RWBYFanon v5

RPG World of Remnant => The Vale Region => Topic started by: Ordelis on August 12, 2017, 11:08:27 PM

Title: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on August 12, 2017, 11:08:27 PM
Cami Unis, a traveling musician is in need of an escort to the village of Vona. Upon arriving to Vona, see what can be done to help with the strange increase in Grimm activity in the surrounding area of the village. Miss Unis is incapable of producing an aura so take measures to protect her accordingly.
Miss Unis is considered an important individual due to her skill with her acoustic guitar, she plays music for disheartened souls giving them hope. It was once said she was able to save her home village by playing for wounded soldiers giving them the strength to continue fighting. Others also believe that by dispelling negative emotion and spreading hope, groups of people who hear her music are able to ward away Grimm, though whether this is true of not has not been proven. Either way Miss Unis is something of a rising star to the villages that she has played for and are always glad to hear her play.

Justice Montenegro
Camelia Sol
Calen Shrike
Rory Vogel

Cami is a girl of fair complexion with naturally blonde hair in a ponytail extending down her shoulders. She wears an ordinary pair of jeans and shirt with a brown travel jacket. On her back she sports a small pack of supplies and a guitar case. Her expression is in a natural smile to a curve on her lips as she hums a tune to herself. She casually sits on the edge of the airship with her feet dangling back and forth as she waits for her requested escort to arrive.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on August 15, 2017, 01:47:06 AM
Playing with the straps of his heavily laden pack Calen was slightly nervous as he approached the airship platform, this would be his first mission since his injuries during the Switcheroo sparing matches. Even with aura assisted healing the broken ribs and his left arm took weeks to heal, in fact his wrists still cracked whenever he rotated them and everything gave off a dull ache. Still with the two other active members of ASTC off doing something else Calen thought he would use the opportunity to take a mission on his own, or with four strangers as the case maybe, to get back in the swing of things. Not allowed to partake in physical training again until he fully recovered Calen had gotten well ahead on his school work, cooking responsibilities as well as even finally making it down to the dance studio for a few performances. Such caught up on his various burdens Calen was looking forward to getting out of the city again and making some money at the same time.

Managing to at least fake a confident smile Calen made his way to the airship Cami Unis, himself and the rest of the bodyguard team would be travelling in. Seeing his client sitting in wait Calen waved and dashed over with his semblance.  'Greetings Miss Unis, my name is Calen Shrike. I'm going to be one of those tasked with making sure we get from village to village as quickly and as safely as possible.' Calen introduced himself politely and calmly, even giving a slight bow before looking over the air ship they where travelling in. Beacon had given him basic mechanical knowledge of their operation and he had read pretty widely on the subject so he should have a basic idea of it's capabilities.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on August 15, 2017, 03:40:34 PM
Cami Unis...

Rory knew the name, and vaguely remembered the soft, kind smile on her face. What he remembered most was the music... the way it seemed to permeate him, flitting across every nerve and every thought he contained, calming and soothing... healing, almost. She had, in fact, visited his hometown just a year before he'd set out for Vale, and her arrival during those troubled days had been like a star shining in the darkness. Some part of him, no matter how irrational it may seem, couldn't help but believe that she had lent him the strength to flee his abusive home, to travel on his own to an unfamiliar city with barely anything to his name and somehow, somehow, to believe that he could hang on, each and every day... hang on to see a better tomorrow.

Maybe her music really was as charmed and magical as people said, or maybe the thought itself had lent him strength. Either way, in Rory's mind this wasn't just some mission -- it was the repayment of a debt, even if only in part. With that in mind he hopped off the city bus, then spotted her in the distance waiting by an airship with a handful of others. Somehow, even though she was too far away to rightly make out her appearance, he knew it was her. He just... felt it, crazy as that seemed. For a moment the shield fighter was transfixed, frozen in the moment and the realization that he was not only about to meet but be called on to protect someone who'd been a beacon of hope for him. It was jarring... and it was humbling.

While another student used what Rory guessed to be his Semblance to zip over to miss Unis, Rory hefted his backpack onto his shoulders and trotted over the old fashioned way. With every step he debated with himself over how to express his gratitude, how to put into words what she'd done for him those years ago... but even though he wasn't exactly rushing over, when he finally got to the airship's landing pad he still had nothing. He could feel himself choking on a sudden wave of anxiety. Was he even the right person for this? Did he deserve to be anywhere near this woman? A deep breath and a mental slap across the face helped restore focus, if only just barely. He was here. He was doing this.

And he'd protect Cami Unis with his life.

"Miss -- miss Unis? I'm, uh, Rory Vogel." He hoped desperately that he didn't seem as flustered and shaken as he felt as he extended a hand to her. "Part of your protection detail, ma'am." He paused, mustering the only words that came to mind. "Please allow me... to be your shield."
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on August 16, 2017, 11:11:37 PM
For the life of him, Justice could not understand why people adored the acoustic guitar so much. His preference would always be the soft, delicate sounds of the violin. Alas, the simpletons in these villages would have no taste for the fine arts, so acoustic guitar it is. Justice let out a soft sigh in resignation, the only display of emotion in his usual stone-faced demeanor. He carefully paced his way to the departure point, wanting to arrive at least one minute and thirty-seven seconds before the scheduled departure time. To allow him the opportunity to open his locker, retrieve his belongings, and board the aircraft with a ten-second buffer in between for any unforeseen events.

As the thought crossed his mind, he turned the corner to the airship dock. He pulled out his scroll and typed in a few numbers as he walked. Taking the stairs up to the platform, he pulled out his pocket watch to be able to take the precise amount of time between when he called it and when it arrived. As it turns out, the time it takes for the lockers to arrive from the school to this airship dock is approximately 24 seconds.

As Justice retrieved the supplies he stored in there earlier, he quickly activated his semblance to get an idea of the group he was about to face. And one person stood out to him immensely. A mix of fear, anxiety, joy, and awe. Starstruck. I think this day will be an interesting one. Justice thought, breathing in the emotion and using the nervous energy to clear his mind. He grabbed his violin case and walking stick before moving over to the airship.

"Calm yourself, boy. You are simply embarrassing yourself." he said, talking in the vague direction of Rory as he looked across the airship. "If we are at the stage of doing proper introductions, my name is Justice Montenegro. I am here to provide security detail and perform a scientific analysis on the effects of your work and how it affects grimm behavior." he said, finally looking the singer in the eye.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on August 17, 2017, 04:28:57 PM
Shit, fuck, shit, crap, dammit, shit. This was not good. Why in the world did her alarm clock choose this very day to break down? Now here she was, running to the landing pads after taking Orion, Unity and her armor from her locker, putting the latter on as quickly as she could before picking up what was left and sheathing them on the run.

Dammit.

As she finally rounded the corner, she noticed that everyone else seemed to be already present, much to her non-surprise. Arriving besides them, she leaned forward to breathe her soul back in, not forgetting to vaguely wave hello to everyone while doing so.

Yeah, this was off to a great start.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on August 17, 2017, 11:48:30 PM
Cami was taken back and let out a little "wow!" as Calen's semblance initially took her by surprise. Recovering from the brief shock she realized she was being greeted by one of her escorts "Oh hi Calen!" she said with a smile, "It's a pleasure to have you!So I know my request was a little vague but I'll explain more when the whole team gets here but since your the first one here I'll let you know something about my request, there's gonna be one more Huntress that's gonna be joining us and we're gonna meet up with her when we get to Vona, and just a word of warning" she said with the back of her hand against her lips as if she was nearby telling a secret "She's not that great with strangers"


"Miss -- miss Unis? I'm, uh, Rory Vogel." He hoped desperately that he didn't seem as flustered and shaken as he felt as he extended a hand to her.
A voice caught her attention as she looked to the newcomer.

Quote
"Part of your protection detail, ma'am." He paused, mustering the only words that came to mind. "Please allow me... to be your shield."
'A weird comment' she thought 'I wonder if he's always like this or if he knows me from somewhere' either way "Hello Rory! and please you can drop the formalities, just call me Cami! We're gonna be traveling together for a while after all might as well get comfortable around each other!" She said taking his hand and hoping he'd take the hint to relax whatever was making him nervous. Cami suddenly felt she should take her own advice as a third voice spoke up next to Rory and was very much intimidated by the very pale man who had started talking.


"Calm yourself, boy. You are simply embarrassing yourself." he said, talking in the vague direction of Rory as he looked across the airship. "If we are at the stage of doing proper introductions, my name is Justice Montenegro. I am here to provide security detail and perform a scientific analysis on the effects of your work and how it affects grimm behavior." he said, finally looking the singer in the eye.
'Man I there's gotta at least be one weirdo' she thought. Is it the way he addressed Rory? the way he talked like he knew everything? or maybe his non-huntsman like appearance that seemed to throw her off? "H-hello Justice, I can try to answer any questions you have but honestly I don't know very well myself, but my friend who we're suppose to meet at Vona might be able to answer them for you." She offered hoping to give the man something of interest and his gaze away from her.

Some time had passed and the four continued to wait for their fifth

'Hm...I hope this Camelia actually shows up soon, at this rate we're gonna miss the meet up time with her at Vona...oh she's gonna give me an earful when I finally see her again' As she finished her thought a girl with a brown ponytail and average height came running in their direction, very clearly the one they were waiting for. Cami watched as her last escort was clearly winded from running as she huffed and puffed with her hands on her knees and waved in everyone's general direction in a form of her greeting. "Ha..ha..err running late are we? Camelia right? hop on we can talk on the way there!"  Cami said glad to finally have her escort full and finally on the move, as the airship with all of it's passengers aboard started, took off and started to make it's way to its destination.

(http://i.imgur.com/K7XUt4W.png)
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on August 18, 2017, 07:29:44 AM
The familiar and the mechanical did wonders for Calen's nerves and by the time they where in the air he was back to his arrogant self, or had at least fixed the mask. Being more focused on the air craft Calen only really had a chance to check out those he would be fighting beside once they had settled in the airship. The girl, Camelia, had a serious case of bed hair making her stand out substantially from the other two well dressed hunters-in-training. Once the airship had stabilised Calen rummaged through his pack and retrieved a brush then got up and passed it to Camelia.

It may seem petty but being vertically higher than those you are talking to does wonders for ones confidence and it allows for a slightly dismissive expression which could just be the angle but definitely isn't. 'I think we've met.' Calen began as he turned to Rory keeping his tone as innocent as possible. 'You were giving out food after that terrorist attack not that long ago right? Calen had been actively trying to avoid evidence of the attacks beyond his obligations as seeing so many injured Faunus brought back unpleasant memories but it wasn't exactly something you could ignore.

The older one Calen wasn't so sure about, other than almost looking like his mirror image Calen found very little to draw out of the older student. Still never one to let something as small as being over his head to slow him down Calen extended his hand to shake before remarking with a smile. 'Nice suit, Master Justice.' All throughout his stupid alpha routine Calen always kept his eyes scanning the reactions of the hunters-in-training as well as Cami as gauging their reactions was the entire point of this little stunt.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on August 18, 2017, 09:13:27 AM
"Hello Rory! and please you can drop the formalities, just call me Cami! We're gonna be traveling together for a while after all might as well get comfortable around each other!"

What she said was certainly true, and the reality of it hit him as he tried to figure out how to respond. Yes, he felt a rather strong obligation to her for personal reasons, but she was still just a person. That, and he didn't want to make her uncomfortable with any sort of hero worship. Rory was just opening his mouth to respond when --

"Calm yourself, boy. You are simply embarrassing yourself."

An unfamiliar voice chastising him, and not in a friendly sort of way either. The shield fighter stiffened reflexively at the speaker's dismissive words and turned to shoot him a look, though said nothing. So this was Justice, then? He'd heard a bit about this guy in passing -- a third year student originally from Atlas, always in a suit and frequently picking people apart with barbed words. It seemed the rumors were true, then. Rather than respond Rory just let the older student talk, deciding not to let himself be baited into an argument. They would be around one another quite a bit for this mission... if Rory let himself be rattled now it would only make things harder later.



After pleasant greetings from Cami -- and a fair bit of waiting for the last member of their group to arrive -- the four students and their charge were airborne. Rory had opted for a corner seat, keeping off to the side and mostly to himself while he double checked his backpack and supplies. Part of him still couldn't believe he'd managed to get on this mission, to be part of Cami Unis' travels, be some small part of the good she did. Another part of his mind was already factoring variables; he hadn't known that they'd be meeting up with a Huntress when they landed, for one thing, and he wasn't sure about the tactics and abilities of his temporary teammates either. Plus, there was still the whole 'investigate Grimm activity' aspect to consider.

It was a lot to think about.

'I think we've met.' Rory looked up as Calen addressed him. 'You were giving out food after that terrorist attack not that long ago right?

"That was me, yeah." He had to look twice to make sure of whom he was addressing, such were the similarities between Calen and Justice. Two tall, lanky guys in formal suits... well, if needed to Calen and Justice could certainly pull off the look of professional attendants for Cami, though Rory guessed that might not really be her way of doing things. Still, between the two of them it was Calen who unsettled Rory the most. He wasn't really sure what it was, but the gaunt-looking student's paleness and thinness seemed almost... unnatural. Rory did his best not to stare. "I work at the 'Fabled Goods' bakery, on the edge of the commercial district. The boss is big on humanitarian causes."

'Speaking of the bakery...' Rory thought to himself, reaching into his pack and rummaging for a moment. "He also lets me experiment in the kitchen," Pulling out a small waterproof bag, Rory reached in and drew out one of his signature pastries: a soft pretzel twist with a bit of sweet muffin batter and a generous helping of juniper berries. He offered one to Calen, then to Cami and the others. At least one member of their group probably hadn't had any breakfast, he guessed, and the baked goods seemed as good an ice breaker as anything. "I'm still working on these -- I call them Juniper Branches. Let me know what you think."
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on August 20, 2017, 10:17:58 PM
Justice would remain calm as they waited for the fifth person. His face was more expressive than usual, with a small, knowing smile and occasional glances at Rory. His words had precisely the intended effect, and it got exactly the reaction he was hoping for. And he even assisted the boy, distracting the girl from the words he was embarrassing himself with just a few seconds earlier. He hoped the boy would later appreciate his efforts, although his intentions were never made clear to the inattentive.

Once they were on the ship, Justice would find himself a seat on the side, with an adequate view of the passengers. Specifically, he wanted a good look at their faces. Firstly, the late girl. She has been quiet for most of the trip. He could sense a bit of panic and embarrassment on her when she first came to the group. The student body of this school really could stand to be more punctual.

There was the singer. A scan of her emotions gave him nothing interesting to work with. As it turns out, she may be as vapid and boring as her music is. A pity, she could have been entertaining.

There was the one that looked similar to him. His name was Caleb, or something along those lines. 'I will remember it if he becomes relevant.' he thought, looking at his attire. A quick complement from him shows that they were both thinking similarly. "It is hard to find people who take the time for the proper attire." he said, giving a small complement to the boy.

And then, there was the first boy. The embarrassed one. His name was Rory. Judging from his emotional state as they were boarding, Rory is going to be a fun one to play with. He seems to have reverence toward the singer. A pity. Energy such as that could be better spent elsewhere. Alas, energy such as that comes from a place deep within. And there was a good chance that he could have a lot more going on in his head than meets the-

A brief mentioning of experiments brought Justice out of his train of thought, his mood souring when he discovers that it is about pastries. Justice did not have much of a sweet tooth. The only dessert he went out of his way to get was Atlesian trench cake, but it was rude not to take food offered to you in such a manner. So, he took one of the pastries and ate it carefully, wiping any crumbs away from his mouth with a white handkerchief.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on August 21, 2017, 10:58:27 AM
Camelia followed everybody else into the airship, still flustered (and out of breath) by her lateness. She therefore remained silent, the presentations having been done by Cami and whatnot.

Once inside, she sat as well as she could - this thing really wasn't designed for standard seats - and started calming down both her breathing and mind. As she did, one of the thin and pale ones - she realised only her presentation had been done after she'd arrived, she knew nothing about the others - handed her a hairbrush. Mouthing a near silent "Thank yoouu!" with a smile, she gladly accepted the loan, undoing her ponytail and combing her hair, something she'd had to skip to get here on time - or as close to it as possible.

As she put her hair back into a more presentable state, Camelia listened and watched the others talk, attempting to discern any valuable (or not) information from words, body language, facial expressions, anything she could get her senses on. She smiled in a 'kinda busy right now, but maybe after' way as the boy with glasses handed out pastries.

Okay, no, it was a 'most definitely yes afterwards' with the smell wafting from those puppies.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on August 21, 2017, 09:14:02 PM
"So thank you all for accepting my request!" Cami addressed to everyone and munching on a pastry."To explain a few details about our trip, I was requested by the village master of Vona to play for them. Now If it was just that It wouldn't be a problem, but it turns out there are actually two other neighboring villages called Navo and Anov, yeah it's easy to mix up right?. Apparently the three villages used to be at peace with each other but something happened between them and now they're not. Now my request from Vona is just to play for them, but my request to you guys is to help me get to the other two villages and do the same!" she said with a hopeful smile. "And I mentioned this before but we're also gonna meet up with a friend of mine when we get to Vona, her name's Gaud Rain and she can be a bit...stubborn but she's nice I promise!"
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on August 22, 2017, 02:45:53 AM
Graciously accepting the pastry Calen took it wrapped in a bit of cloth a placed it carefully in his pack. 'For later.' Calen explained smiling although this time the expression never touched his eyes as his mind was spinning in ways to dump the pastry. Probably dump it off went we get it to town. Calen thought to himself as he took his seat and listened halfheartedly to Cami's explanation. Warring villages was not an uncommon in Remnant but it could complicate the mission if these Vonaians don't want her to go or if Navo/Anov see her as serving Vona. Fighting people wasn't exactly something there was a lack of at Beacon, particularly with Calen's habit of pissing people off, but it wasn't something he was looking forward to with people he didn't know how far they would go. Still by the sounds any trouble would be after the first show, unless they got swatted out the sky. Grimacing and rubbing his neck at the memory of being swatted out of the sky himself it wasn't an experience he was in a hurry to repeat.

