Aestus looks around, quite quiet... almost seeming rather subdued in unfamiliar territory... Kneeling on the sandstone flooring, Lexi looks around at the familiar surroundings she once...called 'home'. As tears fill her eyes, she hears the sound of someone entering and looks around to see...a figure she recalls. But with him is someone strange to her. She sits on the floor now, moving back slowly while mouthing the name "Eladria"... She looks at him questioningly, not sure of how to speak. Eladria looks at Lexi, cocks his head to the side, and looks around. "Hey, where's Justin?" Aestus peers over Eladria, still hanging somewhere behind the dwarf. His eyes are like tiny pinpoints of violet light in wells of darkness... creepy, to say the least, though his entire demeanor is that of curiousity, and... nervousness? However, he still stays respectfully silent... Lexi blinks at the mention of that name.. then looks down at the floor and lastly at her...wedding ring. If he asked about Justin's whereabouts...she closes her eyes, inhales deeply, looks up at him and asks softly, "You mean...he...is alive and well...?" Eladria looks at Lexi. "Well, yeah, saw him a bit ago. Who're you?" Aestus . o O ( ... well, at least your lack of tact didn't change, sir Kiran... ). > > Suddenly, a few of the Blades recruits jump up in alarm, knocking overchairs and some of their fellows. To their suprise, a half-elven manwearing full platemail made of black steel is lying on his back on one ofthe long tables, hands behind his bead, as if sleeping. Aestus jumps, the lance that had been behind his back suddenly in one hand... then he pauses, and lets out a sigh. Eladria glances at the man. Aestus lowers his voice, just behind Eladria now, "Remember the guy that defended us back at the Dwargon overlook? Now he's not hiding in the shadows." Eladria blinks. The man so seemingly relaxed is surrounded by a shimmering outline ofdarkness, prominently outlining all of his features, and causing the emblemof a silver raven on his breastplate to shine with a soft light. Eladria turns to Aestus and nods. "Good. Could he help us, if that guy shows up?" Aestus says: ... maybe. Lexi's eyes widen as she crawls to a corner in the room.. Aestus says: Ancient ones don't like to interfere too much with people... though, this whole... ordeal? you spoke of may be an exception... Eladria watches Lexi curiously. "Interesting indeed. But still." He raises his voice. "Where in the heck is Justin?" Aestus sighs quietly to himself and leans on his lance, posture relaxing somewhat. Aestus stops wielding a titanium lance. Lexi sits in the shadows of the corner. Tears run down her cheeks now as she has finally confirmed that her beloved is alive... She looks up at Eladria and replies, "I don't know... T...Teisha... She brought me here. Said that...he would be here..." Eladria looks at Lexi, and kneels down, peering intently. "But he isn't is he?" Lexi examines Eladria's face... It's been so long... She wasn't sure anyone she knew was still alive really. "He isn't..." Eladria reaches forward to wipe away her tears, feeling kinda bad. "I'll find him. Wanna come along?" Lexi's emotions are somewhat lifted with the last question...but it /has/ been so long... She's not sure what to expect, but she smiles faintly at Eladria. "If it would be okay with you...?" Eladria smiles and nods. Eladria says: Sure. Eladria stands up, and offers Lexi his hand, to stand up. Eladria ponders for a moment. He's gonna need some help, finding Justin. . .he shouts, loud enough to make sure EVERYONE hears him. "HEY! Anybody know where Justin is?" The armored figure makes a noise resembling a snicker, but is otherwise silent. Aestus winces, faintly, from back where he is. Lexi reaches out for Eladria's hand, less hesitant than she was with Teisha. She pulls herself up and looks around at everyone quietly.. From one corner of the hall, a student comes froward... a medic, by the look of him. "Please, sir, the only word he left was that he was going to see Mirai." The boy watches Kiran warily for a further moment. Lexi . o O ( Mirai... ). Eladria nods at the boy. "Thanks." Eladria turns to Lexi, and nods at Aestus. "We'll need to find Justin before we can mount a serious defense. > > Aestus lowers his head somewhat, glancing about, then picks his lance up in his left hand, slowly walking over by the tables, and hops up on one... though, not the one the fellow in platemail is on. > > Chastain looks about, wondering what is wrong. He feels nervous for some reason... As Eladria begins to head out, he spots Chastain, and waves. "We're aboutto find Justin." > > Chastain turns towards Eladria and says, "I will follow you then. I have no idea what is going