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Post by Gelquie on Nov 15, 2012 7:15:48 GMT -5
Gelquie had really thought that all the hits that Bluebeard took would have taken him down. It seemed Bluebeard was more resilient than he looked. And that yell of rage did foretell good things. And now it was very clear that he was not going to buy her illusion, much less even be psychosomatically hurt by the fake skeleton's "attacks". She let the fake skeleton disappear. She had to think quickly of some other way to distract Bluebeard; she was still sure that he was the one to take down. One idea immediately sprung to her mind... But she wasn't about to use that. No way. It was too... awful.
Gelquie's thoughts were sidetracked by the skeleton approaching her, and she backed up a few steps. She was an illusionist, not a fighter. On the other hand... She threw what remained of the apple she was eating at Bluebeard out of pure frustration before running as fast as she can towards something; anything. She decides that she should distract Bluebeard as soon as possible so that hopefully it'll all be over before the skeleton even gets close to her. Gelquie decided on the only possible course of action...
A moment later, there was another skeleton near Bluebeard. Only this time, the skeleton was draped in female clothing which was amorous and revealing, with parts of it loosely hanging on, and there is a slightly decayed rose between the skeleton's teeth. The skeleton slightly bends the rose in its mouth as it moves closer to Bluebeard, a small sway in its step.
As she ran, Gelquie tried not to think about the horror of the scene before ducking behind the nearest object or person.
((I am so so sorry.))
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Post by Fraze on Nov 16, 2012 17:48:09 GMT -5
The skeleton guarding Bluebeard comes to a stop in front of Amneiger. With one hand, it grabs the blade of the knife; metal scrapes against bone, but it feels no other damage. With the other hand, it plunges its sword into Amneiger's gut. Its counterattack comes a moment too late, however--rather than stopping the knife entirely, it only manages to divert the course of the blade. The knife impales Bluebeard in the side of the neck, cutting through muscle and arteries. In Celestial's corner, her attackers succumb to her onslaught and cease movement. Tiger's frying pan hits its mark, the skeleton's skull shatters, and it drops to the floor. "ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED:  I HAVE GOT TO GET MYSELF ONE OF THESE."Watching all but one of his protectors fall, on top of his own injuries, Bluebeard collapses. He takes a deep breath, coughs up blood, and inhales once more. "You will...be...there for me...in the afterlife." He reaches one arm above his head, and closes his hand. The final skeletons collapse, as the last of Bluebeard's magic is drained. The floor shakes. A stone works its way loose and falls into the next floor down, and more soon follow it. A thick metal grid with large spikes materializes below the ceiling and slowly begins to move downward. Bluebeard looks up and sees Gelquie's illusion. His eyes wander, and his head shakes softly from side to side. "Hello...gorgeous. Have I seen...you around...here before?" You might want to get out of here. ((The achievement image will be up some time later; we're currently at Hunty's house and she doesn't have her laptop so she can't make it right now.)) |
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Post by Draco on Nov 16, 2012 18:07:52 GMT -5
Draco looks around and notices things are not looking good for the tower. He should know, he's been in collapsing towers before. He takes a quick look around and begins to make a dash for the exit. On the way he grabs Gelquie. He knew being a mage, and mage of illusions, she had to be tired running up all the steps. So might as well help her down them... No, not by throwing her down them, that wouldn't be nice.
"Ello there! Going down?"
He runs down the stairs as best he could holding Gelquie in his arms.
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Post by Gelquie on Nov 16, 2012 18:41:39 GMT -5
Gelquie looked up warily from her hiding spot, anxiously wondering what the skeleton approaching her was going to do next. To her vast relief, she finds that the skeleton in question had collapsed. She looked over to Bluebeard and noted his injuries. Good. He was done for.
What was going to be a smile faded into a frown as she felt the ground shake, tiles disappearing, and the ceiling closing in. Not another collapsing tower. She only got out of the last one by pure luck. And even that wasn't so lucky. She struggled to get to her feet, panting for breath from all the running and spell-casting she was doing. She decided to keep her illusion up to keep Bluebeard's attention while the others and herself got away. If she could get away.
Before she could do anything though, the ground below her feet disappeared. But she figured out quickly that it wasn't because the floor below her disappeared. In fact, it was something worse. It wasn't just that she was grabbed. She was grabbed by that ninja.
