Fantasy The Harbingers (Roleplay Page)

[SpookySkeleton]

Greysonn turns to Gizzard, who is quite distraught over the fact he might not get to see his friends again. He crouches down to meet the small Kobold and speaks in a very caring tone, as to not frighten the poor creature while he is so stricken with grief. “Well, once your job here is done you can choose to move to a separate afterlife. It’s not determined by me or by anyone here what your job is, but I assure you as long as you do your best to help our cause your role will be fulfilled. As for your other questions, you do not have to worry about food, water, or using the restroom while you are here, but once you are out in the field, that’s a different story. But that will all be answered in due time. You can start a life of your own here if it is to your liking, kids cannot be born here but all your reproductive organs should still be intact. There are also plenty of games to play here in the sanctuary. As for dying twice... well... kind of... if you get injured on the field you can technically die again, but it’s not bloody or messy and you simply fade from existence like I told you before. However if you die on the field of battle and it is determined by the Sanctuary Guardian that you have filled your purpose appropriately, you can choose to move on to Elysium and see your party again.”

He looks over through each of them, seeing that they all have adjusted and grown back into the afterlife side of things. Usually it takes a lot more careful wording to move on from the fact that they have passed on. But all the same, he looks over at Axel who has yet to make his move. “You do not have to view anything if you do not wish to, it is all about making sure that you can find comfort here.”

 

[MachN]

As Axel stares at the crystal mirror before him, he silently debates with himself on what to do. The people he had wanted to see the most were his parents, but the more he thought about it, the less he was actually willing to find out what they would be doing after discovering their son had gone missing. They may have been a bit overprotective, but they still loved him as much as he loved them. He knew if he spoke his parents name that whatever he saw through the mirror would involve them worried sick about him in some way. He knew that seeing something like that would make him completely break down in tears. Hell, even now, he was holding back tears thinking about it. The sooner he could forget about his past life, the better he would be able to cope.

Axel then thinks about the other option, seeing what happened after he died. Sure, it would be interesting to see where he would end up after death, but like before, Axel feared he would find something he didn’t want to see? Would his parents be the first to find his body? Would it even be found at all? These questions all intrude Axels mind all at once. What was the benefit of looking at the past when all it would do is bring him more heartache? Finally, Axel makes his decision and simply says the words “I’m staying” as he walks away from the mirror.

ArchAngelLexi galakzee EldridSmith lunar_moth SpookySkeleton

 

[SpookySkeleton]

“Hm, I’m glad you all came to such a conclusion. Now we discuss matters of the Corruption. Follow me.” He makes his way away from the crystal building, turning around for a moment, “Another thing, if you wish to return here, contact me or one of the other leaders of this place, you will meet them soon enough.”

He continues on, moving past the grand hall and coming to a stop upon a string of different tents. At the head of them all in the plaza are a group of larger tents with flags beside them. An Armored Lion, A Mammoth with a Forest on its back, the symbol of the Archivist, a Cauldron with a Light refracting Prism on the front, A Crystal Shark, and a Phoenix.

“These are the factions of the Harbingers, you will have to choose one of them before you can start on your work. First the Silver Lions, Frontline Infantry is its specialty so it’s a common choice for most close range fighters. The Ivory Mammoths are for our heavy fighters such as our tanks and artillery, but our scouts are also a part of this branch. The Archivist’s Light branch is exactly what you think it is, healers and support. Don’t worry though, you do not have to support the Archivist to join this branch nor are you obligated to choose it because you support the Archivist. Then there’s the Prismatic Cauldron, which is heavily based around magic in all its forms. And the other two are our Air and Sea Supports, The Flarehawks and Sapphire Sharks respectively. So think about it for a moment, head inside one of these buildings and choose your Faction and then you can report back to me for questions.”

 

[lunar_moth]

Rush's slitted eyes scan the rows of tents in front of them. She's silent for a moment while she mulls over her options in her head. Finally, she says,

"I'm not a heavy fighter, but I'm small and quick. I can be a good scout for you." Rush breaks off from the small group to enter the tent of the Ivory Mammoths. She reemerges moments later and hurries back to the others.

"If we all join different factions... will we still see each other?" Rush averts her eyes when she asks this. Typical, she thinks, of her to get so attached to people she hardly knows in such a short time. She's always been soft on the inside, though, much to her own dismay.

EldridSmith SpookySkeleton MachN galakzee ArchAngelLexi

 

[galakzee]

Asla gazed at Gizzard sympathetically. She could imagine how hard it would be to be separated from close friends with no real chance to say goodbye. "Hey," she said softly as she bent down to pat his head gently. "As long as you carry each other in your hearts, you'll never be truly separated." Hopefully it could provide just a little comfort to the pocket-sized kobold, and later she could help distract him by taking him for a quick flight. It was strange how quickly she'd become endeared to Gizzard, but maybe it was just because he was making an effort. She'd never met anyone like him before.

She listened quietly as Greysonn explained the factions. Immediately she felt torn between two. While she was a devout follower of the Archivist, she'd been trained in a fighting style more akin to frontline infantry with a sword and shield. Asla reminded herself of what Greysonn had said, that picking another faction wouldn't invalidate her religion. She nodded, making up her mind.

