Erithemaeus
GWS Recipient
- Location
- Around Dover Street
Ah, thanks for this. Looks like the tally bugged out. But yeah! Just waiting for a tie-breaker on where to find the survivors now, and that's just about it.
Contract. (Original Fantasy)
- Thread starter Erithemaeus
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
Ah, thanks for this. Looks like the tally bugged out. But yeah! Just waiting for a tie-breaker on where to find the survivors now, and that's just about it.
Vote Closed
Erithemaeus
GWS Recipient
- Location
- Around Dover Street
Ah fuck it, I'l just flip a coin on where you'd go next.
13 - Messy Cook
Erithemaeus
GWS Recipient
- Location
- Around Dover Street
Your Status said:
The mess hall. The last time that you went here, it was a solid construct of stone and mortar, where the soldiers stationed in this garrison came for their daily fill of rations. Now, half of it was collapsed on itself, the scent of lightning and burnt flesh playing agony on your senses. There was conflict here. There were casualties here. There were demons that ran roughshod over the defenders... and you can't help but quicken your pace upon approaching what remained of the hall.
'Be cautious, Child of Man', the Anghelos warned, 'We're not sure if there are still demons lingering in the area–'
You paid no mind to the Anghelos' warnings. Or well, you did, but it was a secondary thought compared to searching for survivors. Even now, you could see the blackened remains of a corpse sticking out of a collapsed wooden beam, and others splayed out on the floor, hollow faces staring at the ceiling with chunks of their body simply... gone, as if vaporized by a searing-hot flame.
With a shaky breath, you push on through, stepping past broken glass and rubble to find yourself in the mess hall proper. Most of the wooden floorboards were gone by this point, rendered into splinters, smashed through the floor, or turned to ash and kindling, and there were a few corpses that were seemingly smashed through the floorboards, their limbs contorted in all the wrong ways, or having weapons impaled through them and cutting through the stone.
There was a lot of that. Corpses impaled on weapons. There were some on the walls, with spears or swords rammed through the midsections of unfortunate individuals, covered head-to-toe in wounds that said they didn't go down without a fight. There were others that were missing a few limbs, staring blankly ahead, and there were a few more...
... You turn your gaze away from it entirely, seeking to keep the bile from rising up your chest. Your gurgle and hack, waving an arm in the direction of the... bodies, and the Anghelos nods grimly in your direction before setting the corpses to flame.
All it did was just remind you of the grisly form that their guts had taken, or how their skin had been peeled away to resemble ribbons and...
"Ghk..."
You vomit. Right on the space in between floorboards, as whatever pittance you had for a meal rushes back up your mouth and retches out in a short stream of yellow-green bile. Your knees thud against what remains of the floor a second later, and you feel a feather-light touch all around you as you see the Anghelos envelop you in an embrace.
They don't speak. Don't respond. Your throat trembles, and tears well up in your eyes as you let out a hoarse scream, sobbing into their pristine white robes.
"I should've gone here."
'You couldn't.'
"We should've just left that... that, should've left that demon alone." You mutter, hollow eyes opening and closing as you try to force the images out of your mind. "Should've tried to come here as fast as possible."
'We couldn't do that.'
"Couldn't?" You challenged, all but glaring into what passed for the Anghelos' eyes. "Look around you! All of them dead, because–"
'They would've still died if we left to help them.' Anger bubbles deep inside your gut, an ugly, sickening thing that froths up to the surface and makes itself known with a murderous stare. 'Humor me, Child of Man. What stops Oromas from simply continuing on with what they were doing? A demon of that strength could still plow through this garrison without much issue.'
"But–!"
'That old man is a Priest, yes. It didn't stop Oromas from killing him, didn't it?'
You pause, rearing back from the embrace with a blank look on your face.
[] [ARGUE] Continue arguing.
[] [ARGUE] Argue later.
Before you could reply, a hack catches your attention, and you immediately crane your neck towards a figure laying still on the ground, a pot on their head that has a noticeable cave to the side. With a sharp intake of breath, you slowly make your way towards them, taking care to avoid creaking the floorboards on the way.
You stop next to the figure a few seconds later, a hand reaching out to the bent pot that covered their face... Only for their hand to grab your arm and stop you from doing so.
"Don't." The voice rasps out, and you stagger back from the frighteningly familiar voice of the cook that you had just met a few hours ago. "Don't... Don't pull it out."
"You'll die."
The cook laughs, only to come off as a choked hack as they lean back, the cauldron that they used as a makeshift pillow shifting even further into the floorboards. "I already died once." He cackles, the pot around their head shimmering with a familiar green glow. "... I won't die again."
'He has consorted with demons.'
"For survival." You hiss back in reply, before your eyes flit back towards the cook. "You're under a Contract now, aren't you?"