Nodding when Cami stopped talking Calen let the conversation lull for a bit in case anyone had any questions before asking a few questions of Rory. 'So what do you put in your 'Juniper Branches,' other than the juniper berries I suppose but is there anything added to the batter?'
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on August 22, 2017, 04:11:14 PM
Rory listened attentively to Cami's explanation of their mission. Villages in conflict with one another... such a thing certainly wasn't unheard of, but they had to know that was likely to draw in Grimm. Honestly, on the surface that seemed a likely explanation for the Grimm activity they'd been asked to investigate. Still, the mission profile wouldn't have called it 'strange' if there was such an obvious explanation... would it? What's more, it troubled him a bit that Cami was willfully inserting herself into a known area of conflict; yes, one could describe her as a "musical peacekeeper" if one were feeling particularly fanciful, but to deliberately visit two villages that were at odds with each other would, if nothing else, make their situation unpredictable.

He was just about to ask for more info when Calen, somewhat out of the blue, asked about his recipe. "Uh... well, it's a mix of soft pretzel dough and a bit of muffin batter, actually." Rory responded, a bit caught off guard and not wanting to give away the whole recipe. He turned his attentions back to Cami. "Right, villages in conflict. Do we know why they have a problem with each other, exactly? If I'm not reading too much into this, it seems like you want to try and help resolve the situation with your visit. Anything you can tell us about Navo and Anov might just help."
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on August 23, 2017, 10:43:51 PM
Justice used the singer's little speech as an opportunity to get another feel for the emotional state of the airship. Once again, his attempts to find vast emotional depth in the singer have left him dissapointed. He quickly turned to the embarrassed boy from earlier. Apparently he was...apprehensive. About what, it was unclear. From the few words that made their way into his train of thought, their conversation was as bland as the pastry he just finished eating. He took a good few seconds to glare at him in an attempt to figure out what his issue with the situation was.

When that yielded few results, he took his attention and put it back to the task at hand. Namely, helping the singer mend the rift between these three neighboring villages. "You truly believe that you can cause three communities of people to suddenly give up their problems with one another and live in harmony...with the power of acoustic guitar? That seems...disgustingly optimistic." he said. As much as he wanted to believe that people would be better than this, it was distinctly possible that the exact kind of people who would laud over this random girl playing guitar are the same people to just drop long-held grudges. They may simply be too small-minded to be able to think that broadly as to why they are at odds.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on August 24, 2017, 06:06:59 PM
Having finally put her hair back in order, Camelia attached it before thoroughly removing all traces of her own hair from the brush. While doing so, she looked and listened around, not finding much to interject upon. She made a mental note of the, uh, Juniper Branches pastries. Seemed kinda neat, but probably not world-shattering or anything.

She did, however, find a good thing to add to when the, well, older tall thin pale guy spoke - somewhat condescendingly, as well - to the singer-songwriter-musician person they were escorting. "Before saying things like 'disgustingly optimistic', could you perhaps check your tone at the door? Of course that won't sole everything, but since people seem to like her music pretty much everywhere, all three villages may also like it. It'd at least be one thing they could agree upon and would have in common, apart from the letters in their names, so it's a start. Besides, as -", she paused before turning to the boy with glasses "- uh, you mentioned, if we're to reconcile them, we're gonna need more info as to why there's such a big-time feud."
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on August 24, 2017, 11:18:22 PM
"Right, villages in conflict. Do we know why they have a problem with each other, exactly? If I'm not reading too much into this, it seems like you want to try and help resolve the situation with your visit. Anything you can tell us about Navo and Anov might just help."[/color]
"I umm...don't know too much about the villages to be honest, see when I said Vona requested me it was by my friend Gaud's suggestion. We've been planning on seeing each other for a long time actually and this turned out to be the perfect opportunity. She's the one who would know all your answers. I'm just the girl with a guitar" Cami said with a shrug, the last comment aimed at Justice. "My friend Gaud err...also doesn't know about you guys, she mentioned a Grimm presence and said she could handle it but I thought it would be better if she had some help...she won't like it but better safe then sorry right?" she said, and with her last thought the airship descended on their destination. A large clearing at the edge of a grassy plain that transitioned into a rocky trail that lead into a mountain valley. As it turned out natural barriers that worked great against Grimm also prevented airships from landing any closer to the village.
"We're here~ it's just a simple trail following these rocky outcrops, Gaud says this path should be safe buut..." She says as she hides behind the nearest person which turned out to be Camelia. Her tone of voice instantly shifted from happy-go-lucky to outright dread "C-Can we get there quick pleeaase?" It was as if a switch was flipped in Cami as her voice was shaken and outright fear dripped from her voice "I-I've been in the city s-so long, I forgot how scary G-Grimm are, I don't like it out here without Gaud let's get to Vona where she is please, please, pleeeaase" she pleaded holding onto the back of Camelia's armor like a shield and making herself as small as possible behind it. "H-Hello I don't think we've met yet C-Camelia right?" She said looking up and making an attempt at being polite to her human shield.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on August 25, 2017, 02:08:20 AM
Raising an eyebrow at Justice's dismissive remark at their protectee. Surprised that he was for once not causing conflict right off the bat.  Camelia seemed to handled herself fine if a bit blunt not that Justice made it very difficult. 'The aim for this mission is focused dealing with Grimm and Miss Ceil's music has had success to that end before. Let's focus on that and leave the politicking alone for now.' Calen remarked, finding it strange that he was the one trying to solve conflict. Still this Gaud woman was intriguing, huntress support would be welcomed and even if the Grimm weren't a threat she could be good conversation.

Feeling the airship drop Calen started to get his weapons ready and already had his sword in hand as the doors open. Immediately realising that they had landed outside the town. Launching forward with his semblance on top of tree to scout out the area to make sure they get to Vona reasonably safely. Giggling at Ceil's comment about being scared of Grimm. 'It's OK Miss Ceil, you are literally paying us to protect you. It doesn't look like that far anyway so let's just get moving.' Calen called out as he kept his eyes on the horizon in case any threats emerged.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on August 25, 2017, 10:09:40 AM
Infighting already... wow. Rory didn't quite know what to make of this group, only that if they didn't start thinking like a team it would come back to bite them regardless of whose opinion was or wasn't right. He wanted to hope that they'd all put their differences aside for the sake of the mission, but certain members didn't really seem like team players...

As the airship began to descend, Rory hefted his backpack and double checked his vambraces. No one was here with the intention to fail, he reminded himself. Regardless of feelings or opinions each of them had signed up for this mission. Everyone had a reason to be here. It would work out, somehow.

Once on the ground, Cami's demeanor became much more concerned -- frightened, honestly. The shield fighter was immediately reminded of how she couldn't produce an Aura, a fact that made his contribution to this group all the more imperative. Stowing his glasses and donning his high tech goggles, Rory stepped over to Cami and Camelia, addressing the former. "We won't let anything happen to you, Cami." With a series of quick metal 'clink' sounds his shields unfurled on his arms. Rory then turned and addressed his fellow students. "We should figure out our tactics, just in case something happens. My specialty is defense, so I should stick close to Cami." He looked Calen's way, slightly amused to see a man in an impeccable suit standing high up in a tree. "Looks like we have forward scouting and speed support taken care of, too. What have we got in terms of close combat and ranged firepower?"
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on August 25, 2017, 10:02:31 PM
It is funny how a single comment can give you more information than you could possibly dream of. The girl was indignant, the well-dressed boy was confused, and the embarrassed boy was concerned. A good basis to work off of, in any situation. "Personally, I would have given the villagers the benefit of the doubt in this situation. If you hold them in such low regard, I'll defer to your judgement." he said to the girl, ending the exchange with her. It was not her his focus was on at the moment.

In his brief glimpse into the emotions of everyone on the ship, he found himself again pulled to the easily embarrassed boy. Keeping himself quiet for the most part as the ship landed, he tried to get his thoughts in order for what he knew about the boy.

Unfortunately, his thoughts could only keep him distracted for so long. He knew that, in order to resolve this, he was going to have to pull off a miracle. Figuratively, of course. There are no such things as miracles. Only the highly improbable. And that area of possibility just so happened to be where he thrived.

The area outside the ship was calm. It actually would have been quite a lovely opportunity to work in the peace of the outdoors without the distractions typical of a school environment, but that would have to wait for a later time. Deciding to work on another angle of approach, Justice simply listened in on the conversations going on around him.

"Assertiveness, prioritization of goals, leadership skills...they are good traits to have. Work on honing them." he said to Rory as he walked past him, his walking stick tapping on the rocky path. His violin case was attached to a harness on his back. His off hand held his thermos of tea.

A quick scan of everyone's emotional state showed a few more things. But only one he could comment on quickly. "And hold on to that trait,
boy. Finding amusement in the small things will help in the most dire of times."
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on August 27, 2017, 03:42:41 PM
Camelia was a bit puzzled at the older, suit-dressed man's response. Low regard? Huh? She briefly thought back on what she said, wondering where the hell she'd implied holding the citizens in low regard, before realizing she was still maniacally cleaning the brush she'd used.

She was just about to reply to him by asking what the heck he meant by that - in kinder words, of course - before the younger suit-wearing lad interjected, attempting (and succeeding, as far as she was concerned) to defuse the situation. At that moment, the airship landed, robbing her of the opportunity to give the brush back to the boy.

As she got out of the airship, she was mildly surprised to glance him at the top of a nearby tree. The suit made for quite the contrast. Another thing that surprised her was the musician suddenly clinging to her, visibly terrified of being in The Wilds. Or something. Speaking after the tree scout, she turned her head towards the trembling figure and said "You heard the man, miss. We're all here, you're gonna be fine! Here, take my shield if it'll make you feel better. Careful, though, it's a tad heavy." At this point, she turned completely around, got Orion off its place on the armor and handed it over to the lady she was to be protecting, turning it the right way around and holding it for her.

When Glasses took inventory of the team's capabilities, she responded with "I can do close quarters pretty well." Truth be told, it was pretty much all she could do, really. After a brief lull, she added "Hey, Suit Boy who's up in the tree! You want your brush back? I don't exactly have a place to store this thing!"
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on August 27, 2017, 06:50:33 PM
Taking the shield in her hands Cami was taken surprise by the weight and nearly drops it, but holds it with both hands for dear life and tries to put as much of her body behind it as possible. "you weren't kidding" she comments. The group moves forward up the trail, with Cami walking right behind Vahn after his comment "Thank you" she whispers, the path is mostly rock with grass poking out of cracks where dirt seeped in. Tall rock pillars scatter the path like a forest of boulders,a faint mist floated at knee level.



Spoiler: ShowHide
OOC: Chance for conversation, group will reach destination in two cycles
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on August 28, 2017, 03:13:10 AM
Calen was disappointed to find no Grimm or other threats on the horizon, a fight would be a good way of getting over his nerves. Dropping down out of the tree Calen strode quickly back towards the group, stopping in front of Camelia with his hand out stretched for the brush. 'Well armour girl the tree is free of guests at least for now, so are we it seems. Calen replied cheekily as he started along the path towards the town. 'It's a beautiful land feature, do you ever wonder what caused these, of course it could be the wind and rain but it could also be evidence of a long forgotten battle between hunter or Grimm or even back before the Greyed War. Calen remarked wistfully. Despite his speech Calen maintained a close eye around the pillars in case anything could be hiding behind.

Being in front of the group gave Calen the privacy to relax his facial expressions. Although his bones had healed he was still stiff, physically and emotionally, from his last fight. Taking a few deep breaths worked of rubbing kinks out of his muscles hoping that his mind would also loosen.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on August 30, 2017, 04:53:15 PM
Well... so much for tactics. Somehow Justice managed to both acknowledge Rory's request for cooperation and at the same time ignore it altogether, all while acting like the situation barely concerned him. At least Camelia had the courtesy to actually say what she was good at, plus loan Cami her shield -- that was honestly a good move, just in case worse came to worse.

It was hard to miss the rocky pillars as they progressed, and Calen's assessment of these distinct and unusual features didn't seem too far off. It was even possible this was a ritual site or a long-forgotten ruin of some kind; the shield fighter dug through his mental library of historical references but nothing immediately sprung to mind for this area. If this was a more leisurely trip he would've enjoyed examining them in more detail... instead he quickly switched on the camera function of his goggles, pausing for only a few seconds to snap a handful of stills and a GPS reference for later. "It's quite a place, yeah. I wonder if the Vale archaeological society has done any work on these... well, monoliths, I guess we'd call them."
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on September 01, 2017, 07:43:26 PM
Justice, ever observant, was also quick to notice the hulking structures around them. Unfortunately, their pace would not dictate the time necessary for any experimentation on them. So, with these limitations, Justice was forced into a mere measurement. And, an approximate one at that.

A true scientist is lost without three things. Firstly, a sturdy notepad, used for every detail to be remembered later. Second, an imagination to envision experiments not yet brought to reality. And third, maybe most important, an accurate pocketwatch.

Pulling his silver timepiece from inside his jacket, Justice would pull up his walking stick and aim at the top of the structure. In approximately 1.0134 seconds, the stylish apparatus whirled into life, firing toward the top of the stone behemoth. Justice watched his pocketwatch carefully, trying to be as accurate as possible with his makeshift measurement.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on September 04, 2017, 11:52:05 AM
When Calen referred to her as 'armour girl', Camelia gave him the blankest stare she could summon, handing him his brush at the same time.

She walked forward with the rest of the team, keeping an eye on  the escort while enjoying the sight of the - seemingly natural - monoliths. "By the by, since I sorta came in late,I don't know any of your names - well, except yours, Cami. Mind enlightening me?"
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on September 04, 2017, 08:25:01 PM
"Right, that's Rory, Calen, and Justice" She said indicating each member of the group "I'm sure you've figured this out but hes not very nice is he" she whispered to Camelia indicating the last member. As the group approached their destination a noise became obvious in the distance.
Dust rounds being fired from weapons and a Grimm screeching, a battle.
"Oh no.." briefly jumping from the noise, Cami cowered behind the borrowed shield as what was causing the chaos became obvious.
A massive Death Stalker was ravaging outside the walls of the village they were no doubt headed for. A number of fighters were outside beaten or barely standing. One figure in particular was still standing but bleeding from injuries, he carried a heavy looking pistol firing off rounds into the monster of a scorpion, his aim was off mostly hitting the armored parts despite his attempts at hitting the joints. The Death Stalker in question while not unscathed, still had the advantage, it had clearly been in combat with the village for quite some time with occasional injuries throughout its body, a good hit would finish it off.

Spoiler: ShowHide
OOC Tonight I am being deployed, As such I will not always be able to post however I will do my best and check when I can when and If the base I'm stationed in has Wifi
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on September 04, 2017, 10:05:25 PM
Calen only grinned in response to Camelia's blank stare and was about to let out a quip before Cami pointed out the Grimm assault on a town. Of course it was Death Stalkers again. Calen thought to himself as he used his semblance to dash towards the town. Upon the Death Stalker within an instant with his weapon in it's glaive form Calen slashed at the creatures legs as he rushed past. In the battlefield proper Calen searched for any unresponsive people and tried to drag them inside the walls. Rapidly scanning the battlefield for any new threats Calen did let his attention on the Death Stalker slip however so if it was still 'alive' it could punish his oversight.

Calen's Battle Data
Aura: 100%
Fatigue: 95%
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on September 05, 2017, 06:13:22 PM
Was that... a Death Stalker??!

For a breathless moment, that was the only thought that registered in Rory's mind. The sheer scale of the thing was jaw dropping -- he'd seen pictures and renderings, certainly, but to see one alive and in motion... it was a whole nother matter. The moment, however, passed as a blur of speed shot towards the creature; their team speedster, Rory realized. The blows he struck at its legs were almost too quick to see. Even if Calen's attacks didn't down the beast it was probably immobilized by such a blitz, and the dark creature was clearly heavily wounded already. The shield fighter clenched his fists, eyes going to the battered town defense fighters.

"Cami, stay close!" Glancing over his shoulder to make sure the songstress kept pace, Rory rushed to the side of the town guard who was still firing, taking a defensive stance just to one side of him. He kept his eyes on the Death Stalker, especially that nasty tail of its, not willing to assume the threat was over until he saw the monster begin to dissolve.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on September 16, 2017, 03:48:35 PM
click

'Approximately 3.9 seconds. Judging from the angle fired and the speed, it would be a simple enough task to find out the height of the stone. Unfortunately, I do feel responsible to help those people with the death stalker issue.' Justice thought, aiming almost directly upwards with the handle of his walking stick.

Reaching into his suit jacket with his free hand, he pulled out a handheld telescope. A quick cycle of lenses allowed for him to find one suitable for long-distance aiming with laser targeting systems. Moving his hand down toward the commotion, he took a deep breath in an attempt to slow his heart and relax his hand. His weapon made a parabolic arc in the air, aimed vaguely in the direction of the creature's head. The distance made it difficult to aim with any real certainty, and this, compounded with the beast's movement, made it hard to get a shot in any exact location. Nevertheless, Justice aimed for the eyes, hoping to pierce through the hardened shell of the creature.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on September 17, 2017, 12:46:45 PM
Camelia whispered back "Yeah, he seems to care little about others' feelings, but there might be more to it than that."

As she finished talking, a large commotion made her turn her gaze forwards again, allowing her to discover the beast assaulting the village's defenses and the few who'd dared come out to assault it.

She started moving forward faster, looking to Cami as she did so. Referencing Rory's brief shout, she added "You heard the man! Stay close, stay alert and stay behind that shield!" before turning back towards the fight and getting out half of Unity with her right hand.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on September 18, 2017, 06:55:11 AM
Calen's quick response earned him an easy barrage on the Death Stalker's legs, slicing up the vulnerable appendages as he sped past them. The creature surprised by its new assailants was rendered immobile by Calen's attack as it collapsed from the loss of its legs. Searching for its new opponents it faced in the direction the group came from only to be struck directly in one of its many eyes by Justice's weapon. The Grimm's immobility combined with it catching their attention gave him an easy target. The Grimm flew into a rage, with one of eyes blown out causing great damage, in desperation it began to flail its two claws and stinger tail around in completely random directions.
One claw in particular flew close by Cami cowering behind her borrowed shield only to be protected by Rory "Eeep!" She cried out as the possibility of instant death terrified her.

"Your help couldn't have come any sooner" the man with the pistol said as Rory took up a position next to him. He took a knee as he clutched a wound on his side. "I leave the rest to you"
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on September 18, 2017, 04:58:50 PM
Grinning as the Death Stalker crashed to the ground Calen had already moved on as the creature started flailing around in it's death throes. Seeing no other immediate threats Calen started tending to the wounded, carrying them inside and giving basic first aid. 'I'm pretty sure we could have come sooner.' Calen remarked sarcastically, taking another look around at the destruction. 'Is there any other threats around the city or anything else we can help with. I think we might be here for a while.' Calen continued, asking the still standing guard. Careful not to get within range of the Death Stalker again until it had well and truly stopped thrashing about Calen still made quick progress gathering up those he or others hopefully would be able to save. He paid no heed of the fallen.