"It seems the Silver Lions will be the best fit for me." She was also interested to hear the answer to Rush's question, so she decided to wait around with the group a little longer rather than rushing to her faction's tent.

lunar_moth SpookySkeleton EldridSmith MachN ArchAngelLexi

 

[EldridSmith]

Gizzard looked up to the large man who informed him he could move to another afterlife with still teary eyes, but the crying had ceased. "R-Really?" He asked rhetorically, for fear that it was just something said to cheer him up. Asla began to talk to him in a calming voice and she began to pat his head which calmed him down more, as he smiled at her thankfully as he started to return to normal. He didn't know what his task was but he would certainly fulfill it to see his friends again. As his other questions were getting answered gizzard realized the bard would certainly love this place as he didn't have to worry about having kids when he went on his... uhh... trips. There were games thankfully, but he had to worry about dying again... sorta. "Gizzard will fulfill his role, but first Gizzard wants to see the games!" He declares cheerfully as he was now fully back to normal. Soon they began moving again to talk about the corruption and pick a faction. None of them appealed to him really but he felt the cauldron was the one that fit him best. "Gizzard fits cauldron, but Gizzard better not be cooked!" He declared as he reluctantly left the others for the prismatic door after hugging Asla's leg once more and turning to Aeria and giving her a wave before pattering off.

galakzee ArchAngelLexi MachN lunar_moth SpookySkeleton

 

[ArchAngelLexi]

Aeria quietly processed Greyson's words as he described the different factions. While she had never really concerned herself with her role on the battle field, one tends not to worry about such things when you are forcibly dragged into it. In the end she was only ever a healer, so the Archivists was the only place for her. It felt odd being under a faction named after a different religion than her own. At the same time, part of her was thrilled by it since it further separated her from her past life; though she couldn't understand what she was feeling.
After watching a few of the other's choose their factions before making a move.
As she waited she saw Gizzard turn to wave at her. Her fingers moved in a small wave instinctively, barely mimicking the gesture. Once a few others had already come back out she worked up the courage to move into the Archivist's tent, defining her role in this place.

 

[SpookySkeleton]

Axel looked between a couple of choices, mainly the Silver Lions and Archivist’s Light, before ultimately stepping to the side and stating, “I need more time to think this through, please excuse my indecisiveness.”

Greysonn nodded to Axel, turning to the rest of the group, “Well, in the meantime, let me introduce you to a man who has been out on the field, that way any other questions you may have about beyond the portal or about our lovely Sanctuary, he may answer them. Although he may look scary, I assure you he is quite friendly, JinJin, our recruits are here!”

 

[SpookySkeleton]

“Sir, JinJin has gone back out into the field.” Greysonn turns slightly confused, “On his own?” The soldier nods, handing Greysonn a piece of paper. He reads it, before sighing and pocketing the paper. “Well, so much for that, guess I’ll have to put off some of my duties for now to show you the rest of the place and answer any questions you have.”

 

[archur]

From the light and airy fields, a soft clinking of fine materials grew closer and closer to the group gathered at the tents. A heavily clothed figure, in a victorian style tea dress and mid-length cloak approached slowly. Her eyes scanned the group of clearly great and magical people. Two Seraphim, complete with their large frames and larger wings, differed by their emblazoned logos on their plated armors, a mako of the ruffian variety from the account of her hooded attire, but perhaps she had passed judgement too quickly on her. After all, her own doll-like appearance had much more horrible implications to begin with, and it would be rude to judge her and ask for no judgement in return. Finally, there appeared to be a human of some sort who had a more worldly aura about her than the others. It might be the fact she stood like a cypress, thin and tall, but she couldn't quite place why.

As she came to a full stop, she was hailed by Greysonn, the fully armored man addressed her as she approached.

“Ah, you must be a new recruit, come, join us.” He said, his gruff voice calling out to her.

Her eyes went wide as the big man addressed her, and she swallowed her insecurities and scurried towards the ranks of the other chosen heroes, ensuring that she politely stood off to the side. She gathered herself before speaking. "Hello everyone, I am Ashley Delbrook." She paused and bowed her head. "I was just deposited here by the..." Her head craned around for something, but after a moment, she realized that it wasn't there anymore. "...something. I was brought here just a moment ago. What's going on?"

 

[lunar_moth]

Rush tilts her head to one side, peering at the newcomer. Her ears perk forward ever-so-slightly. A woman stands before them, young and porcelain-pale and draped in tasseled robes. Rush squints at her sudden arrival -- she hadn't noticed anyone this out-standing in appearance when they arrived. Perhaps she's losing her touch in death.

But when the woman finishes speaking, Rush can't help the inquisitive prrt? that comes from her throat.

"You woke up by yourself?" she asks, tail flicking. "...Must've been just after we left." She shakes her head momentarily, ears rustling together.

"Rush," she says, nodding her head back in a self-identifying motion. She steps forward and extends a single furred hand, claws delicately sheathed. A business greeting.

