Rising of the slaves.

[x42bn6]

"Prisoners are hunting down people to turn into workers to break down the walls," Skandos splutters. The bear picks up Skandos and Sonix instead of Sonix dragging them along and races away from the gas at a much faster rate than Sonix could possibly do. The gas, however, charges directly at them. Skandos launches a bolt of ice and the gas turns into a liquid. The liquid rises up but Skandos launches a second bolt of ice and the liquid froze.

"That will keep it away for a while... These bolts of ice tire me out a lot." Skandos then lies down to relax. He puts a mental echo with Vadriel's essence in it around the area, containing a warning about the current state of affairs.

((If and when Vadriel passes through this area, he will receive a mental message from Skandos. Rather like a delayed echo or, more crudely, a text message.))*

[Vadriel]

((Sorry, been chatting with the gf most of the last couple of days, last I checked this thing, it was pretty much 'wait around for other chars'))

Vadriel was aware of the commotion nearby, but gave it no real thought for the time being. He studied the little human nearby him, who seemed hardly able to defend himself, much less actually fight...

He sighed. How did God ever find any merit in these pathetic little weaklings? Perhaps the great deity was indeed much wiser than he, to be able to see what Vadriel could not. No matter. When Vadriel had consumed the Almighty's power, all would become clear. For now, that ruckus was getting severe...but what to do with the human? It was obvious that Skandos had entrusted it to his care, but what was he to DO with it?



He stared at it. It would pointless to try to communicate with the beast. The best thing to protect it would be to simply keep it out of harm's way.

Vadriel set a weak darkness upon it, merely clouding its consciousness and dimming its awareness. The human essentially fell asleep. Vadriel reached out a wing and caught it before the little animal could fall to the ground and damage its frail body...cracking its head on the floor could even kill it. Vadriel snorted. Pathetic.

After laying the human on the ground, he created a small band of Shadowbeasts to watch over it. Morphous creatures made of summoned Darkness from the Plane of Shadows, they'd be able to contend with any feeble mortals that came upon the sleeping Bathizar. What's more, when Bathizar finally woke, he'd be quite refreshed from his sleep, and the Shadowbeasts would inform him of what had transpired, then follow him about to keep him safe until he could meet up with the rest of them.

His work done, Vadriel turned to the direction of the obvious fighting. He walked along until he came across a frozen, but thawing puddle on the ground. He grunted as Skandos's message came across, informing him of the events that recently unfolded. This gas seemed intriguing, but like a threat, however small. Neither cold nor heat would eliminate this beast, so it would have to be done away with altogether.

Vadriel conjured a wave of darkness that washed across the reliquifying puddle and pulled it down into the Plane of Shadow. When the darkness had disappeared into the floor, the puddle had gone with it.

Vadriel paused. Shadow magic was his specialty, but drawing so much in so little time did have its toll to pay...he'd have to try to make do with his cryomancy and pyromancy for a little while, to balance out his energy usage. His power supply was self-replenishing, but it wasn't an instant-recharge battery...his stores of shadowmagic had a dent in them, and he didn't care to run himself out.

((yeah, didn't hurt Bathizar, but essentially catered to his absence and allowed him a reason for being inactive. Didn't mean to infringe too much on him, but at least now I can go my own way and he'll be safe...plus the Shadowbeasts will prove helpful to him against the suped up prisoners, since I don't remember him seeming to have much in the way of battle prowess, lol. We can't all be powerhouses like Vad, haha. I guess I'll just play the role of the party brawler/meat shield, with some defensive abilities for the other members. ))

[Ninja_Blue]

(my keyboard is broken can't tyPe)

[Vadriel]

((well, now you've got some time bought till you get a new one. This "sleep" is good for however long you need, lol.))

[x42bn6]

((Waiting for Sonix to post at the moment.

Remember, Vadriel, if you follow me, you will get a "text message" from me.))*

[Vadriel]

((Yah. I did. Kinda put that in there, too.

He grunted as Skandos's message came across, informing him of the events that recently unfolded.

))

[Ninja_Blue]

(thanks Ps ive been copy and pasting these)

[Ninja_Blue]

(ok new board)
((and guys, is it okay if I tweka my power a bit? my guy doesnt disinegrate stuff, I meant to put that he can absord their lifeforce through his hands, and he can also take on the characteristics of anything he touches, so long as it has a certain life force i.e. water, trees, rocks etc., but it is temporary))

Bathizar awakes to find himself coiled by some dark magic, he snorts in digusts, he decides to try out this new power he has felt for some time. He spreads out his hands, and absorbs the darkness surrounding him, he winces as a...bitter-sweetness comes in with the darkness, he almost came to a stop, but something pushed him forward. When he finished, he felt rejuvinated, and he noticed that his muscle mass had grow at least two times its normal size. As soon as he saw the shadowbeasts, he just about attacked, but thought otherwise, he felt some sort of mental link between them, so he just whistles and the trio of the hounds followed.

So, now Bathizar sets out to find the others, still unsure to where this new power has come from.

[x42bn6]

Eventually, the bear stops and Skandos finally gets up. There appear to be two corridors ahead, one steeping up and one steeping down. The growls seem to have subsided somewhat - either Vadriel had done something or they couldn't find them.

"Up or down?" Skandos asks, while putting more messages for Vadriel. He sensed the other being, Bathizar, walking towards them. "Because Bathizar is coming too, and I am not sure if he is hostile or friendly."

*

[Ninja_Blue]

Bathizar turns a corner to find Skandos and Sonix, Skandos seemed to have a troubled look upon his face, so naturally he would say something comical, but something inside him urged him to attack, whatever this force might want him to do, he would not comply, so he simply just waves, and pats the hounds pelts to calm them down.

