Abyss II [9/29] Spirit Forest Dev

[19:27] The flock continues to swarm as combat ensues, although its form continuously falls to pieces. It grows more and more disorganized at the party's efforts, as its integral pieces are sliced and burned away; the birds, full of their lethal fill, burst into sprays of cut and diced viscera that completely and totally cover the close circle the party tries to hold.

Though its cohesion is getting heavily damaged, the flock remains strangely unified in its goal; each and every dwindling attack is coordinated by a predatory intelligence, even if it cannot bear the might of so many powerful magi.
(The Flock)
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[19:39] As the mass of flying beasts attempts to bear its weight down upon Ohtli and Keaka once more, it finds its attention spread in every direction; singular intent fades as confusion cuts the flock's attention apart, slicing it into mental and physical bits as more and more birds disintegrate into blood and ash.

The frenzy of guts increases according to that underlying tempo, thrumming its way through the party as their heartbeats increase; errant pieces of the flock split off, stealing food as they make their escape. The vast majority of its body has been melted away by those combined efforts, held in place as it's decimated by the party's advance.

"FLIGHT! FLIGHT!"

A hundred birds sound the call of retreat in unison, and when that shrill cry reverberates through the air, the moment seems almost frozen in time; the tempo slows to little more than a standstill as adrenaline freezes in everyone's veins -

in the middle of the bloodshed, the targets lay bare, stopped in the air for little more than a moment.

Racing heartbeats come at a glacier's pace, barely holding back a flow fit to constrict.

When the tension breaks, how are these errant beasts ripped to shreds?

Whatever magical effect is causing the slowing of perceptions, it's allowing for a cinematic finish.
(The Flock)
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[19:52] Ohtli gains some purchase on the oil and blood slick ground against her foes. Her serrated blade slices across the bird's chest and she heaves its lacerated carcass off to the side. One down, but still the rest of the flock to go.

As she rises the tide of battle turns, the rest of the host turning to flee. Normally, she encourages mercy, unwilling to turn a sword to the back of a fleeing foe...

But something tells her, call it intuition or the Serpent's own wisdom, that these creatures might return. Further, that they might return with greater numbers, and when they are least prepared.

Her wings stretch out to their full span and, with concentration as time seems to slow, they're suffused with a faint, powdery blue aura. One moment she stands still, her weapon's edge poised and her eyes trained on the tailfeathers of the fleeing avians.

The next she's a blur, Quetzalcoatl's own winds fueling a mad-dash of ascent after her quarry. With grace and speed lent deadly efficiency by bursts of air at her command, the Wind Drake rises above the first bird before diving like a hawk onto its back; her sword drives through the back of its neck. She leaps from it, using it as a springboard, to drive into the belly of another.

Deft and agile, Ohtli bounds between birds in a vicious, pinball-like assault. Streaks of green through the air mark her passing and, after the fact, falling feathers float down to the cavern's floor. Those of her enemy and her own.
(Ohtli)
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[19:54] Bloodshed followed his wake; corpses of smoldering birds decorated the path behind the molten Warchief as he pressed forward through the swarm. Nothing short of an obliterating force was shown to this concentrated flock about him. Beaks and talons sought out to dig once more into his armor, but Xiuhtec would not allow it - Keaka would not allow it.

These cowards were fleeing.

Heat continued to radiate from the warrior, its temperature rapidly rising as rage fueled his bloody dance. Sating the thirst would stop his fury, this he could not afford. A meaty arm reaches above his head, the egg clasped within its grip as the fiery mana fuels once more into it.

"Know your damned place - Xiuhtec claims the embers of his blessing from you all! You are not worthy!"

A raging inferno of molten earth would be cast about him, the egg acting once more as a catalyst for this stunt. What remnants of the flock that could remain about him during his cry would be effectively incinerated.

As the inferno ran its course, the egg most likely sucking up more of his fiery mana, his arm would fall limp. Heavy, gleeful breaths looked at the burning remnants about him. How beautiful Xiuhtec's flame was to witness...

Pity he was so thirsty, however.
(Keaka Kamauoha)
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[19:57] The Arcane magi plays the role he is best at in group combat - setting up the others for critical strikes and devastating combinations.

His water turns to chilling ice that aims to entrap and freeze the avian enemies. His blood aims to enter their cuts and wounds and rot them away from the inside. On occasion he pulls the aggression away from the feathered menace, but for the most part he sticks to the backlines, dodging this and vaulting over that as the blades of Solem do what they must to protect him.