"What do you know? Has anybody spoken to you yet? " Rush says. "I'm sure somebody here can help you, if need be." She peers behind herself at the others: kindhearted Gizzard, gentle Aeria, level-headed Asla. Axel has detached himself from the rest, but Rush can't imagine someone like him would frighten off Delbrook. If she were here, it meant she was a fighter, just like the rest of them.

"...And, I'm sorry about your passing," Rush says solemnly. Then her tail bristles as she realizes that that may not have been the most eloquent segue into the topic of Delbrook's new state of deceased. Skies and sea, someone else introduce themselves before she realizes what I said and gets startled!

SpookySkeleton EldridSmith galakzee ArchAngelLexi MachN archur

 

[Ace Cream]

Rouge


That time she got killed on the battlefield, she thought she would just vanish into nothingness. That, or if Arxlan favored her she would be ascended as one of his warrior that would descend onto the earth once more during the end of the universe. Nobody prepared her for a mercenary job in this pre-afterlife world. She got to kill things, yes, but most of them didn't even bleed and the one that bleed might not even bleed the way she wanted them to be. Coupled with the fact that she wasn't even a mortal anymore, the battles had became rather... insubstantial for her. No stake, no reward. What? Fate of the world? Who cares about that! Definitely not Rouge. She felts lost. Her life, or death, had no purpose. Maybe she should just ask Mr. Death to end her existence, or maybe... Rouge's eyes lit up as she got an idea. She might need to discuss it with Greyson though. He's the leader of Harbringer and the one who know what they can and can't do anyway. After asking his whereabout Rouge made her way to the faction tents area.

"Captain Greyson! There you are! I want to briefly go back to the mortal realm, kill my dogs and then recruit their souls into this place. Can I? Pretty please?" Rouge non-chalantly walked into the area and asked the leader with a casual tone. It took her a few seconds before she register the existence of the other people.

"Ah, sorry. I didn't know you're doing another recruit." Rouge's eyes glanced between the newly recruited souls.

"You know, captain. You should just pitch them against a corruption right away so they can fully understand what they're getting into." Rouge suggested while letting out a shrug.

SpookySkeleton lunar_moth EldridSmith ArchAngelLexi archur galakzee

 

[galakzee]

Asla's eyes widened at the two new additions to their group. Ashley had an almost ethereal air to her, and Asla found herself admiring the girl's dress. By comparison, Asla felt clunky and oafish in her bulky suit of armor. It would be nice to be able to shed its weight soon and relax; hopefully that opportunity would come soon. Maybe there's a clothing shop somewhere around here, Asla thought, it would be nice to own a dress as pretty as that...

The second new arrival, on the other hand, was...so different to everyone else she'd met since becoming a Harbinger. Her nonchalant attitude towards the prospect of killing her own dogs made the tiny hairs on her arms stand on end. Asla swallowed, carefully schooling her expression into a more neutral one to avoid alienating a senior member of this organization. Hazing is the last thing she needed right then.

She clasped her hands in front of her and inclined her head slightly in greeting, once to Ashley and once to the other girl. "My name is Asla, I'm glad to meet you both." She turned to more fully speak to Ashley after that, feeling sympathetic to the girl's evident confusion at the situation.

"It's quite a lot to explain, but as you might infer from Rush's comments, you have passed away. Instead of moving on to the afterlife, we've been recruited here to fight some sort of corruption plaguing the mortal realm. Does that about some it up?" Asla's feathery ears twitched as she paused to think. Obviously some key details were omitted to avoid overwhelming the poor girl all at once, but that should be the most pertinent information. "I believe it does, but Greysonn can probably answer any questions better than us."

Ace Cream SpookySkeleton lunar_moth EldridSmith ArchAngelLexi archur

 

[EldridSmith]

Gizzard grinned as Aeria waved back, though the motion was small. He was making progress on making another friend. Gizzard had walked off towards the cauldron when the newcomer arrived, upon hearing the commotion he turned and waved to her before squeaking back. "Gizzard is Gizzard the Lizard Chaos Blizzard Wizard, Gizzard says hi!" He declares before another female arrives, one seemingly crazed in appearance as she gave off the aura akin to a barbarian Gizzard had met before, he never liked them as the one barbarian he met tried to eat him. He then cautiously proceeded into the tent with the cauldron on it, ready to whack anyone who tried cooking him.
Ace Cream SpookySkeleton lunar_moth ArchAngelLexi archur galakzee

 

[MachN]

Axel glances over at the new person who had just joined the group. Her name was Ashley Delbrook, and she seemed to be a Homunculus. She seemed so frightened to be here, and Axel couldn’t help but feel bad for her considering how he had felt when he first got stuck in this place. The others were already trying to comfort her, but Axel felt like he could add his own support into the mix as well. He walks over to the newcomer, and says his piece. “Excuse me”, he says. “I know that this is all very sudden, but just know that we’re here to support you whenever you need it”,

Ashley seems to be satisfied with that statement, so Axel turns his attention back to the factions. The Silver Lions of the Archivist’s light, Axel wonders which one would be better? On the one hand, the Archivist’s Light was the role he preferred more and felt that he could do better in. But on the other hand, Aeria had already chosen that role. He felt that it would become unnecessary and crowded if he were to choose Archivist’s light as well. As a result he decides to go with the Silver Lions. Who knows, he might end up excelling(No pun intended) in this role.