"For a pilgrim, you sure know a lot more than what lays behind that cloak." The cook lets out a grim chuckle. "... Only got the demon inside my head to explain it to me just a few hours before, and yet here you are, already knowing what I did. What I could do." A pause. "... You're a Priest, aren't you? Like Eremir."
You don't reply. Your hand slowly moves to grab the arquebus off your back, but the pot around the cook shifts once more, the greenish tint that flashed across its surface so much brighter and malicious.
"Reaction like that tells me everything I need to know." The cook sighs. "... Go on, then. Kill me. You're more than liable to piss off the other guy..."
"And I don't think you're going to survive."
You stare impassively, hand still a few inches away from grabbing your arquebus and going for the kill. You slowly let out a breath, fingers twitching as you tried to think things through...
'Kill him.'
... And of course, some individuals weren't helping matters one bit.
[] [COOK] Purify the cook.
[] [COOK] Continue on talking with the cook.
[] [COOK] Leave the cook me and search for more survivors.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] [ARGUE] Continue arguing.
Let it all out. You need the emotional release now to avoid PTSD later
[X] [COOK] Purify the cook.
Demon bad, cook bad
Let it all out. You need the emotional release now to avoid PTSD later
[X] [COOK] Purify the cook.
Demon bad, cook bad
PaarSiivOnikaan
Resting on a pile of books
- Location
- Germany
[X] [ARGUE] Continue arguing.
[X] [COOK] Continue on talking with the cook.
[X] [COOK] Continue on talking with the cook.
Vote Closed
Erithemaeus
GWS Recipient
- Location
- Around Dover Street
Uh-oh.
14 - Deadly Disagreements
Erithemaeus
GWS Recipient
- Location
- Around Dover Street
The decision was obvious, in hindsight. You take a step back, and let your hands fall to your sides.
"Go." You snap at the cook, irritation flashing across your eyes that wasn't truly there. "Leave now. The next time we see each other again..."
The cook stares. At least, that's what you think they were doing, as their pot-covered head glances up towards you, its iron exterior not even allowing you to gain a glimpse into their expression. Still, there's no doubt that they caught the implicit threat... even if you couldn't exactly fancy your chances of tussling with whatever demon got into a Contract with them.
Especially right after shooting that bastard Oromas right in the head.
"I... get it." The cook gasps, leaning onto their right side with gritted teeth as they slowly pushed themselves up. You try not to ignore the eye on the back of their right palm, a vacuous tumor that stared at you as the cook slowly staggered upwards. "You're not... Huh. Huh...?"
'You're letting it leave?'
"We're in no position to fight that demon." You snap back at the Anghelos, glaring back at the cook as they turn their head in your direction. A second passes before they continue on stumbling out of the mess hall, and you lower your voice before conversing with the Anghelos once more. "... Besides, I don't think they deserve it."
'Child of Man.' You stop at the Anghelos' tone, flickering your gaze towards them to see... the flames that covered almost all of their body receding into a calm veneer around their body, allowing you to see a featureless face save for two blank dots right in the middle of the face. 'Just because they are undeserving of being forced into a Contract does not mean that they can simply escape punishment.'
The statement makes your eyes widen, a sudden surge of undiluted anger coursing through your veins as you block the Anghelos' path, shoulders squared straight and staring them down.
"I did not wish for a Contract to be forced upon me." You rumble, extending your arms away from you. "And yet, you did so anyway. It would be hypocritical of you to deny another's wish to survive, especially since you did not seem to ask for my input."
The Anghelos stops, an inch away from your face. Slowly, ever-so carefully, they lower their face so that their black dots were level with your eyes.
'Do not make me resort to drastic measures, Child of Man.' It warned. 'You will stand aside, and you will allow me to purify that demon. Now.'
You met its stare with a cool expression on your face. It takes a few seconds for the Anghelos to know that you had already made up your mind, and it lets out a sigh, all but shoving you aside as their staff lights up in blue flame.
With a yelp, you stagger from the sudden push, but you regain your balance just a few seconds later as you lunge for the Anghelos.
'Lamigardas.'
"NO–!" Your exclamation was cut off with a hack, as chains of ice seemingly appear out of nowhere and drag against your neck. Unnatural cold seeps into your body just as more chains hold down your limbs, forcing you to helplessly kneel against the rotting floorboards as the Anghelos charges the cook with a speed faster than you can see.
In one instant, they were in front of you, and then the next they were already behind the cook, their flaming staff already mid-swing to cleave the cook's head off their shoulders.
And then, the cook staggers to the side, letting out a howling shriek of pain as flesh-colored appendages all but burst out of the side of their head, batting the Anghelos' strike off to the side. The Anghelos could only stare at the scene for but a single instant before they were set upon by multiple limbs.
