faderift | Let No Soul Hunger For Justice: Suddenly... Demons!

"Stars, these things are worse than tribbles!" Kirk grunted beside Hermoine, the momentary lapse enough to let the pain of his injuries register and force him to his knees. He didn't like the look of any of them, least of all when one went underground. Amazing. A sub-terranean demon. Like they needed anything else to worry about.

He pushed himself back to his feet, the grass stained red in spots from his blood and the scent of scorched linen and skin in his nose. He tightened his grip on his broken staff and demon bloodied knife.

"If anyone can harden the earth, nows the time to do it!" He called out. Give the one that went under less places to move, but for all he knew it could move through stone anyways. Licking his lips he shifted himself purposefully into a fighting stance, beginning to edge warily closer to the remaining two, trying to get a read on them.

"Explain what those are to me later," Hermione tells Kirk, only half paying attention. She's seen demons dive into the ground before, on her first painful introduction to Thedas. She'd rather not get reacquainted with them.

"That won't work," she says quickly. As she speaks, she looks at the ground and holds an arm out to Kirk, as though meaning to keep him back. "If the ground goes green, move!"

Granted, the same applies for if either of the other demons start charging at any of them, but it's worth saying it out loud in the event that anyone else in this group has managed to avoid these kinds of demons. Wand out, she's quick to set up another shield charm in front of her to prevent the other two demons from closing in, though she'll have to try to dive out of the way if something comes out from under her.

Adelaide's barrier had held through the first wash of flame from the sky but faded against the second surge, leaving her soot covered, singed, and staggering as she attempts to mind the field. Only three demons this time but somehow that is less of a comfort than it should be. Ice crackles in her fingers as she scans the ground for the tell tale wash of green against blackened dirt- when none seems to be forthcoming she sends spears of ice to those glowing red figures in the smoke.

"Nate- how is he?" If they've killed Anders-

Well that's one problem solved in the least desired way possible.

"Alive but exhausted. I have him covered, don't worry." Anders had mumbled something incoherent while Nate had him in his arms. No telling what it was, but the point was that Anders lived. And by the Maker, Nathaniel will protect him.

The ground is dusted with the ash of demons, and while Rage demons are not the most intellectually gifted demons they still know what that means.

Both Rage demons keep their distance, but that's no protection from the spears of ice Adelaide sends out. They strike true, and the demons retaliate in turn - slamming the ground powerfully and tossing both Hermione and Adelaide. That same moment the ground that Adelaide's been knocked from glows green, and Terror leaps out, slashing at an empty spot before turning to view the party and find a new target.

Anders blinks his eyes where he lays, trying to focus, wanting to help, but he can't string together more than a few words mentally, forget getting them out of his mouth or fighting.

Edited 2016-06-09 22:46 (UTC)

Bethany let out a quiet curse, as the flames finished falling from the sky. There were a few burns, around. Anders was unconscious, the man named Kirk was bleeding and she had to assume Jamie wasn't doing much better.

Then ... more demons.

Bethany lifted her hand to the sky, flashing some quick healing magic around, before she put her gaze back on where the demon popped up. She lifted her hand and sent a Winter's Grasp towards the terror demon.

Given the unpredictability of the terror demon, Hermione had been focused on keeping an eye on where it would jump out from, meaning that she's caught completely off-guard by the tremors that suddenly shudder through the ground. "Oh!" is about all she manages to get out as her feet leave the ground, and she lands hard enough to scatter her senses, leaving her dazed and on her back and with no shield charm currently protecting her.

She's going to end up with more than a few bruises along her body, and that's only if she's lucky.

Between the after effects of using the shard and the drain from the greater shade, Jamie feels rather like a plate of pasta that someone's trying to balance on one hand - wobbly and prone to slipping all over the place. But as much as he would really like to lie down and have a nap or three right about now there's still more demons, and even though it seems like it's taking him longer to do anything at all, he's still determined to fight. Having retrieved his sword gives him something to fight with, but there's not much he can do about the tremors, other than ride them out as best as he can.

He's keeping an eye out for that terror demon, though, and when it reappears and focuses on the party, he brings his sword up once more, brandishing it menacingly as he advances towards it, ignoring the small voice in the back of his head that reminds him last time he tried to go toe to toe with a terror demon it slashed his leg open. Kirk doesn't look to him like he's in good shape to fight it - at least on his own - and if Hermione keeps getting knocked down by it it'll have no problem getting at her. And that is something Jamie is determined not to let happen, so he pulls on his weakening reserves of energy and closes the gap between him and the terror demon, swinging with his sword as he does so in an effort to land at least one blow before it decides to pull its disappearing trick again.