“I’m going to choose the Silver Lions faction” he says, and makes his way over to said faction's tent.

Ace Cream SpookySkeleton lunar_moth ArchAngelLexi archur galakzee

 

[ArchAngelLexi]

As Aeria had emerged from the tent a new stranger was approaching. The woman looked extremely doll like which intrigued Aeria since she had never seen anyone like that, let alone wearing such seemingly fancy clothing. Both Rush and Asla already explained the situation which brought them all here so Aeria remained silent, not that she'd have said much of anything anyways. Once the other's had given their names she quietly chimedin, "I'm Aeria."
The next to arrive made Aeria's blood run cold. This woman had a similar energy to that of those from the cult she was used by, though this one seemed far more terrifying. Aeria's eye's darted around looking for an escape. She strategically shifted back to be more behind Asla, using the larger frame of her armor as a wall to conceal herself.

 

[archur]

Ashley sunk into herself as so many people approached her all at the same time. She did her best to not show that she was being overwhelmed, setting her jaw in place and focusing on one person at a time, her eyes settling on the mako who had introduced herself first.

"You woke up by yourself? Must've been just after we left. What do you know? Has anybody spoken to you yet? " The ruffian mako seemed genuinely concerned for her, a stranger. "I'm sure somebody here can help you, if need be."

The doll gathered herself before answering, her mind recalling her brief encounter with the unknown. "I woke up in some dark, foggy tunnel lined with flowers off to some distant place. A voice told me that tunnel lead to a horrible afterlife because my form was unnatural, a punishment for my father's sins." She pulled the long sleeves of her dress to cover her cold porcelain hands. "The voice said I could suffer for eternity, or join the Harbingers. I don't think I had much of a choice."

"-I want to briefly go back to the mortal realm, kill my dogs and then recruit their souls into this place. Can I? Pretty please?" Ashley briefly overheard, watching as an armored woman emerged from one of the tents. She turned her head back to the mako.

"Rush." The mako said, extending her hand. Ashley did not return it, turning Rush's hand away. "I try not to shake hands with people I want to be friends with. Never had a fun relationship with people I've introduced myself to by shaking hands." She sheepishly smiled.

"...And, I'm sorry about your passing." Rush said, reminding Ashley what little she could remember from her life. She touched her chest, expecting to feel at least a hole or stinging sensation where the bolt had hit her, but there was nothing to suggest her dress had been pierced. "I have the distinct feeling that this isn't my first time."

Just then, another woman had gotten Ashley's attention, more formally this time than the scary knight did. "My name is Asla, I'm glad to meet you both." She made eye contact one last time with Rush and nodded to her before letting Asla approach her. She seemed eager to meet Ashley, radiating the sort of grace that a knightly saint would, feathery ears included. "It's quite a lot to explain," Asla began. "but as you might infer from Rush's comments, you have passed away. Instead of moving on to the afterlife, we've been recruited here to fight some sort of corruption plaguing the mortal realm. Does that about sum it up?" She paused for a moment before concluding her thoughts aloud.

The homunculus nodded slowly as her newfound situation was put into words. "I imagine you are all great warriors then, if you've been entrusted to fight off corruption that plagues the mortal realm, right?" Asla certainly looked the part, so did Rush for that matter. Ashley shook her head. She had never gotten into a fight in all her life since she spent most of it under the study of her father, but where she was now, she would just have to make do with what magic she knew. It was that or death again, and she didn't want to know what happened if she died fighting against this 'corruption.'

"Actually, forget what I said, sorry." She quickly deflected. These strangers didn't need to hear her insecurities, not upon just meeting them. Just then, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Excuse me.” A deep voice says, “I know that this is all very sudden, but just know that we’re here to support you whenever you need it." She briefly looked up at the source of the voice and saw it was another large, knightly figure with feathery white locks of hair that poked out from a dark hood. "I'll consider it." She said quietly to herself, not looking up to meet his eyes. She swallowed, then glanced back up to him. "Thank you." She said, slightly louder this time.

There were others that made themselves known, specifically a large lizard with big round eyes that introduced himself as "Gizzard the Lizard Chaos Blizzard Wizard!" He spoke in the third person. Ashley did not know exactly whether to be enthused, fascinated, or confused. Another girl had also introduced herself, but all Ashley caught was her name, Aeria. Frankly, she was thankful she didn't have another conversation and all the introductions to her were over. She clenched and unclenched her fists in anxiety, then decided that Rush would be her acquaintance for the day.

She turned to the cat and grabbed her arm. "I have no idea what's going on, and I'm honestly a little scared. Do you mind if I stick with you for now?" She whispered.

Ace Cream ArchAngelLexi lunar_moth MachN EldridSmith galakzee SpookySkeleton

 

[SpookySkeleton]

“For now, let us go back to the inn, it is a place where you can rest your heads. Ashley, once you’ve calmed down a bit I can explain things in better detail, I also want to talk to you about how you’ve gotten here however. But we can save that for after you have settled down and made your rooms.” Greysonn sweeps his way down the hill and towards the main hall that he was standing in front of earlier, before pointing down the mountain to a rather small looking building. “This is where everyone in the Harbingers rests. Do not be concerned with its size, the interior is made up of magic, and will accommodate any amount of people.”

