violent delights have violent ends

moral of the story is, i will gut you if i need to

i will carve my way out

Invitation only, hm?

Lucky then that Hotaru has a bracelet on her wrist denoting her as a member. Especially a founding one. It’s quite a simple process then, to stride down the hidden stairwell and lock eyes with the few souls gathered. It is quite late into the night, nearly early morning. Her blood still sings with alcohol, sand still caught in her skirt from where she’d unleashed a storm on the beach with Deimos. Atlas remains outside, a pair of eyes to watch the entry and bar any from coming. No time for second guessing, for forgiveness and hesitations. She holds up her wrist with the bracelet to the others, denoting her membership.

“I need the room. Get out.” Her voice resonates with a command she has not utilized since she was still crowned, but it is not rusty in the least. The same command she’d uttered to those in the Slagveld upstairs. Her fingers spark with electricity as a further incentive, a crackling sound that covers up a peculiar additional pair of steps down the stairs.

What they hopefully won’t see is Deimos, cloaked in a delightful bit of magical shroud that renders him totally invisible. She had waited for him to get past the bottom stair and into the open room before commanding the others out, ensuring they would not bump into the General on the stairs. She waits for his touch to confirm he’s there beside her if they refuse to leave. If they won’t, well. The Valkyrie and the Reaper - for that is who he is here and now, a forgotten ghost reclaiming rightful place at her side - are more than prepared to take them on.

Whether they’ve left or not, no more words are to be wasted. This is a time for action. And so she conjures her lightning and sets off a blast in the far corner of the room, aiming for the flat of the wall. No sense in bringing the basement down on their heads just yet.

- - -

Hotaru and Deimos are trying to destroy the Advocates and potentially the Slagveld!

Hotaru uses her DA bracelet and status as a founding member to order anyone out of the building above and below. She then uses her lightning on the far wall, staying near the stairs. Atlas remains outside.

Lightning manipulation: Can create and control Lightning. Must be within a 30ft radius.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered

Type: Dark
Ornate Leather Bracers (Upgraded) | The wearer can, at will, redirect both magical and physical attacks. For magical attacks, can redirect them within 10ft. Physical attacks must be within melee range to be directed, and can then be redirected within 10ft.

Type: Grey
Leather Jacket | A leather jacket that can reflect basic fire damage away from the wearer. Can be used again after a two post cool-off period. (Made by Deimos)

with only my teeth

HOTARU

DEIMOS

we've all got blood on our hands

something somewhere had to die

so we could stay alive

He once thrived on vengeance, bone by bone, brick by brick, line by line, until the fibers stoked and caught aflame. Before the Sword, he was the Reaper, a behemoth with callous disregard for those not in his wake.

So he returned.

It didn’t take a great deal to remember those filaments, those stark, grave glances of abhorrence. He listened to her plan, sketched out rough designs, adhered to ensuring no one else would be in the building. These were orchestrations he’d already managed before – during LongNight, where fire pressed in and caught monsters and stragglers alike; and he’d waited, waited, waited, in the smoke and fumes, for everyone to retreat into the endless abyss.

Deimos marched, diligent and quiet, hushed and furtive, beneath the veil of his invisibility cloak. Down secretive lairs and hidden staircases, casting himself against walls when others passed by, waiting when the ensuing members fled at her command. The monolith never had any idea this guild, this portion of the building, this platitude existed. And now? If their powers were unleashed, it wouldn’t matter.

Belial stationed himself outside with Atlas; capable of denoting and delivering messages of anyone coming near, blending into the surroundings, into the cover of night.

While they persisted and sought vehemence, ferocity.

Drawing beside her, a light touch upon her shoulder indicated his presence, and his eyes went to the crackle of lightning, shaking his head beneath the cloak.

And then he permitted the loosening, the unfurling, of his fire, of his flames, of his conflagration, following after the elemental menace, towards the wall close to her chosen filaments. “Let me know if it becomes too much,” he added – because while his control was grand and great, he also had Air manifestations or Water calculations to avoid their own demise.

--

Deimos follows Ru using his invisibility cloak and stations Belial outside with Atlas to keep watch.

Deimos uses his Mastered Fire to blast the wall closest to the one Hotaru has aimed for.

Fire Manipulation: Can create and control flames. Must be within a 30ft radius.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered

Type: Grey
Invisibility Cloak | (Upgraded) Ornate, detailed cloak, that when worn, renders up to two individuals invisible.