[Vadriel]

Vadriel sensed activity within his summoned Shadowbeasts. Apparently the little human had awoken. Vadriel mentally communicated with the creatures of the darkness, and was surprised to find that the mortal had managed to get past him somehow, and had met up with the others.

Hmm...and there was another sense. Bathizar had apparently managed to absorb some of the darkness...growing stronger...the little man was a powerleech? Hmm indeed...

Vadriel decided that there had been enough dawdling about. He used his summoned beasts as an anchor, and used up a bit more of his shadowmagic to teleport himself to the rest of the party.

Stepping out of the darkness that the hounds had merged to become, he sucked their energy back up into himself, replenishing a fair amount of his supply. With what he had regained in the short time of inactivity, he was nearly at max capacity.

He turned to the others and crossed his arms, particularly eying Bathizar.

"I am returned. I will now take suggestions as to the best course of action from here."

((Sorry if he seems commanding...he kinda has to phrase things like he's the leader...in case you missed it, he's got a bit of an inferiority complex. =)))

[x42bn6]

"Ego", Skandos muttered.

He listened carefully and concentrated, giving himself the vision of a prisoner in the middle of the Dining Hall, listening to Jagkk's speech.

"Jagkk, some creature who wants to create his own army to overthrow the prison, is down there," Skandos said, pointing to the downwards path. "There isn't anything I can sense up there, but it could well give us a view of where to go from higher up.

Skandos and Sonix got off the bear as Skandos sent Vandror up the steps to explore so as not to waste his efforts while they deliberated.

"I assume you two shook hands?" Skandos said, glancing towards Vadriel and Balthizar, knowing they didn't.*

[Vadriel]

Vadriel snorted. No self-respecting Fallen would ever extend his hand to a human, unless it was to rip the arm from its socket.

"Skandos. You were just beginning to impress upon me the idea that you are not a complete fool. Do not be so mortally stupid as to think that I am anything other than what I am. Our alliance is an amusement. Do not test me, or I will freeze your soul and burn your flesh, sending you into the darkness of oblivion.

I am allied with you. I assist this pathetic human because he is also allied with you. Do not expect me to have any less distaste for a feeble mortal. I will work with it, but I will not befriend it. Let that nonsense begone from your slowthinking, mortal mind."

[Ninja_Blue]

Bathizar turns to Vadriel and extends his hand "Oh come now! Put 'er there pal" he grins almost devilishly.

[x42bn6]

Skandos wisely decides not to let Vadriel "shake" Balthizar's hand and quickly speaks. "Vandror has just broken down a door at the top of the staircase and he can see a spiral stairwell going up. He has traversed a couple of spaces and discovered a window and is now looking out." Skandos concentrates for a while. "He is looking East because that is where the Sun is rising. He can't see anything of any real interest except below, there is a huge commotion of soldiers preparing to storm the prison. He is now looking for another window in a different direction... There doesn't appear to be any... Yeah, he has reached the top and there is no progressing further."

Almost cruelly, Skandos sent Vandror to jump out of the window and attack the soldiers. Vandror crashed onto the ground, several stories below, and immediately began to ravish the barracks before he was killed. Vandror's corpse vanished and Skandos's trance broke. He gently concentrated and Vandror reappeared behind them.

"Let's go down," Skandos said.

((Note: None of you know that Vandror jumped out of the window. You might discover it later but for now, you did not know that he jumped out of the window.))*

[Ninja_Blue]

Bathizar reluctantly takes his hand back and says, "So what's the plan for these soldiers, be they friend or foe?"

[Vadriel]

Vadriel internally snickered. Bathizar seemed to think that he was unaware of the absorption powers that the human possessed. The foolish little beast apparently had forgotten that he had sucked up some of Vadriel's own darkmagic...and as such forged a link between them. The power that the human had absorbed was still Vadriel's, and it brought a glaring obviousness to the nature of the mortal's powers.

Vadriel also knew something the silly human didn't. The power that coursed through Bathizar could not be simply stolen. It was his, and at any time he could simply choose to reclaim it, stripping the mortal of what he had absorbed of his power. Let the beast attempt to drain him. Any contact between them resulting in attempted syphoning would result in some very unfortunate results for the human.

No human could ever channel the power of a Fallen Angel, especially not one as powerful as he, Vadriel. If Vadriel indeed even allowed his power to be sapped, the sheer magnitude would overload the mortal's mind and body, wreaking havoc upon the poor beast. It is doubtful Bathizar would even survive it.

However, rather than kill him, it is likely Vadriel would simply retaliate. Freezing and shatter the man's arm, dissolving his hand into a pile of goo with Hellfire, or just transporting him via shadowmagic into the darkpits of the Plane of Shadow, there were any number of things he could do to the pathetic animal that would not result in the the overpowering and destroying of the little man.

So yes, let him try to trick Vadriel. He would only be fooling himself.

[Ninja_Blue]

((I got nothing yet, let's wait for the others, and don't get too cocky, Bathizar is no pushover, ))

[Gimmi]

Originally Posted by Ninja_Blue

((I got nothing yet, let's wait for the others, and don't get too cocky, Bathizar is no pushover, ))

yeah, that's what im thinking

[x42bn6]

((Are you in this RPG? If so, make a character and get started.))

Skandos looked impatiently at the other two "sizing each other up". To compensate for this, he sent Vandror to explore downwards as well.

"These soldiers are obviously foe because they are going to beat us to submission," Skandos said. "And if they were able to capture is it's obvious that they are dangerous. Vandror can take a lot of damage and he is a loyal bodyguard, so he can hold them off for a while, but I would prefer a full plan of evasion."

*