The door to the inn opens and suddenly a rush of chatter erupts from the inside. As Greysonn leads you inside however, all goes quiet. “Good afternoon Harbingers, may I introduce the newest recruits to our regime, Asla, Axel, Gizzard, Rush, Ashley, and Aeria.” The crowd of people cheers, and suddenly the overwhelming welcome brings a varying amount of emotion. Once the crowd dies down, Greysonn goes to the desk before handing each of them a key. Then pointing to a door on their left, which by all means should lead outside. “Using your key on that door will take each of you to your room, only one at a time, unless you want to have a joint room with someone. This door is constantly being used and you will have to be careful of people using it. Also, if you would like to decorate your rooms in any way you can hire one of the carpenters of the place to edit it in any way. Now, I shall be off. Take care everyone, and if you need anything, Rouge would be happy to answer your questions. Ashley, meet me at the main hall at 7:30 tonight.” He darts away, obviously in a hurry.

 

[lunar_moth]

Rush startles a bit at the contact, but she recovers quickly, covering Delbrook's hand on her arm with one of her own. Her skin is cold under Rush's finger pads -- makes her thoughts flit back to what the woman had said moments before.

A voice told me that tunnel lead to a horrible afterlife because my form was unnatural, a punishment for my father's sins.

I have the distinct feeling that this isn't my first time.

...What was that supposed to mean? Had something like this happened to Delbrook before? Perhaps she was one of the reanimated -- Rush had met a person like that before in her line of work. The colloqiual term was 'zombie,' actually, but her acquaintance had never cared for the implications. Though, Delbrook does not particularly resemble that person in any way, save for her pallor and chilled skin. Rush swallows the questions that bubbled in her throat. She'd seen stranger things in the course of her lifetime than a fair human woman. Regardless, Delbrook owed her no answers nor interrogation. Stars only know how many dirty secrets Rush herself hides, what with her chosen profession.

Leaving that train of thought behind, Rush tilts her head up at the woman herself.

"Of course. I imagine this is an alarming situation. Rest easy near me; my job is making sure any disturbances are... controlled."

With that, she turns a steely gaze on their second new arrival. This young woman's prescence alone was enough to make the hair on the back of Rush's nape stand on end, but hearing her speak so non-chalantly about ending lives... well, Rush had never gotten along with common dogs, but even she understood that death required a sense of tact. The murderer is never greater than the murdered -- they're just the one on the lucky side of the knife this time. Rush twists her mouth into a frown. That saying had never seemed more apt.

Rush notices movement out of the corner of her eye. Aeria, shielding herself behind the ever-calm Asla. Figures -- Aeria was a noticeably anxious girl, and though she didn't have the full story, it didn't take a genius to put the pieces together and understand Aeria likely had reason for being so. Rush catches Axel's gaze to her side, and deliberately moves to place herself between the newcomer and the rest of their little group, hoping he'll catch on and do the same. She knows it's silly, everybody there has already proven themselves to be a capable fighter. But having herself and the two most knightly of them all, Asla and Axel, shielding the smaller (--in Gizzard's case. Rush knows she's not exactly a musclewoman herself) and more softspoken ones makes her feel better. Damn those lingering elder-sister instincts.

Rush says nothing to the new woman as they make the trek to their lodging with Greysonn, and she remains silently in position as Greysonn explains their living situation and presses a key into her hand. Then, in the lull of silence that follows, she speaks up, addressing the girl whose name is, apparently, Rouge.

"...I cannot imagine many questions I'd feel the need to ask at this point," Rush says, and her voice is flat and clipped. "But perhaps you'd care to explain just exactly who you are?"

SpookySkeleton EldridSmith galakzee ArchAngelLexi MachN archur Ace Cream

 

[Ace Cream]

Rouge

"Oy Greyson! You hear me??"

"Oii don't you dare ignoring me Greyson"

"Greyson!"

"Yeah, fuck you too!"

Rouge wasn't exactly subtle as she annoy Greyson on their way from the tent area to the inn. She was irritated that he didn't adress her and just shoved her the task of babysitting some newcomers. So she gave Greyson the middle finger as he walked away from the group in a hurry. She didn't know and didn't care of what made him in such a haste, but what should she do with these people? Pitch them against a corruption right of the bat??

...

Actually, that didn't sounds like a bad idea. It might even be fun. Greyson be damned, he should expect something like this if he gave her the orientation duty. If any of them die on first encounter then they're not fit to be a harbringer in the first place. Natural selection! Law of the jungle! Murder-Death-Kill!! A large smirk appeared on her face as she faced Rush and answered her question.

"I don't have many answer myself, but I have a game~" rouge pulled a small black stone from her pocket and played with it like a coin, flicking it from one hand to another. "Oh, yeah. Introduction first. Call me Rouge. Rouge! Remember it! Simply put, I'm your senior at being dead."