Though there are members engaging in business within, Hotaru's tone and rank send them scurrying out. The invisibility cloak works wonders, and soon Hotaru and Deimos are on the first floor of the Devil's Advocates. Hotaru's lightning streaks toward the end of the hall, burning a twisted scream of damage into the wood which snarls outward. Where her blast hits the wall begins to burn and smoulder. Deimos, targeting the wall which leads into the office, devastates it with fire easily. Quickly it begins to crumble and whine with heat. But there is a floor above you as well. Hopefully, there is a plan here, and you've not just set alight the middle floor to sandwich yourselves between. Though it's strange that there are two unicorns outside, thus far there are only minimal signs to suggest anything untoward is happening within. If you would like your character to try and intervene, pop a note in your admin-chat! If you're KQ locked, you may not join. You have 24 hours to reply or your actions IC will be rolled with disadvantage. Please post a summary of all actions taken/items/shifts/upgrades/etc used. Devil's Advocates: 207.5/300 HP Slagveld: 300/300 HP Deimos: 516/516 Hotaru: 88/88

moral of the story is, i will gut you if i need to

i will carve my way out

What does another floor matter when buried under rubble and ash? It may yet still stand, but only filled with the wreckage thrust upon it. Fitting. But they aren’t here for poetry, they are here for destruction. Both attacks aim true, and neither even needs to move from their position by the stairs. There’s no need to join him under the cloak yet and so she refrains, but his offer is met with a quirk of a smile scarcely dimmed by the devilry of their actions.

Instead, she focuses her attention on the corridor before them. “The floors and the hallway walls, let’s buckle it inward and down, don’t want it on our heads. There’s a floor beneath here. We’ll do the stairs last.” Hotaru informs him as if this is an idle shopping trip and they are checking off a premade list. Deimos had never been privy to the bowels and arrangements though, and so she will be his eyes - for the last time, if they have their way. As such she summons another bolt, this time at the far stairwell landing to try and pierce through the the flooring and begin setting it crumbling.

Outside, Atlas waits attentively, ordered to alert to any intruders and posture and shove in their way but otherwise not engage. It is not the lives of their companions that deserve to be tossed in the mix.

- - -

Hotaru aims another lightning bolt at the far end of the hallway to try and set fire there as well as buckle the flooring to let debris begin to fall into the lowest floor.

Atlas stands guard, ordered to alert to anyone trying to get inside and dissuade them by blocking the door with his body but otherwise move aside if anyone attacks.

with only my teeth

HOTARU

DEIMOS

we've all got blood on our hands

something somewhere had to die

so we could stay alive

More and more and more; destruction, however fleeting, curled into his spine. These were the moments salvaged from Reaper instances, where the act and need for demolition waged so heavily in his blood. It pounded against his ears and roared in his heart – angles of vehemence and violence he’d missed for so long.

Their aims were true, and then he listened to the next plans. Unaware of the building’s layout, save for the very brief intervals where he’d shadowed and shrouded his way through, he could only adhere to her scruples. Floors beneath this one, and another above; not yearning to be caught in between and assemble a mess directly upon them.

No need for words now; his assaults and sieges would do the talking. The flare of his fire followed her lightning, intending to blister and blaze at the floorboards of the far end of the hallway, and then drag them across, bit by bit, until there’d be nothing left.

Belial waited outside with Atlas, though blended into shadow, unseen, a pair of eyes to gaze upon the surroundings, to watch and see if others were coming, alarmed by the insistent fury within. A peryton messenger; cloaked too.

--

Deimos remains under the invisibility cloak, follows Hotaru’s directions, and launches his Mastered Fire at the far end of the hallway’s floorboards.

Belial waits outside as a watcher and potential messenger for Deimos, should anyone be coming to interfere.

Fire Manipulation: Can create and control flames. Must be within a 30ft radius.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered

•  Type: Grey
Invisibility Cloak | (Upgraded) Ornate, detailed cloak, that when worn, renders up to two individuals invisible.

BELIAL - Mythical - Peryton (Blend)

Fire rages as electricity causes the boards to warp and seize. Smoke billows now in abundance as the temperature rises dramatically. Soon the pair will begin to take heat and smoke damage if precautions aren't' taken. The flooring farther from the stairs begins to buckle, and debris begins to litter the main floor. Devil's Advocates: 115/300 HP Slagveld: 300/300 HP Deimos: 516/516 Hotaru: 88/88

JACK

It tastes like a fight in an alleyway, or a deal gone south. Jack should know, he’s been in enough of both. So it is that he notices the smoke billowing out of the Slagveld on his way past, that he notices a curiously equine guard. That’s enough to get eyebrows raising, even without the magic that he possesses. But that’s a lot of alertness for two unicorns.