Edited 2016-06-10 17:37 (UTC)

Barrier- she needs to raise a barrier- But she has no time to do so, staggered and tossed to the ground by the sudden slam from the Rage demon. Dazed and winded from being knocked about she barely has time to roll away from the sudden flare of green over the ground. Coughing does nothing to clear her throat, does not help her gasp for air in the slightest-

IN that moment she is vulnerable, struggling to focus long enough to bring any manner of barrier up for those closest to her.

Nathaniel's remaining arrows need to be used judiciously, but one absolutely must be used to protect Adelaide. Not only because of who she is to Anders, but because of who she is to him. The arrow is sent whistling toward the terror.

Kirk didn't go down with the sudden tremor, though it was a near thing. It set his teeth to chattering for a second and blazing pain ripping through his side, black and white stars dancing at the corners of his eyes. Clearly leaving these things to continue on much longer was going to be bad for their health. Prolong it much longer, and he worried one or more of the might end up dead - including himself, though he was at the bottom of the list of people to worry about in his mind.

"Come on, you assholes, let's go," he grunted with teeth barred in a pained grimace, charging the rage demons, trying to slide in slow to debilitate them somehow, making it easier for the others to strike. He had the distinct impression, though, he was just going to be the brightly colored distraction rather than doing damage, but if that was enough he would be glad for it.

Some of the party's wounds ease in response to the healing tossed out, likely a welcome respite. Terror turns to look at Bethany as soon as ice hits it, movements slowing slightly, focus somehow unshaken despite Nate's arrow slamming into its eye and blinding it on one side. Jamie's slice of muscles in its thigh goes barely noticed as it gathers itself and leaps across the field, claws striking Bethany and sinking in, tearing deep. How else to best inspire the fear it can already feel and feed off of?

The pair of Rage demons aren't worried about causing fear. Instead they have an excellent target right in front of them who seems satisfyingly angry already. Kirk's blade manages to make the first's slam weak, distracted, and his proximity makes the second fairly paltry as well, but both are focused on him now.

Bethany's eyes widen - and yet she is absurdly glad the creature went for her, and not Adelaide, or Anders, or poor Hermione. It is that thought she has as she hits the ground, the claws digging into her chest, dragging down through her flesh and she screams in pain as blood spurts from her wounds, coating the creature's claws.

She twists as best she can, her pain jumping up so high that she almost passes out from the effort of swinging her staff around, trying to throw a fireball directly in the creature's face to blast it off of her, before it tears any deeper.

Bethany's screams slam through the pounding of his own blood in his ears, wishing he could do something for her, but he had his own problems to worry about. He just had to have faith that the others currently on the attack or defense could help her. In the meantime, he taunted the rage demons, and the distinction between his own rage and theirs is blurring. It didn't matter though.

He continued to dance about to keep their attention, slashing or stabbing at them when he could, anything to keep them from focusing on the others and give them an opening to put them down for good. He hoped it was soon. To be honest, he wasn't sure how much longer he could stay up before blood loss won out.

Edited 2016-06-11 05:05 (UTC)

Nathaniel barely keeps himself from screaming Bethany's name. Only one thing can tear him from Anders' side, and it has happened. Quickly, quietly, stealthily, he makes a mad dash for the terror. The dagger at his side is suddenly in his hand. When he leaps from the shadows, it gleams brightly before plunging into the back of the demon over and over.

So many have been wounded already. Ingrid grits her teeth. She is here to protect these people from the demonic threat.

"Stay back!" she hisses, charging in with her full holy wrath behind her sword and shield.

Adelaide manages to scramble to her feet and roll away from the continued demonic attacks, coming up swinging- ice flares and flashes from her hands, pelting at the rage demons. This must end and soon to spare those that have been hurt..

When she rolls onto all fours and shakes her head in an effort to clear it, the thing that pierces her mind first is the startling scream from Bethany. She doesn't know her overly well, but it's still enough to make her look up, a sick feeling blossoming in her stomach when she sees just what's befallen her, but she seems to have someone coming to her rescue already.

She's torn for a few moments, unsure of whether she should go to Bethany's aid or help against the rage demons before Kirk ends up bleeding out completely. In the end, she opts to do a bit of both, pushing herself up to her feet and quickly moving towards Bethany while casting a quick set of Impediment Curses at the two rage demons, meaning to slow them down so the others can better take care of them without getting even more hurt in the process. Right now, she's determined to get to Bethany to put up a shield charm around her as she tries to assess just how bad the injury is.