'I feel you are going to have your work cut out for you Miss Unis and Master Rory, not that I don't have complete confidence in your defensive prowess, if you could get the singer behind the walls it would do a lot for my peace of mind.' Calen remarked callously as he kept an eye out for new threats.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on September 18, 2017, 06:05:49 PM
"My thoughts exactly." Rory replied, sparing a brief glance Calen's way. Deflecting the Deathstalker's strike had left his arm sore -- and that was a single, shielded, blow from a weakened one! -- and he wasn't eager to see how much fight it had left in it.

"Okay: plan. Cami, Camelia, we keep our guard up and back away as a group until we're absolutely out of that thing's reach. Camelia, if it takes another swing at us try to cut that stinger off on the rebound -- might be our best chance to disarm it." He turned his head slightly towards the downed defender with the pistol. "Don't quit on just just yet, okay? We're getting you back behind the walls too, and then I'm coming back for the rest of the wounded. Just stay behind my shields and you'll make it."

As for Calen and Justice? Having seen the two in action it was perfectly clear they could handle themselves -- Rory had every expectation they'd either finish the Deathstalker off in the next few moments or, at the very least, be standing over its dissolving corpse by the time Cami and the wounded guard were safely behind the village's defenses.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on September 19, 2017, 05:03:06 PM
Justice was slightly offended at the fact that the first years were taking it easy. Once more, he would have to take the reigns and finish the creature off himself. Thankfully, his aim had been true, and his Razor was in the eye of the creature. Now that he had his foothold, it would be only a matter of time before the beast fell. Moving at a brisk walk toward the action, Justice pushed a few well-hidden buttons on the handle he was holding. After a brief second, the Razor began to go into spiral stabilization.

The propulsion systems on the weapon would fire outwards at a slant, causing it to quickly spin as it was pushed forward. In theory, the system should drill into the target, effectively emulsifying the inside of the beast. It was an unproven strategy, but these kinds of tests were best done in the field.

Justice did not speak to either of the first years, nor did he address the injured man. It was foolish to lower your guard at any point in battle.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on September 20, 2017, 06:15:16 AM
Camelia answered Rory's orders with "Roger that!", after which she took out Unity's second half and engaged its greatsword form, keeping in formation with Cami and Rory as the trio backed away.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on September 20, 2017, 02:59:58 PM
With the combined efforts of the team, the injured fighters from Vona were safely returned behind the safety of its walls. The only one that remained was the lone gunman. He was of average height with a muscular build befitting of a leader, he wore an armored vest underneath a fur cloak, his demeanor definitely gave off an impression of someone important. "We've fought off the minions, this last one nearly spelled our end"

Justice's weapon remained embedded in the Grimm's eye even as it thrashed around. With his weapon set in motion the parasite stuck in the Grimm drilled through it from its vulnerable insides. While not as flashy as most huntsman the effect was just the same. The Death Stalker continued it's slow and painful end as it showed obvious signs of agony from an invisible poison only it could feel, the signs of a Grimm coming to an end as it slowly faded to its black ash.
With a good scan it was clear the area was free of threats.

"Um excuse me I know this isn't a good time but I'm Cami Unis, are you Donna Stibnite the one who requested me?" Cami suddenly asked the gunman.
"Ah yes the Dispeller! I've been waiting for you! Yes Stibnite I am, Village Master of Vona, as you can tell we've had our troubles with the dark beasts and if you could just come inside and bless us with your power..." the man called Donna excitedly said as he tried to usher Cami inside seemingly ignoring his wounds, not out of strength but through force as he winced every other word.
"Umm.. has someone named Gaud arrived here yet by any chance?" Cami asked trying to cut off the man's excitement.
"That beast of a woman?...Yes she said something about waiting for someone when she got here, she left to go and retrieve some of our scouting men who were late to return, the men she went to save returned but they say she stayed behind to let them escape, anyway quickly inside do what it is you do, our men are just this way..." Donna said suddenly being forceful to get Cami to play.
"Wait what Gaud could be in trouble! No I can't play if Gaud's not here! She'll never forgive me if she knew I played without her, I promised the next time I would play for anyone she'd be the first to hear it!" Cami said becoming panicked all of a sudden at the realization her friend wasn't here and possibly in danger.
"You can play for your friend when she gets back!I'm sure she's fine and on her way back, you will play now!" Donna said raising his voice strangely enough approaching anger. Though the average person couldn't sense it, Justice's unique semblance allowed him to read Donna like a book, his words carried a certain weight to it...anger, annoyance, and something else...excitement? But not of the joyous kind, no this felt like...curiosity...and deep within was...malice

"Please we need to find Gaud before anything!She's strong but she could be in trouble!" she begged turning to her hired escort.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on September 20, 2017, 07:49:02 PM
Breathing hard from gathering the last of the wounded in the town Calen reached inside his pack and started providing basic first aid to those who needed it. Listening to the exchange between Cami and this Donna Calen kept the few choice words he had for the formed internal for now, instead focusing on cleaning and stitching up wounds. 'Perhaps we should split up, Cami and one of us stays which keeps the singer safe and gives the village a little help in defence while still having three to make sure Miss Guad is doing well.' Calen proposed. Regardless of the oaf of a village leader Calen would be cautious leaving the town when it's still recovering from an attack. 'Do you guys have a healer or the like? I only brought so many stitches and anti-bacterial wipes.' Calen asked one of the more conscious wounded as he tended to them.

All the while Calen tried to get a good layout of the town and estimate how it would hold up against another attack without there help and where would positioning themselves be most useful. Why does no one ever have range weapons. Calen thought to himself, the darkness around him quickly turning him bitter.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on September 21, 2017, 05:10:52 PM
The fight was over, it seemed... but now something else was brewing.

Rory was close by Cami's side when the entire interaction with Donna Stibnite went down, listening with growing concern to each word. At first the man just seemed desperate to have Cami's songs work their fabled wonders -- uplift the people and drive away the Grimm -- but as the conversation went on the insistence became... something else. Something that made his skin crawl with unwelcome familiarity. The demanding tone... the callous disregard for others...

... it was just like her.

Yes, the village of Vona was still reeling from an attack. Yes, they were scared and greatly concerned for their safety. That Calen was now tending to the wounded he'd brought in was proof enough of how serious the situation was -- this place was prepped to handle an average Grimm incursion and even so they'd still only just barely hung on. Their plight was obvious, their need understandable. And yet...

Rory physically stepped between Cami and Donna, lifting his goggles onto his forehead so the older man could see the cold-iron glare in the shield fighter's eyes. He held that gaze silently for a moment, giving emphasis to the words that followed. "Cami Unis won't be forced to perform. She's here by choice, and we are appointed to her. If you have a problem with that you can take it up with Beacon Academy, but until we hear otherwise she calls the shots." He turned his head towards Cami, expression softening as he did. "It's your call, Cami - we won't leave Gaud in danger. How do you want to handle this?"
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on September 26, 2017, 10:59:15 PM
Justice took his time, his movement reaching only a brisk walk as he went to retrieve his weapon. He started going over how to address the fight in his head and what to say to the members of the entourage when he decided to activate his semblance. He only wanted to see if there was anyone around that the first years ended up missing, but what he found was far more deserving of his attention.

Three distinct spikes of emotional intensity. The first seemed obvious, if there was anything that singer could do, it would be worrying about things beyond her capacity to help. No, no. The interesting ones are the second and third. The second one was the first year that thought himself to be their fearless leader. There was something to be said about old-school indignant, righteous fury. It seems the little starstruck child is trying to play the hero.

But what he really wanted was a taste of the emotion put on by the "Village Leader". He could taste the malice dripping off of his tongue, and he found it delicious. This was a man desperate for something, and Justice copied his desperation. But, Justice was not desperate for something as benign as this girl's music, no. Justice found himself wanting more, a heavier dose of this man's desperate throngs of emotion.

Walking steadily over to the group, Justice had a wide grin on his face. The raw energy given off by the group caused a sea of possibilities to flow through his mind. The tapping of his walking stick stopped as he stood a few feet away from the now squared off men. He knew that he had to get something from this situation. Tensions are too high to allow the situation to resolve peacefully. "And to think, you would not be putting your people in such a desperate situation if you would put away your pride and make peace with the other villages. They must be in a deplorable state if you have gotten to a point where you are trying to force a girl to sing in an attempt to help. Not strong enough to protect everyone, Mr. Stibnite?" he said, the malice that be drew from the man bleeding into every word he said.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on September 27, 2017, 07:25:24 AM
The Deathstalker threat being dealt with, Camelia lowered her sword. She followed her escort target and leader to the man who'd been making a last stand against the Grimm.

All was fine and dandy, for the most part. Until they learned that Cami's friend was missing. Still, Donna kept asking the singer to perform, regardless of what she uttered.  As the gunman started being... a bit too insistant, Camelia stepped closer, tailing Rory. She split her sword and sheathed its left half, ready to separate the two if necessary. When Justice seemed to try and either divert the man's attention or escalate - she didn't exactly put it past him - things, she started preparing her semblance for use. A very dim, dark purple glow appeared around Stibnite, barely noticeable.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on September 28, 2017, 07:05:47 AM
Donna suddenly found himself confronted by three of the Warriors just responsible for saving them, with a grunt he addresses Justice "Hmph I don't expect an outsider to understand the history between the three villages, this quarrel didn't just happen overnight, none of us are innocent" he said with an irate glare bearing down on Rory and Camellia, understanding his lack of power "Fine! Go find your friend, follow the trail into the mountain forest northeast, and when she returns you will play for our wounded soldiers and families!" he said rather demanding than requesting, he leaves and turns to his own without waiting for an answer.

"Umm right so.." Cami mumbles stunned by almost being forced to play rather then willingly "I-I want to come find Gaud as well but I'd just be in the way won't I?" Cami says timidly. Taking Calen's suggestion and noticing his expertise in medicine she says "Calen perhaps we should stay behind, I hate to ask this but will you please bring Gaud back?" She says turning to the remaining three and offering Camellia her shield back.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on September 28, 2017, 08:18:11 AM
Despite himself Calen's respect for Donna grew, it almost always takes two to fight(three in this case) and admitting that they would have played a role in the escalation displayed far more introspection than Calen would have suspected the village elder possessed. Calen kept working as the village elder stormed off, seemingly ignoring his question which brought down that respect someone what Calen nodded in response to Cami's suggestion. 'I suppose it would be irresponsible to only provide half care to the villages as such it would make sense for myself to remain behind.' Calen responded wiping a fair bit of blood from his hands as he moved from one injured person to another. 'Any way I'm sure Master Stibnite and the villagers would be happy to know you are safe even if you aren't playing.' Calen continued.

It would also give Calen some time to rest his knee, dashing around put a lot of strain on the weakened joint so the boy was happy to play defence for a while even if he would never admit it. 'Before you go would everyone be able to help me get these people inside, don't want them to catch something or get in the way when the Grimm come back.' Calen asked carefully lifting one of his lighter patients.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on October 02, 2017, 05:26:37 PM
Rory couldn't help but tense as the exchange between Justice and Donna went down -- he knew his own response hadn't exactly been the sort that would calm tensions but the way things unfolded he half expected a punch, or something worse, to fly any second. He did his best not to let his concern show, but what he heard left him unsettled. He couldn't tell if Justice was calling the man's bluff or trying to rile him up... and as for the village master, his suggestion that "no one was innocent" had something of a foreboding edge.

Just what had they all walked into here...?

Cami's choice, and the course forward, seemed clear enough; Calen, of course, also had a very good point. Rory immediately set about helping the speedy student's efforts as best he could, though he kept one eye over his shoulder as he did. "Calen, do you have a Scroll on you?" Rory ashed while helping one of the survivors limp back inside the gate. The shield fighter tapped a few tiny buttons on the side of his goggles. "If you and Cami are going to stay here it'd be smart for us to stay in touch. I don't know how good the signal will be out here but it seems like the best option we have."
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on October 05, 2017, 01:18:59 PM
Justice was mildly dissapointed that the situation did not escalate further, but there is only so much that you can do to instigate someone before it becomes excessive. He did have a mission to do after all. He simply turned around, smoothed his hair, and began to help get the remaining people inside. His semblance turned out to be very useful in the endeavor, as people tend to exude emotion while in considerable pain.

"We should move out sooner, rather than later. The kind of machismo this woman seemed to fuel herself with tends to get its wielders into serious, preventable danger." Justice mentioned as he carried a woman out of the debris.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on October 05, 2017, 05:35:02 PM
As the village leader stormed off, his glare proving entirely ineffective on Camelia, the latter let go of her semblance, the glow that had followed Stibnite vanishing just as it had appeared. She let out a large sigh - relief, exasperation, mild annoyance at the implied common responsability and more contained within. She still showed a bright, genuine smile when Came turned to her, offering back Orion.

"It'll be our pleasure, Miss.", she said warmly. She took Orion with her left hand and with a single, fluid movement, dropped it right into its hard point on her armor, after which she sheathed Unity's remaining half. She then turned to Calen and said "Sure thing." A glow surrounded two of the wounded, who were laying side by side. They soon found themselves weightless, Camelia gently nudging them in her intended direction before setting them down as gently as porcelain.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on October 06, 2017, 06:16:01 AM
With all the injured carried inside the walls and further into a tent where a triage was set up, 3 rows of injured fighters were being taken care of. Fighting monsters as one allowed the village to completely minimalise heavy casualties. When one were to fall, another was there to protect them, though that didn't mean ordinary people could continue fighting a battle with broken bones or a gaping flesh wound. Many of the patients that we already treated made way so the injured the group was carrying could be looked at immediately. Individuals wearing white who were no doubt medics thanked the team for carrying them and took the injured away to be treated. Calen and Cami followed them assisting however way they could. "Is there anything we can do to help?"  Cami asked a nearby medic. The nurse accepting the help showed the two to provide food and water to the treated patients.

A bandaged man with a crutch limped over to where the group was helping in the tent. "Are you the huntsmen going to look for the beast woman? I'm from the scout team that she helped escape, I'll show you the way to fine her" after leading the three a ways through the village they came to a back entrance gate that trailed into an area that couldn't seem to make up its mind if it wanted to be a mountain or forest terrain so it became both. The ground was rock and boulder but patches of dirt that seeped into the cracks grew ordinary trees.a path of pebbles and dirt was the only trail inside. "Follow this trail inside, if you reach a fork in the bend you've gone too far she should be somewhere in between here and the fork" the man explained
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on October 07, 2017, 01:16:46 AM
'Well best of luck then.'Calen remarked, waving as the rest of the party departed. 'We'll be just a call away and if you could get us any information on Grimm movements that could help in the defence effort.' Calen then settled in the large impromptu hospital, doing anything he could do to help. There was always work to be done so at first Calen was very busy but as time went by the wounded stabilised and he was less and less needed. Excusing himself Calen used the lull to get some practice of his bladework in while the rest of the team was away. The graceful movements drew a small crowd but Calen didn't notice, lost internally in fights of yore and which never happened.

Spoiler: ShowHide
(Feel free to skip me until the party gets back from getting Gaud.)
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on October 07, 2017, 03:26:21 PM
Much as Rory wasn't inclined to agree with Justice on things, in this instance the suit-clad upperclassman had a very good point. The urgency of the matter was further reinforced when one of the wounded showed them where they needed to go, a back exit out of the village. That was a bit surprising... as was the use of the term 'beast woman'. Was Gaud a Faunus, then? Or was that describing something else about her...?

They'd find out eventually, assuming they found her. Rory gave his thanks to the scout and tried quickly to synchronize his goggles' map function to their whereabouts; the path described wasn't clearly marked in any way on records he had access to, but that wasn't unheard of for local features this far outside the kingdoms. He turned and addressed Calen. "Give us a call if anything happens here -- I'll try to keep you updated on our progress."

Gaud, Rory reminded himself, had stood her ground to let the scouts escape -- against what was the question. "We should expect trouble." He activated his shields and broke into a brisk jog down the path, alert to any signs of violence, disturbed earth, or other indicators of trouble.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on October 09, 2017, 11:32:44 PM
A medical roundup, a brief walk through the not-entirely-awful village, and a sip from his thermos later, Justice walked briskly down the pathway. "It will not help us to rush ahead. I will best be able to find her. We cannot keep our pace too high while being equally effective. There is a very low likelyhood that the difference in pace will cause a gap long enough for the woman to die." he said, keeping his pace at a brisk walk.

He knew that if they started going too fast, he would never get the opportunity to sense her. If this woman had the skill set that her reputation would suggest, then she was doing one of three things. Firstly, she could be fighting. In that scenario, it would be easy to find her and moving faster would be the optimal move. Second, she could be dead. Moving at a faster pace would simply go toward tiring them out, putting their mission more at risk than it needed to be. Finally, she could be injured. A survivalist would be smart to attempt to get out of sight, and his semblance could detect her even if she was not visible. But, if they started moving too quickly, the gaps in between his semblance working at full capacity could lead to them not finding her and her dying. As much as he wanted to see the singer show some kind of interesting emotion, he was not cruel enough to allow someone sworn to their protection to die needlessly.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on October 10, 2017, 05:59:08 AM
Camelia more or less wordlessly followed her teammates - she wasn't exactly the best-suited to search & rescue, so just going with the flow really was the best option here.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on October 10, 2017, 07:50:14 AM
The trio followed the path made up of pebbles into the mountain forest. The terrain under their feet making crunching noises as they went. It was subtle but the terrain sloped down at a barely noticeable angle. The deeper they went the thicker the trees and vines seemed to get. Every now and then traces of battle could be seen throughout the trail and off of it.

Objects of past battles littered the forest; brass casings of all sizes, every now and then an empty magazine, the occasional throwing knife, more then a few dozen arrows embedded in trees or broken on the ground, and black circular scorch marks suggested more then a few explosives. One look at the metal on the marks of war showed no signs of rust on them. The trees of the forest also told a story, dust rounds impacted on the bark, slashed cuts from bladed weapons, and most ominous of all was a stump with a perfectly clean cut, the rest of the tree fallen over to one side with a similarly perfectly flat cut.