If Jack didn’t know better he’d say that there was arson afoot.

“Governor,” says Seven, the sear cat curled about his shoulders. “Fire.”

She’s right, but as Jack approaches, it appears he’s blocked from entry. One might assume a note of panic about the fcaptain, but he’s got enough favours racked up from Sunjata for a lifetime already. This one will just be a cherry on the top.

“Sorry ‘bout this,” he mutters, apparently to Atlas. “It’s just business.” And so with the animal’s bulk blocking the way, Jack slips a knife from his boot and tries to plunge it into the unicorn’s neck. Pain travels through bonds - he wonders if this will draw out the rats.

---

Jack tries to stab Atlas in the neck, so the pain will draw out the arsonists.

you are a quiet god
and your hunger is cavernous

Jack's attack on Atlas hits, creating a large wound in the unicorn's throat that instantly makes the creature drop to its knees, nearly on the brink of death as blood pours from its throat. Atlas HP: 4/22

Maeve

Smoke isn't uncommon in Torchline. Not when bonfires seem to happen seasonally. What isn't common is when said smoke is pouring out of a building that Maeve is fairly familiar with. She's on her way back from another day of work at the Halenani, trying to get the building situated when she sees the smoke first, curling up into the night and making the air hazy. Maeve picks up her pace, starting to run down the street until she comes to a stop outside of the Slagveld, green eyes wide as she tries to take in the situation.

She doesn't recognize Jack in the dark. Not with the smoke that's obscuring the air, but she does recognize Atlas, having been around the unicorn enough recently to spot his distinctive coat colored by the blood coming from his neck. "Ru.." Maeve mutters, eyes flicking up to the windows, knowing that going inside won't do her any good. Not when she isn't even aware of the hidden rooms above. Instead she fumbles with the dagger on her belt, already cutting a strip of fabric from her shirt as she rushes to the fallen unicorn's side, pressing the cloth to the wound in attempts to stop the bleeding.

"Fire!" Maeve yells out, voice loud in the night in attempts to alert those nearby.

---

Maeve cuts some fabric from her shirt and tries to stop Atlas's bleeding while yelling fire to anyone nearby.

I'm undone about to burst at my seams
'Cause I am picturing you beside me
So let me be everything that you need

Aurelia

hear those bells ring deep in the soul
chiming away for a moment

Being that she's a regular at the Slagveld, it's no surprise she's come here to train. Aurelia's hoping to see a familiar face, someone to spar with, and yet something is awry. As she walks the street toward the building, the smoke catches her attention.

There's a distinct feeling that fumes in her chest, billows from her nose. Something long ago and far off suddenly hits her like a wall of bricks. Jack is there, moving to stab a unicorn that bars the doorway. Her eyes narrow with immediate suspicion and an instinct kicks in. Her teeth grit together so much so that it's painful.

She makes sweeping strides towards them, a hand reaching for the dagger in a sheath along her thigh. "Move," the voice that comes out is dark and foreboding, directed like a sharp blade primed for cutting. She cares not if her warning is heeded.  

Her eyes glare past them to the felled creature; there is no room for understanding in them. There is no room for anything but the anger that burns within.

With a sweep of her own hand, the dagger is drawn with intent to lodge firmly into the eye of the unicorn, to end its suffering once and for all.

---

Aurelia intends to kill Atlas using a dagger to his eye. She'd move over/past Maeve and isn't trying to hurt her but will be forceful with this move!

Aurelia's got a new face, so she's technically.. not super recognizable?

a red panda shift (not in use atm)
shield bangle, still on her ankle
dagger
Twin Bladed Tonfas (in a criss-cross sheath on her back)

feel your breath course frankly below
see life as a worthy opponent

(Letting Atlas heal as a reaction for this round only). Light bleeds from the wound even as Maeve applies part of her torn shirt to it. Life flickers back into the creature's eyes just as Aurelia brings her blade down. Pain will scream anew into Hotaru from Atlas as the creature is healed and wounded all in a flash. Current posting order: Hotaru/Atlas, Deimos/Belial, Jack, Maeve, Aurelia, Adam, Seren. If you would like your character to try and intervene, pop a note in your admin-chat! If you're KQ locked, you may not join. You have 24 hours to reply or your actions IC will be rolled with disadvantage. Please post a summary of all actions taken/items/shifts/upgrades/etc used. Devil's Advocates: 115/300 HP Slagveld: 300/300 HP Deimos: 516/516 Belial: 43/43 Hotaru: 88/88 Atlas: 4/22 Jack: 42/42 Maeve: 30/30 Aurelia: 60/60

moral of the story is, i will gut you if i need to

i will carve my way out

Hotaru staggers as the pain hits her, and rage follows swiftly after. Who the fuck attacks a companion commanded to move aside if force is applied? For an inactive guild in Torchline? She commands Atlas to run, and the unicorn attempts to heal himself once more, lashing out with sharp hooves to try and force a wide radius around his body as he pulls on superior beastly speed to try and disappear into the night.