"I imagine Greyson explained things without actually explain your main job. He can be such a lame-O, eh. Probably doesn't want potential soldiers to run away in fear like what what happened in my batch, hah! So let's play a game. If you win I will give you all a big hug but if you lose... well, you cease to exist. That's it." Rouge threw the stone towards the center of the group, where it then twitched and encased all the people nearby in a bright light. When the light fade, the group was freefalling above a wasteland.

"Oh, damn Arxlan's Asses! I hate this one! Anyway, this is your first corruption! You will spend a big portion of your afterlife fighting things like this. If you don't like it you can ask Mr. Death in the plaza to execute you." Rouge's yell was somehow able to be heard clearly by the other people. As if things like wind friction didn't hinder their hearing during the fall. It wasn't long before the group landed on a mass of green slime which cushion their fall tremendously. The slime covered a large area and was constantly writhing about. Occasionally, the shape of hands or faces could be seen emerging on its surface before vanished back into its body.

Spoiler: Slime-O

"Slime of Regret. They're not particularly dangerous but I hate them. Everyone hate them. People usually avoid being tasked to eliminate them. They responded to your memory, whispering words from your life and make people panic for no reason, stay strong. Their core should be somewhere, destroy it and we're finished." Rouge seemes agitated as she hacked into a slime hand which was trying to grab her, the hand was easily destroyed. A face emerged on Rouge's right side and a loud whisper could be heard.

"hAVe yOu DoNE enNouGh??" The voice was heavy and raspy, the sounds of an otherwordly being trying its best to mimic human voice. "ThhE eMpeRor Was wAiitI-"

The face got hacked to pieces before it could finish its sentences. Rouge trudged through the slime slowly before approaching Gizzard and leaned her right shoulder forward.

"The slime can be overwhelming for shorties like you, hop on!"

SpookySkeleton EldridSmith lunar_moth galakzee archur ArchAngelLexi MachN

 

[galakzee]

Asla nodded with some relief at Axel's announcement that he would join the Silver Lions. It would be nice to have another fellow newbie joining her faction, and from their limited interactions Axel seemed to be agreeable at least. They even had some common ground, both being Seraphim, so perhaps one day they could be friends.

She was still feeling a bit on edge from Rouge's introduction, and was relieved to see that she wasn't the only one with an adverse reaction to their senior. Asla felt more than saw the motion of Aeria shielding herself behind Asla. Her heart hurt for the poor girl. Her quietness with the group and her clear visceral reaction to Rouge's demeanor were clear signs of trauma in Asla's mind; the poor girl had definitely been through some unspeakable horrors in her life. The least she could do was give the girl a little bit of privacy. Subtly Asla shifted herself to block Aeria more completely from Rouge's view, one hand coming to grip the pommel of the sword sheathed at her side.

Ashley seemed a bit self-conscious, if her question was anything to go by. Asla sent her another encouraging smile, but didn't reply, seeing as Ashley had asked them to disregard it. Despite years of combat training, Asla would be lying if she said she wasn't feeling a bit of imposter syndrome at the moment, too. How could she possibly be talented enough to join the ranks of this elite order of warriors? It was humbling but anxiety-inducing at the same time. At the very least, Asla knew this would be an opportunity to radically improve her skills and train with the best of the best.

Greysonn lead the group toward the tavern. Without being asked, Asla continued to place herself between Rouge and Aeria as they walked. When they enter and are introduced by Greysonn, the roar of the crowd causes Asla to wince, her ears twitching. The tavern was the first place that felt truly alive in this whole place, Asla noted; she'd spent many a night in places just like this in the mortal realm. That was at least slightly comforting. Asla clasped her hands in front of herself again and bowed respectfully to the patrons of the tavern. When Greysonn finally placed the key into her hand, Asla felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. Her time with the Harbingers had been one big whirlwind of emotion so far, and she'd yet to find a safe, private place to digest her feelings. She was still coming to grips with the fact that she'd died, for Archivist's sake! Despite the fatigue settling into her bones, Asla doesn't move to her room yet, eager to make sure Aeria can escape to her own private sanctuary first.

...But it seemed nobody would be left to their thoughts just yet. Rouge introduced herself to the group, but before Asla had the opportunity to react in any way, she was falling again. Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest and she struggled to control her breathing as she was brought right back to those traumatic memories of burning to death and falling endlessly through a void to arrive with the Harbingers. She barely registered Rouge continuing to talk over the roar in her ears; it wasn't wind, but panic.

When the group finally splooshed down onto the green slime, it took a few moments for Asla to recognize just what exactly had happened. She blinked, slow to react as Rouge began hacking and slashing at the slimy limbs of this monster. The roar in her ears subsided, replaced by the hardened nerves of a trained warrior. In spite of her emotions, her exhaustion, her anger at Rouge, there was an enemy. One that, if Rouge was to be believed, would kill her new acquaintances if she didn't act. Asla grit her teeth and stood up, brandishing her sword and shield, and began her own assault against the slime. She fueled her attacks with the anger she felt towards Rouge (and the situation in general, but at this point it was mainly towards Rouge).