"Wha-- What? You...!" Gelquie stammered out as Draco ran. Then she stopped and contemplated her situation. She shouldn't trust this ninja. Not after what he did to her. Of all the people who had to carry her, it had to be him. ...At the same time though, here he was, carrying her. Was it a trap?
...Ultimately, she concluded, it didn't matter. Draco was undeniably faster than her. This way, maybe they could leave the tower unscathed. Of course, he could throw her into a trap... But the risk was worth the reward. And besides... What if he doesn't? There was always that little lingering doubt.
"...If you throw me into a trap at one point, you will wish I ended you," Gelquie muttered before grabbing on to him. She hoped they would reach the exit soon.
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Post by Kristykimmy on Nov 16, 2012 21:49:30 GMT -5
"Ew, ew ew!" Kristy sobbed, seeing Gelquie's illusion. "Can this day get any worse?"
As if in answer the tower started to collapse. Dropping the mace, she started to run, stopping to wrap an arm around Amneiger, helping him towards and then down the stairs.
"Come on, let's not any of us die, please," she says as she looks up at the descending ceiling.
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Post by ♥ Azzie on Nov 16, 2012 22:57:08 GMT -5
In spite of the strangeness, Azzie couldn't help laughing when she saw Gelquie's strange illusion. But it was mixed somehow with pity; Bluebeard looked utterly helpless. He clearly wasn't mentally stable. And he looked so sad.
A rumbling interrupted her thoughts, and a falling piece of stone punctuated the severity of the situation. With alarm she realized the tower was falling apart. Oh great, she thought again. Putting a shield on herself as quickly as she could manage, she began flying down the stairs. The others were already on their way; it seemed they were all going to make it.
She hoped so, anyway.
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Post by Tiger on Nov 16, 2012 23:28:48 GMT -5
Tiger raised the frying pan, ready to take on more of the skeletal wives - when they all fell, rent apart by the other Guild members or dissipated by Bluebeard himself. Through all the people and over the noise, Tiger couldn't quite see or hear what was going on with the old man.
There were other problems to deal with - the spiked ceiling. She dodged a chunk of falling stone, sheathing her sword and tucking the frying pan under one arm. Gray-green mist formed between her hands, and watching the ceiling nervously, Tiger quickly crafted a bulky, four-legged creature - when she released the ghostly elephant into the room, it grew to actual size.
The elephant couldn't feel pain, but it was corporeal - if worse came to worse, its strong back might hold the spiked grate up for a vital few moments while everyone escaped. Tiger hurried toward the stairs, wondering where they would go if the entire tower was shattering.
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Post by Celestial on Nov 17, 2012 18:42:07 GMT -5
Well, that illusion skeleton was kind of disturbing, although very darkly comical. This was not the time to laugh though as the tower was collapsing, like all good villain lairs should.
Celestial stood up, keeping the gold dagger in her belt and wondering whether maybe it would still come in handy now that the main villain of this particular challenge was defeated and she was thankfully no longer being made into an undead wife. But if she did not get out, it would not matter. Her injuries ached but the mage put up a shield of air for herself, sheltering her from the smaller stones, relying on her reflexes to dodge the larger ones. She ran for the stairs as quickly as she could manage, which was not very quick. There was a window outside, covered with metal bars. But she was desperate. Celestial heated up the base of one of the bars as quickly as she could and, once it was sufficiently melted, knocked it out. She climbed onto the windowsill and leapt out, turning into a dragon before she could hit the ground. She did not so much swoop up as pull ungracefully out of a crash before landing by the entrance of the tower.
There, she turned back into her usual form and decided to take a short break. Being beaten up by skeletons took its toll.
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Post by Zylaa on Nov 17, 2012 22:21:16 GMT -5
Zylaa had decided, as others raced past her up to the top of the tower, that it looked like they had everything under control, so what was the rush? She sauntered vaguely upwards... they may need reinforcements... and then, as the tower began to shake in an alarming fashion, sprinted down and out.
Once again, laziness saved the day! ... Or at least her day.
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Post by Amneiger on Nov 18, 2012 0:23:47 GMT -5
Oh.
...Curses.