A second passes, only to be cut off with an ear-piercing scream that makes you grit your teeth in pain. Something begins trickling down the sides of your head after the sound was over, but you ignore it for the moment, too focused on how the Anghelos was all but pushed back by another flurry of strikes, causing them to slide back beside you.
"I TOLD YOU!" You all but scream towards the Anghelos, even as your ears began to ring from the aftermath of the scream. "I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE HIM BE!"
"𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔭𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔰𝔱 𝔰𝔭𝔢𝔞𝔨𝔰 𝔱𝔯𝔲𝔢, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔪𝔞𝔨𝔢𝔯." A voice cuts in, a raspy whisper coming from the cook... no, whatever was inside that pot. "𝔐𝔶 ℭ𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔠𝔱 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔱𝔩𝔢 𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔭𝔯𝔢𝔡𝔦𝔠𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔬𝔫 𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔰𝔦𝔪𝔭𝔩𝔢 𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔱𝔩𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤. 𝔗𝔢𝔩𝔩 𝔪𝔢 𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔱𝔩𝔢 𝔬𝔫𝔢, 𝔴𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔪𝔰 𝔞𝔤𝔞𝔦𝔫?"
A pause, a gasp, and the cook's voice emanates from behind the pot once more. "You said..." He gasps, "... So long as there would be no prejudice against me, you'll be content to... to just–"
"–𝔄𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔶'𝔯𝔢 𝔤𝔬𝔫𝔢." The raspy voice cackles, its tone shifting down a few octaves before it outright turns into something menacing. "ℑ 𝔰𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔨 𝔶𝔬𝔲, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔪𝔞𝔨𝔢𝔯. 𝔓𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔰𝔱. ℑ𝔱'𝔰 𝔟𝔢𝔢𝔫 𝔰𝔬 𝔩𝔬𝔫𝔤 𝔰𝔦𝔫𝔠𝔢 ℑ 𝔩𝔞𝔰𝔱 𝔴𝔞𝔩𝔨𝔢𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔐𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔦𝔞𝔪..."
The cook... what was the cook turns towards you, the chilling sound of their snapped neck echoing through the air.
"𝔜𝔬𝔲 𝔰𝔥𝔞𝔩𝔩 𝔟𝔢 𝔪𝔶 𝔫𝔢𝔵𝔱 𝔳𝔦𝔠𝔱𝔦𝔪𝔰. ℜ𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔥 𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔣𝔞𝔠𝔱."
BOSS FIGHT
Pothead, the Prejudiced
[] [ATTACK] You are stunned. Cleanse it with Pawi.
- [] [GUN] Fire your arquebus, and hammer them down while the Anghelos does their work.- [] [PHYS] Use the demon's single-mindedness to sneak around and knock them down.- [] [PASS] Reposition somewhere else. Fighting in an open courtyard gives you no cover.
[] [SPELL]
"Go." You snap at the cook, irritation flashing across your eyes that wasn't truly there. "Leave now. The next time we see each other again..."
The cook stares. At least, that's what you think they were doing, as their pot-covered head glances up towards you, its iron exterior not even allowing you to gain a glimpse into their expression. Still, there's no doubt that they caught the implicit threat... even if you couldn't exactly fancy your chances of tussling with whatever demon got into a Contract with them.
Especially right after shooting that bastard Oromas right in the head.
"I... get it." The cook gasps, leaning onto their right side with gritted teeth as they slowly pushed themselves up. You try not to ignore the eye on the back of their right palm, a vacuous tumor that stared at you as the cook slowly staggered upwards. "You're not... Huh. Huh...?"
'You're letting it leave?'
"We're in no position to fight that demon." You snap back at the Anghelos, glaring back at the cook as they turn their head in your direction. A second passes before they continue on stumbling out of the mess hall, and you lower your voice before conversing with the Anghelos once more. "... Besides, I don't think they deserve it."
'Child of Man.' You stop at the Anghelos' tone, flickering your gaze towards them to see... the flames that covered almost all of their body receding into a calm veneer around their body, allowing you to see a featureless face save for two blank dots right in the middle of the face. 'Just because they are undeserving of being forced into a Contract does not mean that they can simply escape punishment.'
The statement makes your eyes widen, a sudden surge of undiluted anger coursing through your veins as you block the Anghelos' path, shoulders squared straight and staring them down.
"I did not wish for a Contract to be forced upon me." You rumble, extending your arms away from you. "And yet, you did so anyway. It would be hypocritical of you to deny another's wish to survive, especially since you did not seem to ask for my input."
The Anghelos stops, an inch away from your face. Slowly, ever-so carefully, they lower their face so that their black dots were level with your eyes.
'Do not make me resort to drastic measures, Child of Man.' It warned. 'You will stand aside, and you will allow me to purify that demon. Now.'
You met its stare with a cool expression on your face. It takes a few seconds for the Anghelos to know that you had already made up your mind, and it lets out a sigh, all but shoving you aside as their staff lights up in blue flame.