All in all, they had done what they needed to- but the damages dealt to their own side were still to be seen.

"Nice work, but.."
(Ovan Huitzilopochtli)
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[19:58] It seemed the battle was slowly going in their favor. The birds began to clear up in density, but that didn't mean she could relent just yet. In fact, Sigrun picked up in her intensity. The woman used her axe to brutally slash into the terrible avians, and to good effect. Still, the sheer number of them prompted Sigrun to utilize her temportal magic in a more intense method.

Which basically involved her making herself go faster with time.

As she skillfully weaved out of the way and in between of attacks, Sigrun cut down any of the creatures that dared to try and attack her and her party. By the end of it all, she was more less covered in blood, some being hers, some of it not.

She heard something call to her through the bloodshed, something urging her to commit more to this destruction, but she would ignore it for now.

She would instead stand there and breathe heavily, looking over herself and then her friends.
(Sigrun)
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[20:13] More and more flames and lightning begun to converge itself around the area entirely. Flames imbued around the base of her hands. The birds weren't really paying as much attention to her this time as the numerous other times that they were before. It made things a bit more easier for her to move around and cause more damage! Though there was just one problem in all of this. .

Velvet didn't use her lightning to move around as fast as before! Maybe she was feeling burned out and simply forgot to do so. . ! All in all, the flames dwindled and died on her as she saw that the birds themselves were trying to form up once more. Were they retreating this time?

She tried to move between their attacks while the sharp talons grazed at her frame. Her armor almost being pierced more than a few times by the ones that were paying attention to her at that point.

An accumulated amount of lightning extended outwards, all aiming to shock those that were still aroundand probably force them into the retreat. Oh gosh, now she was feeling as flat out tired a the others now. A few staggred steps and the hammer again being used to keep herself grounded.

Geez, this wasn't a fun day right now.
(Velvet Huitzilopochtli)
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[20:28] {NARRATION} Ohtli's bursts of speed drive her from one explosion of blood and feathers to the next, ripping her way through the retreating flock. In the frenzy, claws and talons embed themselves along her path, drawing deep lines through her body as the birds take their toll in blood.

When time speeds back up and her heartbeats return, so too does an explosion of pain all across her body. It's more than enough to make anyone collapse - her blood is mixing with the blood of those beasts, below; it's mixing into a pungent green and purple sludge, dimly shining as it reflects the blue light.

The egg fuels Keaka's flames, channeling and purifying the mana as it surges throughout his body; magma carves a path through the birds surrounding him, calling them down to the floor and encasing them in a growing shell of half-molten stone. Their cries as they fail to escape him are silenced by a combination of pain and suffocating flow.

Ovan's safety pays dividends; he locks down the aggressing members of the flock, keeping them in place so that the brutal onslaught can tear them to pieces. He's almost entirely untouched, as far as injuries are concerned; however, just like the rest, he's covered in a bloody stew.

Sigrun produces, perhaps, the most fantastic blood fountains any man has ever witnessed. As her axe collides with one bird it carries through to the next, sending blood and guts spraying in all directions as a mass of feathers and blood gathers at her feet, forced into a newly-formed crater as the dirt and rock gives way to her cleave. Her blood, running down her arms in little streams, bubbles atop the disgusting, visceral mix.

Velvet's combined fire and lightning brings the roar of thunder down upon the retreating birds, sending a shock that reveberates between the connected members of the flock, sending them careening into each other as lightning surges between them. A mass of birds collides in the air, slamming into one of the amber trees and sticking into the surface level of the bark. As the energies continue to surge, the birds swell, before exploding into a horrific scene.

. . .

what a fucking bloodbath.
[20:33] ** Mod has inflicted an injury upon Ohtli. ("A beautiful display, carved into flesh", "Ohtli got a little too close to a frenzied swarm of carnivorous magical birds, and now she has the scars to accompany it. All of her limbs are beset with the residual effects of heavy wounds, and there's no doubt that she'll carry some marks of the injuries to her grave. While she won't suffer from it for a lifetime, it seems she came rather close.", "Temporary", "Duration: Medium (4 days)") **
[20:39] Victory. Sweet, sweet victory. Ohtli lands in a puddle of slick sludge, blood, and feathers to look up to the now clear 'skies' of the cavern. She can't help but feel a surge of weak laughter bubble up from her belly, the last gift of blessed adrenaline.