The environment acted as a kind of bowl as the path went downhill, the mist that before only reached up to their knees all of a sudden collected and entirely surrounded the trio, making visibility difficult.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on October 15, 2017, 02:24:53 PM
This was not a good situation. As the fog seemed to swallow them whole Rory quickly toggled the functions on his goggles, searching for a setting that would improve visibility under these conditions. Thermal was a no-go -- although it was better than nothing and would show spots of radiant heat in the fog the effective range right now was so limited he'd almost be better off squinting at shadows, so unless something was throwing off huge amounts of hot or cold it just wasn't worth it. Night vision mode, however, proved somewhat better suited. He could, at least, clearly see the ground ten feet ahead of him, which made walking that much less treacherous. It didn't pierce the veil of haze nearly so well as he'd like, but at least it was something.

The shield fighter thought back to those signs of battle they'd passed on their way here. This was contested territory, no doubt. If a Grimm made its nest down here they'd have a hard time fending it off. "... Justice, when you said you'd 'best be able to find her', what did you mean?" If his teammates had skills, powers, or equipment that could help it was best to know about it, regardless of how much dislike he might have for the upperclassman. They were all, quite literally, in the thick of it together now, after all.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on October 18, 2017, 11:04:40 PM
Justice continued onward through the mass of fog, keeping his semblance up as he went. "I happen to have a particular tool at my disposal. I am empathetic. I can sense the emotions of the people around me. I could tell how scared that singer girl was.
I could feel the malice in the words of Mr. Stibnite. I can taste the disdain you have for me at this very instant." he said, turning sharply to face his questioner with the last sentence. As much as he would prefer to keep his abilities a secret for his own amusement, not speaking about his capacity to find this woman would only cause further issues down the line.

"As such, I will be able to sense this beastly woman's emotion even if we cannot see her. And I do hope that we find her when she's fighting. I have wanted to emulate someone with that much bravado in the thick of battle. It sounds...primal." he said, turning once more to face down the path. He made sure to keep within range of Rory. He did not want his source of entertainment running off while he looks around.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on October 19, 2017, 01:41:46 PM
As the fog/ground mist suddenly rolled over her and her teammates, Camelia took out Orion and a half of Unity, mostly intending to take the brunt of any sudden attack coming from where they couldn't see. She kept a harp watch, though. Better safe than sorry. Plus, the battle had happened pretty much directly where they were right now, who knows what still lurks around.

She listened to Justice's explanation as they all kept trekking forward, following the measly path through the forest. "That sounds like... quite the thing. Is it ever difficult to deal with?"
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on October 19, 2017, 02:05:44 PM
The only warning it gave off was the fast moving projectile, three in all, one for each of them. A baseball sized black orb with a red band on it. It silently flew through the mist and struck the ground in front of the trio.

[AMBUSH]

Three explosions went off in quick succession each aimed at each of the group's feet. At the same time as the attack started a rustling came from the trees as a blur jumped from branch to branch observing how the trio reacted.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on October 19, 2017, 04:20:21 PM
It took a long moment for Justice's words to fully sink in, not because Rory didn't understand them... but because he was coming to terms with the full depth of them. His breath caught in his throat as he mentally played back everything he'd thought and felt ever since meeting Justice, flashes of embarrassment and anger surging through him as the implications hit home. What he'd just revealed was voyeurism that bordered on mind reading! Suddenly he understood Justice's commentary on himself and others in an entirely new, and entirely uncomfortable, light, and shuddered at it.

Just how deep could his senses go? Was it just moment-to-moment on the surface... or did it run deeper, the ability to read the emotional fingerprint of a person's soul?

...What else did he know, or have insight enough to guess at?

Through sheer will, Rory tamped down on that mental line of questioning. It wouldn't help. He decided he would take a slow, deep breath, focus himself, and--

When the attack came, there was no clear warning. One moment he was focused on how best to keep Justice from reading him like a book, the next a dark blur of movement aimed at his feet erupted in an explosive burst. Had he been fully battle-focused his Aura would've handled the impact much better, but with his attention scattered it ended up taking the full blast and knocking him several feet to the side. On the upside, getting hit by the blast did clear his head and get him focused... so, that was something, at least. The shield fighter's tactical mindset was quickly in full swing -- as vambraces activated and unfolded he was already sinking into a defensive crouch, one hand switching his goggles to voice control as he tried to track what little movement he could make out through the fog. "Damnit!" Whatever was coming at them could see better than they could in this fog and was too far away for his view modes to make out. What was even attacking them? He didn't know of any varieties of Grimm that incorporated thrown explosives -- it seemed far more likely their attacker was human, Faunus, or something else. Not daring to look away, he asked the obvious question. "Justice?"


Battle Stats:
Passive Effect: Aura Specialist
(defensive Aura focus reduces incoming damage by 1.5%)
▫ AMBUSH! was a surprise strike! Aura Specialist nullified -- full damage received +knockback.
▫ Hit received @ 30% Aura damage
▫ Aura Status: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▢▢▢ (60%)
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on October 23, 2017, 12:39:12 AM
Justice had kept dutifully on the lookout for the woman, and had not expected anyone to attempt a long range attack through the fog. "Indeed. I always find it fascinating when someone will act one way when they feel the complete-" he managed to say before the sphere landed at his feet. A quick dodge was not enough to keep him from feeling the impact as the explosion sent him to his knee.

After standing up and transforming his weapon, he fired straight up and turned off his semblance. After a second to breathe, he activated it again at full range. "Keep your eyes open! We are to find this person and retrieve them alive!" he shouted to the underclassmen. The rustling of the trees gave him, at best, a vague idea of where this attacker was. As such, he prepared to strike down from above the instant he had a proper position.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on October 23, 2017, 07:18:09 AM
Camelia, while still on the lookout for something in the overwhlemingly dense fog, listened as Justice responded to her inquiry with what she could've sworn was a genuine, somewhat excited tone, completely different from his mild disdain and/or oozing sarcasm up until now.

Well, she tried to appreciate it but was rudely interrupted as a small orb appeared from within the billowing mist and landed right in front of her, detonating as it did so. Her shield absorbed part of the blast, but damn her if this didn't fucking singe her exposed skin.

Now, she had two choices. She could either continue fighting like this, or try and do something about this FUCKING CLOUD they were wading through. She backed up - further than the blast had shoved her - towards her teammates, keeping alert towards any movement in the fog. "Guys! My shield has a short-range, non-contact stun option, but I think I might also be able to take care of this goddamn mist for a time if you cover me!" She took the opportunity to switch Orion into its second form, ready to fire a blast of electricity upon confirmation of the target's location.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on October 24, 2017, 01:02:51 PM
It was only a little but the initial three explosions blew away the immediate vicinity of the fog, but it wasn't long before it would consume the group again. Those with perceptive vision could see a humanoid blur of brown, grey, and blue. The branches continued to rustle, in fact whatever was moving was so fast the rustling seemed to be coming from all directions. When a rustling could be heard from the left it would come from the right, when it came from in front it came from behind, in fact the longer it continued the noise could suddenly be heard from multiple directions, the chaos only becoming louder and louder. After a moment of continued rustling just as fast it started, it stoped abruptly. The misty forest went ominously quiet for a split second until it was interrupted by one last rustle on a tree directly to the right of the group.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on October 24, 2017, 04:55:47 PM
'We're being set up...' Rory couldn't help but think. The rustling had been a blur of sound and motion all around them, and now suddenly it was very obviously in one place. A line from an old Mistrali strategy text popped into his mind: Attack where he is unprepared; emerge where he does not expect it. With one skilled at defense, the enemy does not know where to attack; with one skilled at attack, the enemy does not know where to defend. Make a noise in the east, then strike from the west. The movement in the tree was too obvious, and there was nothing to keep the enemy from concealing themselves in the fog. What's more, he had to assume whomever or whatever was hounding them could see better in this thick fog than the students could... and would also hear anything they said.

If they were going to coordinate and defend themselves, they'd have to be clever about it.

Rory now knew Justice could sense emotions -- that was something to work with, although it would likely be awkward to do so. Without taking his eye off the tree Rory tried to get Justice's attention, making a subtle but repeated motion with his facing shield. He let his thoughts swirl around ideas eliciting alarm, doing his best to genuinely feel what he was trying to convey. A slight over-the-shoulder gesture with his head accompanied a rather genuine feeling of concern -- in truth he had no idea if the upperclassman would read his "message" as intended, but someone so astute in studying people would surely realize Rory was up to something, not just fidgeting nervously.

The rest would be relying on his teammates to do what they did best. If Camelia could clear enough of the fog, even just briefly, it would give them a window of opportunity to counterattack -- or at least see what they were up against. And if they could retaliate and take the enemy by surprise then Justice could potentially use that surprise to track the target, even in this blinding haze. It wasn't really a plan... but it was all they had going for them.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on October 30, 2017, 05:09:38 PM
Justice slowed his breathing, hoping to focus in on his semblance. They were obviously dealing with a scenario above their informational basis. The sounds were seemingly coming from all directions. With the lack of visual information, there was little to infer about their attacker that would not be baseless speculation. The opponent was smart enough to work outside of their effective operational range, but that could be random chance as much as anything else.

He could sense the concern on his teammates, and it would be a lie if he did not feel a bit of that himself. The lack of even basic information on what the opponent was or their tactics was unusual for Justice. He would almost lose himself in the unusual sensation if not for what appeared as a bizarre snap reaction in his teammate. As tense as the situation was, it took only a split second for Justice to aim his weapon in the direction that Rory had indicated, the razor flying into a mass of leaves.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on October 30, 2017, 07:43:46 PM
Still keeping her finger on the half-metaphorical trigger, Camelia twitched as she attempted to find the source of the spastic branch breaking - and, somewhat unsurprisingly, failed miserably.

After a few seconds, as no answer came regarding her suggestion, she took it upon herself to act. Putting Unity back in its sheath, she brought Orion to her front and, after getting on the floor with as solid a grip and stance as she could manage, concentrated almost single-mindedly on her semblance, trusting her companions to cover her.

About ten or so meters above the tightly-grouped trio, a relatively small spherical volume started getting progressively darker, gradually acquiring a dark, purple color.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on October 31, 2017, 04:44:09 PM
Justice's weapon flew through the air and hit...nothing. The branch had moved somehow without whatever made the noise actually being on the branch.
Another rustle in a tree in front of them, this time the noise was accompanied by two grey blurs flying through the air towards the trio. At the same time an emotion came too close behind them within the range of Justice's semblance.
Excitement, joy, child like giddy, mischievous, he could practically see the grin on their face without looking at them, but oddly enough no trace of malevolence or ill intent. The village master was outright evil in comparison to this. It came from opposite the direction the grey blurs were flying coming from. Making the group pincered in between the two entities.

Ooc:reminder there is no posting order, that being said take each others action into consideration
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on November 02, 2017, 05:15:16 PM
Things had to turn around soon, or their little expedition would be picked apart.

When there was no immediate reaction to Justice's strike, Rory knew he'd have to be on alert for whatever was coming next -- and whereever it might come from. For better or worse, the next rustle of leaves caught his attention immediately, as did the pair of incoming blurs. Reflex and training took over and he leapt from his position to take up a guarding angle between the threat and Camelia, shields aimed as best as possible to take the impact from another explosion.

It wasn't lost on him that the enemy kept outmaneuvering their group, nor was he willing to bet on the three of them weathering a potentially endless barrage. If Camelia could clear the fog, even briefly, it would give them an opportunity sorely needed -- she had to be protected, and he'd see to it. That wouldn't do the job on it's own, however...

"Stop! We're not your enemies!!" The shield brawler had no idea whether he'd be heeded, but if this fight could be ended peacefully -- or, at least, the enemy's momentum disrupted -- it was worth a shot.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on November 03, 2017, 11:31:21 PM
Complete wiff. It turns out the boy's instincts were less than accurate. There was no time to dwell on it, though. Justice set his weapon to recall, still tense as the situation continued to escalate. If they were to stay in the fog, there was a large chance that whatever was attacking them would keep pelting them. While it was entirely possible that Camelia could get some of the fog cleared, she would need time.

In the interest of both gathering information and hopefully keeping the two first years under his watch alive, Justice began moving toward the presence he felt in his semblance. "I've got whomever is behind us." Justice remarked, moving away from the group as the spheres came hurtling toward them. The first years could handle those.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on November 04, 2017, 10:51:35 AM
Camelia, to be very frank, was completely and utterly unaware of her surroundings while charging her semblance, the sheer amount of concentration necessary to do so preventing her from hearing - or rather, understanding - her teammates.

After about six seconds, the colored volume seemed to abruptly become saturated, at which time a loud thoom emanated from it as the local air imploded under the immense gravitational pull. The initial ripple of sound was soon followed by the barely-weaker noise of rushing wind, as everything around the dark purple sphere, up to quite the distance, started getting sucked inwards.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on November 06, 2017, 02:28:12 PM
With Rory taking a defensive stance in front of Camelia the two blurs flew through the air and...

Clinked right off his shield, the two blurs were revealed to only be a pair of rocks, their identities hidden by the fog. With their attention directed the wrong way, the entity Justice had sensed moved to attack from behind, though Justice had moved to intercept the entity, it moved fast and deliberately. A brown humanoid blur leaped from its hiding position and delivered a lance like kick aimed straight for Justice's chest. Whether he blocked it or not the entity continued to move to disrupt Camelia, but it was too late. The white mist dissipated as the enemy struck Camelia over the head with a brick shattering fist. In one fluid motion the figure moved to sweep Rory's feet from under him and directed the point of a spear in his face.

With the fog gone and the suns rays gleaming on the forest two things suddenly became visible; first was the reflection of thin strips of light that shined between the branches of the trees, string, the branches of the trees were tied to one another like a spiders web, some bits of string even dangled from some areas, waiting to be pulled on, including the rocks from earlier, second was the one responsible for said string.

A tall woman with dark skin whos appearance could only be described as barbaric. She wore a brown boonie hat that sat atop a lion's mane of dark blue hair that reached past her shoulders, bits of leaves and twigs could be seen sticking out of it.  On her right shoulder was layers of leather with blue accents ran the length of her arm, her left shoulder on the other hand she wore a rock carved to fit her shoulder. Underneath she wore a ragged poncho with a belt of grenades strapped across her chest. On her waist was another layer of cloth that acted as leg wear and another strip that hung down the middle of her hips. Her feet only consisted of a strip of leather that only covered the bottom and top of her feet with both sides tied down with string.

A playful grin spread across her face as she looked at Rory with an unnatural yellow eye with a black slit for an iris. Her spear, a black and blue weapon still pointed at him she says "So? I'm bored, unless you have something to do, play with me" she says inviting Rory to hit back.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on November 06, 2017, 03:58:39 PM
Even with the spear pointed at him, it was hard for Rory to see a thing -- his goggles, still set for low light tracking, were fluctuating between a washed-out feed and pure overload by the daylight streaming down through the forest. He could tell enough to know there was a weapon pointed at his face, but not much else. Very slowly, so as not to trigger his assailant to further violence, he lifted the empty palm of one hand for her to see and then reached to lift the goggles from his eyes.

What met his gaze left him wide-eyed with shock. The first and most obvious thing was, of course, the spear... second the eye, and all it suggested. A Faunus? Maybe -- he knew that most Faunus had a natural ability to see effectively in low light conditions, after all. Even if his technology had failed to pierce the haze that didn't mean that the practiced senses of a Faunus couldn't succeed. Still, he wasn't 100% sure that's what she was, even. The rest of her attire -- if it could be called that -- made it perfectly clear that this woman was FAR more experienced and at home in the wilds than any of the students were, and what he could take in of the elaborate trap they'd walked into confirmed just how dangerous this person could really be.

Was this...?

"... Actually, we do." The shield fighter, after a moment's pause, spoke. Rory did his best to sound calm and focused, even though he was all too aware of the blade mere inches from his face. "We're students of Beacon, escorting a woman named Cami Unis. She asked us to find a friend of hers. Gaud, I presume?"
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on November 10, 2017, 09:47:45 AM
Justice was slightly surprised by the woman attacking him, but that was mostly how high-strung he was at the moment. Having only first years to draw emotion from during these situations was less than ideal. Still, he managed to block a majority of the attack, quickly moving with the woman back to the group.

He had a sneaking suspicion that this woman was who they were looking for from the moment he felt her emotional state. That sense of machismo and arrogant pride resonated strong with the woman, as he thought they would. She seemed as unhinged as her previous descriptions would indicate.

In such a scenario, it is best to be firm and direct. In being firm and direct, Justice moved to point his weapon right at the back of the woman's neck. He stood only a couple feet from her, waiting for a sign of attack. It was clear this woman was strong, and he was not afraid to bring her back unconscious if the need arises.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on November 10, 2017, 10:10:58 AM
Camelia had just been able to concentrate on something other than her semblance when what felt like several Ursas hit her in the back of the head, which snapped forward alongside her entire body, despite her solid stance. Hell, any harder and she would've probably been sent flying.

As of now, though, she was still conscious and concentrating on her semblance, although the rush of wind briefly abated when the hit landed. Staying on the ground, she turned to face behind herself, only to find her teammates in the midst of what appeared to be some sort of Vacuan standoff with a tall, arguably domineering woman aiming a spear at Rory's face. Welp, so much for the shield, unless she was willing to have everyone but herself struck by pseudo-lightning.

She did, however, start slowly lowering the gravity well above their heads, the rush of air growing stronger as it did so. She could almost start to feel her weight vanish.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on November 10, 2017, 01:42:07 PM
At the mention of Cami's name she let out a sigh accompanied by a barely noticeable smile "Well why didn't you just say so" she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. With a whirl she strapped her weapon on her back and without another word she started to walk back the way the group came, which was also where Justice was armed, she turned to face his  direction and said "You can put that away now" she almost demanded "as if you could hit me with-" she paused and leered at Justice with her bizzare crocodile eyes. Slowly Gaud approached Justice with a flat stare until the two were practically nose to nose, clearly she had no sense of personal space, curiostiy and a sense of desire mixed with hope radiated as she got closer.
She leaned in, her eyes now on the violin case that poked over his back.

"D-do you play too? Is it a guitar?"  with her question her initial strong and confident demeanor crumbled away, for some reason she became nervous and afraid of whatever answer Justice would give her. Her eyes unable to meet his as they went to the ground, her arms crossed and even an embarrased blush grew on her face.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on November 10, 2017, 06:20:39 PM
Picking himself up off the ground, Rory found himself more and more confounded by Gaud the more he observed the woman. He genuinely did not know what to make of her beyond that she wasn't someone to trifle with. Instead, after collapsing his shields back down into vambraces, he made his way over to Camelia -- not failing to notice that her gravity well was beginning to descend towards them.