Shaken by the pain she feels from the bond, Hotaru reaches for Deimos with her hand, the other going to her throat where the phantom blade still sits. The throbbing in her temple is no better. Surely Belial is already telling him of what’s happening, no sense in words. “Let it burn,” she hisses, and turns for the stairs. She aims for the lowest stair where it connects to the Slagveld and looses a bolt of lightning, hoping to keep them from following up the stairs if they make it inside.

As badly as she wants her revenge for Atlas, she has done what she came here for. They can try to play hero over empty rooms if they want; Hotaru knows when to cut her losses. It’s merely a matter of shouldering her fire resistant jacket to cover her face from smoke, glad they’d burned and buckled the farthest hallway as she ducks into the bedroom and aims to jump out the window from the second story. It’ll hurt, but not as badly as the pain she felt from Atlas.

- - -

- Atlas uses his Mastered healing on himself a second time. He then kicks out to damage or create distance and tries to gallop away

- Hotaru leaves the DA to burn as soon as she feels the first attack on Atlas. She uses her lightning on the lowest stair to the Slagveld to try and prevent the crowd from going up the stairs to her and Deimos.

- Eyeing the buckled flooring at the end of the hallway she runs for the bedroom which they haven’t touched to try and slip out the second story window and brace for landing.

Lightning manipulation: Can create and control Lightning. Must be within a 30ft radius.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered

Type: Dark
Ornate Leather Bracers (Upgraded) | The wearer can, at will, redirect both magical and physical attacks. For magical attacks, can redirect them within 10ft. Physical attacks must be within melee range to be directed, and can then be redirected within 10ft.

Type: Grey
Leather Jacket | A leather jacket that can reflect basic fire damage away from the wearer. Can be used again after a two post cool-off period. (Made by Deimos)

with only my teeth

HOTARU

Though it saps his strength, Atlas is able to heal himself once more. The time it takes is not enough for him to run off into the night. However, as he rises, he's able to kick out at Aurelia. Lightning sparks from Hotaru's fingertips and destroys the bottom stairs that lead up into the guild. It would take quite the heroic jump in order to reach the upper levels now. Beneath Hotaru and Deimos the floor continues to buckle, and now the bar beneath is quite visible as fiery debris rains down. She is able to make it to the bedroom, but not out the window this round. Here at least she's safe from the smoke. Current posting order: Hotaru/Atlas, Deimos/Belial, Jack, Maeve, Aurelia, Adam, Seren. If you would like your character to try and intervene, pop a note in your admin-chat! If you're KQ locked, you may not join. You have 24 hours to reply or your actions IC will be rolled with disadvantage. Please post a summary of all actions taken/items/shifts/upgrades/etc used. Devil's Advocates: 74/300 HP Slagveld: 280/300 HP Deimos: 516/516 Belial: 43/43 Hotaru: 88/88 Atlas: 22/22 Jack: 42/42 Maeve: 30/30 Aurelia: 40/60

DEIMOS

we've all got blood on our hands

something somewhere had to die

so we could stay alive

Belial’s warnings were enough to justify the measures of their departure – a crowd forming, Atlas attacked, a barrage of repercussions flickering and mounting through his head.

But right now, they had to leave.

A series of calculations conquered through the void instead, harrowing and harpooning him along. All movement and motion: rounding through the bedroom, towards the window along the side of the building, opening it as quietly as possible, striving to keep it muffled under the roar of the blaze.

Mastered Air incantations were mustered then, rather than the fire; there was enough now anyway. He manifested them under Hotaru, intending to launch and aid her in an upcoming fall out the window – and hopefully the smoke would cover her from the crowd.

Belial, still as stone, knowing the risk of being spotted, waited in the cover of his blending properties.

--

Deimos tries to open the window as quietly as possible, and use his Mastered Air manipulation to cushion Hotaru's impending drop out the window. He remains under his invisibility cloak.

Belial stays still, continuing to be under the cover of his Blend ability.

Air manipulation: Can create and control the air. Must be within a 30ft radius.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered

Type: Grey
Invisibility Cloak | (Upgraded) Ornate, detailed cloak, that when worn, renders up to two individuals invisible.

BELIAL - Mythical - Peryton (Blend)