on." > > Chastain reply draws his sword and looks about. Seeing Lexi he pads to her side and asks her what is going on. Aestus asks: ... ah, I'm not the only one that got a bad feeling, then...? Aestus peers curiously at Chastain. Eladria nods, and starts walking toward the exit, when the path is suddenlyblocked by one of Crulath's Gargoyles. Chastain stares at the gargoyle and snarled the elvish equivalent of "Sweet holy shit!" Lexi screams at the sight of the creature... Chastain attempts to cast a defensive spell, but feels the power he had drawn slipping from his grasp... The gargoyle cackles, and is suddenly joined by a host of comrades. Eladriabacks up, and draws his sword. "Keep away from the claws!" The armored figure lets out a roaring bellow of a laugh, sending Blades trainees scurrying away,trainees scurrying away, as he leaps up onto his feet. Aestus jumps again, startled by the scream... then startled moreso by the laugh, and promptly falls off the table he had perched on. Chastain rights at Lexi's side, his eyes darting from gargoyle to gargoyle as he slashes at their claws. Raven locks his gaze onto one of the gargoyles, and smirks slightly, the black aura of power fading, his true identity hidden. Chastain slashes at one of the gargoyles as it turnes towards the armored figure that had just risen. His blade screeches against the gargoyles scales and falls from his hand. The gargoyles rush forward, striking at anyone within striking distance. Eladria cuts one down with a dispatch, but the enemies push forward. Chastain recovers his blade and drives it into a gargoyle's belly. He wrenches the sword from the dying beasts guts and dodges the claws of another. One of the gargoyles leaps at the figure in black, who is seeminglyunarmed, with its razor-sharp claws. As it approaches, the man easilycatches its claw, bending it backwards. The arm breaks off, and he proceedsto beat the hell out of the gargoyle with it. > > Aestus manages to de-tangle himself from a random chair he had toppled into... still fairly far back in the room, away from the gargoyles, he narrows his eyes... "That silver, they're... magicide? What the..." > > Chastain snarls as he parries a swipe, "It's some kind of material that absorbs thaumaturgic energy. Try aiming for their bellies!" Raven picks up one of the gargoyles, and beats the hell out of another gargoyle with the flailing and screeching creature. > > Chastain finds himself surrounded by four gargoyles and slowly backs towards the stairs... Aestus turns halfway and stares, watching Raven mutely. Raven smirks slightly. "If you want to live, I suggest you run. These things are pretty powerful compared to you, and I'm just fighting them for entertainment. Can't do everything for you." Aestus says: ... Chastain snarls as he drives his blade through a gargoyle's eye, "Do you honestly expect us to run?" Raven ignores further commentary, picking up a brass goblet from a table, beating dents into it and the gargoyles. Chastain feints at one of the gargoyles and runs for the stairs, taking higher ground. The gargoyles follow, but can only face Chastain one at a time. Aestus exclaims: ... go up, snipe them from the stairs! More gargoyles, must be hundreds now, start pouring through the doorways, forcing confrontations at better odds. > > Raven continues improvising weaponry while laughing almost madly, hitting gargoyles with each other, goblets, cutlery, and once or twice, even a whole table. Chastain sees the gargoyle reinforcements and mutters, "The damnable queen never told me to expect *this*..." as he eviscerates another gargoyle. Chastain remembers that the gargoyle absorbed a spell he cast on himself, and wonders if it will absorb a spell directed at an inanimate object... The gargoyles, realizing that Raven is to be frightened of, start trying to skirt him, while an elven figure appears, floating over them in the doorway. "Excuse me, but what in the HELL are you doing?" Raven dropkicks a gargoyle in the chin, sending its head flying off and between two tall candleabras, hitting another in the process. Chastain turns towards the newcomer for a moment while jabbing at a gargoyle's face, "Who the hell are you?!" Raven looks up briefly in his rampant gargoyle beatings, smirking slightly at the new arrival, and then continues to beat the hell out of them. Crulath looks at Raven, and shakes his head. "That's quite enough of THAT." He MOVEs Raven TO a place on the other side of the room. Aestus crouches somewhat, and jumps... yes, a sheer jump, up, and slightly off angle... at a decent enough height, he snaps a hand out, catching the rail of the spiral staircase, and flips himself up onto it. Aestus wields a sniper's crossbow. The