The Silence Is Deafening

[Andor Wolfram]

[doHTML]

...but the sky is empty

 and orion walks by and doesn't speak

Andor wasn't sure what had driven him from his normal paths for walks to the park. He'd been adjusting nicely to the new world, and there weren't any reminders of his past here, which meant things haunted him far less. But he'd still kept people in the dark on the trials he'd struggled with back home. No one here knew what had happened, what he'd done to try and save his world, and he was reluctant to share the burden of such knowledge with others.

Sighing, he found one of the benches lining the paths in the park he'd wandered to and settled on it. It was approaching night, and the last glow of the sun could be seen in the distance, treating him to a spectacular sunset. He sat and watched it for a time, until it had faded and the world around him was wrapped in dusk.

Even though this wasn't a bad area, he knew it wasn't wise to linger in the park after dark alone. There'd been strange incidents and attacks lately, and the last thing he needed was something of that sort. He was about to rise from the bench when he heard a scream in the park not too far from him.

Too late.

He really didn't want to get involved, as fighting brought back memories of times he'd rather bury and forget, but he couldn't just turn his back on someone clearly in need. He knew he'd pay for it later with nightmares and other such nonsense, but moved toward the disturbance anyway, his hands crackling with the summoned magick he'd willed there.

As he neared where he thought the scream had come from he saw an odd mass of blackness with strange white glowing patches, a strange writhing form that made no sense to him. It had an eerie aura about it, and he felt a chill go down his back. The thing had a gaping maw full of what looked like sharp teeth, and seemed to ooze along the ground.

Sprawled in front of it, frozen with fear and something else, though he wasn't quite sure what, was a woman. She was bundled up against the night, so he couldn't see how old she was, but he was fairly certain she was the one who'd cried out before.

His eyes moved between the thing and her, then focused on the creature. \"What the hell is that thing?\" Andor's voice was soft and the words were more spoken to himself than addressed to the woman. He summoned a bit of magick and formed it into a small messenger, then instructed it to find another magick user or a Guard - anyone who might be able to help, then turned his full attention back to the thing. It reared up, and he sent a bolt of holy magick toward it, hoping that would at least slow it down.

Tag: Open | Notes: Feel free to hop in with whoever.?

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[Lanbao Tigerpaw]

 

The night was pleasant, and padded feet gently swayed down the road. Lanbao stumbled some and giggled, simply enjoying the buzz she had gotten while drinking with Constantine earlier that day. Even with the alcohol in her system, though, her senses were alert. A mix of years of training in its use, as well as part of her culture and heritage, the Pandaren knew how to enjoy herself and the feelings while not letting the drink take her for a ride. It was a nice trick, a nice way of handling her beer that allowed her to keep her head afloat - and to drink most under the table. She grinned at the reminder of her friends and how they were when they tried to keep up with her.

 

The smile, and the night, was broken by a scream as she passed Rosewood Park, the fur on her tail bristling like that of a cat's when faced with a less then friendly dog. Without even stopping to consider, she scrambled and turned, running at full speed for the source of the noise. She was going to be let for bed, but she was sure her stop would be understandable. She launched onto her hands, tucking herself into a ball and rolling through the brush that made up some of the park. Once clear, she settled into a fighting stance, but as she took in the scene in front of her, her body tensed, blue eyes widening as she recognised the beast. It couldn't be... The spell launched at it, but she highly doubted it would work.

 

Fear set in. Fear that had her taking half a step back before she even realized she had done it. Not... No. She dug deep down, finding the calm and center she needed to deal with this threat. She'd deal with the fear later, the dread and the repercussions. Still, she swayed more then usual and reset her balance as she realized her disadvantage. She'd missed the man's question, but she turned her attention to the man that stood there. "Get her to safety! I will deal with this, sir!"

 

She didn't want to do it alone, in case she fell, in case she came under the thing's control, but she needed to stand her ground and fight. She could deal with the negativity later. "I know how to deal with this!"

 

anne

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[Andor Wolfram]

[doHTML]

...but the sky is empty

 and orion walks by and doesn't speak

The woman who arrived to help was a welcome sight to him, particularly as the magick had only seemed to anger the thing more. He didn't want to leave her alone with it, even if she said she knew how to handle it, but she was right that the woman who'd been attacked needed to be moved to safety. He gave a nod, scooped the lady up, and hurried off, with a quiet, \"I'll be back as soon as I can.\"

He was extremely unsettled by the thing - it had messed with his emotions, though he wasn't sure how, and he had trouble finding calm after that. It didn't help that the woman he'd scooped up was trembling like a leaf in his arms. She kept sobbing her thanks over and over. It reminded him far too much of home.

