The Fall of Dahlia Senerite I [Group Assignment]

[Salen]

67th Ash, 4622

Dahlia is humming to herself as she does her makeup beside the mirror before she is approached by a stranger, who appears to be hooded, he eventually approaches Dahlia before she turns around "Any luck of getting any information out of him?" She asked in a demanding fashion as she gets up from her chair to inspect the man in front of him. He appeared to be taller and much more stable than she was; it was evident that her narcissistic ways were being exposed and it was only a matter of time before Rene would implement his plan against her, using the vendetta that Salen has had.

She was the Black Dahlia, the infamous broker of information for Daravin, that would be floundered by her own weapon. Blackmail, prestige and the proliferation of evidence. It was clear that she was worried and had every right to be, for many of the folk of Daravin are starting to unveil her true colours, including the truth about the crimes she has committed against House Auclair and House Socorro, although she had thought she had all of those completely clear, but mistakes were made. Careless mistakes, such as leaving the last reigning heir alive, followed by her sister who had come back for revenge; it was a minefield that she had created, a battle that she couldn't turn her back against, except lose her reputation and create a new identity. She was too proud to lose any of House Senerite's great name as she had proved a valuable asset for the Empire, or so people thought, until now when all of that she had exposed.

She had no lies or no alibi to follow. She had to face the music and remain strong and try to expose of the threats herself. It would prove a difficult task for the woman, but it was something she didn't want to lose. Dignity was important and keeping her status was an even greater importance, but there comes a price. It was her or them now.

"No..." The male answered.

Dahlia eventually flung her chair in a tantrum as she looked at him "Why, you're so imcompetent... WHY MUST I DO EVERYTHING MYSELF!" She screamed out in rage as she barged past the male and slammed the door, making her way to the Coven Enclave she had kept Hugo in. A journey through the cold, dark sewer underworld of Amoren, where the cells of the criminal underworld lingered. She remained in her shroud, until she came across a doorway with a figurine of Brazim on it. She inserted her Emblem of Demarik and twisted it before entering willingly. It appeared to be an underground stronghold, a strange tavern of some sorts...

She would make her way to the dungeons area, where she had kept Hugo in chains, before she approached with her seductive wiles "So... You're the one that put a wrench in my plan... Shame really, I thought we could've been such friends..." She said with laughter as she approached Hugo, kneeling as the chains would get tighter with each struggle. They were designed to be that torturous, as well as their anti-magic properties.

The only person who previously escaped from them, still walks free "You know, theres only two people that's been in this cell... That's you and a certain henchman of mine who betrayed me a while back... The fact is, he's not coming for you." She said, trying to diminish someone's state of character, someone that Hugo would know "He's a selfish man... A man with a black heart... Always a man who doesn't keep his word, a traitor... Isn't that what you're scared off, someone betraying you or are you afraid of the consequences of trusting?" She said. "I would give you a choice, but I doubt that Rene would save you, he's too versed in his own agendas, like all Entente are? Why would he invite a weak, undeserving scoundrel such as yourself hmm? Aww, Poor Hugo, his parents left him all alone with no title, no prospects but that small little cottage... Who would come for you? Bertrand?" She shrugged.

"Oh, I read your mind, by the way... I have plenty of things to kick you to the curb with..."

► Show Spoiler

Hey guys.

The first two collab posts, we're going to begin with some action between Hugo and Dahlia.

She is currently trying to diminish Salen's character and manipulate Hugo into thinking that he is the bad guy, he will eventually be downtrodden even further with his weakness as a Veir, it's time for Hugo to make his judgements about Salen on weither he is a good or bad guy, weither he does have a black heart or weither he's sick of society in general, that's up to Hugo and if so Dahlia will play on that weakness. Good luck as it's going to be a bumpy ride!

Please respond to this thread.

[Hugo Abreo]

The last several......................... time periods. It had not been pleasant for Hugo Abreo, humble Veir and now the prisoner of some crazy lady that he had never before met in his life. The first indicator that things were not going pleasantly was the fact that Hugo did not know how long he had been held in his current 'quarters'. He would have tried to keep track of the rising and falling of the sun, but due to the fact that no natural sunlight was able to get in he had no idea when day or night was. If he had to make a guess, assuming that his meal was delivered on a daily basis, it had been about a dozen or so days. A dozen or so days which Hugo might describe as either being 'quite unpleasant' or 'the worst days of my life'. Both were true but as a noble one had to keep up their bearings and demeanour, so mentally Hugo tried to remain somewhat optimistic and focus on the former description more than the latter.