black aura flares up around the armored figure, and a lancing bolt ofpower just misses Crulath, striking a gargoyle nearby, utterly obliteratingit from existence. Aestus narrows his eyes, so they do merely look like pools of darkness, bringing the crossbow up... Chastain begins to draw power into his sword as the gargoyles' attack lulls. As electriticy crackles along the length of Edge of Thorns he thrusts with a piercing cry at a gargoyle that leaps at him. The blade slides in as butter before the power stored within the sword is driven into Chastain's body, hurling him through the plaster wall behind him... Crulath suddenly shifts his persona. He changes quickly to The Shrike. > > Chastain pulls himself from the rubble, shaking plaster bits from his hair. A thin trail of blood streaks his face without him noticing as he sees the Shrike standing amongst the gargoyles... The gargoyles swarm forward, threatening both Chastain and Lexi simulataneously. Chastain wrenches Edge of Thorns from the belly of the gargoyle and snarls, "Come on, you scaly sons of syphilitic bitches!" Raven says: You are an impertinent one, aren't you. Crulath moves closer to Raven, though he isn't walking. "I'm going to hang you on my Tree of Pain!" Chastain says: It's an occupational hazard. Aestus lowers his voice in a whisper entirely to himself; a curse, in some unknown language. "Enkokiti te ku sodaku..." Raven throws his head back and laughs madly. "You wish to fight me? Finally, someone with at least a little power to play with!" A crossbow bolt pings off of Crulath's metal hide, having little effect. Aestus says: ... gezu. Chastain sees that the floor below is clear and leaps from the top of the stairs. Landing on his feet he stands before Lexi and holds his blade in front of him. Chastain begins to concentrate as nine runes drawn in emerald light flare along the length of his blade. Raven says: But I don't hope you have any illusions of your chances of victory, metal one. Crulath asks: We'll see, won't we? Aestus growls to himself, and goes to sniping off gargoyles below... most take a bolt to the shoulder here, and there... some ping off the metallic beasts... Chastain wracks his brain, trying to remember a spell that would work against the gargoyles... Aestus says: ... this isn't going to work... Aestus stops wielding a sniper's crossbow. Aestus . o O ( ... this dragoons, was definately not made to use those dingy things. ). Aestus wields a titanium lance. Chastain snarls, "No, bastard," and rips a bloody gash in the belly of a gargoyle as it swings for Lexi. Raven stands firm, his black armor seeming bright in the midst of his midnight aura of power... Crulath enters melee with Raven, striking with four powerful arms, while the gargoyles swarm the lower level of the Tower. Chastain slashes left and right, looking about and wondering where the Hell Eladria went... Raven dodges Crulath's strikes easily, with the fluid grace of a warrior who has fought more battles than there are drops of blood in his body. Chastain looks at Gargoyle. > > Aestus hops up on the edge of the railing, lance held offside in his left hand, right holding him steady for a bare moment. Then, he hops off the stairwell's rail, down to a lower tier... right onto a gargoyle a few steps below Chastain and Lexi, who finds itself rather meanly impaled on that lance of his.Aestus snaps the thing up and aside, into the gargoyles flocking up the steps, and off the end of the lance. Chastain snarls as a gargoyles claws tear through the sleeve of his mail-shirt and break the skin of his upper arm. He takes the sword from his numb hand with his other arm and continues to fight, determined to take as many to Hell with him as possible... Raven asks: What's the matter? Too many arms to control? Crulath increases the speed of his strikes, changing his attack pattern.The gargoyles swarm around Aestus, slashing at him. Raven laughs merrily, blocking the strikes instead of dodging now. "Oh, so it has a mind too, does it?" Aestus spins about, an oddly finessed movement for using such an unwieldy weapon; managing to avoid hitting the railing or either of the people a few steps above. He does, however, soundly thwack all of the gargoyles about him... hopefully scattering the things, but probably not doing too good of a job of it. Chastain ducks beneath a gargoyles claw and stumbles to his knees as the sword falls from suddenly nerveless fingers. Paralyzed, he continues to wrack his brain as the temperature begins to rise... Gargoyles swarm over Chastain, slashing at his downed body. Aestus'sgargoyles leap back, but start moving forward again. Eladria leaps to tryand drag Chastain out of the fire, slashing to keep the gargoyles