than before, "she must be heading to the vote now. You... can still catch her before she leaves." Isaac made no move to follow Dynis and, instead, stayed at the entrance to the courtyard.

Before Dynis could call out to the councilor, however, Lady Michelle looked in their direction. Her face darkened. Swiftly, she turned and began walking away from them, presumably to another exit that would lead her out of the courtyard. From where Dynis could see, there was a small door she aimed for that let out to the side of the courtyard, not far away. She could call out to her, chase after her, or reroute to surprise her on the other side.

- Call out to her
- Chase after her
- Reroute
- (Optional) Ask Isaac to follow

 

[ArcticFox]

Oh, no, she would not! Dynis scowled, moving to reroute and intercept the woman from the other side. She did not look like someone that would stop if called. Before rushing after the councilor, Dynis motioned at Isaac to follow. "I still need your help." She said. "Please don't give up on me now."

 

[Cartoonicat]

"I..." Isaac frowned. He did not follow her - simply stood there with a contemplative look on his face - but she did not have time to try and further convince him. Hurrying out the courtyard door they'd come, she turned and sprinted towards the door she guessed the councilor would be exiting. And, as luck should have it, she'd been right.

The door opened to reveal Lady Michelle on the other side. The older woman startled at the sight of Dynis right in front of her. Then she scowled and made to brush past her. "I have nothing to say to you," she said. Dynis could easily block her path or she could let her go and follow alongside her. Since Dynis already knew Lady Michelle's standing on the subject and, apparently, Lady Michelle knew Dynis', they could cut right to the chase.

- Be bold
- Be emotional
- Be logical
- Be unpredictable
- Something else
(Additional): Block her path
(Additional): Walk beside her

 

[ArcticFox]

"But I have something to say to you." Dynis said as she walked beside the older woman, not ready to give this up just yet. "You now your people are suffering being confined inside the city the whole time. Business is slow and their stores and not bringing any income. They are only petitioning you for help now, but if you keep rejecting them, they are not gonna come at you with words only. I'm not fully in the right here, but neither are you. Even if you refuse to lower the barrier today, it cannot stay up forever. There has to be a middle ground here."

 

[Cartoonicat]

Lady Michelle scoffed: "You've been talking to the weapons vendors? The armorers? Barbarians; we'll be glad to see their businesses gone," she said. "There is no need for weapons in Magdarene nor is there a need for outsiders. We have culture to preserve. A sense of safety." Despite her age, which appeared to be rather old, the councilor picked up walking speed.

Dynis' approach so far had not worked; if anything, Lady Michelle seemed less eager to hear anything she had to say. A new tactic might be in order.

- Threaten her
- Bribe her
- Plead with her
- Something else

 

[ArcticFox]

"Yet your business will suffer if they all decide to pack their bags and go." Dynis insisted. "You don't want to see that, do you? This city won't be as prosperous soon if its traders start leaving it and the markets empty out. It might start with the weapon merchants, but it will spread to others too."

 

[Cartoonicat]

With a sigh, Lady Michelle stopped walking. Turned narrowed brows towards Dynis. "I understand, I think, why you are doing this," she said. Yet, her next few words were completely off the mark. "A sibling? A lover? A friend? There is someone in that group of filth you want to save. Which one is it? If you stop this nonsensical pursuit, I'll vouch for one to come inside, but only one."

Dynis could name one of her friends outside to bring in to the city or she could continue pressing Lady Michelle, who did not seem very reciprocative to her approaches. The two passed over a small walkway. Around them, there seemed to be less people. Further down the street resided a large building, likely their destination. Dynis had nearly run out of time.

- Name someone
- Insist
- Threaten
- Bribe
- Plead
- Something else

 

[ArcticFox]

Dynis stopped in her tracks. There was nothing she wanted more at that point than to strangle that awful woman with her bare hands. She gripped her staff harder and did her best to contain herself.

"Fine, suit yourself, councillor. But, I'm not giving up that easily." She said and turned on her heel to leave. She was done with that conversation. Two Councillors seemed to be on her side, that would have to be enough.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Lady Michelle narrowed her brows, "Neither will I." Immediately after, she walked towards the building and disappeared inside. The last one to arrive was Lilith, who quite literally sprinted past Dynis, nearly knocking her over, on her way to the door. She tossed a wild grin over her shoulder.