After waking up from his magically induced sleep Hugo had been confused, bewildered and a little anxious (bloody afraid) if he had to say so himself. This immediate concoction of emotions slowly gave way to confusion and honestly a bit of boredom until he had arrived. The man had never introduced himself, preferring to maintain his role as intimidating and cold as possible. This was admirable as the man seemed to have the right mindset for his job, which everyone should seek to achieve. Still, it unfortunately left Hugo unable to name the bloody annoying fellow who should burn in Bell, have his innards turned inside out and a sword shoved up his throat. So Hugo began to call the man Sir Daverish the Fourth of the House of Maimering-Hochwaltz, or just Dave.

Dave was the sole human contact that Hugo had for the presumably dozen or so days. Providing Hugo with some light conversation as well as engaging in some group-bonding activities. Though if Hugo had to admit the man was a bit of a bore, having little variety in the topics which he discussed. Which could quickly be summed up by "What is your name, who do you work for and who are your associates, what do you know of Salen, what do you know of Rene Danvers, what other important information do you know ? " or other questions along those lines.

Hugo had politely given his name, before stating that it would be impolite to share this information without getting some information in return. That and the suggestion that it would really be far more beneficial if they could both have a seat, some tea or other beverages to drink where they could trade conversation with each other. Rather than the dark, barely-lit, cramped, cold room that the both of them were in. Perhaps inspired by this, Dave had given Hugo a seat to sit in. However, rather than some nice leather, or at least some basic wooden furniture, it was a contraption of wood and iron. Specifically having several somewhat sharp spikes attached to the wooden parts of the chair.

He had been strapped to the chair and felt the sharp points of the iron digging into his flesh. This had been unpleasant at first, but it got worse and worse over time as his energy slowly sapped and he began to lean more into the chair. After several hours he was very displeased, unamused and in quite some amount of pain. As well as having a large number of light-piercing wounds across his skin. This had subsequently been healed by a substance that Hugo did not recognize. The substance had stopped any bleeding and helped with some recovery but it stuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuung like Bell. Then he had some solitude for an hour, followed by his daily meal of stale bread and water. Hugo was then faced with the worst of all treatments after the jailer had left........ boredom. Being left alone for hours upon hours, where the only thing you could try to do was get some very light sleep before you woke up again due to the cold, steel bindings and the stone floor.

The second day was followed by Dave putting a delightfully sharp device between his neck and chest which forced Hugo to look upwards at an awkward angle for hours. The moment that his head would go downwards out of tiredness the device would then begin piercing the soft flesh of Hugo's chin and cause some severe wounds. Luckily there were only some moderate piercing wounds at the end of this. After this point, Dave asked the same question from earlier again, but Hugo knew that if he told everything he knew to a man such as Dave he might not live long. This meant that instead of bawling like a baby then and there, as well as telling whatever Dave wanted to hear, Hugo kept up a stoic appearance, with good humour and polite demeanour expected of an Entente. He kept the positive demeanour up by thinking of all the good past memories he had, daily activities which he liked, coming up with mathematical and ethical questions in his head and finally thinking about the numerous different ways in which Dave could suffer a painful death.

Subsequently, Hugo was brought back to his quarters and given food before Dave left again. After this moment Hugo would cry like a baby, sob and call out for Bertrand, Salen or anyone to help him get out of this cursed hellhole before falling asleep on the stone floor surrounded by a mess of mucus and tears.

The coming days were then followed by a myriad of different torture methods, with some of the more notable ones being the lashes he got from a cat o' nine tails. 20 lashes if he remembered the words from Dave right. Though he was not sure of the exact number. He was more aware of how it wasn't so bad initially, only for the wounds to get more and more painful over time. The bruised skin festered and the initial sting seemed to expand into an ever-present pain. The parts where the lash had broken skin were even worse, as they stung at all times and he could feel the raw-flash scream out in pain just by being exposed to the air. Which was made even worse by the medicine used to clean his wounds. Which was effective at healing some part of it, but seemed to amplify the stinging sensation.

