The Fall of Dahlia Senerite II [Group Assignment]

Thu Nov 17, 2022 2:08 pm

Salen couldn't help but stare at Hugo's seemingly lifeless body on the floor and Andre's wound that appeared to be festering. Synthar took a moment as he looked at the other two, before conjuring his Nightorch from thin air. Afterwards he conjured up a white glowing ball of energy and began tethering the light towards Andre's wound. The burning pain from the touch of ectoplasm began to reimburse the wound slowly as the cells would mend and repair themselves. Synthar would eventually cast Engulf on the area around the door, drawing the souls of those who lost the battle previously to his Nightorch. The dark and sinister way of watching appeared to be one of the darkest days. Once Andre had regained his composure, he moved to where the troupe were gathering their plan.

Rene stared at the others as he narrowed his eyes "Well, it seems like we have the evil twins to contend with, although I'm worried ice queen, Isabelle and red queen, Meredith are already at each other's throats." He said, rolling his eyes and turning directly towards Synthar "Synthar, do you think you can work your magic on this poor soul on the floor? Check his pulse or something."

"It's fine!" He outted, he should be awake soon, gosh... Have you not experienced drowning?"

"No, but I imagine you know how it feels so you're able to emphasise, if he doesnt wake up I suppose we'll just have to leave him."

Salen shook his head and stopped in front of him "No one is leaving anyone in the shit, nor am I having any more lives on my conscience." He looks at Synthar and Andre, nodding to them "He'll awake soon I hope..." He exhaled through his nose, already stressed. He couldn't help but notice the tears in Jared's eyes, so much that he brushed his hand over his cheek "It's alright, it'll be alright and if it isn't, we'll just have to deal with each day going by..."

"And I see someone is learning the valuable lesson of leadership..."

"Meanwhile, I'll scout, you keep an eye on Hugo and the door just incase anyone disturbs us... I'll see what's going on above ground..."

"Salen... Stop for a moment..." Andre spoke out in concern.

"I'm not going anywhere... I don't need to go, I have it covered... A simple trip to the Reverie and back into reality, that's all..."

"Don't do it, that's what she wants you to do..."

"I'll be fine, trust me..."

"No..." Andre spoke stubbornly

Salen sighed as he crossed his arms "Alright fine... But I don't see us getting far without getting ahead." He said, turning to the remainder of the troupe, knowing how close he was with ending the suffering of the others within Dahlia's sect. The way she manipulated hundreds of people to her own advantage proved to be merciless and Machiavellian in nature.

It was time she got what she deserved.

Vengeance.

► Show Spoiler

Fri Nov 18, 2022 8:49 pm

It was not obvious as there was more to worry about, but being underground made her feel less stressed. She was raised underground in Dagrun and therefore felt safer underground. But there was much to worry about. It Seemed that the twins are both a problem now. Which made more sense once you realize that they were in fact twins.

At first Vinsue was concerned about Hugo. He seemed lifeless, like a mouse who died in the water. She did not like it one bit and the second she heard that they might leave someone behind she turned ready to disagree. They were down here to save Hugo which was a waste if they left him to die but it seemed that Salan was not having that as an option. She nodded her head in approval of not leaving anyone behind.

Talking of Hugo, who would have thought being initiated to save his life was a thing they would need to do. If she had to guess she would bet the initiation was why he was still unconscious and not the water. But she knew nothing about either.

The sadness Jared was fighting was on the other hand something she knew well. She sat beside him. She wanted to help and yet she had trouble finding the right words. Just as she was about to talk, someone else did. He was right it was best to take it one day at a time.

"We need a plan that doesn't involve splitting up or getting kidnapped" She said when the two guys finally decided dreamwalking or whatever it was called was not the answer. She looked over the group. One could say they were a sorry looking group and they would be right. They had been through a lot. Part of which she was not a part of.
The drowned Hugo, the emotionally hurt Jared, the leaders in debate and herself. A gnome afraid of her own shadow. But she was here now, and she was determined to help put an end to the monster that caused this. Now seemed a good time for a motivational speech but Vinsue was not the one who needed to deliver it. She looked at the one who brought them here.

Sat Nov 19, 2022 5:14 am

Despair wasn’t the right word for what the citrine-eyed magus was feeling as he watched from afar as Salen & Synthar was tending to those gravelly injured. Yet, despite his body barely being able to keep up with the rest of the group, his vision & skills of observation did not falter in the slight as Jared was curious enough to witness Synthar conjure up a lantern or torch of sorts out of nowhere.