A mouth formed out of the slime that rasped, "YoUu'lL neVEr be EnoOOougH...yoUuR fRrieNDs wILl diE And iT wiiLL Be yoUr faAaaul--"

"Shut up!" Asla snapped uncharacteristically as she stabbed at the mouth, a few traitor tears slipping out. Oh, when this was over, she definitely had some choice words for Rouge.

SpookySkeleton EldridSmith lunar_moth archur ArchAngelLexi MachN Ace Cream

 

[EldridSmith]

After Gizzard exited the tent, and not having bonked anyone for trying to cook him was especially nice, as cave dwellers considered them tasty snacks. He noticed Rogue was scaring the others before annoying tin can man. He silently walked up behind her and bonked her with his stick on the back of the head, much like he did with the dwarf bard when he was off trying to seduce another person or creature. "Don't scare people." He defiantly stated as he turned to the others as they made their way over to the place they would be staying from now on. He looked at the new girl who was hanging on to Rush and seemed to see she was
scared, he would hug her once he got the chance.

As they entered Gizzard immediately felt home, as he spent so much time in taverns with his old party it was like he was with them again... even though he wasn't and they were a realm or two a way. He was going to finish whatever his task was to get back to them, maybe bring some of his new friends with. However he didn't have long to feel at home until he was suddenly falling towards a giant slime. He spread his arms, legs, and tail and used his cloak to float down much slower than the others as he waved back and forth like a leaf in the wind... he got used to falling from high places rather quick with his old party... they had a habit of being knocked off mountains... a lot.

Gizzard steered himself as best he could to land on someone's shoulder, but he ended up flying into Axel's face before sliding down his armor and barely holding on to stay out of the slime. Thankfully Rogue approached and offered Gizzard a shoulder which he accepted... though he would bonk her for this mess after they finished. Normally a party would have time to prepare for things like this. Still he put that aside for now to look at the slime of regrets, and he had a thought the rest of the party wouldn't: what did it taste like? He was now curious to find out, so curious he didn't hear it whispering about how he would never see his party again.

Loaded with curiosity which overtook everything gizzard prepared a sigil which would cause the element, whatever his magic spinner chose, to blast out into a large cone... hopefully it wasn't light or dark this time. Thankfully it wasn't as his spinner started glowing an ember orange as it landed on fire and filled the sigil and grew into a large cone of fire causing the slime to sizzle. Gizzard scuttled down Rogue's armor to scoop up a bit of the dried slime before scuttling back onto her shoulder to taste the substance... it tasted nasty, like bad beef jerky. He spat it out and he instantly heard the regret of trying it from the creature. "Blegh." He stated as he clawed at his tongue to get the taste out.
SpookySkeleton lunar_moth archur ArchAngelLexi MachN Ace Cream galakzee

 

[MachN]

After witnessing a strange human named Rouge talk about some type of game, She immediately throws a stone, and after a few moments, Axel finds himself plummeting to the ground below. He finally lands after a few moments and has a somewhat rocky landing, which is only further exemplified by having Gizzard land directly into his face. He slides down and heavily grips Axel’s shoulder, which he found mildly annoying. Rouge comes over and offers Gizzard her shoulder, which Gizzard graciously accepts.

As Rouge explains the mysterious slime that stands before them, Allegedly called the ‘Slime of Regret’, Axel suddenly starts to feel intimidated. This was the first real threat he’s ever faced since arriving at this place, and he was worried he might not be up to the challenge. Nevertheless, he tries his best to push these feelings away and focus on defeating their current enemy. Asla and Gizzard both seemed to be tacking this slimy creature in their own way. Asla trying to slash away at the slime, and Gizzard strangely trying to eat the slime and gagging at the taste afterwards. They would definitely need some help if they were going to defeat this thing, so Axel drew his sword and got ready to attack.

He remembers what Rouge had said about attacking the core and makes that his target. The core would most likely be somewhere inside the Slime, so Axel gave a quick leap into the air, using his wings to soar over to the monster. As he made his way closer to the slime monster, it suddenly started to speak.

“YoU’rE wAsTiNg YoUr TiMe!” The grotesque creature suddenly shrieked. “YoU wIlL nEvEr Be GoOd EnOuGh To AcCoMpLiSh AnYtHiNg!”

This made Axel suddenly stop in his tracks. Both from the shock at hearing the creature speak, and fear from it projecting his greatest fear onto him. Unfortunately, that small moment of indecision was all the monster needed, as it suddenly laid a hard smack to Axel’s chest, sending him falling hard on the floor. This attack left him momentarily stunned, And it wouldn’t be long before the slime monster continued its assault.