"I think we're done fighting for now. You okay?" He offered his hand to help her up. "That's quite a secret weapon you've got, by the way. Not sure how that would've gone without your quick thinking. Thanks." He added, reminded briefly how his own gambit had failed earlier.

Waiting a bit to let Justice and Gaud have their exchange, the shield fighter cleared his throat before interjecting. "We should be heading back to Vona -- I don't much trust the village chief, even if we do have Calen keeping an eye on things there. Gaud, the scouts who sent us this way made it sound like you were in danger, risking yourself so that they could fall back. Given the... web... you set up here, it looks like you were neither in danger nor fending off a wave of Grimm. Any idea what's really going on with these villagers? Something seems off."
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on November 16, 2017, 06:11:44 PM
Justice certainly did not expect this reaction, but remained unphased by the beastly woman. He could tell her intentions from the emotion she felt as she walked up. "Violin. Made before the Greyed War. And yes, I do play." he said, standing his ground as he addressed her. Justice was sure that was not the answer the woman was hoping for. With being around that guitar girl for so long, it only made sense that she would be blind to the delicate sound of the violin.

His weapon folded back into a walking stick, which he put back on the ground with force. He picked a spot that would be directly in her line of sight as she looked at the ground, trying to get her to look him in the eyes once more. He could feel her embarrassment, and he knew that provoking her in this way would either give him new insight or further her embarrassment. Either way, Justice was thoroughly enjoying what he was doing.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on November 16, 2017, 06:58:36 PM
Although the bestial vixen seemed to lower her guard somewhat, Camelia did no such thing, keeping the trajectory of her semblance until Rory left Justice's side to trek towards her. As her leader confirmed the end of the confrontation, she took the time to send the well several meters to the side before letting go, slumping a bit as the tension left her.

The purple color permeating the gravity well vanished much, much faster than it appeared, causing a slight pressure wave as the compressed air suddenly found itself not so compressed anymore. The loud rush of wind stopped, as well. Apart from that, the fog's water had been smushed into a large ball of water, which promptly fell to the ground with a loud splat, turning the ground underneath it into a mucky construct.

Camelia gratefully took the hand extended to her, managing a slightly tired "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a wee bit strained, really. And you're very welcome, Rory. Pretty tiring, though, I can't hold that thing for over 30 seconds." Once standing, she lowered her shield to a more relaxed position and returned it to its primary form.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on November 17, 2017, 02:59:03 AM
"Violin? Does it have strings?What does it sound like?C-can I hear it?" Gaud asked excitedly. Rory clearing his throat suddenly made her aware of her situation. As if remembering what she was doing there, she regained her composure pretending she didn't just ask a stranger to play for her.


Waiting a bit to let Justice and Gaud have their exchange, the shield fighter cleared his throat before interjecting. "We should be heading back to Vona -- I don't much trust the village chief, even if we do have Calen keeping an eye on things there. Gaud, the scouts who sent us this way made it sound like you were in danger, risking yourself so that they could fall back. Given the... web... you set up here, it looks like you were neither in danger nor fending off a wave of Grimm. Any idea what's really going on with these villagers? Something seems off."

"The Grimm I slew before you came, hence why there was nothing when I attacked you. My thirst for battle wasn't satisfied and I could hear from the way you speak I guessed you were from the kingdoms" her tone of voice went back to when they first met her, cold and confident. She didn't even bother to look back at any of them and as she walked back. "Vona, Anov, and Navo. For some time now I've talked to all the village Masters to understand what's been happening" she began and realized she'd need to stop walking to tell her story
"Each is convinced the other is to blame but at the moment the three are barred from trading with each other and at a cease fire. This forest we're in was the main war zone between the three, but as all wars go, the Grimm became heavily attracted to the area. All sides took heavy casualties and were forced to retreat, since then the three are simply fighting for themselves without the help of the other two. I asked the three if there was any chance for peace but none of them were willing "   As Gaud told her story she put up a hand to cup her ear, listening for any suspicious noise."But none of that matters, now that Cami is here" She said as her expression brightened up at the mention of Cami.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on November 22, 2017, 12:58:07 PM
Doing his best not to visibly respond, Rory listened intently to what Gaud had to say. She certainly knew her history about these villages and their issues, though the root cause was still something of a mystery. Still, that was often the way of things with feuds -- some mistake or slight is taken out of context, the response is seen as unjustly heavy-handed, and retaliation leads to retaliation in a nearly endless cycle of vengeance and "honor". That certainly seemed like it could be the case here... but the fact there were three sides was a bit peculiar. An asymmetric situation like that usually prompted alliances of convenience -- "the enemy of my enemy is my friend", however briefly. Was the distrust so complete, so entrenched, that all sides refused to work with each other even to their own detriment?

That, and Gaud's "thirst for battle" worried him a bit. If she was setting up traps for come-who-may in Grimm-prowled lands between three hostile villages... well, he couldn't help but think the Grimm would be drawn to that. Had she been "fishing"... and using the students as bait?

"So you either think that Cami can sway the villages towards peace, or you just plan to leave with her when she's done here." Rory pointed out the two most likely interpretations of Gauds 'none of that matters now'. Certainly, Gaud's assessment of the situation didn't lend itself to a diplomatic solution... but she did seem quite enamored with the impact of music, Cami's in particular. Rory had heard Cami play before and thought very highly of her, but he honestly had a hard time believing she could turn this around for these people. A note of clarity from Gaud might help.

"The village chief back in Vona seemed... eager... to have her play, to the point where we had to step in when he tried to force her to. Do the villages think Cami's music is going to settle this feud somehow?"
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on November 24, 2017, 12:09:22 AM
It was an intriguing idea. This woman was eager to hear him play. It appeared that she had never heard of a violin, much less heard the sound of one being played. Setting his case down, he clicked the hinges. A beautiful wooden violin lay inside, with a shine reflecting the sun through the weakened fog. Justice took her infectious emotion and copied it for himself. Curiosity and hope. It made Justice smile, if only for a second.

Justice had anticipated playing today, but he figured it would be by himself in a quiet area while on watch for the group. Thankfully, his bow was prepared and his instrument tuned. All he needed was to play. While the chances that a simpleton like this woman could appreciate or even enjoy the complexities of the violin, he hoped that it would at the minimum be a cause for deeper thought.

And with that, he played.
Spoiler: ShowHide
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VOkrddp6M8
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on November 24, 2017, 01:26:46 PM
Gaud's second 180 was still just as unsettling to Camelia, unsurprisingly. The 'thirst for battle' she admitted to seemed to fit her dress style better, anyway.

The real interesting bit came when she started giving some exposition to the troubles surrounding the three villages. Apparently, this feud of sorts was of (somewhat) ancient origin and very deeply-rooted in everyone. Not like she knew the source of the conflict, though, just its current status.

Rory's last question was pretty much spot-on with Camelia's own. Why the heck was the village leader so eager - borderline malicious, even? What was his goal here? What was Gaud's goal here? Her train of thought continued for some time, until Justice got his violin out and started playing.

...Damn, that was such a relaxing melody. She caught herself, though, turning around to watch her and everyone else's back. You never knew, with Grimm.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on November 25, 2017, 02:47:17 AM

"So you either think that Cami can sway the villages towards peace, or you just plan to leave with her when she's done here."
"Both" Gaud replied simply with no further explanation.

"The village chief back in Vona seemed... eager... to have her play, to the point where we had to step in when he tried to force her to. Do the villages think Cami's music is going to settle this feud somehow?"
"I'm the one that suggested to the villages Cami is able to end this conflict, perhaps Donna is just desperate? When Cami plays, her music has a certain power to it. It's not simply sound harmonized to notes, those who hear it are... whatever it was Cami could do would have to wait, as Gaud suddenly noticed Justice taking out his violin.

 it's small...what is the stick for? she wondered. She realized he was about to play on the spot and while she didn't want to, she called out to stop him "Stop! This is not the place for... the melody was fierce for such a small instrument. Every sound was deliberate, strong, and graceful. Highs and lows went at a rapid pace, but wild was not the word to describe it. It was different to the slow way Cami played that Gaud was used to but she was still fascinated nontheless.

About a minute went by and like a wild beast that was laid to rest Gaud...nodded off. While her eyes were hidden by her hat, her head bobbed back and forth stopping her from fully falling asleep standing up, from what could be seen her expression was so at peace it was obvious she wanted nothing more then to lie down and rest.

A twitch of her ears set off a sense of danger, though now drowsy her powerful hearing could sense something, albeit alot slower then usual, a number of...something quickly walled the group off the direction the group came from. Waking up from her slumber Gaud rapidly grabs her spear off her back, and with a twirl the back end of her spear opened up in a Y shape with a band of rubber inbetween. She grabs three grenades off her belt, places it in the band, pulls it back and slings them off into the mist. Three explosions blew off in the general direction of the approaching mass, the mist dissipated for a brief moment but something akin to a set of red eyes hovered, then another, then another, the red eyes were soon everywhere. A look of panic crossed her face. "Whites...so many of them...Go! Run! Head right on the road Anov is the closest from here!" Gaud yelled at the trio, she backed up with them but grabbed a few disc shaped devices off her back belt clicked a button on it and tossed them in the direction of the eyes.

Spoiler: ShowHide
Thank you all for sticking with my story this long, I hope you'll reach the conclusion soon!
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on November 25, 2017, 09:50:26 AM
So Gaud herself was actually the impetus behind Cami's current "tour"? That certainly wasn't what Rory had expected, although in retrospect it made a measure of sense. He tried to imagine the situation which would have led to Gaud speaking to each of the villages and found it far more plausible than he'd expected: with such a Grimm problem each of the villages had probably been hiring Huntsmen, Huntresses, and anyone willing to take up the fight, which definitely fit what seemed to be Gaud's modus operandi. Had she just been kept out of the loop regarding the arrangements? Or maybe her "web" was a way of testing them...

He'd been formulating additional questions to ask while listening to Gaud's take on Cami's music when their savage guide suddenly stopped mid thought; Rory looked where she was looking to see Justice pulling out his violin, then was perplexed by Gaud's sudden concern. The music which followed was, truth be told, a welcome relief from the chaos that had followed since the students' arrival... and, he had to admit, Justice clearly knew his way around that instrument. The song he played was both soothing and invigorating at the same time, and despite himself he found his opinion of the upperclassman improving somewhat. Gaud, meanwhile... well, wow. The reaction that the music had on her was striking -- it seemed that music really did soothe the savage... er, Faunus.

The moment's serenity was, however, abruptly shattered. Gaud's leap to action caused Rory to spring to full alert as well, pulling his goggles down and switching to thermal in a bid to spot whatever was threatening them this time; sadly, between Gaud's grenades and the haze that had crept back in all he managed to make out were indistinct shapes... a lot of them.

"Whites...so many of them...Go! Run! Head right on the road Anov is the closest from here!"

" 'Whites'? What are we up against??" It was possible she was talking about some type of Grimm he hadn't heard of, but it was clear enough that going back to Vona this way wasn't a good idea. Heeding Gaud's advice, he turned and began to run, though he kept his speed down for the moment so the others could get ahead; as a defender it was his obligation to get between others and harm, after all. Rory activated his right-hand shield, the overlapping metal plates springing to form as his left hand reached for a small control toggle on his goggles, activating call mode. "Calen, this is Rory. We've been cut off from Vona and are withdrawing to Anov, with Gaud in tow." He couldn't be sure the signal was getting through, but he had to try anyway. "Keep the situation calm over there -- we'll rendezvous as soon as we're able." Terminating the call, he signaled for the others to move ahead of him and glanced over his shoulder, trying to get a glimpse at the enemy and make sure Gaud was keeping up.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on November 26, 2017, 09:02:10 PM
Justice was certainly pleased with the results of his performance. An insight into the mind of the savage, a few minutes of good music, and a nice break from having to deal with guitar girl's errands. It was a real shame that these 'Whites' had to ruin the occasion.

Justice quickly went to work packing his violin. On the whole, he cared about that violin only slightly more than his current compatriots, so it needed to be taken care of first. With it secured on his back, Justice set forth with a steady pace. Firing his weapon in the air, he activated his semblance to its maximum range.

It was always interesting seeing the emotional state of the Grimm. Cold and angry beasts which lack a soul are never the most complex of creatures to study, but they tend to leave those who do in a state similar to theirs. The knowledge of how little the beasts have other than the desire to end every man, woman, and child on the face of Remnant is a burden that many men are to weak to bear.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on November 27, 2017, 06:18:59 PM
Camelia was half in the middle of watching the back quarter when, looking to the others, she noticed Gaud fighting the urge to nod off with all her might. She stared at the odd sight for a second or two before resuming her previous position. Huh. Guess you really can tame mythical beasts with music.

Her fantastical musings were cut short by the abrupt interruption of the violin's sound, followed by what sounded like light metallic clangs. Next thing she knew, explosions were going off. Pivoting, she barely had the time to glimpse the vague shapes within the mist.

Oh. Well this was just dandy. Of course Grimm would show up uninvited. Seeing that Gaud was handling her own front and was instructing the teammates to leave the other way, Camelia remained where she was, hoping no Grimm would show up on her end. She waited for Justice to pass and when Rory was about to do so himself, she started running behind him.

Well, she tried. He seemed to be trying to take the tail end of the formation. After a few seconds of one trying to get behind the other, she took his wrist as he finished a call and pulled him forward. "For Gods' sake, Rory, will you run in front? I'm the one with the big shield here!", she said aloud whilst putting Orion on her back.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on November 27, 2017, 10:19:23 PM
Calen had worked up quite a sweat running through his dances displaying controlled and elegant bladework rarely seen by the townspeople. Unfortunately this caused some people to even applaud at the particularly flamboyant flourishes shocking Calen out of his reprieve. Despite this Calen continued his exercises, simply to give him something to do while he waited for the others to return. Cami had come down and one stage and cycled around the slowly recovering town which let Calen always keep reasonable tags on the singer. Finishing one of his more intense dances Calen felt is scroll start to ring painting on a fake smile for his new obnoxious fans the gaunt boy gave an exaggerated bow and answered while walking away. 'I'll pass that on, I'm sure Miss Unis will be thrilled. Not that I don't mind being paid for doing nothing but do you want me to make my way over, perhaps with Cami in tow?.' Calen responded, short of breath from his exercieses but coloured by an almost lazy drawl.

Regardless of Rory's, if any, response Calen will quickly make his way over to Cami. Using his semblance to shoot high in the air Calen found her quickly sitting by herself and after landing with a heavy thud relayed the information on to his employer. Offering himself as a supportive listener if needed Calen sat down close to Cami then went on to explain the possibility of going to Anov themselves.
 
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on November 28, 2017, 11:05:31 AM
Explosions went off one after another as the things Gaud tossed started going off. Presumably mines set off by the 'Whites' moving too close to them. "Albino Beowolves, they blend into the mist perfectly, they're nearly impossible to see here and stronger then the ordinary kind" Gaud quickly answered Rory. I've never seen this many at once though she thought. She lept up on above the tree branches just above Justice who was the farthest ahead of the group. She lobbed more grenades from up above in the general direction of the sound of movement. "Will you two hurry up!?" she yelled at the two sheild fighters who both seemed intent on protecting the rest, despite Gaud's covering fire four of the white Beowolves reached the pair and took hard swipes at them, if they stayed too long ten more were to follow. "It's not far now just beyond this clearing!" she called down to Justice. Just as he was able to make it out one of the albinos blocked his way, barely noticeable by the rushing wind of its claws and red eyes.



CALEN
Spoiler: ShowHide
"Gaud is in Anov? Yes let's go!" It was the first time since being back in the kingdom Cami wasn't feeling scared or useless, the hope of seeing her friend again brightened her back up.

"Absolutely not" From seemingly out of nowhere Donna Stibnite had appeared."If you are to leave it will be after you play for my people" a growing anger boiled up beneath his voice. Momentarily surprised and confused where Donna had came from Cami nontheless had her reply ready. "I'm sorry but I made a promise, once I play for Anov with Gaud I promise I'll come back and play for your people" Cami said as kindly as possible, but this turned out to be the wrong thing to say. "You. Will. NOT" Something Cami had said snapped Donna, he grabbed her by the wrist with one hand and reached for his gun with the other, but only kept his hand on it, the weapon still in its holster as if contemplating. His face contorted to an expression that was something inbetween rage and fear. Wrinkles appeared on his forehead and beads of sweat spilled down his nose. The gears in his head turned as he tried to come up with something to convince her to stay but nothing came as his emotions overtook him.
"Hey that hurts!" Cami pried at Donna's grip with her free hand and looked to Calen for help.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on November 29, 2017, 11:58:31 AM
'I'll pass that on, I'm sure Miss Unis will be thrilled. Not that I don't mind being paid for doing nothing but do you want me to make my way over, perhaps with Cami in tow?.'

"Stay put for now. We don't have a secure route yet, and even with your speed --" Glancing warily behind them after Camelia pulled him up to speed, the shieldmeister was just barely in time to see fangs and claws seemingly materialize out of the mist, coming right at both himself and her. Not good. He did what he could to put his active shield between himself and the Grimm while pouring himself full-heartedly into a sprint, but even so he still felt claws rake at his Aura from behind -- glancing swipes, not close enough to successfully grab or slash, but not something to take lightly either. There was no way he could manage the call and stay ahead of encroaching death at the same time; the line stayed open on his end as he ran for his life.

He was too preoccupied with the rending horde behind them to spot the one that had gotten ahead -- that would all be on Justice and Gaud.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on December 02, 2017, 11:40:37 PM
It is difficult to describe the exact sound that is created when Hanlon's Razor slips through the skull of a Beowolf. There is a mixture of sounds happening in quick succession. First, there is the impact upon the skull, which is usually a dull thud. Very closely thereafter, there is a cracking sound as the skull splits, almost like the wishbone on a carved turkey. Following that is a wet slapping sound as the rest of the weapon finds its way into the creature. And finally, the creature would presumably let out a whimper of pain as it slowly dissipated.