Tendrils of white, ominous light slither their way over to Andre’s wounds and, in mere moments, as if the flesh was bending to the light’s command, begin to sear off any bleeding wounds whiles the meat & skin begins to grow slowly as if it was mould or fungus slowly spreading over a surface.

Another detail that Jared did not miss was that Andre briefly lifted his arcane instrument in the air before a brief pulse of energy echoed around the room before imploding back into itself, bringing along some that he could not discern.

“Funny for you to say that… But I guess some humour helps those wounded….”

Jared merely chuckles, albeit weakly, as Rene takes a moment to comment about the twins that have affected Salen, Rene, Andre & Synthar’s lives for far too long. In a sense, the thief could at least emphasise with them as Jared had his share of enemies as well, but in a cruel world such as the land he stands upon, enemies are around every corner & lurking in the shadows, which he calls home.

But the conversation quickly turned its attention to Hugo, unconscious on the floor, with Synthar mentioning that they would need to leave Hugo behind if he can’t wake up before being refuted by Salen about not leaving anyone behind.

It wasn’t simple to read Salen as from Jared’s small interactions with the man; there was a lot to unravel & his tendency to be reckless in crucial moments might spell disaster if no one could guide him in dealing with his troubled emotions.

“We can’t afford to make the first move when we are in enemy territory... *Cough* Besides, I need a moment to recompose myself... Haha... My body isn’t responding to how I would like it….”

As Jared tries to push himself up from the cold, stone floor, His legs merely give in to his natural weight, still needing more time to recover some stamina. It was only then that Vinsue made her presence known by her petite frame sitting beside fatigued state, suggesting about making a plan about how to deal with the twin doges that could be at each other’s throat.

“Indeed, we need this deal with this… I have a few tricks that I can help with, but I don’t know if I can do them as they might push me beyond my current status health-wise.”

Sun Nov 20, 2022 4:23 pm

Once the water actually begin entering a person's lungs, the act of drowning was actually quite peaceful. It wasn't a painful end or one which caused one to remain conscious. Instead drowning caused one to fall unconscious quite quickly. So moments after Hugo felt liquid entering his lungs, his vision blacked out. He was surrounded by a black void, and then suddenly everything flashed white. Just whiteness, a never-ending clear whiteness that you could not comprehend or even think about. Hugo did not know how long he was in this white space devoid of anything. It could have been mere moments, or it could have been an eternity. Time had no meaning in that place or any grasp on it whatsoever. Instead he merely was. Then in the blink of an eye, minutes or years, the white void subsided. Instead of the white void, Hugo was met with the darkness of his own eyelids.

He could feel again, the feeling of the cold stone on his skin, the tiny burning light softly going through his eyelids and his lungs filled with water. Wait, that last wasn't supposed to be in there? As soon as Hugo made that realization his body was wracked with coughs as he began spewing vast amounts of water from his lungs. Initially, it seemed more like a stream than anything. The completely still body of Hugo turned to great coughs in mere seconds. His prone form leaned towards the side as Hugo tried to prevent himself from drowning for the third time. Hugo's body shivered in his cold, wet clothes and due to the immense coughs that spread across his entire body. And he kept coughing..... and coughing..... and coughing. The pool of water next to him grew larger and it almost seemed as if Hugo would never stop disgorging more water onto the surface. Yet the coughs grew softer, the amount of water smaller and the time in between coughs became longer.

Now that he had stopped twitching and coughing those familiar with Hugo began to see more definite changes about him. Hugo had been a buff and quite a well-built person before he had been captured. Whilst now he did not have the looks of a starving man, his broad form had become quite a bit smaller. Furthermore, whilst it was hard to see, Hugo's skin had grown far paler. The vibrant oak-like brown skin had now begun to gain the hues one would associate with a dead tree. Onlookers could not see it at the current moment but Hugo's dental care had already suffered in the last few weeks. His gums had started bleeding and plaque had begun building up on his teeth. Also, minor detail really, his eyes, nose and ear were all bleeding quite a bit. The blood coming from these sources mixed with the water and mucus coming from Hugo's throat.