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[ArchAngelLexi]

As they were led to the tavern Aeria was silently grateful that Asla had stayed between her and Rouge. Even though she wasn't sure if it was intentional or just a coincidence, Aeria was grateful none the less. As they entered the tavern Aeria was overwhelmed by the noise that erupted from the crowd. Horrid memories of being used and the cheers of those who watched filled her mind. As a wave of panic washed over her she gritted her teeth and tightly closed her eyes. She reached out a head of her finding the cold metal of Asla's armor. She focused on the best she could on the small group around her, her breathing sporadic as she tried to calm herself.
As they were instructed about how the door to their rooms worked Aeria was ready to dart in when before they all of a sudden where plunged into a hole. As they landed in the slime Aeria crumpled into herself. There was no helping the full blown panic attack which hit her like a truck. As everyone was dealing with the slime in their own ways Aeria was paralyzed as her body shook and tear flowed from her eyes. One of the head formed in front of her and a few arms moved to grab at her.
"YoUr WeAk. A fRaUd. PoWeRlEsS. YoU sOuLd JuSt DiE," the voice said andAeria couldn't disagree with it. Just as it was about to grab her she saw Axel fall a head of her and she snapped. She let out a panic and hate filled shriek as she grabbed her dagger from within her cloak. She wildly slashed away at the slime around her as tears poured out, a sea of emotions she had never let out. She dived over to Axel, ready to heal him but found no need since there here no injuries. In both hands she held the dagger in front of her ready to slice away what ever came at them. "Get up!" She shouted at Axel between sobs.

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[archur]

The porcelain woman had stayed right by the side of Rush as they entered the tavern. It was almost like the first floor of the collegiate that her father taught at, adventurers and all, but with a lot less noise and a complete absence of alcohol. It was a little familiar to her, but the noise and smell wasn't. She pocketed her key to her room, deciding that most certainly she would need to regrow her collection of tomes and fiction again once she settled herself in. Hopefully, the next Simirils book had been written by the time she had died. She hadn't gotten to read the last of the series before she had unfortunately passed the first time. However, she didn't have any time to think about the mythical king Fingolfin's final venture into the darkest of lands when the black and red clad knight triumphantly introduced herself as Rouge, and offered to play a game. Victory meant a hug(?) and defeat was a fate denied. To her, that wasn't really a game as to more a trial by fire, but whatever it was called, she didn't have any time to think about it as a small black stone clattered by her feet before sending her into a freefall.

She yelped and barked a command into the air reflexively. "Mirr duna, I serr du irrui!" A thick tome laden with endless bookmarks and dog ears found itself fluttering in the air just besides Ashley, slips of loose paper escaping from the book as they fell through the air. She clapped the book shut and shouted another command just before they hit the ground. "Faedhasllerr!" Her descent slowed as to that of the loose pieces of paper, slowly floating down the few feet off the ground she was, landing delicately on the green slime. As if it was waiting for her, she landed in a group of grasping hands.

"Slime of Regret!" Exclaimed Rouge as everyone began to assess the situation. "They're not particularly dangerous but I hate them. They respond to your memory, whispering words from your life and making people panic for no reason, stay strong. Their core should be somewhere, destroy it and we're finished."

Easy enough. Find the core, and this will all be over. She kicked her feet out of the weakly grasping hands and began to mentally collect herself, closing her eyes and listening. She heard grunts of exertion from the swinging of weapons, the familiar sound of fire being conjured and the sizzle of slime, the flap of feathers, and ragged breathing, sobbing even. One by one, she closed out all of these sounds. The slime however, was the most persistent of the noises. Not the squelching, but the whisperings. She only caught snippets of it meant for others, and began to close those out too, but the one right next to her ear was hardest the to ignore.

"The weakling can't even fight. Not a dagger, not a single blade, not even a magic missile." The voice was gurgling and bubbling. She tried to shut out the slime as it slid it's vile thoughts into her ears, mentally trying to recount which location spell would work with this scenario. Something like "Locate Object" probably wouldn't work, since the core was a part of the slime as much as the-

"You don't deserve to be here, you should've let yourself end up in that eternal suffering you were destined for." This time, it came out as a strange facsimile of her father's voice, refined and haughty, ultimately disappointed. Ashley was trained for such things, and wouldn't let a little distraction take her from her spell. She mentally mulled over a few more spells. Technically, the core was alive, merely an organ in the creature, one of two organs, but that still meant-

"You are unnatural, porcelain girl, not even really alive. Do the rest of the job and let yourself be executed at the plaza, freak." It was as if Rouge herself had told it to her, not directly into her ear, but as if she was in front of her, scolding Ashley for her existence. Ashley opened her eyes and found her legs wrapped up by the slime, her dress slowly being eaten away by the corrosive substance. She trembled as if she were crying, but no tears rolled down her face. She couldn't, there wasn't any tear ducts that would be able to produce tears for her. She wasn't even able to remember the spell's whole name asides from "Falin", so she found herself magically flipping to the section she figured it would be in.

Her eyes scanned over the words as the book rapidly flipped through all of it's pages, briefly catching the last part of the spell. "...waecfuaild" With a new determination, she uttered the spell and the core of the creature began to glow a bright iridescent, deep within the creature's thickest folds where faces and hands writhed.

"Let yourself-" The slime was cut off as an arcane sigil centered over her own head blasted the creature's whisperings into oblivion. Ashley was a combination of singed and soaked, since the slime had nearly engulfed her up to her waist before she cleansed herself. However, she felt the odd sensation of something wriggling around inside of her head, which was a series of questions she would wait to ask herself later, once this was done and it stopped whispering little threats into her mind on how worthless and unnatural she was.

"I found th-" Her voice cracked, but she cleared her throat. "I found the core, it's in there!" She pointed directly at the core as she prepared another spell, muttering chants and arcane verbage under her breath.

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