Then the final truly memorable moment was when his shirt had been removed and a far too hot brand of some sort had been applied to his back. Which was....... highly unpleasant. Especially as it partially covered some of the areas already affected by the lashing from earlier. Almost the most annoying part of it was that Hugo did not even know the symbol that was put on his back. It was pretty hard to see any symbol placed on his back without a mirror. For all he knew the branding just said 'slap me'.

He did not remember when, but he had also lost his shirt sometime before the flogging or branding.......... or was it at the very beginning? At the very least it meant his normally fair and beautiful skin was dirty, bruised and his body was quite cold. But at the very least, despite all the painful torture, it was still not as bad as during his Brand initiation. Sure the pain that he felt at this moment lasted longer and was quite unpleasant. But right now there were other sensations than just ever-present pain. It was just one of the more major sensations and very unpleasant sensations that he felt. But at least it did not consume his entire being and made him want to make it all just stop. So at least that was better than nothing.

Then finally after a dozen or so (approximated) days, there was finally some difference from whatever torture Dave had thought up. The sound of sharp footfalls (from heels maybe ?) appeared, which were quickly followed by what Hugo could only describe as a very beautiful woman. Unfortunately (or fortunately) being kept in a dungeon and tortured for several weeks was not good for one's libido,/ As such, the woman's appearance did not affect him much beyond having him do some minor artistic appreciation. The beautiful woman then said something about him being a wrench in her plans (what was a wrench even ?) and how they could have been friends. Hugo gave one of his almost smug smiles, but this time laced with a hint of sadness and a light hint of regret and sadness. "Excuses my lady, but I was unaware of any plans you had. I was merely invited to a meeting when I got startled by your invisible presence in the corner, which subsequently resulted in a fight. I did not intend to cause offence beyond defending myself. I still do not see you with great enmity." This was a tad bit of a lie......... well more than a tad bit really but who cared. If he could get out of this through some polite conversation he would be more than up for it.

He would also be up for getting out of these chains, putting his hand on her face, channelling galvanized ether into it and watching with glee as her head would be melted to slag. She was the one ultimately responsible for getting him into here. But polite conversation and getting out of here that way was the most likely option. As such Hugo kept up a sad, if not angry, smile and hid the resentment in his eyes. Better he thought of a fool than a threat.

The lady then continued to speak of how he was apparently the second person only to be in this cell. What an honour, also wasteful really. To have a cell and only use it for two people in its entire time under her ownership. If you had two prisoners in total one should probably lease or rent a prison from the local constabulary really rather than building one for your own use. The going rates were quite cheap really. But this lady did seem to be one for convoluted plots and excess.

From the subsequent conversation, it seemed that Salen had been here at some point. Huh, interesting fact. Though not too unsurprising. Though at least Hugo now had some inkling as to why this odd lady had attacked him in the first place. Probably due to his connection with Salen, which was followed up upon by her saying that 'he' would not save Hugo. Then the lady seemed to decry Salen. Saying that he was selfish, black-hearted and a traitor. Something which Hugo should be afraid of trusting.

Which was a decent angle for manipulation. But Hugo had to admit it would have been a lot more effective if Dahlia had said that Salen had already betrayed him. (Or alternatively, Rene, though he thought that unlikely). There was no way to verify that information and it could have bred distrust. Instead, she had used her option poorly if he had to say so himself. Even after weeks of torture, Hugo could see that at least.

The lady then continued to speak of the value of trusting and....... oh apparently she had meant Rene rather than Salen. Huh, well it appeared he had misread those facts at least. Still, Hugo was not so afraid of being betrayed at the moment. Since he was stuck in a prison cell where he was tortured on a near-daily basis. There was not much opportunity for betrayal there.

This was followed by... admittedly some pretty pointed mocking. Preying on his lack of material wealth and the destitute and undeserved situation he had found himself in. But it didn't really matter much at this point anyway ? All he possessed now was the pants he had on at the moment. His lack of wealth and the injustice of the stripping of his wealth did hurt, but at this point, it did not really matter. Did it ? He was weak though, or he would have this bitch eating etheric steel. The comment that hurt the most was asking who would save him, Bertrand ? Bertrand probably had no idea where he was or how he could find him. No one could save him really. Nothing but trying to get out through social graces.