After several minutes Hugo finally began gaining a measure of composure as he stopped coughing and could finally take in a few deep breaths. Then Hugo began to shift his position, going from laying on the floor to sitting on the floor. Progress !!! As he did so he also began seeing the faces of those who had helped to free and revive him. He saw the faces of Salen, Jared and some of the people he had seen when he had gone to a fancy party of..... some person. The name seemed to be irrelevant really. As he did so he just breathed in and out, his face blank as he softly shook and shivered. Then he just..... sat there. Hugo felt a slight burning in his eyes, the desire of his body and mind to cry. To let loose the sadness, pain, loneliness and all other emotions he had felt in these two hellish weeks. But right now he just..... sat. He just did not have the energy for it, he did not have the energy for crying, for laughter, for joy, for quippy remarks. Instead, Hugo merely sat there, breathing in and out, and letting loose a sad but mostly exhausted sigh.

Sun Nov 20, 2022 5:34 pm

TIME STAMP

Rene noticed Hugo come forth, isolating himself away from the other's. His expression seemed to sadden quickly as he tried to invoke Minstrel on Hugo. However, the ability appeared to be floundered by the sheer existence of sadness on his face. Salen's expression appeared to be somewhat sympathetic towards him, knowing the pain and suffering he went through during her trials. It appeared to have broken him as Salen walked up to him and placed his hands amongst his shoulder.

"Hey... Listen... I know what she did to you... She did the same to me all of those years ago, now you've gotta fight it" He said with an ounce of encouragement before he started looking at the other male "Are you a weak coward, or are you going to get up and fight for your own cause..."

"Salen? What are you doing, he's just awoken!" Andre spoke out.

"LOOK AT ME!" He screamed out before giving Hugo a giant pep talk "You have potential, you thought a giant bear against us all with the use of your wits." He said with a saddened expression as he looked deeply into his eyes "Please, don't let this be a setback now... If you do, you're only making this a failure on yourself, I realise now this isn't just my battle to fight anymore..." He said as he turned to Jared and Vinsue, smiling at them both.

"It's ours..."

Rene smiled as he crossed his arms rolling his eyes "And yet I never thought you would get that concept correct..."

Salen turned to Hugo as he took a deep breath and gulped "She did terrible things to other people, Hugo... Not just you, I think you should do this for the Empire... I... I can't do this without you, that's why we came here, not to pity you, but to return the favor for what you did for me... You saved my life and despite my stubbornness, I'm actually grateful. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for you... So, friend... Are you gonna sit there feeling sorry for yourself or are you going to join us and deal with the festering tumour that wreaks havoc on the Empire?" He asked as he crossed his arms.

"If that's the case, we all head upstairs. Dahlia will be waiting for us, no doubt... The woman is known to be a careful planner, so be careful..." Salen spoke out to his team.

► Show Spoiler

Wed Nov 23, 2022 3:46 pm

Hugo did not think that he had ever felt this level of exhaustion before. Sure he had occasions during which he had been tired but never truly exhausted. The aftermath of his initiations into Brand and Resonance had been tiring, as had been the series of events that had led to the downfall of his family, but none had been exhausting. Not that feeling where even breathing felt like a chore, where you could feel your heart's every beat and where even emotions were muted. At this point, the body was telling Hugo to rest and recover. To preserve its energy in order to focus on its own survival and to keep the body in a healthy state. It was a sensible way for the body to preserve itself.

However, it seemed that such was not to be the case. Hugo's mind was aimless, but was brought back to the situation at hand with Salen's loud exclamation. Whilst he listened to the words uttered by the rogueish man he put his hand at the top of his head and then let it go down until his chin. A movement to get himself more active but also to remove some more of the blood that was building up near his eyes. Something which left a bloody stain on Hugo's hand, but such were the times that blood and appearance did not matter much. Such was made even more clear as he listened to Salen. Though Hugo's emotions were still very muted it felt..... nice to be praised again for once in a long time. Honest and meaningful praise, not empty platitudes or minor encouragements in a lesson. But someone telling him that they value his contribution, that had been very rare in the last few years. Especially if that meant that everyone here had apparently been willing to put themselves at risk in order to save him. Perhaps such was not the only reason why they were here, but they had still come to get him out of this hell. If they were willing to do that, then the least he could do was to continue pushing on just a little longer.