With a yelp, you stagger from the sudden push, but you regain your balance just a few seconds later as you lunge for the Anghelos.
'Lamigardas.'
Rolls said:
"NO–!" Your exclamation was cut off with a hack, as chains of ice seemingly appear out of nowhere and drag against your neck. Unnatural cold seeps into your body just as more chains hold down your limbs, forcing you to helplessly kneel against the rotting floorboards as the Anghelos charges the cook with a speed faster than you can see.
In one instant, they were in front of you, and then the next they were already behind the cook, their flaming staff already mid-swing to cleave the cook's head off their shoulders.
And then, the cook staggers to the side, letting out a howling shriek of pain as flesh-colored appendages all but burst out of the side of their head, batting the Anghelos' strike off to the side. The Anghelos could only stare at the scene for but a single instant before they were set upon by multiple limbs.
A second passes, only to be cut off with an ear-piercing scream that makes you grit your teeth in pain. Something begins trickling down the sides of your head after the sound was over, but you ignore it for the moment, too focused on how the Anghelos was all but pushed back by another flurry of strikes, causing them to slide back beside you.
"I TOLD YOU!" You all but scream towards the Anghelos, even as your ears began to ring from the aftermath of the scream. "I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE HIM BE!"
"𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔭𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔰𝔱 𝔰𝔭𝔢𝔞𝔨𝔰 𝔱𝔯𝔲𝔢, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔪𝔞𝔨𝔢𝔯." A voice cuts in, a raspy whisper coming from the cook... no, whatever was inside that pot. "𝔐𝔶 ℭ𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔠𝔱 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔱𝔩𝔢 𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔭𝔯𝔢𝔡𝔦𝔠𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔬𝔫 𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔰𝔦𝔪𝔭𝔩𝔢 𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔱𝔩𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤. 𝔗𝔢𝔩𝔩 𝔪𝔢 𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔱𝔩𝔢 𝔬𝔫𝔢, 𝔴𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔪𝔰 𝔞𝔤𝔞𝔦𝔫?"
A pause, a gasp, and the cook's voice emanates from behind the pot once more. "You said..." He gasps, "... So long as there would be no prejudice against me, you'll be content to... to just–"
"–𝔄𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔶'𝔯𝔢 𝔤𝔬𝔫𝔢." The raspy voice cackles, its tone shifting down a few octaves before it outright turns into something menacing. "ℑ 𝔰𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔨 𝔶𝔬𝔲, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔪𝔞𝔨𝔢𝔯. 𝔓𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔰𝔱. ℑ𝔱'𝔰 𝔟𝔢𝔢𝔫 𝔰𝔬 𝔩𝔬𝔫𝔤 𝔰𝔦𝔫𝔠𝔢 ℑ 𝔩𝔞𝔰𝔱 𝔴𝔞𝔩𝔨𝔢𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔐𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔦𝔞𝔪..."
The cook... what was the cook turns towards you, the chilling sound of their snapped neck echoing through the air.
"𝔜𝔬𝔲 𝔰𝔥𝔞𝔩𝔩 𝔟𝔢 𝔪𝔶 𝔫𝔢𝔵𝔱 𝔳𝔦𝔠𝔱𝔦𝔪𝔰. ℜ𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔥 𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔣𝔞𝔠𝔱."
BOSS FIGHT
Pothead, the Prejudiced
[] [SPELL]
- [] [FIRE] Burn them to a crisp with Kalayo.
- [] [CURE] Remove your current status with Pawi. No targets.
- [] [PASS] Conserve your strength for the moment.
PaarSiivOnikaan
Resting on a pile of books
- Location
- Germany
Sorry for being late.
Uh, we fucked up? Oops?
Quick,
[X] [SPELL]
- [X] [CURE] Remove your current status with Pawi. No targets.
and get the fuck out of dodge.
Also, lesson learned, exterminate any demon we meet except if they have damn good reasons.
Uh, we fucked up? Oops?
Quick,
[X] [SPELL]
- [X] [CURE] Remove your current status with Pawi. No targets.
and get the fuck out of dodge.
Also, lesson learned, exterminate any demon we meet except if they have damn good reasons.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] [SPELL]
- [X] [CURE] Remove your current status with Pawi. No targets.
Correction: exterminate any demons we find, even if they have good reasons
- [X] [CURE] Remove your current status with Pawi. No targets.
Correction: exterminate any demons we find, even if they have good reasons
Erithemaeus
GWS Recipient
- Location
- Around Dover Street
Yes. You tried to kill him, and the demon that the cook made a Contract with obviously found offense to that.
Vote Closed
Erithemaeus
GWS Recipient
- Location
- Around Dover Street
*sigh* It's another tie. Gonna need someone to break it, or I'll prolly just flip a coin if there's no one else that's gonna reply.
EDIT: Flipping a coin.
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