Amneiger looked down at the sword that was sticking out of his stomach. Since all this was an illusion there wasn't actually any pain, but he was pretty sure he was dead now.
Amneiger collapsed on the ground and didn't move.
((You all left me to die D:))
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Post by Draco on Nov 18, 2012 0:50:04 GMT -5
((actually, you were helped XD Well, sword is probably still stuck in you, but you're going down the stairs XD))
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Post by Amneiger on Nov 18, 2012 11:06:57 GMT -5
((actually, you were helped XD Well, sword is probably still stuck in you, but you're going down the stairs XD)) ((...Oh. Whoops! Sorry Kristy, I didn't notice you had me. I guess I'm probably dead weight at this point, though. xD)) |
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Post by PFA on Nov 18, 2012 13:55:37 GMT -5
Jernath, having the farthest to go to get to the top, ended up stalling for a while to catch his breath. Of course, just as he was about to get to the top, he felt the floor beneath him rumble, and saw everyone else running back down the stairs.
Well, so much for that, he thought, taking a deep breath before turning around and heading back down the stairs. Nevermind getting to the top of the tower no matter what, now he would get out of the tower no matter what.
((*highfives Zylaa?*))
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Post by Fraze on Nov 19, 2012 15:44:37 GMT -5
The castle crumbles to a massive pile of rubble, conveniently just as the last players run out of it. The cloud of dust reaches high into the air, even higher than the (former) tower itself. "ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED:  BLUE BLOOD."Once again, Miss Jensen appears from just out of sight. She walks up to the group, holding her clipboard. "Congratulations, you have completed the second stage." She glances down at the clipboard. "However, there was an...irregularity with one of the achievements, involving the flowers on the 13th floor of the--" "ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED:  STOP AND SMELL THE RAFFLESIA.""--Yes, that." She shoots an annoyed glance up at the sky, then turns to Celestial and takes the dagger from her. "This was meant to be the prize given to you at the end of the stage, but we applaud your use of creative thinking. However, you won't be needing it for the later stages." She turns her attention back to the group as a whole. "Please come with me." She leads the group to the front gate of the castle, and the world once again shifts back to the circus tent. Injuries sustained in the battle vanish, but the objects that the players collected during the stage remain in their possession. Euripides addresses the crowd. "Our players have passed the first two stages marvelously well, but will they manage the upcoming stage? Thus far, the stories presented have been quite familiar in their execution. The next stage will be something you should all recognize...presented in a way that you most certainly will not. And with that, we begin!" The world swirls once more, and soon coalesces into a shape: the outside of another castle. The events taking place seem to be more like a movie than the previous illusions, and the players are unable to do anything other than watch the scene. A young woman stands outside the castle's large wooden door. She wears a stiff yellow blouse and trousers, and her brown hair is pulled into a tight bun. She stands stiffly, holding a fountain pen and notepad in one hand. The door opens a crack. A face peers out, but not a human one. "Are you the owner of this castle?" the woman asks crisply. "Y--yes," says the figure behind the door. "Who are you?" "I am from the kingdom's Social Health and Welfare Department," the woman answers. "We have heard repeated complaints from the village about this castle, and I was sent to investigate. My name is Belle. May I come in?" The door opens more, and the figure behind it is revealed: a bipedal beast, with long canines and shaggy, matted fur. It stares downward, avoiding eye contact and settling on looking somewhere around the woman's feet. Despite slouching so much that it is almost bent double, it still towers over Belle. She steps in. ((The game proper should begin sometime tomorrow. Also, I've added the achievement image in my last post, and updated the achievements list in the first page. Some achievements are stage-specific, and have been listed as such. Check it out or something.)) |
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Post by Draco on Nov 20, 2012 0:07:07 GMT -5
Draco stood there, watching the illusions shift and change again for the next challenge. These challenges were interesting. He still wasn't sure how they were being pointed or what the point of most of this was, but it was really interesting, and he liked it. Thinking about it, the illusions were each based on a story, just altered.
The new illusion formed and began to play before him and the others. "Hmmm, this is sort of familiar..."
Through all of this, he forgot something. Something sort of important. There was still someone in his arms.... He continued to stare at the story, ignoring the fact he was still holding a certain mage who didn't trust him.
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