Thus Hugo let out a bone-deep, heavy sight and then with a groan pushed himself off the ground. Even just that bit of movement felt tiresome, with his arms and legs feeling like heavy weights or like disconnected parts of his body that barely wanted to move. But still, he pushed himself forward and then let out a massive yawn. Hugo rubbed his eyes and though his eyes did remain unfocused for the most part, he was looking at Salen. "Alright then. Let's do it. Thank you for the speech...... I would be more enthusiastic in my response but everything is just.... blergh " For once it seemed that Hugo's elegant and carefully considered speech was lacking. Especially as the last sentence was punctuated by another deep yawn and a slow eyeblink. "Let us deal with this Dahlia then, I am very tired of all this shit so let us shove a sword into her rotten heart and get this done with." With this closing remark Hugo took a deep breath and then began pushing forwards. Following the group to wherever their destination was. Though he was tired, Hugo did know one thing, this lady was crazy enough to imprison and torture him for weeks. She had to be finished off now for Hugo would surely not survive such a second occasion. Exhaustion still filled his every being, but a more fundamental truth drove Hugo onwards. Kill or be killed. At the most basic level that was what everything was about, now it was time to make sure that the crazy lady who had imprisoned him was dealt with.... permanently.

Wed Nov 23, 2022 5:34 pm

She would nod to Jared's idea. Any tricks would be helpful. She had been practicing her hand to hand Combat and staff attacks for the last little bit. She was more ready than she was two weeks ago but that didn't mean she overcame her fears. Honestly she had thought about crafting a golem to help her fight but turns out the tools for the craft were expensive. Not to mention the skill itself was complex with lots of rules. It even had a language all its own. Perhaps she would try to buy one later.

Once Hugo woke up Vinsue immediately started looking through her bag for the biscuit that she packed. As she did not think his kidnapper fed him. She would have also grabbed the canteen but looked like he didn't need the water. As soon as she found it she got up and walked over to Hugo before handing it to him. "I'm sure you haven't eaten in a while so I brought you a biscuit with meat and eggs. Eat it slowly," she said, offering it to him.

As of the speech. She had to wonder, for a second, if he simply read her mind or if he read the room. Either way it was a good speech. Well good enough. It seemed to work on Hugo at least. He was right, it was all of their problems now. They needed to cut down the snakes before they got more prey. And this time Vinsue was going to help. She put her pack on and grabbed her staff before offering Jared a hand to help him up.

She would stay near the front of the group ready for the fight. She would have led but she would have got them lost. She was ready to drop her pack and change her grip on the staff as soon any danger popped up.

Thu Nov 24, 2022 1:50 am

Taking a moment to push his rear off the ground, letting out an exhausted grunt as his stamina isn’t at its peak performance for the most part. The amber-eyed thief couldn’t help but feel upset as Hugo’s body remained lifeless for a time, but his keen senses picked up on brief twitches of sorts that immediately grabbed Jared’s attention.

“Seems like the prince is finally awake….”

The thief couldn’t help but let out an exhausted chuckle as he took a moment to shape some umbralplasm into a makeshift walking cane to help alleviate the burden of his weight off one side of his body. From what Jared could tell, whatever Synthar& Salen did to Hugo worked but at a tremendous cost based on how exhausted Hugo looked as he shook slightly & struggling to get off the ground for a moment.

“No need to push yourself; You already have been through quite a bit through the gesture of enthusiasm is noted….”

Jared merely smiles underneath his black facecloth as the butt of his makeshift cane comprised of solidified darkness lets out light clicks & taps as it lands against the solid ground. While the thief wasn’t in the most fantastic condition to fight, when push comes to shove, limited stamina & desperation to live will most likely take the wheel.

“Caution is required as with any animal or person... When backed into a corner & desperation kicks in, recklessness will bubble. Again, I will repeat this, but be on guard & support each other. We have a number’s advantage & forcing her hand first out will increase our chances of living for the next day.”

Feeling that his weakened condition slowly subsides, for the time being, Jared reshapes his umbralplasm back into a thin sheet that hides itself into his cloak, preparing ahead of time for when a Compass is needed & not need to conjure a sphere mid-battle may be the difference between landing a decisive blow or blocking a fatal wound.

Taking a moment to check the sides of his boots, wrist & even the edge of his cloak, the thief had a few Compasses & hidden blades ready for when the fight began. The amber-eyed thief had many tools up his sleeve, but he kept a few tricks close to his chest for when the time was right.