While there's a part of Jamie that's not at all surprised by the terror demon's reaction, he'd hoped that his attack would be enough to get its attention - especially when it decides to attack Bethany instead. It leaping across the field like that puts it well out of a range of an immediate follow-up attack, but he charges towards it anyway, shifting his sword to one hand to free up the other one - the one with the mark in it.

Maybe it's like closing a rift, and if he can focus his will enough he'll be able to summon one or two more projectiles, and he aims his hand towards a spot that should hit the terror demon rather anyone else. Still, if it looks as though there's a chance he'll hit one of the others instead he's fully prepared to quickly shift so the shot goes over their heads or into the ground instead. The last thing he wants is to wind up hitting someone that's managed to melee the thing...assuming he'll even be able to summon up more of those projectiles at all.

There's so much fear now that the Terror demon feels confident, not even trying to dodge to a new target. Confident that it has time to feed it straightens up and howls... only to be hit by a fireball at short range. Weakened, yes, but a fireball nonetheless. It refocuses on Bethany and therefore misses the attack of the archer. When the blade sinks home a different sort of howl starts, one that's far less confident. What it's consuming isn't enough to heal what's being done. The ground glows green, and then Ingrid slams in, full of fury, and Jamie's shot is the last blow needed. The glow vanishes, and Terror crumbles into bloody ashes.

Ingrid's fury has fed another, however, and Kirk's weakened state is not enough to keep it from the meal it wants. One of the Rage demons swells up, doubling, tripling in size, and slams a massive fiery fist into the Templar. The ice from Adelaide strikes this one, as did Kirk's slash, but Hermione's Impediment Curse is slightly too late to protect Ingrid.

The other Rage demon suddenly finds itself without backup, and jerks back after Kirk's blade has sunk in, trying to get a decent distance to attack. This one whirls on Jamie as he fires past it, and slams the ground directly in front of the man. Adelaide's ice bolt strikes it... and freezes it, backed up by Hermione's curse.

"Bethany!"

Nathaniel is quickly at her side, kneeling, yanking a kerchief from his pocket. Hands seek the worst of the bleeding so he can provide pressure.

"You're fine," he assures her, despite the tremor in his hands. "This is nothing. I'm sure it hurts, but you're all right."

That's not an assessment. It's pure bullshit, spoken to keep her calm.

Bethany's brown eyes flicker wildly around - so much happening, so much happening at once. The terror demon screams above her, and pulls it's claws free, causing her to choke on her own blood as it fills her throat, then her fireball smacks it away, blood is flooding through her chest as she tries to summon .. .summon what?

Then Nathaniel is there - his daggers digging into the beast -

Hermione is over her, something that looks like a shield above them -

She can see the demon taking an ice bolt - sees the templar and the captain but it's all happening so fast --

and then Nathaniel, again, hands pressed down into her chest. She tries to talk but the blood - the blood is choking her and he looks so calm but his hands are shaking.
..

Heal yourself, you damned fool! her mind screams, and she exhales, letting the last of her mana release as she floods all three of them - Hermione, herself, and Nathaniel with healing energy. Under Nathaniel's hands, the bleeding slows, then stops, but Bethany is pale and her lips almost blue underneath the blood as she rasps at him, "We're all right, Nathaniel..."

Then her eyes roll back, and she lets the comforting blackness take the pain, and consciousness away.

The blow from the Rage demon isn't one that Jamie's expecting, and there's no chance for him to counter the effects as it slams into the ground. As a result, he loses his balance, tumbling to the ground in a way that leaves him wide open. Luckily, the combination of Adelaide's ice bolt and Hermione's curse is enough to save him, giving him a few precious moments to get to his feet and retrieve his sword from where it's fallen, a few feet away.

Once he's scooped it up, he advances on the Rage demon, ready to put paid to that beastie once and for all. As soon as he's close enough, he swings with all his might, aiming for what he hopes is a vulnerable spot on his neck with the hopes of decapitating it and ending this fight once and for all.

Ingrid staggers from the demon's blow. She can feel the heat blazing through her armor, pain glancing through her. She's not sure how bad the damage is yet, but she'll worry about it later. Right now, she has a job to do. Pushing through the pain, teeth bared and gritted, she keeps attacking, doing her best to take down the beast, even if it takes her with it.

The frozen rage demon knows nothing more as Jamie's blade strikes it at the back of the neck and shatters it, causing it to fall apart into hundreds of shards.

The other one is far too focused on its target to notice that its ally is gone. Not that that would have helped it, because Ingrid's sword flashes once, twice, and the creature has had all it can take. The demon collapses, disintegrating as it goes, and leaving the area eerily still and silent after all that came before.

Let No Soul Hunger For Justice: Suddenly... Demons!

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