\"You are welcome. I'm going to leave you here in this warm cafe, and have the worker over there look after you til I can come back.\" He pitched his voice to carry to the woman behind the counter, who looked over with a scowl until she saw the woman in his arms. She rushed over quickly after that. \"What happened?\"

Andor wished he could give a better answer than the one he had. \"There's something out there. I'm not sure what it was, but it attacked her. Another fighter of some sort came along and helped, and I need to get back and make sure she's got help. I also sent for more aid, but who knows how long it will take. Please look after her til we've dealt with whatever it is.\"

The woman nodded, understanding the situation and immediately tending to the other woman he'd left in her care, who was clearly rattled. Turning back around, he rushed out the door and drew on his magic again. He really didn't want to fight, battle-mage or not, but it wasn't a choice anymore. He'd pay for this dearly later. He always did when he pulled on his magick in any way that reminded him of the battles back home.

He was extremely curious about the race of the woman who'd come to help, but there'd be time enough to find out more about her later. Coming back to where he'd left her with the thing, he grimaced. Just being near it unsettled him and made him feel like a greenhorn again. He'd not been that in many, many years. Glancing over at her, he nodded.

\"You said you know how to deal with this thing? Tell me how to hurt it so we can stop it or destroy it. I'll help you however I can. I'm sorry I took a bit longer than planned getting back - had to briefly explain to the shopkeeper what had happened.\" The magick responded nicely as he called on it, this time fire magick as the other hadn't seemed to do much good.

Tag: Open | Notes: The sha are nasty and he has no clue how to fight them.?

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[Lanbao Tigerpaw]

Once the man had gone to take care of the trembling woman - who seemed eerily familiar to her - Lanbao took a deep breath and turned her attention to the creature in front of her. The dark manifestation of an Old God's power, and it was here in her new home. She couldn't allow it, but she couldn't let her destructive emotions run free, either. Not with this thing. It fed off emotions, and one in particular. She just had to figure out which one.

 

It hissed at her, crawling towards her with speed she hadn't expected, and the Pandaren tumbled out of the way, growling low in her throat. The alcohol gave her more courage then she thought possible. She just needed to stay calm, find its weak points and deal with it quickly. But, what was the point? She was useless. Wasn't strong enough to take it down...

 

It was just a little one! She shook her head to clear away the sudden thoughts. It'd been too long since such emotions took her down a dark path. No, no, no! Lanny quickly pulled her fist weapons from her hips, swaying on her feet. Calm. Calm.

 

Calm. She took another deep breath and let it out slowly, grinding her teeth together. The pain of clenching so hard grounded her, and she focused inward. The point of this was to keep it from feeding off the sorrow of others. They didn't deserve this thrust on them. She'd survived this thing in the past - she had many who relied on her, so how did that make her useless? And she was plenty strong enough to take. It. Down.

 

She spun and kicked at it, taking an unsettling amount of pleasure in sending it into a nearby tree. The surprise of the attack was in her favor, thank the spirits. The other man finally arrived back, and she nodded to him, swaying backward and forward on the balls of her feet. Keep moving. She had to keep moving.

 

"Hurting is the hard part. It feeds off of negative emotion and reflects it back on its prey. This one in particular is despair." She glanced to him, even as the sha gave a small shriek that ran goosebumps along her arms and bristled the fur along her back and her tail. "Do not get frustrated. We can do this. We can survive this."

 

With that, she used the 'special' ability of the artifacts in her hand to pummel the shadow creature with powerful, sharp edged winds, allowing her to keep her distance. Her words were more then just information on the creature, but affirmation for herself as well. They could take this down. They could, and they would.

[Andor Wolfram]

[doHTML]

...but the sky is empty

 and orion walks by and doesn't speak

The information she gave him was good. Anything he could use to go at the monster before it hurt anyone else. The fact that it preyed on negative emotions was unsettling, to say the least, but he was sure that was why he'd been feeling as he had. \"When it reflects the emotions back, it's not just at the person it took them from, is it?\"

He wanted confirmation of that, though he was fairly certain of the answer already. He threw a fireball at the thing as he watched the woman out of the corner of his eye. Her magick was interesting, and he was curious about the weapon she used. It wasn't like anything he'd ever seen, and he'd seen a wide variety of armaments with enchantments.