In truth, Justice would have been far more effective at dealing with the beowolves if he had the opportunity to stand still for a few moments. As it was, he was only able to pick off one for the time being, slowing only for a second as his weapon came down from the sky and through a beowolf. "Move up! I do not wish to fill out the paperwork chronicling your demise, so let's keep it from happening!" he shouted at the two first years.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on December 03, 2017, 11:05:18 AM
Camelia started running as fast as she could once Rory had picked up the pace, which was still rather impressively fast considering her equipment's weight. Despite this, she was still shoved forward when the Grimm' claws harmlessly bounced off her shield, nearly making her faceplant - though she caught herself at the last moment with a burst of speed.

Trying to speed up even further, she started using her semblance's lowest power around herself and the equally running Rory. A very pale purple glow surrounded the pair and, after about half a second, they started to get pulled forward slightly.

Damn, did she need to move her legs now.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on December 04, 2017, 04:57:43 AM
Calen nodded thoughtfully at Rory's response, pocketed his scroll and continued over to Cami. Honestly he was a bit disappointed about not being asked back out into the wilds, it was getting boring here and although training might work up a sweat it wasn't exactly cranially stimulating. The gaunt boy couldn't help but smile at Cami's outburst of happiness upon hearing that her friend was alive. Their relationship is a special one, it's comforting to see such can bloom even in this dark world. Calen thought to himself as Cami almost jumped for joy. Unfortunately for Donna he decided to interrupt this moment by latching on to the singer and try to make her stay.

Immediately stepping forward Calen grabbed the same arm that Donna had but rather than pull immediately he sort to brace Cami's wrist against the coming pressure. What pressure you might ask? Grinning cruelly Calen twisted for a kick against Donna's gun hand and then used his semblance to launch himself and Cami backwards. Donna was welcome try to maintain his grip but the sudden pull would be hard to deal with and even if he managed it would only result in a swift jab to the face as they all landed around a dozen meters away.

'Miss Unis has made her position clear Master Donna. I would recommend you accept it. You are hardly increasing the likelihood of getting any concert at this stage, how would your people feel about their leader letting them down so badly.' Calen remarked offering a peace solution to this quickly worsening ordeal. If he was being honest with himself Calen would want nothing more than a fight to break out, although he knew that a civilian would be no match, just simply for a break to the monotony.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on December 04, 2017, 10:13:45 AM
Gaud let loose one more precisely aimed grenade right behind Camelia and Rory, perhaps a little too close to the pair as it singed the two but clearing out the immediate vicinity of the Grimm behind them.
     With the last obstacle out of the way, Justice was the first one out of the forest, and free of the mist, he had a view of what could only be assumed to be Anov. It was presumably much larger then Vona, as the wooden wall that stretched further beyond the mountain canyon suggested it was much bigger then what could be seen. While the wooden walls didn't look all that different to Vona's, two things were apparently different aside from it's size.
   First was the double gate that served as it's entrance was lined with metal plates, its defensive capabilities clearly given more care then the rest of the wall.
     Second was the machine gun and the guard stationed directly above the metal gate.The gun was belt fed, loaded, and clearly ready to fire off its dust rounds at anything it was pointed at, which happened to be Justice coming out of the forest. A barrage of small explosions instantly went off, along with a hose of light that erupted from the weapon and burst its way in Justice's direction. The weapon was loud, the detonations from the dust rounds and the way the ground would burst clearly suggested each bullet would cause devastating damage to anything hit by them.
     
     Gaud moved to stop the weapon, she took a position high up on a tree for an angle and let loose her spear in an upwards arc. The weapon landed inbetween the gunner manning the weapon and the gun itself, piercing through its housing and completely dissabling it. With a yank of her hand, the string attached to the weapon tightened and her weapon flew back into her hand. She stood atop her tree so the guard could get a good look at her.
"You Fools! It is I!Cease your fire and let them in! they are not from the other villages!" Gaud yelled at the guard now accompanied by his partner, both now armed with rifles pointed at both Gaud and Justice. The two guards looked at each other with a look of resignation and dissapeared behind the wall.
     A moment later the entrance gate was opened allowing haven for the group inside. "You'll want to speak to Master Vita I assume? I'll get him" one of the guards said not waiting for an answer or so much as a greeting and walked away. The other guard stood blankly watching the rest of the group emerge from the misty forest, his expression seemingly annoyed.



"What's going on here?" A passing villager had witnessed what just occured. Donna taking notice of being found panicked, he looked between Calen, Cami, and the villager and while his face expressed a great disturbance his face completely betrayed his next words "That woman will return soon do not be so hasty, you've seen the danger out there" he said as calmly as possible. "Oh yes the Grimm are certainly still a problem out there aren't they? Haha silly me"  Cami replied with as much sincerity as she could. "Let's just go, we'll come back later" she whispered to Calen. Donna to his credit narrowed his eyes at the pair and apparently decided he couldn't do anything rash while seen "in that case would you not care to rest in the main hall? I'm sure your friend and the rest of your team can find you there when they return" Donna offered as generously as he could.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on December 05, 2017, 08:04:36 AM
Their escape had been a narrow, harrowing thing. Even with Camelia's Semblance boosting them Rory was sure he'd felt the "Whites" breath on the back of his neck more than once, and if that hadn't been enough to kick his adrenaline into full-on then having one of Gaud's bombs narrowly miss had certainly done the job. Rory had been too preoccupied with not dying to the threats behind them to fully register the threats ahead until they'd already been dispatched, running past the dissolving White Beowolf corpse and immediately spotting the heavily defended wall and its freshly-ruined machine gun nest. So that's what Gaud had been shouting about...

When they were finally inside the gates and once again safe, the shield fighter was breathing heavy -- whether from exertion or the many near-misses was hard to say with certainty. Still, the first thing Rory did was turn to Camelia with an apologetic expression. "Thanks," His gaze travelled to Justice and Gaud. "All of you. That... was a little terrifying."

Reaching up with his free hand, he pinged Calen's Scroll again. "Calen, we made it to Anov. There are albino Beowolves on the roads between here and there -- they're extra nasty and like to hide in the fog, so unless you can get a vehicle I don't recommend heading out here with Cami yet. We'll see what we can do on this end to secure a safe route. What's the status of things over there?"
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on December 05, 2017, 09:20:30 AM
If looks could kill, Justice would have murdered this guard many times over. Despite his lead over the two first years, he was not the first one through the gate. You see, explosive rounds have this nasty habit of sending debris and shrapnel in all directions after the impact. Justice had managed to dodge getting hit directly, but a particularly sharp piece of rock flew into his face, leaving a deep gash. If the blood had not flown so quickly, it would certainly be possible to see his cheekbone.

Justice looked down as his white gloves turned a deep shade of red with the flow of blood. Even if there was a way for his aura to quickly stem the blood flow, that was never going to wash out. Justice maintained eye contact with the guard as he recalled his weapon, with the Razor flying over the wall and attaching to reform his walking stick. Justice extended his semblance, looking for someone to copy from to get this rage out of his system.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on December 05, 2017, 11:57:48 AM
Camelia ran through the gate at beyond sprinting speed, releasing her semblance on Rory as soon as he stepped past the gate as well. She huffed and puffed, bent over, trying to get air back into her lungs, tired from the furious pace as well as from semblance use, albeit far less significantly so. There'd been a kerfuffle or two - she went past a dissolving corpse as well as varied metallic debris near the wall - as well as another grenade right behind her. Not only did it singe her legs, she was pretty sure she'd caught several pieces of shrapnel with her Aura. This Gaud needed to learn to aim better. Friendly fire was not cool.

After starting to feel like oxygen was being carried in her bloodstream again, she straightened back up, a drop of sweat running down from her right temple. Well, they were definitely in, at least. Rory seemed mostly fine, judging by his behavior. "You're welcome, buddy. It was that or running on your own steam, anyway..." She looked at the other people nearby - a guard and the occasional townsfolk - before her sight landed on Justice. Worry tainting her voice a bit, she asked "...Hey, Justice, you okay? What happened?" This was beyond odd, shouldn't his Aura have prevented injuries like that?
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on December 06, 2017, 07:18:26 PM
Calen nodded politely in response to Donna request, the conflict seemingly ended before it could truly begin. Calen filed away the reluctance to continue their altercation for future use, although there seemed to be an increasing tension in the air no one was willing for it to devolve into a full fight. Well no one besides Calen that is but even his limited understanding of Grimm made him aware that the negative emotions he would inevitably inflict could attract more of the creatures to the still recovering town. 'Of course Master Donna we will make our way over, I'm sure you are needed else were so take care.' Calen responded moving his arm from from Cami's wrist to around her shoulder and lead her away. 'I agree, we should get moving.' Calen whispered under his breath as he waved goodbye to Donna with his open arm.

Calen's scroll started ringing again and he was quick to answer as Rory continued to explain the situation the rest of the team was dealing with. 'Things are getting a bit rough in Vona, Donna is getting more and more insistent, I'll see what I can do to get a ride but it might not be possible. I don't want to be seen and the last thing this town needs is people chasing after us leaving it even less defended. Take care and I'll call back when I have more of a plan.' Calen kept his voice low unsure if Donna or someone else would be following him.

Not exactly up to date with the latest hot wiring techniques and unless Calen seriously misjudged Cami neither was her which meant stealing a vehicle would be difficult. And he didn't have enough lien on hand to buy one out right so although he would keep an eye out if an opportunity presented itself his mind turned to the second best option. A horse. Cheaper, quiter and probably a bit faster given the relationship between the three towns meant that the roads might not be well maintained. Passing on his plan to Cami still under his breath the two hopefully set about searching for a way out of this increasingly hostile town.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on December 07, 2017, 01:42:40 PM
Anov, compared to Vona the village was bliss. Men and women walked about without a care, children played in the streets chasing each other around, and guards with modern looking rifles sat atop towers pretending to be awake. A farm, a massive expanse of land was entirely dedicated to agriculture; fruits and vegetables of all size and variety, animals miling about minding their business, and their farmers respectively tending to the very life their friends and families would have for the day's meal. There was nothing really negative to be considered from a first look about the village.

     "You again!? *chew *chew I told you the last time and my answer hasn't changed!" the guard had returned, accompanied by a short and very portly man. In his hands he carried a large bowl with a comically overfilled pile of rice, his other hand was shoveling away with his bare hands at the pile and sending it to his mouth. His clothes were rather ordinary, nothing really indicated him as a leader or anyone important. A cross stitched leather vest, regular work pants, and a pair of warhammers connected by a chain dangled at his waist. His head was balding and his multiple chins expressed annoyance in Gaud's direction.

"They demand for life in exchange for nothing!*chew *chew The point of a trade is for both sides to barter equally, you can tell them the past is irrelevant to the current situation!"  the plump man said in between bites, sending projectile crumbs in Gaud's face as he talked. Gaud simply tilted her hat over head so nothing would directly hit her face, she seemed ready for this occurence as she pre emptively covered her face as she was addressed. "The Grimm will soon be handled, after that there should no need for a stockpile and you can lift the embargo" Gaud replied plainly. "With what you and this army?" he said suddenly taking notice of the trio "They look rather battered from the Misted Woods! On top of that they're just a bunch of kids,is a single team really enough to clear the mist?"  he examined Justice and Rory's wounds and his gaze ended on Camelia, more specifically an area below her neck, despite the area covered in armor. "Well little lady it wouldn't do to hurt that cute little face of yours! I am village Master Carafe Vita. Do you and your comrades ,but mostly just you, care for some nourishment and rest for the night?"  he gestured to Camelia with his bowl of rice extended out to her as if offering her to dig in, obvious lechery could be heard behind the voice.



"Oh I know the perfect place to go!"hearing Calen's requirement for a mode of transportation, she lead Calen off to a corner of the village, not far from the main gate they came in from. Cami came to a stop to the entrance of an open stable with a row of horses, deeper inside a number of wagons could be seen, though the dust suggested they havent been used recently. "I talked to the stable master here and he said the horses haven't been used for a while since the villages stopped trading with each other, they wouldn't notice if one were to go missing would they?" she subtley suggested as she started stroking the mane of the nearest horse. 
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on December 07, 2017, 11:30:41 PM
'I've always wanted to ride off into the sunset with a beautiful woman, it's not quite the right time and although clearly potent work horses they aren't as graceful as I had in mind but they'll do.' Calen responded quietly but with a wide grin plastered across his face, fun was back on the table. Seeing that the two weren't bothered when Cami walked straight up to one of the horses Calen decided that speed was likely to be their ally here more than subtly. Still taking every precaution available; waiting until people were looking away, explaining Cami loved horses and just wanted to pat one and jsut engaging in simple conversation, anything the dismiss the suspicions that they were about to commit horse theft. Isolating the two sleekest horses Calen made a show of teaching Cami how to saddle and mount the creatures as an excuse to mount up.

Leading them around the pen a few times until the workers surrounding them lost interest Calen flicked the gate open and gestured for Cami to ride on ahead. Calen would stay behind for a few moments and try to secure the pen shut by tying the gate closes with tight leathers. Satisfied it would give them a reasonable head start Calen reared his horse up and let out a loud wallop before racing after Cami. Some basic geography as well as survival skills kept the two on generally the same right path as they raced towards Anov, moving just slow enough to ensure the horses didn't lather.

'I've been meaning to ask Miss Unis, is there a reason why you won't play without Miss Gaud. I'm sure she has heard you play numerous times before and would forgive one concert given the circumstances.' Calen remarked as they rode away from Vona. Calen was happy about how the situation had unfolded, the adrenaline shooting through his veins and he still smiled as he imagined the the village master's face , but this whole issue seemed to have been able to be solved easily.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on December 10, 2017, 02:48:11 PM
Anov couldn't have been more different from Vona, as near as Rory could tell. Vona had an air of desperation about it, a bitter and stubborn determination that brought to mind plants growing up through cracks in the concrete... Anov may as well have been a rich-soil flower bed by contrast. The people seemed content and, if Carafe was any indication, well fed, but that was to be expected when a village was both fully enclosed and self-sufficient for food. Still, Rory didn't really feel any more at ease here than he did in Vona, regardless of the chief's generosity. The persistent feeling of something being off was the one thing Anov and Vona definitely shared.

Still, the fact that this village's chief liked to run his mouth so much was advantageous. As painful as it was to listen to him chew with his mouth open, the shield fighter learned more about the situation from the chief's offhand comments than he'd been able to get out of the chief of Vona. Gaud had already mentioned that conflicts here involved both fighting and a bitter trade dispute, but from here he could start to see the outlines of how that came to be. Anov was the region's bread basket, its main source of food; Vona, then, seemed the village best outfitted with warriors and weapons. What Navo contributed he could only guess at, but it seemed abundantly clear that these three communities each had something the others needed... and weren't willing to trade away lightly.

The thought that Anov might be slowly starving out the other two -- well aware that they were doing so, at that -- put Rory instantly in a sour frame of mind. Carafe's shameless comments towards Camelia didn't help either. He kept an eye on her to see how she responded, ready to back up however she chose to handle this double-chinned lech.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on December 13, 2017, 01:07:17 AM
Justice had a single moment where he looked close to bursting out in anger at the fat bastard, but he quickly gained his composure. Taking a quick breath, his mind started moving quickly. Rather than take on the anger directly, he started rationalizing the entire situation.

"A simple cut. Excessive use of my semblance and a few false assumptions on my part lead to an injury. Explosive dust rounds. But why? Guards tend to be more hesitant to fire at human targets unless previous experience colors their judgement. Village shows no signs of conflict, rather a large agricultural base. Valuable outside the kingdoms." Justice said, first to Camelia, but slowly talking to nobody in particular.

"A place seemingly without major need of Grimm eradication. Large amounts of food, adequate weaponry, bolstered defenses. No man brings the potential trouble that an endeavor like this is bound to have unless they have a need. People. You have farmers, not warriors. The guards must be on extended shifts. Lack of sleep over long periods of time causes irritation, lack of judgement, lowered reflexes. The same kind of behavior that would cause them to fire on a group of people attempting to help them." he continued, his speech pattern gradually increasing over time.

"And the leader. Indulgent. Hungry for power, influence, feasting on what gives you your power. Starving the other villages out until they meet your demands. An effective strategy for the long run. Making sure they know how things will be if they ever fall out of line once more." he said, suddenly turning and addressing the village leader.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on December 13, 2017, 01:25:03 PM
Before Justice could answer, the guard came back accompanied by a short, indisputably overweight man. Ready to give him the benefit of the doubt, Camelia's good will was rapidly obliterated by the sheer quality of the thing's greed and narcissism. What the hell? This wasn't how you survived against the odds! Had the imbecile never heard of cooperation?

And then it became millions of times worse. She struggled to retain control of herself, a vein or two coming this close to popping on her forearms. Her face, usually somewhat open and soft, slowly gained in rigidity until it became a cool, unwelcoming block of concrete. She mentally patted herself on the back for maintaining a neutral face.

After the carafe, as she'd decided to refer to it, went quiet, she turned to Justice, who'd taken the conversation's center afterwards. Upon hearing the explanation for the scratch, she gave a single nod - managing to not make it stiff - before taking the opportunity to walk right up to her team leader while Justice talked, ignoring the 'village leader' all the while.

Arriving beside Rory, she firmly grasped his shoulders and turned him towards her before saying, in a whisper so low that he'd probably be the only one to hear, "Can I slam him into the ground?", rage rather obviously overflowing past her ordinarily mesmerizing blue irises.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on December 14, 2017, 06:49:13 AM
"And what would you know Bones!?" Carafe suddenly enraged at Justice's comments, his attention immediately moving from Camelia to him. "Look at you dressing up like those fancy rich boys of the kingdom, couldn't handle the Whites could you?" Carafe taunted.

"Without need for Grimm eradication? HA Hardly! Let me educate you about Anov,we are a weak and vulnerable settlement, despite what you may think. Like you said we have farmers, not warriors, no that's Vona. This village and the other two as a matter of fact have two entrances"  he said as he gestured two stubby fingers

 "The main gate that leads outside, and the back gate that only leads to the Misted Woods. In Anov both entrances are protected by a weapon, not skilled warriors, a powerful machine gun that cannot be moved or operated by a single person" Carafe rambled on. "Anything the weapon is pointed at can be wiped out immediately, but what happens when we run out of dust do you think!?Or when it malfunctions at the worst moment!?" Carafe said raising his voice, the guard that initially brought him over shifted nervously at this comment, sweat beading down his face despite the cool temperature, all the while glaring at Gaud.