back. Raven asks: You meddle in the lives of mortals... send servants to kill them... and then dare to order me about? Raven asks: Let us see your power, then, and defend your minions from this? Aestus turns, jamming one end of the lance into a gargoyle, throwing it over the rail... Raven continues blocking strikes with one hand, and points the other in Chastain's direction... Chastain shudders, and whispers, "There's a vial of medicine in my belt. It might serve to stop this poison..." > > Eladria nods, and takes the vial, feeding it to Chastain. Chastain shivers and gags as his body convulses. A black vortex of energy opens in front of Raven's outstretched hand, andbolts of black lightning dance around Chastain briefly, striking thegargoyles back. > > The strikes on Raven continue, while the gargoyles seem mysteriously tofull healed, as if by magic. Chastain feels strength returning to his legs and wobbles back onto his feet. Raven asks: You wish to play games? Raven says: Very well... > > Aestus raises his head somewhat, an idea coming to mind, and takes his lance across between both hands -- one of which, oddly, is swathed in shadow -- and crouches for a moment... Chastain taking a longsword from the wall he begins to chant as he holds the longsword before him with one hand grasping the hilt and the other its point... Aestus hops forward, down a few steps; the lance is held broad, across the stairwell... his intent is to clothesline any gargoyle in front or to either side of him, and throw them back down the stairs. A black darkness emanates from the center of Raven's armor, blacker thanemptiness, the shadow of the void. There rests a small black crystal on aslender silver chain, humming with its own terrible power. Raven's eyes fade to a silver hue, and he smirks slightly, his armor disappearing. Raven asks: You wish to look terrible and frightening, and fight like a demon? Chastain rumbling fills the air, followed by frenzied *WARKING* as emerald light flares around Chastain. Chocobos tear through the room, pecking and kicking at the gargoyles for a space of moments before returning to the dreamrealm whence they came. As the light around Chastain fades several gargoyles fall, clutching grievous wounds. Crulath is striking, faster and faster now, ignoring Raven's comments. The black clothing that Raven wears swirls about madly, and then he roars,an inhuman scream of terrible rage, as his hands become claws, and his backsprouts a pair of black wings.Aestus looks up from makeshift-clotheslining gargoyles down the staircase... > > The demon the half-elf has become snarls, and the shadows emanate with his thundering voice. "Let me show you the pain that you so desire!" Chastain sees that Lexi is weaponless and calls to her, "Take this!" He lofts his longsword into the air, hoping that she'll catch it. > > Raven rushes at the Shrike, striking him with his claws powerfully, his power augmented by the black crystal now flaring on the chain around his neck Aestus says: ... tyone daemon de corvus de luna laborans... Aestus just stares, for a moment... Chastain pants with the effort of his Summoning and wobbles a bit on his feet before taking another longsword from the wall. "Come on, you ember-eyed sacks of shit." The Shrike is clearly not thrilled with this idea. He roars, fallingbackward, striking at Raven best he can. Suddenly, the area around Raven isfilled with Shrikes, striking at him. Meanwhile, the roar from the originalShrike begins to shake the very walls of the tower, crumbling them. "You think your images can harm me? You think you can harm me? Let us seewhere your power lies!" >> Raven suddenly changes tack, striking down gargoyles left and right, shredding them like they were paper, not hardened metal. > > Chastain swings two-handed and decapitates a gargoyle as he stumbles between them and Lexi, snarling at her to get the hell out... Aestus suddenly yelps, having been caught full-on by one of the gargoyles while distractedly watching the fight between the Ancients. Crulath roars in defiance, cloning more and more gargoyles, to take their fallen brethren's places. Chastain looks towards Crulath and snarls, "You meddlesome bastard..." Moving like a striking snake, the demon flashes protectively in front ofAestus, killing dozens of demons at once with his flurried strikes, hisfury deadly to those standing in his path. > > Lexi looks at Chastain sadly, "But...I can't..." Aestus topples back onto the stairs -- a rather hard landing, though his armor took the brunt of it... but, he stares, eyes wide, and just manages a, "... wow." Crulath is furious! He screams something inarticulate, and tries to MOVE Raven TO the void! Aestus makes a dramatic pause before