And then she said she could read his mind. .......... Well fuck. That sure did make manipulating her into the right outcome that much harder. But it might not be the whole truth, it had to be or there was no way he would ever get out, and he could not allow himself to believe such a thing. Instead Hugo would begin to gain a look of sorrow and despair on his face, even as he felt the inner part of resentment. "I.......... don't know. At this point I know nothing and have nothing." Hugo let out a sad sigh and a tear that wasn't that faked. Before wiping it away with the back of his hand"I would offer you some tea or other beverage for visiting my quarters but sadly I am bereft of such luxuries. "

[Salen]

Dahlia laughed at Hugo as she proceeded to conjure an illusory chair and sat beside him, leaning against him as she caresses his cheek softly, looking at him deeply in the eyes "Oh Hugo... Poor poor Hugo... I'm sure you know something, you're the one who saved Salen right? Gave him a home after a terrible night and how did he treat you? Well, certainly not with respect right? Bertrand may have been right about him all along..." She said, proceeding to voyage through his various memories as she tilts her head "Perhaps I would gone easy on you if you had just slit his throat and be done with it... But no, you're in this mess... All because of him" She said.

She was trying to reverse the course of events in Hugo's mind, like it was Salen's fault but there appeared to be no reason or logical factor in his mind to falsify his memories. To her frustration, she sighs as she shrugs, wrapping an arm around Hugo "Oh dear, looks like you're not destined to live after all, I can't even find a good reason other than use you as leverage..." She said as she stepped up, the illusory chair fades into a cloud of smoke as she walks onwards towards the guards who appear to be ready with various weapons and beating devices "I'm sorry, Hugo... But your time has been cut short on this earth... We could've been such friends, even allies if you wanted to, but... I'm afraid you've disappointed me... You've consequently helped a traitor and now, like everyone else in Daravin they must pay..." She said with a sigh as she walked forward once again before leaning into Hugo "Someone as handsome as you, could've been my next husband..."

She walked on by as she walks by before turning towards Hugo "Unless you can give me any other details I can't harness from your mind... You're as good as dead... Rayner..." The Sil'Norai called as she looked towards him "Make sure his death is as slow and painful as possible, until he gives up any other information... As far as I can see, he is of little use to me... Nothing but a crybaby, not worthy of existence in Daravin... It is I who shall rule one day, and if anyone questions my authority, they question the Daravinic Empire themselves..." Rayner nods as he smirks at Hugo.

"Well... I've got a little surprise for you... Lads... Bring in the dunking chair..." Hugo is then taken to a large room with all the torture devices laid out, this time there was a chair hanging by chains, along with a lever. Below the chair was a well filled to the brim with deep water; it appears the chair was designed as a dunking drowning method. Hugo is pushed aggressively before being strapped into the chair as Rayner tilts his head "Gosh, you've pissed Dahlia off to deserve this punishment... Slow deaths... The water will fill your lungs and there would be no salvation... Only death..."

"Rayner... There appears to be an intruder in the waterworks... I've just found a few dead bodies..."

"Oh Ulen's Scorched ass! Cyrus! Entertain yourself... I'll be back in the minute to add to my collection of corpses! Haha... Somebody else is going to die today..."

► Show Spoiler

Hey Guys

As discussed before, those who are still building threads towards this can still be used.

Vinsue may not use Divide until the thread "Facing fears" is completed and graded.

As discussed, Jared will be kidnapped whilst in this thread since he is the dice roll victim, you'll all begin at the service of Amoren's Waterworks where a plan is being formulated by Synthar, Cordelia and Andre. Rene is not accompanying on this as he has suffered mageblight teleporting you all. Once Hugo has responded, you will all be summoned by Rene to his private quarters where he will give Salen a Shard Resonator and a Transmisser created through Resonance. Due to his mageblight from creating them, he will be unable to assist anyone, since he has provided a gateway of teleportation to Amoren, where he left his last Shard Resonator in a secret place, near the Entrance to the Waterworks.