The fireball did some damage, but not as much as he'd hoped. He didn't really have any weapons to bash it with, as his staff was back home - he only took it out on the battlefield, and there'd not been one of those in some time. Shifting his weight, he pulled on a massive amount of energy to prepare a particularly difficult spell. It was essentially a mini tempest he could direct, made of fire and wind. Adapting it to this world had been difficult, but it was extremely effective. He hoped it would continue to serve him well here.

It was one that had to be channeled once the initial spell was cast, and he knew it was risky, but if it helped? It was worth the risk. The wind began to whip around him as he pulled more energy in, then he sent the howling mini-storm at the sha, beginning to channel the spell as he did so. Fire swirled angrily in the center of it and expanded rapidly, engulfing the sha.

Sweat began to bead on his brow as he continued to channel it. He risked a glance over at the woman. \"I can't hold this for long, but it should damage it a great deal.\"

Tag: Lanbao Tigerpaw | Notes: He's not sure what to think about the sha.

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[Lanbao Tigerpaw]

 

"Yes. Yes they do. That poor woman we saved seemed to have a lot of sorrow in her soul." Lanbao commented, dodging back out of the way of a strike from the shadow creature. The more she fought, the more centered she seemed to become. She struggled with the sorrow in her own mind, but that was something she could harness. Could turn it inward, rebuff it, build from it. It lashed out again, but cut short with a shriek as a fireball collided with it.

 

She snarled and struck out with her palm, trying to act as a distraction. The sha wouldn't harm the mage - she'd see to that. She had more endurance, more armor, to protect her from the physical attacks of the monster, and years of practice fighting them. This one was powerful, more powerful then she expected, but it still smoked from the fireball.

 

Lanbao was glad it seemed conflicted as to who to attack though, though its attention turned to the mage again when the winds kicked up and swirled around them, and then orange, red, and yellow lit up the night, blinding her to what was behind her. She hoped help arrived soon. She had a feeling they could handle it, but more help was always appreciated. She wanted to check on the victim. That poor woman who'd had to come face to face with demons probably long since buried.

 

She leaped back and away from the tumultuous spell as the heat licked at her fur. Her tail lashed behind her, aiding mildly in her balance as she swayed, readying for another strike. Green eyes flitted to the man and she nodded understanding. "Just hold it as long as you can, sir! We need to put this thing down!"

[Andor Wolfram]

[doHTML]

...but the sky is empty

 and orion walks by and doesn't speak

She definitely did, but Andor didn't have time to think about that, as he focused on the creature that had attacked the woman they'd rescued. He was glad that someone else was here fighting the monster besides him. It was the only reason he'd felt confident enough to channel the spell.

Sweat was now pouring down his face and neck, and he knew it would start to soak his robes soon too. It wasn't from the heat of the fire, though that added to it, but from the exertion he had to make in order to hold the spell. He tapped into his reserves, holding it for as long as he could, but when he felt himself sway, he knew he had to drop it or risk becoming a liability and possible victim himself.

\"I can't hold it any longer!\" he called out in warning, dropping the inferno shortly after. The sha had shrieked in pain and fury from the center and when the spell wavered and fell away, it raced directly for him. It wasn't a fast, dangerous movement like before though. Now it lurched and dragged itself forward, smoke rising from it as the damage continued to slow it down. He'd done a lot, and if luck - and skill - were on their side, the woman who fought with him could bring it down, or at least banish it temporarily.

That was his hope, anyway. They needed to end this quickly and go to see about the woman who it'd attacked.

Tag: Lanbao Tigerpaw | Notes: He is exhausted now, but has done a ton of damage.?

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[Lanbao Tigerpaw]

 

The thing shrieked, the sound soul shaking and angry, sending an equally soul chilling shiver down Lanbao's spine. It smoked, obviously weakened, but rather then fight back this time, it seemed to gain some sense of self-preservation. The shadows were its ally after all, and it used that to its advantage. Lanny couldn't grab it in time though as it slipped off with a pained growl into the bushes. The pandaren cursed in her native language as she dove for it, but too late - it was gone.

 

"No... no... no!" Dammit it all! It was weakened, so maybe it would die, but she doubted that. It would find someone else to feed off of, to grow stronger and to heal. But in the darkness, she couldn't really see anything to even see where it went off to.

 

Slowly, Lanbao pushed herself up off the ground, staring at the spot where she'd lost the Sha before turning to her fighting comrade. "... I could not catch it... It got away."

 

Her voice shook some, belying how much the thing escaping shook her. She'd not been able to land a final blow, been able to watch it disintegrate into nothing else. But there was nothing they could do about it in the night. "... What should we do?"