"Or when the Grimm over run our walls!? Without those guns my family is a slaughter waiting to happen!" he ended his rant and realized how panicky he must have appeared to both the group and the village around him saying such dark things.
 Calming himself down he continued "The fog in the Misted Woods and number of Grimm didn't used to be this bad, it's only recently it's become this dangerous. The weapons and the ammo for it was originally supplied by Navo, but they request for an absurdly unfair trade deal for it. What they request won't starve us but moving such a large amount of resources in this state is just begging to be attacked, and it would be enough to force us to ration for some time, especially since Vona is requesting for the same deal."



CALEN
Spoiler: ShowHide
Quote
'I've been meaning to ask Miss Unis, is there a reason why you won't play without Miss Gaud. I'm sure she has heard you play numerous times before and would forgive one concert given the circumstances

"It's a bit of a long story but it'll pass the time so why not?" she said with a sad smile as she reminisced her past, she slowed down so he could hear her story as the two horses trotted along.
"First you'll need to understand where Gaud and I grew up. We were born in a very...tribal village I think the word would be to describe it, Amandla. Being a warrior meant everything in Amandla, and I mean Everything, from birth everyone is trained to be capable of fighting Grimm. I remember a parent that would brag how their baby's first word was 'death'. Amandla entirely  devoted itself to fighting, I remember my first "toy" was a set of throwing knives, I hurt myself alot with those" she said with a giggle at the absurdity of the memory.

"In Amandla opening up your aura was like a rite of passage, and finding your semblance was a sign they were ready to become a warrior. I'd say kids on average would've unlocked their aura by ten and find their semblance by thirteen, if you didn't you were the target of bullies and considered a failure. I never did either"  she said with another sad smile, this one clearly bringing up bad memories.

Cami was about to continue but fate had something else in mind for her. An explosion of sound was heard in the distance.
[BOOM]
And a streak of white death burst at the feet of Cami's horse, the steed in surprise reered it's front legs and wildly thrashed around throwing Its inexperienced rider right off. By plan or terrible luck the path they were on was on the edge of a rocky cliff, it wasn't a straight drop dow, it was a rock slope that hurled Cami to the bottom of it like a ragdoll. Cami slamming on the rocks as she tumbled down. It was possible she could've mitigated some of the damage by falling on her guitar case she still had on her back but whether by coincidence or intentional she fell in a way that protected the instrument.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on December 15, 2017, 05:08:41 AM
Calen was rather surprised listening to Cami and Gaud's history, finding there stories mirrored a fair bit actually as the little girl continued. Both trained to be warriors from birth although Calen clearly took to it better that his current companion did. They even shared a gift, Calen reached behind him and touched his own throwing knives hidden by his suit. Nodding along Calen was lost in memories he would rather forget and as such didn't notice anything until a large explosion shocked him out of his reprieve. Immediately scanning his surroundings Calen saw Cami knocked off her steed by a white burst. Remembering what Rory said about the albino Grimm Calen immediately used his semblance to dash towards Cami's falling body and hopefully catch her before she hit the ground or at least get to her before anything else did. After having the little girl secured in his arms Calen then launched himself back towards his horse with his semblance.

Kicking the horse hard Calen raced the beast to full speed as quickly as possible as he tried to out run this new foe. One arm around Cami's waist and the other wielding his weapon in glaive form Calen was on the look out for more threats. Rory did also mention fog and he couldn't make out any grimm so the possibility that it was something else, maybe one of the other villages launched to the front of his mind. Directing the horse into the trees Calen hoped to get out of sight of this new foe. 'Apologises Miss Unis it seems we will have to continue your story another time, this might be a bumpy ride so do your best to hold on.' Calen remarked confidence rich in his voice. Confidence which wasn't actually real of course if Rory had trouble with these with two other hunters-in-training at as well as Gaud his back Calen would be hard pressed to fight back by himself. Of course Calen would never admit this out loud or even to himself but somewhere in the back of his mind fear started to blossom, fear he hadn't felt in a long time.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on December 15, 2017, 05:46:49 AM
"I'd pay good Lien to see that, honestly." Rory, careful to mind his volume, responded. At the same time he had an ear to what Carafe was blathering on about -- from the fat man's perspective, giving Navo what they were asking in trade was a bridge too far even though, by his own admission, the safety of his people relied entirely on heavy turreted guns that his farmers could neither supply nor maintain. His stubbornness bordered on the suicidal, yet he just kept stuffing himself. "...But you know we can't." He was sure someone like Camelia would understand the reasoning. Satisfying as it would be to violently knock two-chins down a few pegs, the scene would almost certainly start a fight between them and the village's guards -- a fight that would cause people to panic, a panic that would attract Grimm.

... Grimm that would easily get over the wall, now that Gaud had disabled their machine gun.

Glancing back towards the gun emplacement, Rory was keenly aware that they needed to be tactful here... regardless of how vile their host might be. "I've got an idea on how to handle this guy; with any luck, we won't have to be around him for long." Walking over to Carafe -- far closer than was actually comfortable -- and putting on his best poker face, Rory addressed the glutton with all the restraint and calm he could manage.

"Unfortunately, sir, your gunners opened fire on us as we approached the gate. We had to disable the weapon just to make it inside alive." He kept his voice down, knowing how words would catch and spread after Carafe's rant. He also made sure not to mention it was Gaud's doing -- she was their connection to the villages and, at the moment, their best asset here. "Unless you have the means to repair it, your village is currently in exactly the predicament you just described. Even if you have the means to fix the gun, it sounds like your defense resources won't last forever... and I suspect the last thing you'd want is for your people to become fearful under such circumstances."

"Since the gun is so vital, and since it was damaged on our account, we should be the ones to remedy the situation. Your people need the protection of more assets from Navo anyway, so let us go to them and see if we can secure aid. As students from Beacon we can serve as impartial intermediaries, negotiate a deal -- perhaps even arrange for the school and the kingdom to chip in towards new arrangements between the villages."

"This stalemate is dangerous, as you clearly see. Let us go to Navo under your authority, see if we can end the impasse... before it becomes fatal."




(OOC: Rolling for Diplomacy check!)
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on December 16, 2017, 02:20:08 AM
Justice was not angry. Anger would imply that he had been slighted in a significant way. No. What Justice felt was a palpable sense of disappointment. Here he had been hoping that this leader would be a man after his own heart, playing into a long-term strategy to ensure the betterment of his people. It would have been simple enough to put on an act for the people attempting to negotiate with him, play the part of a fool. But, alas, it seemed that he was truly a lecherous moron.

Justice turned his back to the leader. Not only was the man not worth his time, but it seemed the boy had managed to start talking to him. Good spirit in that kid. He shall make a good leader once he gets control of his emotions.

Walking up to Camelia, Justice moved in closer than was was normally considered socially acceptable. Justice attempted to talk quietly, but his boisterous speaking pattern did not lend itself well to whispering. "Just let me know if he gives you any trouble. I can give him an in-depth lesson on the capacities of the central nervous system." he said, with a smile that was trying to be comforting, but was probably more creepy than anything.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on December 18, 2017, 10:29:13 AM
Still utterly fuming, Camelia ignored the entirety of Little Fat Man's tirade, letting go of Rory as the... thing spoke. "Yeah, I know, but I almost couldn't restrain myself.", she whispered to her leader through clenched teeth. She stepped aside and kept her orientation, refusing to face the lump of fat. Rory went to talk to him, leaving her to calm herself down.

She was still busy decompressing when Justice approached her - far closer than she would've guesed was normal for him. Well, with how quiet eh was attempting to be, it made sense. She turned her head to him, only to bear witness to what could best be described as 'an attempt to produce a comforting smile'. He obviously failed at it, creating something closer to creepy, but at least she knew he tried. His words genuinely alleviated her anger a bit. She smiled back, her version far more successful than Justice's at seeming, well, comforting. Or relaxed, in this case, rather. "Thanks. I'll make sure to let you know.", she answered as quietly as Justice had probably intended.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on December 18, 2017, 12:17:09 PM
In the middle of the trio's conversation with Carafe, Gaud...walked away. Tilting her hat over her face, her expression was unreadable. But to Justice she was still an open book, anger, frustration, and strongest of all was a bitter sadness.  She slipped away as quietly as possible hoping Carafe would distract the trio.

Fear and rage filled the leader's voice"DISABLED!?
That weapon is not something to be just disabled! What you just admitted to was no less then destroying our only line of defense!"  Carafe no longer making any attempt not to spit projectile food in Rorys face, under the impression he was one to have destroyed the gun. "Of course you will bring us a replacement for the weapon! You fools will fix the problem you created or have the deaths of families on your conscience!As for a fair deal, tell that greedy woman in Navo, Torah, the deal still hasn't changed, a one for one, not five to  one, she needs what I need just as much as I do hers. And damn to the kingdoms, we've had a cooperation that doesn't need their help!" Carafe paused his tirade, lowering his voice.
    "And I'll have one of you stay behind to guard the now weak entrance" he said with a casual tone of voice but his gaze drifting towards Camelia, obvious who he wanted to stay behind. "Three of you should be more then enough to get to Navo especially with...where did that barbarian go?" he said suddenly noticing Gaud had seemingly dissapeared.



Cami was battered from the fall, cuts and scrapes all over her jacket and pants opened up, revealing broken skin and abbrasions. While  the scratches were visibly obvious none of them were particularly serious, perhaps except for the blood dripping from her forehead. "Oww.." She moaned weakly. "A sniper? That round...it came from the direction we just came from..." being the victim told her more about the attack. "Please don't tell Gaud, tell her it was just a grimm ok?" she pleaded to Calen, being able to talk normally, suggested the wound on her head wasn't too serious, but should still defintely be taken care of.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on December 22, 2017, 01:21:28 AM
Looking down at Cami as she sputtered her response while they rode off into the tree line Calen's expression turned increasingly serious. Inter-village violence was always a reality of this mission but getting attacked themselves brought the whole situation into a new perspective. Nodding as Cami begged him to remain silent on the matter Calen didn't say a word on the matter. Focused more on avoiding the undergrowth they were dashing through Calen tried to keep him mind off the implications that attack would mean. Wanting Cami to remain in their village made sense on a purely realist level but actually attacking her as they fled? This conflict seemed a lot more personal that an old grudge whose cause lies lost in the mists of time. And the weaponry required? A rifle to cause such an explosion at such a distance would require incredible technology if it even was a rifle not some artillery piece.

Luckily the horse was at least as happy to get away from being tied up all day as sure footed as Calen could ask for, dashing through the loosening undergrowth. After getting even further away and hopefully out of range of the weapon which had spooked Cami's horse Calen halted their gallop into a smoother trot. There was still Grimm to worry about and their was no point overworking the beast until they needed to again. Calen wanted to call Rory to tell him about the developments with Vona but he wasn't sure if Rory wouldn't pass it on to Gaud. Still having a decent idea of where he was in relation to the other town Calen opened up his scroll to double check. The last thing he needed was too ride further into these Grimm infested wilds than he needed to. Itching for a fight as always Calen was still uncomfortable with whatever these albino Grimm where. That small pit of fear had grown considerably since the attack.

'It's probably not much further.' Calen remarked, patting Cami on the shoulder lightly as she rode along in front of him. Unused to comforting someone Calen was mostly at a lost of what to do with this clearly worried girl. In a combat senerio having someone who wasn't 100% capable wasn't a good thing at the best of time but mental uncertainty was even harder to deal with. The physical wound however was something that he could deal with. Reaching into his pack Calen took out a small cloth, soaked it in water then started to wipe Cami's face clear of blood. Once clean Calen sterilised the wounds by light dabbing alcohol then covered the scars as best he could with various patches. Having done the best he could without stopping Calen kicked the horse again into a faster pace, it had had time to rest, he would have another look at Avon. 'How are you feeling Miss Unis? It was a pretty bad fall. Apologies I wasn't able to reach you in time.' Calen continued hesitantly, unsure if he sounded sympathetic or condescending.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on December 23, 2017, 04:47:44 PM
It was really, really hard for Rory to suppress the urge to bash his shield into Carafe's face as bits of rice spewed his way. He could almost imagine it, in fact -- how the loose skin would ripple like the surface of a pond with a stone tossed in, how satisfying the crunch of breaking his stubby nose would be, how right it would be to put the mass of gluttony and arrogance in his place, face up on the ground. For a moment the shield fighter clenched his fists to the point of white knuckles, though his face remained perfectly stoic. Justice, no doubt, would feel the conflict between raw desire to retaliate and something colder, something battered and wounded and slightly dark in aspect playing out within. The moment, however, passed; instead of lashing out, Rory slowly rose one hand to the band of his goggles, pressing a few small buttons on the surface.

<"Well little lady it wouldn't do to hurt that cute little face of yours!"> Carafe's own voice played back to him, emanating seemingly from Rory's pocket. The student proceeded to pull out his Scroll and open it, displaying video of Carafe's earlier lecherous remarks. <"I am village Master Carafe Vita. Do you and your comrades, but mostly just you, care for some nourishment and rest for the night?">

"Due to certain circumstances," Rory explained. "I've gotten in the habit of recording my missions. These fancy goggles aren't just for show, Master Vita."

"Now, we were sent here to escort Cami Unis and help all three villages with the local Grimm problem, and we intend to do just that. However, we're not your puppets or servants. We're here on the goodwill of Beacon and the kingdom of Vale, and dependent on how you respond to that goodwill there may be more in the future... or there may be less." He pocketed the Scroll and took a half-step towards Carafe, eyes narrowing slightly. "We will do what we can to protect your people and replace your gun... but we are not your pawns. We won't be bullied, we won't be demanded of, and we won't be disrespected. We may just be students, sir, but by your own admission we and Gaud are your best hope and only real line of defense right now. So..." Managing a clearly fake smile, Rory proceeded to brush the rice bits off his face and goggles while holding Carafe's gaze. "Why not be helpful? A written request we can deliver to Navo would be a good start, and while you draft one up we'll decide who's staying to protect the village." It wasn't a suggestion.

Oh, how glad he would be to never see this place again...
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on December 23, 2017, 11:33:00 PM
Justice came close to being overwhelmed by the emotion around him. The smile dropped from his face as he was suddenly torn between the bitter sadness of Gaud and the raging tirade of the Chief. "I will be back soon. I believe Miss Gaud will need someone to talk to, and things are not going to be over here for a little while. I will try-" Justice said, suddenly stopping when Rory gained this cold, dark emotion that ran through Justice's heart. Justice mimicked it to the best of his ability, causing him to physically stumble back as he looked at the ground wide-eyed.

It was not every day that you get an emotion as intense and foreign as that. It was horrible, almost painful to go through. If this were any other time, Justice would have spent days attempting to find out all he could about it. Studying it, finding its root cause, analyzing the events that would put something like that in a man's head. It would have been glorious.

Alas, he had a mission. Justice grabbed a fistful of his own hair, looking up and breathing hard. He turned back toward Camelia. "I will find Gaud. You talk to Rory once this nonsense is over. Break the news to him that it is most likely him staying to guard. I recommend giving him a hug or other sort of affection, it seems that he could use it." he said, no longer attempting to whisper. With that, he walked away from Camelia and toward the direction Gaud attempted to go off to, his face perplexed with what he experienced.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on December 26, 2017, 10:45:50 PM
Camelia remained where she stood, facing away from the wine container and continuing to superbly ignore him - although for a brief moment while she stared off, her skin crawled while her dark Aura glowed. She was seriously about to send that thing into the ground at max power. This needed to end quickly.

She brought herself back to the present as Justice spoke to her again - well, he seemed to be turned towards her by the sound of it, anyway - and acknowledged it by turning her own head towards him, if only slightly. Potato Guy was best left out of her field of view at the moment. "Alright. I'll tell him that and try to cheer him up a bit. You be careful." Yuss, she'd managed to pull off a neutral, if somewhat unenergetic, tone.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on December 27, 2017, 07:12:41 AM
RORY & CAMELIA
Spoiler: ShowHide
With a sigh and a face-palm Carafe remained unchanging with a neutral expression despite Rorys rant "Sheesh you greenhorns take things too seriously, you caused a major problem, all I ask is you fix it. As if I would seriously hit on a kid like you"  with a flat gaze on Camelia. "Though perhaps if you were a few years older...I'm kidding!"  Carafe added quickly.
"Anyway, the fact of the matter doesn't change I still need one of you to make up for the gun you destroyed and the rest of you..."  now noticing he was talking to only Rory and Camelia.Blinking he continued "Wherever they are, to go to Navo and tell their Master, Torah Rutilant we need a replacement gun and to continue the old trade deal, one for one, understand?"  Carafe now narrowing his eyes back at Rory, still under the impression he's the one responsible for the gun.




JUSTICE
Spoiler: ShowHide
Walking in the direction of the gate going outside Anov, hat tilted down and face hidden Gaud gave Justice a flat "What" as she noticed his approach. The same sour saddness, frustration, and dissapointment still eminating from her.




CALEN
Spoiler: ShowHide
"I'll be fine...if we could just reach the town" Cami replied holding her head where most of the blood was cleaned  but clearly still pained her. "Gaud will be there" she reminded herself and the thought brought a smile to her face.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on December 27, 2017, 09:21:36 AM
Carafe going from furious invective to defensive downplaying was, honestly, about as much of a win as Rory had been expecting. He knew Carafe's type, what the priorities of that sort of mindset were, and that any sort of apology or acknowledgement from the village master was just about out of the question. Showing that Carafe couldn't just roll over them was good enough; he'd take "too serious" over being a footstool any day.

"We'll get your gun. You see to the needs of your people." It was as much of an agreement as Rory was willing to give, under the circumstances; agreeing to force a one-to-one deal with another village probably wasn't practical or realistic, so keeping their options open made the most sense. If Carafe couldn't see past his own arrogance to cut a deal -- even a lopsided one -- that would save himself and his people, well...

... honestly, it was hard not to think these villages all needed new leadership.

Before Carafe could verbally bludgeon him any further, Rory turned and walked over to Camelia. "Sorry for the scene back there, but we have our out. I don't think he's gonna tolerate me leaving, so I guess I'm stuck defending here until you get back." He glanced around. "Where'd Justice go to?" The shield fighter realized suddenly that their group's empath had almost certainly picked up on earlier -- the very sort of thing he'd been afraid of happening. Nothing for it now, though...
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on December 28, 2017, 08:57:15 PM
Justice kept his distance from the woman. He did not want to approach at a short range in fear that he would provoke the barbarous woman. "I see that you have been working on this deal for a while, Miss Gaud. It is a shame that short-sightedness could get in the way of ensured prosperity. The leader of this village seems...deplorable." Justice said, leaning against the wall next to the gate. He slumped, failing his normally impeccable posture. He was in a fair amount of pain. Physical exhaustion was finally catching up to him after such extended use of his semblance. A haphazard wipe of his face brought a fresh flow of blood, if only a trickle.