Once Rene's post is up, it is up to you all to save Hugo and defeat Dahlia once and for all. Andre, Cordelia and Synthar will assist all the player characters as best as they can, provided they also have limitations in what they can do. The battle will come in two threads and it will not be an easy fight, knowing Remnomancy and illusions are a thing. You've all seen the power of Astralisation and yet you'll see it again soon in the form of Dahlia's terrifying illusions.

Enjoy yourselves, it's going to be a very bumpy ride!

[Hugo Abreo]

Hugo tried to maintain his appearance of sad despair combined with general comfort and confidence. This appearance was kept in place whilst the lady kept talking about Salen, how he should not have given the man shelter and how Salen had got him into this mess. Whilst that was partially true it was ignoble and untrue to put the blame for one's own actions onto another. Each person makes their own choices and defines their own destiny. Giving Salen the blame would mean ignoring that this woman in front of him had attacked him and captured him whilst he had given no provocation. Thus he dismissed her verbal jabs and focused on maintaining his composure. But that effort failed as the lady engaged in physical contact and said 'your time has been cut short on this earth.' A cold shiver spread across his body and a look of fear and realization spread across his face. He tried to scramble together some kind of response. "I- I'm sure we can still come to some amicable agreement." Then just as he said that he could not repress a look of disgust across his face as the woman said that he could have been her next husband. If there was something he did not want to imagine was that, he for one would never marry someone who liked to monologue so much.

Then the feeling of cold dread continued to worsen as the lady called up Dave and asked him to make................. Hugo's death as painful as possible. Then for a moment, Hugo's mind turned blank. No thoughts crossed it for once as it just felt entirely empty, with only this number feeling spreading across his body. Feeling only the oddly loud sensation of his heartbeat. He didn't even truly hear the words Dahlia said after that, all of it just being some verbal input that he could not process. As he was faced with the certainty of his death being here. He only composed himself enough to hear the crazy lady saying that she would rule Daravin and how those who would question her would question Daravin. This broke him out of his stupor as a large scowl spread across Hugo's face as he looked her in the eyes. "Anyone who tells themselves that they will rule shall never achieve such a thing. Your hubris shall be your undoing, it shall be the chain that drags you towards the bottom of the sea. Just before the end, you will realize all your sacrifices were for nought and that in the end, you have achieved nothing."

This last moment of defiance was followed by Hugo being dragged towards some other room. Even as that happened Hugo, filled with renowned vigor, struggled as hard as possible in his bindings. Knowing that it was useful but not wanting to give up and die for certain. He tried to trip Dave, bite him, do something but nothing worked. Then he was placed in the dumping chair and bound. Being told that the pain in the ass, Necromancer-Kissing, foul-mouthed bitch from earlier was known as Dahlia. Then he was told of how he would die and once more he felt this cold sensation, but Hugo kept struggling rather than letting it overwhelm him. Not wanting to accept the fact that he was going to die. Even as tears began forming in his eyes as he continued to struggle. Snarling at Dave before doing perhaps a final petty act of spite, all of his normal elegance and composure gone at this moment. "You're all pathetic. No grace, no subtlety or cunning attempt to gain information. All that you lot have is your crude enjoyment of inflicting pain on others and seeing others suffer because all of your own lives are shit and you are all useless fucks. Now get on with it and try to make it swift if you have a pair of balls somewhere in that Ulen-cursed body of yours."

[Salen]

TIME STAMP

Hugo was doomed to a fate of dying in a large pool with very little done in his lifetime, there were advances made to try and save himself, but Hugo had already dug the grave for himself; a Remnomancer with a cold heart had sealed his fate, but it was only a matter of time before he'd drown a torturous death. Dahlia knew what she was doing, if she would torture him further, he would probably reveal information at the back of his mind; the place where a Remnomancer would overstep trying to access the information within the engramic structure of Hugo's memory palace. A route of political interrogation was the norm within Daravin's culture if they find such information to be extremely valuable.

Meanwhile, in Rene's mansion, it appears that the other three along with their accomplices to aid them with this mission. It appeared that they would have to make a quick assassination of Dahlia Senerite. Firstly, they would need to find Hugo and rescue him so he would be assisted further. And thus, Rene was making preparations for such a mission, he had been strenously creating Shard Resonators for the group; for such a grave mission it would require the simple anointment. However there appears to be tension between Salen and Andre as he would look longingly at him for a moment as they both entered the room.