That adrenaline fades. She looks down. Her own blood, mixing with that of the birds, has pooled around her. Breathing is already difficult, thanks to spores. The edges of her vision blur as pain comes for her in a veritable tide.

Oh dear...

The Drakan staggers forward half a step, slips, then falls face first, undignified, into the ooze and muck. Her blade clatters to the ground.
(Ohtli)
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[20:40] Keaka would focus on recharging the egg, a solid moment passing as he calmed himself down. Xiuhtec, the first of many tributes to his god had been given. He'd have to ask for a boon someday... All in time, however. The decrepit blade was sheathed.

The molten Warchief would kneel down as he began rifling through the now tattered pack, tallying up what had been lost. Ale, rice, and dried fish had been taken - Yet his tools remained. A low, annoyed grumble left the smith; What was he to do about food now? Were the animals about here even edible?..

Questions for later.

Rising from his knee, the visor shifted towards Ohtli. Lips would purse tight before he spoke, looking on at the now downed Drakanite. "You alright, young one?.. Peh, think you can still walk?" Carefully, he'd make his way through the carnage towards them.
(Keaka Kamauoha)
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[20:43] At the end of it all, they were victorious. After their orchestra of carnage and red had ended, Sigrun simply stood there and breathed, clutching her axe with a white-knuckled grip. The pain of her wounds started to sink in, but it wasn't enough to where she would collapse from it, luckily.

She also took notice of the layer of crimson she was covered in. The Ookami inhaled through her nose, taking in the pungent metallic scent -- she hated it, and it was going to be difficult to clean out.

But at the same time, it was a bit alluring.

Anyway, she grunts and puts her axe on her back, then looks to Ohtli who had fallen down.
(Sigrun)
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[20:51] Now covered in blood and probably guts, Ovan uses his forearm as a windshield wiper of sorts, doing his best to regain his vision.

"Gross. Let's.. stop here for now and get some rest while we do what we can to heal Ohtli up. I have a fairly limited range of medical abilities, so.." He clears his throat, crimson liquid flicking off of his form and onto the ground as he makes his way over to the others to check on their status.

It was a mess, plainly put.

From his pack comes some first aid gear and gauze - courtesy of Lauren Raynor herself. He also has Lax Essence stashed away, but with the battle already over, he aims to tend to her active wounds. Cleaning and wrapping them in bandages. It is even harder with all of the blood present. Telling what is and is not hers is the toughest task of them all.
(Ovan Huitzilopochtli)
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[20:51] And they were able to get their first bit of blood pumping adrenaline inducing fight. It lasted so long, that Velvt couldn't count if it was hours, minutes or just a few seconds. Time was an enigma in the deep caverns of the abyssmal planes, and that was something that was amazing, but at the same time concerning as well. With that in mind, the blood that stained the area and her armor itself caused her eyes to widen a bit. .

Oh. . The entire area was so. . Geez. She was taken aback, but at the end of the day they did attack first. . The blood that stained her body was irritable. the stench in of itself was disgusting, almost like it was trying to force her to vomit and throw up.

She looks over towards Ohtli and Keaka, as well as the other two that were able to hold there own for the most part.

Their food supply was mostly razed. . Was it her fault or the fight? Ahh. . She wasn't thinking too deep on it!

"Is Ohtli alright. . ?" She tried to let out, falling back into her seat.
(Velvet Huitzilopochtli)
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[20:55] Ohtli's musters the ability to push herself from the puddle and sit up, giving Ovan easier access to her wounds. She's absolutely -coated- in vile gunk. Her blood, their blood, oil, and whatever other sludge has pooled on the bottom of this cavern.

She's makes a pretty decent patient to the magus' ministrations. Partly because she knows better, but beyond that she's too damned weary to put up a fight, even if she'd wanted to.

"Thank you, sir..." the dizzied Drakan replies.
(Ohtli)
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[21:01] {NARRATION} As the blood settles and the bodies seep down into a growing mire, underneath the viscera splays a collection of metallic bits. Nearly every corpse had some small amount of those dismantled artifacts contained within it; nearly every corpse had fed itself upon the remains of what once was.