speaking. Chastain snarls, "The bloody hell you can't. Get out now, and make sure Justin knows about this!" Raven extends his palm at Crulath, and a black vortex of power surrounds him, cutting him off from his source of power and preventing him from even affecting the physical world. Chastain sees that the Shrike is distracted, and begins to concentrate. He gathers the powers of fire, ice, and lightning into his sword and drives his blade into Crulath's body before being hurled across the room. Blood sprays from his mouth as his body is slammed against the wall... Raven says: You seek to try the limits of my power... and you meddle in the mortal world... I could, no, should destroy you where you stand. Raven steps up to Crulath, a good four feet shorter than him or so, but his bearing marked with the power held within Chastain forces himself to his feet and fumbles a medicinal potion from his belt. Raven says: But you amuse me. However, if I find you harming a mortal again, I will make you suffer so much that you, the self-appointed "Lord of Pain", will not relish the experience. Raven makes a wave-like gesture with his hand, eradicating all the gargoyles with a black flash of light. Chastain snarls, "It may prove an instructive experience for the bastard, though," as he drinks a potion. > > Aestus finally, finally manages to push himself back up from where he had been stuck on the stairs, wincing and looking worse for the wear... Raven says: Now I suggest those of you who don't have eternal life get out, this tower is collapsing. > > Lexi puts her arm around Chastain.. "You'll be okay...?" Chastain glares at Lexi and mutters a harsh stream of elfin profanities, "Yes, I'll live, but there is something about being next to useless that seriously annoys me." Lexi . o O ( You...useless... Hardly...I am though... ). Aestus hops to his feet... though sways for a moment, unsteady, before catching himself with a hand on the rail of the steps. Chastain touchs his sword arm and notices that its covered with blood from where the gargoyle hit him and mutters, "Damn. It was worse than I thought it would be. Chastain concentrates for a moment, and you hear a "kupo!", followed by another... > > Chastain falls to his knees, exhausted, as he completes his Summoning... The walls begin to shake, even more, and bits of the celing crash down,into Crulath, and the floor. > > Chastain shivers and mutters, "Oh, for Hell's sake..." > > Aestus glances around... Aestus . o O ( Where'd it go... ). Chastain forces himself to his feet and somehow forces himself to run, even though he feels that one of his ribs is broken... Lexi leaves following Chastain.. > > The entire structure begins to crumble. Chastain shouts: There's no fucking time, Aestus. You feel like dying today?! Chastain shudders. Lexi sighs. Aestus enters. Aestus pants. Aestus says: *quiet* ... hadta, get my lance back. Lexi tries to keep up her pace with Chastain, but grows weary and strays behind a bit. She watches as she just about behind a bit. She watches as she just about loses sight of him.. Chastain stops for a moment and with a weary sigh says, "Take your time." Suddenly, she freezes in place, held by an invisible force. Chastain narrows his eyes and sees a spell in place. He begins to probe it, trying to figure out how it works in order to break it... Lexi blinks, fear filling her mind. "What...do you want of me...?" Chastain is struck by a suddenly blow of force, while something seems to make Lexi go silent. Into her mind is a voice. "You will lead me to Justin and the Mother. You are going to do so, you will not resist." A spell fallsover her. . . Chastain laughs bitterly as he readies his staff, "The same thing these worthless gods always seem to want of mortals: for us to suffer for their amusement." The spell having taken effect, Lexi should simply follow her directions. More words into her mind are projected. "Shake your head, and tell him it's nothing, just a random thought about Justin, and that he should lead on." Lexi does as instructed and shakes her head at Chastain reassuringly. "I was just...thinking of Justin. It's nothing..." Lexi asks: Where do we go from here? Chastain narrows his eyes at Lexi, "Are you sick? Did one of the gargoyles scratch you?" The voice says. "No, you're fine." Lexi says: I'm...fine really. Trust me... Chastain shrugs and decides to let Justin know that Lexi is acting strangely, "A little further ahead. Follow me, Lexi."Chastain mutters, "you look as lousy as I feel..."Chastain leads Lexi to Tzen and the hall of the Freedom Blades...Lexi blinks..and follows behind. (NRP: Chastain catches on and gets off-ed by Crulath later, hence Lexi's being alone when she meets Justina and Razz later)