Rene had summoned them all of the previous partygoers as he sighed. He appeared to be weakened due to the mageblight that he had accrued upon making the Shard Resonators for the crew "So... You're all ready? I've located the hideout of Dahlia, deep within the Waterworks... Synthar and Cordelia are already there; they will assist you all further, as for me... I am unwell..." He coughed out as Andre softened his look towards him "Are you alright, My Veir?"

"I'm... Fine... Just go with the others..." He proceeded to use his Resonance mage to open the portal to the entrance of the Waterworks, as dark as it sounds, there will be wondering terrors lurking within the darkest recesses of the sewer system. Dahlia also chose the most secluded place to keep her plans a secret and one which noone dares to roam under without the feeling of ridicule... It was no problem to a Remnomancer to alter the fabric of reality through illusion however..."

► Show Spoiler

Hey Guys

You may all respond, the threats that accrue in the sewer system may be deadly, so be sure you boost up your skill level through solos and collabs.

Vinsue may not use Divide once again until Facing Fears is complete

At the end of this thread, Hugo will obtain Baptism as a way to revive him from his close descent to death as discussed previously on Discord. The initiation will be initiated by Synthar, however the others will need to find him first.

The threats may include:

Dranoch Botchlings
Dranoch Cardinals
Corvae from House Demarik
Criminals
Thugs
Thieves
Drug Lords
Rebel Entente Mages

And other threats, please be cautious...

[Gloomcrest]

“Seems like time is running short… and with that, windows of opportunities begin to fade….”

Jared mutters to himself, adjusting his black, ragged face cloth as he fidgets around with the various tools, clothing & equipment that he was going into the den of the Waterworks.

Unsurprisingly, the thief was somewhat anxious about the situation, as he spent countless nights being beaten up under the moonlight’s rays. However, he was striving hard to improve his skills both as a thief & combatant when it came to his arcana with Nightfall.

Taking a moment to lay out his gear on a nearby table, the thief skims through all of the necessary stuff that the amber-eyed larcenist would need to infiltrate a section of the underground littered with thieves, assassins & other denizens of the dark.

“Spare lockpicks, files, caltrops, pouch of sand, pouch of pebbles, crowbar, some rope, a reflective shard, hammer, pitons, a few oil vials & a lantern… What else am I missing….”

The thief ponders for a moment as he tries his best to come up with every item he can use to his advantage; Jared can mimic many of the things & the thief does not want to risk pushing himself as already his symptoms with his Mageblight has been worsening as of late due the strenuous amount of strain that he was doing for his training to better control his ability over manipulating tangible shadows.

The thief didn’t know much about the Waterworks or where it was based, but all he could guess was that this place that he & the remaining members were about to enter had little to no information. Jared could only assume that it was probably like him trying to enter a high noble’s quarters & stealing something precious worthy of danger.

It was only then that Rene summoned all involved members in this operation that required finesse to save Hugo from his current predicament; Whether he is alive or not is still something that remains a mystery, and hopefully, the man would still be alive when they arrive.

“We’re all here; It seems like you won’t be able to provide further assistance, Rene, but with luck, we should all come back with some wounds at the very least…”

Jared couldn’t help but let out a nervous chuckle as he watched Rene cough heavily, reminding himself of his situation & mortality when it came to using magic as a means to an end.

“I hope all this training and having my ass beaten up is worth it….”

The amber-eyed thief takes one glance over to Rene as the portal opens to a dark, wet & gloomy sort of structure… An eerie & hollow quality to it that immediately puts Jared’s senses into overdrive, as this could be his last memory of the light before being snuffed out by a wave of someone’s hand.

[Salen]

"Hmm... The Method of the Glamour" Salen spoke, reading one of the bindings of the bookshelf as he opened the book, Andre crept in the room behind Salen, taking in the scent of his natural fragrance as he exhaled, as if he was off limits. He spoke out as he appeared to be completely upset "So... You're off limits?" He asked, appearing to be emotionally choked up for a moment, perhaps that night at the strange seedy tango bar was a way to bring another dark presence amongst them.