From there, Dynis waited.
---
Isaac never returned. Whether he would later or not was up for debate but, for now, Dynis remained on her own. The sunset had come and nearly gone; Dynis could see more purples and blues in the sky now than oranges and pinks, and small stars had begun to appear. Night was falling and her friends were still outside.

It had taken an hour since the vote started before the councilors returned. Lady Michelle stepped out first and looked directly at Dynis, as though expecting her to be there. She smiled smugly. General Ezra looked as broody as he had when Dynis met Isaac - it could be safely assumed that was just his default face - while councilor Lyander appeared tired. His sister - still with that wild look in her eye - pointed out Dynis and the two approached. Lyander frowned.

"The vote was a tie," he said. "I'm sorry, but your friends will not be allowed inside."

"I knew it wouldn't work," Lilith said, not bothering to lower her voice, "Lady Michelle is a royal bitch." The woman in question seemed to hear her name spoken and looked over from afar, caught in conversation with General Ezra. "Buuuut... she keeps things interesting," she grinned. Glanced at her brother, who shook his head.

Lyander stepped away, hands raised in mock surrender. "This is where I leave you. I can't get involved in this." Shot his sister a look, whispering through clenched teeth: "I actually care about my job."

"Oh, go on, go on," she said, "before I tell you details Ezra will jail you for. Go on, now."

"I hope you know what you're doing," is all Lyander said, sounding somewhat pained then, before leaving the two women alone.

Lilith turned to Dynis and grinned. "I have an idea on how to save your friends," she said quietly. "But, disclaimer: I actually have no clue how this will turn out and we may very well die horrible, painful, bloody deaths. Are you interested?"

- Agree
- Refuse
- Ask for details first
- Something else

 

[ArcticFox]

Dynis was not as devastated as she expected to be. To be honest, she kind of already knew the outcome based on her talks with Councillors. What she did not count on was that one of them would offer to help her. When Lilith approached her, she was already planning how to bring down the whole damn city when the Nightmare came after her group. But, perhaps she would not need to do that.

"Does it involve disposing off Lady Michelle in the process? Please tell me that it does, because I'm definitely in." She said in a tone that was only partially joking.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Lilith snorted in amusement. "Actually, yes," this time she lowered her voice, "considering she's still talking to Ezra and that's who we need. Fun fact: If Ezra dies, the barrier goes with him. His barrier is the only one strong enough to keep the Nightmare out. What do you think he'll do if his life was on the line?" Lilith raised her hands to mimic a balance scale. "Refuse to lower the barrier, resulting in his own death as well as the destruction of the city, or lowering the barrier in time to get your friends through with a smaller chance of the Nightmare following them in? Inevitable destruction versus at least a chance to survive."

Considering Magdarene was her home, it was odd Lilith seemed so prepared to risk the lives of the people she was supposed to protect. The life of her brother, no less.

"We attack them, here and now, and force him to lower the barrier. Thankfully you're an outsider; Outsiders are known for killing people over much smaller things. I don't think he'll call our bluff." There were a few civilians around but not many, and none seemed armed. Then again, this was a city of mages, so it was hard to tell how strong they were just from first glance. Not to mention, if Ezra was strong enough to constantly keep the barrier running, he himself must be extremely powerful. Dynis didn't even know Lady Michelle's powers or if she even had any.

- Start the mission
- Ask Lilith's motives
- Ask about Lady Michelle's powers
- Ask about Ezra's powers
- Do something else

 

[ArcticFox]

"You want to threaten a mage that is keeping your city safe?" Dynis gave Lilith a doubtful look. "Why would you want that?" She asked, not sure if she wanted to associate with her really. Yes, they motives alligned for the time being, but she didn't trust her. And she absolutely hated her music. Were those reasons good enough to decline and let her friends at the mercy of a creature that was bound to hunt them down? Or come outside and die with them? Well, she already confirmed to herself that she was willing to do anything for her little group even if she was not on the best of terms with most of them.