“Hopefully, you don’t mind me & Vinsue support the rest of you since we aren’t combative people; It's best for us to try opening up opportunities for you all to make a strike, whether lethal or not; the longer the combat goes; the more resources are drained from both sides. That being said, Hugo, keep this on hand… It will allow me to help assist with my abilities.”

With that, Jared makes his way over to Hugo, handing him a small bead of wispy darkness that quickly morphs into a black, metallic band for one’s wrist.

“I am all set… Let's get going as death & time don’t wait…. Hopefully, we all come out of this battered & bruised at least…”

Thu Nov 24, 2022 6:52 am

The moment everyone announced they was ready, he nodded as he lead them through the complex of the doors. He knew the place very well considering he had served Dahlia for a few years, until his untimely betrayal caused by the unfair treatment that he had subdued. A pain that he could never forget as he had always been treated unfairly by a particular class of people, by those who wielded the fortitudes of power.

He nodded as he looked up at the stairs of the basement, noticing the strange familiarity to the location. This was indeed the basement leading into Dahlia's home, the fact that she had been operating under secrecy had been known, but it was no surprise that anyone could've snuck into the complex itself. Salen turned to Hugo as he noticed the weakness in him, frowning for a moment as he knew he wouldn't be able to handle Dahlia's goons much longer. The strength appeared to have been sapped from him as the weeks of torture had taken a toll on his physical form. He appeared to be more concerned against Jared's condition aswell, being close to succumbing to the effects of mageblight, they were hardly in a state to fight.

That was until Synthar came up with a solution, he eventually began channeling ether from his Nightorch as white flickers of spiritual energy grasp against his palms. Once he had gained composure, he proceeded to cast Repose on Salen, Hugo, Vinsue and Jared, giving them undead constitution for a short time. Synthar's strength appeared to have waned from the cast, placing him under the conditions of moderate overstepping as he could feel the pull of his soul. He stopped channeling once the initiation had been completed.

Andre stepped forth as he proceeded to open the door, storming into Dahlia's territory.

Thu Nov 24, 2022 7:39 am

Dahlia appeared to be in her own chambers as she was approached by Cordelia who had prepared her six tendrils in battle. The icy snake-like tentacles appeared to be prohibited from the darkness of the pressure. She appeared to launch the blunted tendrils at her until she dodged consistently, turning around in shock to see her sister there. Of course, she laughed it off as she crossed her arms "Well well well, I thought I'd never see you again..."

"Neither did I, I came to claim what was rightfully mine..." She asked as she stared at her, letting her tendrils calm down as she walked over to Dahlia. The room began to freeze as the air became cold. The floor became slippery with the ice in motion. It did not seem to bother Cordelia as each step she made would create a block of ice "What you stole from me?" She uttered.

"I think you'd find that I obtained this status fair and square, according to the law... Unlike you, you were always so shallow minded..."

"Says the woman who would sleep around for her information, unlike you I had self-respect and dignity... You're just a common whore, after all you can put a crown on a clown, but you can't expect a king neither a queen." She said, walking over to her sister as she let out an icy cold breath on her skin, eventually chilling her from within "Of course, you already knew that... After all you're just a pretender."

"You're the one who started this game!" Dahlia retorted

"How am I?"

"You murdered my first husband eighty-seven years ago... I think you remember plainly and clearly, If I hadn't had that joy taken out of me, I would've perhaps been a better person, but now you realise that your heart is as black as mine, sister... And yet, you plan on demolishing your own family for that right?"

Cordelia frowned as she crossed her arms turning her head towards Dahlia "And you think by murdering Lorenzo would hurt me? Politically it did, but emotionally... No... I had plans, but it appears I was thwarted by my own intelligent twin sister" She laughed as she prepared her tendrils to strike "And you are my sister, you're nothing but a mere obstacle and so was he..."

"If I can't have power and privilege, then no one can..." Dahlia proceeded to strike, before Salen and the others entered in the middle of the room "Ahh, it appears I have an escape route now..." She said as she proceeded to cast Sopor on Cordelia, throwing the black pathos on her. It appeared to wane her alacrity as she was missing every move with her icy tendrils. She eventually cast Ensign, filling the room with an ice elemental.

This would appear to be a complicated battle for the four, two sisters at odds with each other, followed by a giant ice elemental.

► Show Spoiler