"I don't know, Andre... I think what tends to help is if I just bottle it all up, like I have been doing all these years. I finally get to enact my vengeance and get myself out from under." He paused for a moment as he turned around "But nothing can change what happened, what's done is done and the scars are already made, they are deep within the vessel of my mind and there is nothing I can do to change that, they are apart of me now" Salen took a few steps forward towards the taller male and gulped "I would stop this obsession before you get hurt, because I can't give you what you need, so just let it go..." He frowned as he took the book and placed it on the table.

"Can't we just try?"

"And what? Do you actually care, or is it just for show? I don't know who I can trust..."

"I know what it's like to be betrayed, but if you don't stop this, you'll stop trusting yourself, all you can and trying, taking that risk is the only way you'll find out..." He uttered into his ear.

Salen gave it some thought for a moment, before he looked at the clock, noticing the timing; he was informed by a meeting with Rene and the others "I'll think about it..." He looked at Andre "But right now, we have a task at hand..." He said as he made his way downstairs. Rene, Jared and Vinsue were already in the picture as he witnessed Rene open the Resonance portal to the entrance of the Waterwork. He proceeded to conjure another Shard Resonator as he began to wince through his constant overstepping, until he eventually stopped and failed "I can't... Oh... Ulen's graces..."

The fear of a Resoner was there as Degenerative Vibrato was one of the worse fates to deal with. Salen nodded as he looked to Jared and Vinsue "Well... Are you all ready?"

Andre threw Salen a satchel with a few weapons and devices to use for the trip as well as a few climbing devices "You forgot something..." He sternly spoke as he tilted his head "You're coming with us?"

"Of course..."

"Well, atleast we'll have more ground to cover, after all who knows what terrors lurk within those sewers..."

"Yeah, a giant rat named Dahlia..."

[Salen]

The entrance to the Waterworks were dark and cavernous, there could only be another mage beside. Cordelia and Synthar were waiting at the entrance as they looked at the Jared and Salen who joined them. Vinsue was kept back at the manor for safety reasons as there would be no other way to incorporate her in a large zone without proper training, instead she was going to be assisting Rene in some other matters, including dealing with his mageblight.

Cordelia eyed Salen for a moment as she looked at Jared, wondering how Rene got to know a street rat such as himself, yet there was a judgemental streak to her as she raised an eyebrow "So, you've made it, all of you... We were just thinking of the plan, of course I know these tunnels very well... You see, subterfuge had it's own darker places in society, especially of my twin sister."

"It haunts me that you look like her..." Salen glared.

Synthar seemed to notice that Salen was tense in the situation, especially when it came to responsibility, it was evident that he could notice the tension between Cordelia and Salen, like a knife cutting through butter. Her glare towards him did not make matters any better as she reacted with the equal narcissistic incompetence of her own sister. The Senerite family seemed to have had their as it appeared they were born and bred with the same values as each other. Salen knew he had to keep a closer eye on the sister for there was something not quite right about her, but his own paranoia could've been playing tricks.

Andre walked up to them both as he looked at Salen and Jared, noticing the frailty from Jared's mageblight "Is he alright?" He asked, prompting Salen to take a good look at Jared and instantly noticing the signs of late-early stage mageblight. He shook his head "Jared... Did you push yourself too hard?" He asked as he appeared to be annoyed, knowing he would have to compensate for other people's mistakes and conditions.

This was going to be a difficult task but it appeared that Andre had a plan "Synthar, Jared and Salen... You go after Hugo, Cordelia and I will see if I can get into Dahlia's hideout, she uses these passages to get to her housing estate. Corvae were always good at hiding in the shadows, away from dangerous threat. Although, do be careful... Dranoch cells who take refuge from Sil'Elaine are here... Nasty creatures, they'll feed on the very essence of your core..." He nodded to Jared, Salen and Synthar.

"Good luck."

"You'll need it..." Cordelia spoke rather sinisterly.

► Show Spoiler

Synthar, Jared and Salen are teaming up for this thread, therefore will have assistance in regard to rescuing Hugo. You may continue to respond to your thread, with Hugo responding at the end of Jared and Salen's post.