Additionally, the bodies of the birds contained magically-imbued organs, each attuned to various magics. There's far, far more organs than anyone might ever need - though if they're not taken and refrigerated quickly, they'll likely rot. They should make for decent catalysts for wind, sound, and illusory magics.

Some of them even have expanded air bladders which, when cleaned, could make for makeshift sacks to hold other organs and loot within. Gross.

Regardless...

the bounty of the Abyss lies underneath the spread of blood and guts.
[21:06] A slow nod is given towards Ovan and Ohtli, the visor turning its vision to the scene about them. Bloodbath was an understatement to what was present... Even then, there were fresh organs to harvest for their planned sentinel.

Perhaps he could make something with all of this... This would be a damned load of work, though.

"Any chance you can freeze over some of these damned organs Ovan?.. Figure we could haul them back." Low mutterings leave the molten Warchief as he begins wading and picking through the carnage.

Metallic bits were picked up, hidden eyes studying the possibilities of what could be when they were all assembled. Organs would be piled up, those air bladders kept in a separate pile of his own. Xiuhtec… So much damned work was ahead of them both.

It was a shame they couldn't delve deeper, however, but such was the cost of limited supplies.
(Keaka Kamauoha)
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[21:09] Ohtli, for very obvious reasons, didn't have a lot of desire to get up. But it was either that or stew in the ichor that was left after the battle with those cursed beasts. It takes a couple tries, a few times where she nearly faceplants again, yet the Drakan rises unsteadily.

She doesn't have to travel far before she comes to the corpse of one of the birds she'd so savagely skewered; Ohtli crouches beside it and inspects the feathers of all the corpses in a small pile.

Sure, she didn't come for the sake of riches. That's not to say she's going to turn down a trophy.

The air bladder and wind attuned organs hold some interest for her, and she shakily, sloppily carves out one for herself. That's not the prize her eye is on. Or 'prizes'. It's those colorful plumes she wants most of all and she starts plucking as many as she can manage from their hides.

Their colors, in a wide range, will make for something beautiful. All while she plucks she mutters soft prayers.
(Ohtli)
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[21:12] On top of playing the role of nurse, Ovan aims to spray at the gut and blood covered 'gems' down with water.

Upon Keaka's request, the ones that needed to be taken care of are wrangled together and frozen for easy transport and freshness.

"Yep. Let's kick rocks. I can carry the materials with Velvet and Siggy if you can help Ohtli back."
(Ovan Huitzilopochtli)
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[21:12] Sigrun lets out a huff and nods, idly kicking one of the mutilated bird corpses before putting her axe on her back. She didn't expect any of the potential valuables the birds had. She just went over to help Ohtli, albeit carefully to not irritate any of her wounds.
(Sigrun)
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[21:16] Velvet had simply placed her weapon back on her back and quickly begun to help with the gathering of the materials. At least, that was the plan anyway. Helping carry the materials, even if they were rather. . . disgusting in some way. All of this for a collosus. . Geez. . Wait, was this all that they came here for? She was actually having a bit of fun here. . Despite you know. . the guts and everything like that. .

Ew.
(Velvet Huitzilopochtli)
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[21:18] "Peh- Right then."

With the materials all gathered up, Sigrun carefully carrying the wounded Drakanite, Keaka would scoop up any remaining prepared bits before placing them within his pack. Assuming the others would lead the way, he'd keep an idle hand on Weight's hilt and follow along.
(Keaka Kamauoha)
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[21:23] {Item} You picked up Arcanium x2. Dropped by Keaka Kamauoha.
[21:24] {Item} You picked up Orchilacum x5. Dropped by Keaka Kamauoha.
[21:25] {Item} You picked up Tyrium x3. Dropped by Keaka Kamauoha.
[21:32] {NARRATION} It's impossible to go further, really. With supplies destroyed and the flock dispersed along with them, this section of the Abyss is temporarily reclaimed, and its bounty reaped. As the piles of blood settle and the artifacts are gathered up, however, that psionic drone seems to wedge its way into those biological tempos.

It feels like you're all being watched; that pair of blue eyes, looking up from the darkness - the one that visited all of you in your dreams. It's beckoning, with a voice which nearly collapses under its own weight... a low, bassy *thrum* beats from the center of the Abyss.

From the heart of catastrophe. As you're forced to leave it all behind, your legs and arms resist - but the further you go, the weaker the pull becomes.

Perhaps, next time, you might not escape it.