Vinsue has been timed out for this thread, due to constraints with timing, but she will be able to return to the final thread if she wishes, feel free to communicate to me on discord if you wish to return at the end. Due to Hugo's situation, it is imperative that this thread gets completed.

Andre and Cordelia are going to head towards Dahlia's hideout.

Please continue the thread.

[Gloomcrest]

Taking a moment to look around at the entrance of the Waterworks; a dark, dingy place is what the thief would call it, but a home nonetheless. Jared could understand why Vinsue needed to stay behind; In this situation, it would be more of a problem if the gnome came along with her limited combat experience; that is to say, Jared didn’t have much either despite putting more effort than usual.

As his citrine-coloured eyes scan the entrance, his eyes rest upon Synthar & Cordelia, who are waiting at the gate for Salen, Andre & himself. Seeing that Cordelia was explaining how she was very familiar with the tunnels suggests that this woman knew more than he was led to believe, but he didn’t question it for now; the main objective was to get Hugo out of this dangerous situation by any means necessary.

It didn’t ease the thief’s concerns over the matter as he was witnessing & feeling the tense air between Cordelia & Salen, almost suffocating. Still, the amber-eyed nightfallen magus could not let this distract him. More than his conditions with his Mageblight was already doing so by inhibiting many of his physical capabilities.

Taking a moment to adjust his face cloth, the thief was attempting to hide his frail condition as he did not want people to be concerned about himself; instead, the objective was more important than his health at hand but as soon as Andre points out about his condition; the thief immediately tenses up before he could try to cover up more of what remaining bare skin was left. However, Salen’s imposing question does force the thief to admit that he was pushing himself harder than he usually does.

“... Yes, but that doesn’t matter right now... We need to get to Hugo before anything worse can happen... I wasn’t strong enough to fend off the surprise attack & I needed to get stronger I... am sure you can understand the desperation for power when there is meaning to protect something that holds meaning."

Letting out a loud, choking cough, the thief takes a moment to turn his head away from the group as he stabilises himself for a moment.

“Well, despite my conditions, the fruits of hard work & labour do not disappoint… I am ready to go once you all are & I will try to support you all the best I can.”

With that, the thief takes a moment to pool a small amount of Umbralplasm that he kept hidden underneath his black cloak, quickly enveloping the thief in a wispy curtain of darkness as his humanoid form begins to blend into the darkness. While he was not invisible compared to Dahlia during her surprise attack, camouflage paired with sufficient training in creeping and stifling the amount of noise would aid in his attempts to avoid getting caught flat-footed.

[Salen]

The air became quiet tense as Cordelia and Andre left together; he could sense there was something not quite right with the other female but who could question the lookalike of Dahlia Senerite herself. It seemed foreign that she would have a twin sister, but it appears every political gambit had their dark secrets. There was no time for avail as he motioned Jared and Synthar further on into the tunnels, to the left was apparently the secret hideout where they were keeping Hugo, to the right was the way to Dahlia's quarters. The tunnels were confusing, but nothing had changed since the years that Salen used these tunnels.

He knew of most of the dangers here, but he had never encountered any Dranoch down here before, unless they have been frequenting down here due to places being discovered. The dark waterworks was a favorite place for a predator; one which liked to prey on rebel mages and other Corvo who walked in the darkness. Salen wasn't sure about the deep dark sense, but he was hoping he would never have to bump into those greedy and murderous beasts ever. He looked to Jared and beckoned him forth as he explored the dark tunnels with him. It was no question what they were doing to Hugo but knowing the torment he had inflicted upon him during his training to subjugate his mind, he knew that there were darker intentions that could lead to his death.

If they don't hurry that is...

"We have no time... Ill or not, we must push further..." He said reluctantly, treading through the sewage and the dark tunnels. In the shadows, he could feel someone lurking. Was it the monsters within, or something much darker. There was no question that anyone who walked down here was either ill-omened or desperate to escape from something, Synthar caught up to Salen and Jared as he looked around cautiously "Do you have any idea where the hideout is..."

"Well, Dahlia would always carry an emblem, but if we can somehow subdue a guard and grab his Emblem, then we'll be able to get into the hideout..." Salen uttered to Synthar, seemingly agitated as there was a time limit. He didn't know what kind of scars Hugo would come out of this ordeal, but he knew it wasn't very pleasant.