Justice was mentally kicking himself. His search for knowledge had caused him to be careless with his semblance and showed a sign of weakness in front of not only the first years, but the leader of the village. His failure to control his urges left him bloodied and humiliated in a public forum. This was unacceptable. Reaching into a pocket on his coat, he pulled out a small bar of food. He needed to regain strength quickly.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on December 29, 2017, 02:03:14 AM
One on One conversation with Gaud, freeposting for Justice until finished

JUSTICE
Spoiler: ShowHide
A single eye poked out from under Gaud's hat, eyebrow raised in uncertainty and her head tilted slightly liked a confused dog. She gave Justice a neutral stare with one eye and replied with an equally flat "I suppose" expressing absolutely no concern for Justice's sudden fatigue. Reaching the main entrance to the village she looked up at the guard's nest, there sat two gaurds and an intact machinegun pulling watch for anything hostile, the same kind that Gaud herself had destroyed earlier on the opposite side of the village. A spike of guilt.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on December 29, 2017, 10:51:42 AM
Justice was perhaps comforted by the fact that she did not seem to care about his weakened state. He expected someone of Gaud's perceived disposition to pick up on it, but her current emotional state points to her being preoccupied with this agreement. "It was...unfortunate that they fired on us. It would make the entire situation much simpler. Now, we have to get a repair done on the gun and attempt to negotiate between the villages." Justice said in between bites of his food.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on December 29, 2017, 08:36:09 PM
JUSTICE

Spoiler: ShowHide
"An unnecessary situation" Gaud muttered somberly "I've put this village, its people, your group whose names I don't even know in harms way, and despite all this Goggles has taken the blame for my mistake. Why?"  Gaud now faced Justice properly to ask her question.
"This was supposed to be simple...Cami arrives and make everything better, but I can't face her now that I've broken our promise. I really can't seem to go anywhere without destroying something"  she said looking down at the ground, even without seeing her expression her tone of voice implicated plenty of sorrow and regret.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on December 31, 2017, 02:16:02 AM
(Just going to slip Calen's action in quickly because there isn't much for him but don't feel the need to continue until the conversation is over.)

Cami seemed to calm down quickly enough muttering quietly to herself. Well she wasn't going to be winning any beauty pageants any time soon but Calen felt he had done a reasonable job cleaning the girl up considering he could only use one arm. Still not really sure how to interact with Cami everyone favourite dancer simply decided to whistle quietly as they rode, unable to fill the silence with anything meaningful but still not wanting it to hang. A simple tune from a fairy tale sung in verse, six bars repeated over and over again. The story had many different variations but all concerned a boy and a girl entering a dark, forbidden forest and very few ended well.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on January 01, 2018, 06:58:43 PM
"To be fair, that gun could have very well put a hole in my skull had you not disabled it. I do owe you for that one." Justice said, gesturing in her direction with his half-eaten food. "Rory took responsibility for the gun because he considers himself the leader of our little group here. Mistakenly, but I will indulge him for the time being. Now as for you-" Justice had started addressing her when his legs slipped out from under him and he slid down the wall, sitting on the ground.

A deep breath and a sickening crack as he adjusted his neck later, Justice continued. "You are going to be fine, Miss Gaud. Your friend would not have sent us this far out of the way to get you if she was going to hold an offense like this over you."
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on January 02, 2018, 03:33:48 PM
Camelia's face returned to its disturbingly neutral state when Carafe resumed speaking, ignoring the man all the while. Rory's approach released her from her self-inflicted restraint of "don't ram him into the ground".

She turned to her team leader - something she wasn't entirely used to, seeing how she was the leader of CBLT - and replaced the flat facade with a kind smile. "Yeah, Justice said to tell you you're the one staying here. He's gone over to where Gaud is - wherever that happens to be."

She paused for a few moments, staring into the guy's eyes as she looked for traces of emotions justifying Justice's suggestion. Having come to the conclusion that as good as she may be at reading people, Justice was probably better, she stepped closer and wrapped Rory him in a brief, albeit warm, hug. "Don't nail this village's leader to the wall yet, 'kay?"
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on January 03, 2018, 08:10:38 AM
CAMELIA RORY
Spoiler: ShowHide
Quote
"We'll get your gun. You see to the needs of your people."

"I don't need children to tell me to care for my family" Carafe growled back at Rory. Deciding this was as far as he was going to get in negotiations he finished with a grouchy "Send your guard up to the back gate" and with that Carafe hobbled away.


CAMELIA RORY CALEN

Spoiler: ShowHide
"There it is!" Cami cried with what little strength she had. The tall walls of Avon appearing in the distance as the pair approached closer. The guards at this entrance able to see further out, knew not to shoot at a seemingly ordinary pair of riders approaching the entrance.
Cami and Calen entered Avon...without encountering anyone they knew, the two wandered around the town looking for any familiar faces. "Gaud?" Cami would occasionally call out turning her head left and right looking for her. Instead they found Camelia and Rory apparently in the middle of embracing each other. "Hey you two! We're not interrupting something are we? Is Gaud with you guys? Where is she?" she said with a hopeful look, her general appearance still a mess from the injuries she sustained


JUSTICE

Spoiler: ShowHide
"Was that the purpose for your group being here? Cami brought you out here because she thought I needed help?" Justice didn't need his semblance to know Gaud was clearly irritated, but it didn't last long. "No she knows better then that, unless..." giving Justice a suspicious look "She sent you to watch me,that's it isn't?
To prevent something exactly like this from happening" she said with certainty and now an angry cloud hung over her.
"I've done worse things then break weapons"  Gaud said as if it explained everything. She looked out the gate with a thousand yard stare at nothing, her thoughts a mess of emotions. She didn't stand for very long though as her powerful hearing caught something. Hoofsteps, a horse, a rider, and something familiar, something she had waited to hear for a long time, but something didn't allow herself to just yet.

With a powerful motion she grabbed Justice by the collar and effortlessly pulled him  into an alley inbetween the wall and a nearby building, hiding behind some conveniently placed storage crates, she threw Justice out of sight. Gaud herself crouched down the same crate and peered over the top. Just in time to see Calen and Cami on a steed trot into the village, the handle on Cami's guitar case making a clunking noise as it bounced on itself. "What hurt her?" Gaud said out loud as she noticed her injuries, Gaud's emotions a crazed blend of joy, saddness, confusion, and anger.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on January 03, 2018, 08:40:03 AM
Rory found himself... well... at a loss, really. With Camelia's arms wrapped around him he felt simultaneously very exposed and strangely safe, not to mention exceedingly awkward. It wasn't a bad feeling, just... one he wasn't used to. The realization of how long it had been since he'd received a real, genuine hug, even just one meant to comfort and reassure, momentarily made him feel like an outsider in his own skin. It was no fault of Camelia's, to be sure . . . the boy just simply wasn't used to being cared about like that.

"Don't nail this village's leader to the wall yet, 'kay?"

When the hug ended Rory was left stunned for a good few seconds -- not shocked, more like his brain had briefly checked out and his body had been put on pause until it returned. A gentle, yet strangely sad, smile finally broke the stillness. "... Thanks. And... don't worry, I won't."

"Gaud?"

It took a moment for Rory to fully process that he was hearing Cami's voice. He turned to look her way as she addressed them both. "Hey you two! We're not interrupting something are we? Is Gaud with you guys? Where is she?"

"N-no, not interrupting anything." A hint of a blush crept into the shieldmeister's cheeks. "We weren't expecting you to head out here, but I'm glad you did! Things are suddenly getting spread a bit thin." He glanced around. "I'm, uh, not sure where Gaud went -- or Justice, for that matter. We've got a bit of a situation and --" He suddenly noticed Cami's injuries. "Were you attacked? Are you both okay?" Those scratches and the faint hints of blood on her forehead didn't seem like the work of Beowolves, somehow... more like Cami had taken a bad tumble down a rocky slope.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on January 03, 2018, 01:46:00 PM
Justice found himself struggling to find the most effective way to articulate his thoughts on the matter. This woman was determined to see things in a negative light. For someone that seemed confident, she had a large amount of self-esteem issues and emotional turmoil. She would be an excellent candidate for long-term therapeutic study. Or, she would have been if she did not decide to throw him down a goddamn alley.

Justice was aware of the woman's strength. It was obvious to anyone who saw her that she had the physical capability to out-muscle most men. Justice was now aware that her feeling of constantly breaking things was not unfounded. She threw him by the neck to the ground, spiking his head and causing him to bite a sizable chunk out of his cheek. His neck bent at an unnatural angle as he fell to the dirt, his wound opening up again on his cheekbone.

He only stayed on the ground for a second before pushing himself up so that he was sitting on his knees. Spitting was against his sense of etiquette, but it was necessary given the chunk of flesh currently sitting in his mouth. After removing the flesh and adjusting his neck, Justice looked over at Gaud. "It is impolite to touch others without their permission, Miss Gaud." Justice said, the blood in his mouth staining his teeth.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on January 04, 2018, 12:58:30 AM
'Oh Rory you sly dog you, using the adrenaline rush of being in a life or death situation to get a little bit closer. Underhanded. I approve.' Calen jested as he rode into the town watching Camelia and Rory embrace. Of course the 'jolly' comic knew there wasn't likely anything there but it would do his mood a lot of good seeing the two light up like tomatoes. Stopping their steed in front of their two companions Calen then helped Cami down as gently and gracefully as can be. 'And we're fine, just a little accident along the road, give her a silk shaw and I doubt anyone would notice the difference.' Calen continued his decidedly sexist line of joking as he looked around searching for his fellow suit wearing comrade. Hearing a commotion in an alley way not far from where they were standing Calen passed the reigns over to Cami before turning and walking towards the disturbance.

'How about you three catch up for a moment, I'm sure your trip couldn't have been as boring as ours.' Calen requested not turning back to face his companions. Walking around the crates Calen saw the cause of the disturbance, Justice was being manhandled against a wall by a beast of woman, Gaud Calen presumed, fit Donna's description anyway. 'I have to say I wouldn't have said she was your type Master Justice but Cami and I wouldn't mind the break. Let us know when you two are finished.' Calen remarked at the rather strange sight in front of him. Even from the distance Calen was at he could see the blood seeping out of Justice's mouth and the hatred clear in Gaud's posture. Rocking back in a defensive stance Calen wasn't getting anymore used to his role as peacekeeper with his solution being to turn everyone's hatred on to himself. But in all honesty it seemed to be working OK so far.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on January 04, 2018, 01:02:58 PM
JUSTICE CALEN

Spoiler: ShowHide
"You kingdom folk always go on about manners" Gaud responded back to the injured Justice without even bothering to look back at his state. She was preoccupied processing what she just saw. Cami injured, with a stranger she did not know. The first thing she felt was euphoric joy at the prospect of seeing her long time friend again, second was the saddness that filled her from her not allowing herself to see her directly, then her injuries. How did she get hurt? Why was she not there to protect her? She had failed again as her friend for not protecting her and lastly, who was that she was with? Did he hurt her? How could he not protect her? Who was that?Worry, confusion,
Anger

So it came as a surprise when he suddenly came back.
Quote
'I have to say I wouldn't have said she was your type Master Justice but Cami and I wouldn't mind the break. Let us know when you two are finished.'
She didn't care what he said, Gaud didn't even process what he said, the moment the stranger finished his sentence, Gaud moved.

With the power and speed used to hunt down monsters, the same strength that made her a blur. She grabbed him by the neck, dragged him further into the alley out of prying ears, and slammed his head into the wooden wall. Choking him but not enough to prevent him from talking, Gaud was visibly angered. Like a predator provoked with a stick, her normally stoic face expressed that of utter rage. The veins in her hands highlighted like roots popped, the brow in her eyes furrowed deeply. Her slit shaped irises burned with an intense desire to break what it saw. Gaud baring her teeth, growled at the stranger in her grasp "Why is Cami injured!? Why were you with her!? Why did you not protect her!? Was it YOU!? Who are YOU!? What hurt her!?" Gaud snarled with a lethal tone, she did her best to lower her voice so she would not be interrupted only able to be heard by Justice.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on January 04, 2018, 02:23:06 PM
(ignore this -- posted out of turn)
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on January 04, 2018, 09:33:44 PM
.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on January 05, 2018, 04:07:17 PM
Camelia turned to see none other than Cami and Calen coming up to them. She happily waved a hello, glad to see them again - even with all the more or less fresh wounds among them. Rory's sudden stuttering made her grin before she chimed in herself. "No, you weren't interrupting anything. I was just convincing Rory to hold back his destructive urges. As for Gaud, what he said - Justice went to check on her but neither of us saw where they walked off to."
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on January 06, 2018, 10:03:48 AM
CAMELIA RORY

Spoiler: ShowHide
"No, you weren't interrupting anything. I was just convincing Rory to hold back his destructive urges. As for Gaud, what he said - Justice went to check on her but neither of us saw where they walked off to."
"Rory? Destructive urges? You didn't strike me as the type to do something like that" Cami commented.

"Were you attacked? Are you both okay?"
"Oh nothing to worry about! Ehehe..I just fell off my horse on the way here" she smiled unconvincingly. "So Gaud's somewhere in town? Will she be back here or should we go look for her?"  she asked excitedly, but her injuries had caught up to her as she winced in pain from the red swelling on her forehead.


Returning to normal posting
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on January 20, 2018, 04:51:39 PM
Now well and truly flustered by Calen's commentary, Rory was still trying to figure out how to respond when he basically disappeared, yanked with total abruptness behind some nearby crates of supplies. However, from where the shield fighter was standing it wasn't really possible to tell that Calen had been pulled -- the sudden motion was easy enough to mistake for Calen's Semblance, after all. Had he known the sudden peril his teammate was in Rory would immediately have rushed over, but as it was he was just left confused as to whom Calen had been talking to before he "ran off".

"What is it with the formal-wear guys...?" The question was half-muttered to himself. Doing his best to shrug off his embarrassment, Rory turned to Cami. "She should still be here, yeah I bet she's still here -- she was very set on meeting up with you Cami. Though I'm not sure if we should wait or go looking... and, unfortunately, our situation has become a bit more complicated. To bring you up to speed: we found Gaud but got chased all the way here by what was probably a full pack of albino Beowolves using the fog for cover. Unfortunately... well, there was a situation as we approached and one of the town's defense guns got taken out. Now the village chief has demanded we get a replacement from Navo, while one of us stays to defend the entrance."

"Sorry that your village tour is turning into so many extra problems..." Whether or not an apology was really necessary, Rory felt compelled to offer one. This mess of a situation was not going to be fun to explain back at Beacon, to be sure...
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on January 24, 2018, 03:00:28 PM
Attempts to stem the bleeding from his mouth prevented Justice from having a solid response to Calen's comments. Not that there was any real need to validate him. It was foolish to think that Justice of all people would have that form of a relationship with this neanderthal. The issue was that Calen decided to walk straight into said pissed off neanderthal.

Walking toward the currently incapacitated boy, Justice attempted to take control of the situation. "Maud, he is in my charge. Put him down. Now." Justice shouted. He did not like to raise his voice, but it would take as much to get through to the beastly woman. Justice knew that he was in no shape to attempt to diffuse the situation physically, but hopefully commanding the dialogue would allow him to prevent further issues.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on January 25, 2018, 07:42:10 AM
Cami's attempt at reassuring them was far from convincing. Camelia merely kept her smile on, refusing to let her doubt show anywhere on her face. She'd try to gently pry it out of the singer later, possibly when Rory and such wouldn't be so close by. The wince of pain that fell through her employer's mask did nothing to reassure her.

Her smile still on, after Rory, she said "Anyway, we're glad you're okay." before embracing Cami in a brief hug, during which she whispered at her ear "Mind saying what really happened later?" after which she took her previous position besides her leader, the same smile still present on her features.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on January 27, 2018, 05:12:43 AM
Expecting a violent outburst Calen had readied himself to use his semblance to carry himself to safety. Unfortunately the speedster underestimated the sheer ferocity Gaud was capably of and found himself caught in the tribe woman's grip before he could even think to react. Being slammed against wall did a lot to drop Calen's improved mood considering at least Rory's reaction as well as giving him a minor concussion. Not that a concussion was needed for Calen's mouth to run faster than it was appropriate. 'I appreciate the invitation Miss Gaud but I've never bee..' Calen began, interrupted by Gaud's snarling accusations. Trying his hardest to put on a bored expression, made significantly more difficult by the shock and fear that Calen was feeling as the situation escalated, as the mad woman finished her condemnation of his bodyguard skills.

Finally given an opportunity to explain himself Calen began. 'I was part of the collection of hunters-in-training who were signed to help protect Cami Unis as she made her way around these towns.' Calen began, reasonably proud how level he managed to keep his voice even as his mind kept regurgitating all the ways this could go wrong. His left hand helped stabilise himself on Gaud's own arm while his right dropped down to where he hid his throwing knives. 'My name is Calen, Calen Shrike and don't worry about what happened on the road. It's dealt with, there is no need for you to drag the dissolved corpses of Grimm into this alley as well.' Calen lied, not really able to keep his voice level but he hoped it was interpreted more from the stress of the situation than his bold faced lie.

Calen made a sound like a cross between a gag and a squeak at Justices declaration of protection. Looking like the gaunt boy was going to add something more about how he could take care of himself the reality of the situation kept Calen's mouth closed on that front. Instead Calen followed Justice's lead and tried to defuse the situation in his own way.
'It looks like the party is all ready to move out and I believe Rory has decided to stay behind this time.' Calen remarked turning at least his head towards Justice. 'Is there anything you want to do in town before we leave?' Despite putting on a brave face it's clear the Calen is quite fearful in this situation.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on January 27, 2018, 01:04:51 PM
CALEN JUSTICE
Spoiler: ShowHide
Gaud leered her eyes at Calen, comtemplating what to do with him. She had no ability to detect lies and at the moment she had better things to do then determine if they were true or not. Her gaze fell back on Justice, she was not one to be told what to do, especially not from someone she barely met who raised their voice at her. But her eyes rested somewhere between Justice and his violin. She unceremoniously dropped Calen, had it been anyone else that tried that the results would not have been the same. Without another word Gaud walked out the alley and in the direction of the gate, presumably to Navo.




RORY CAMELIA
Spoiler: ShowHide
"I didn't think helping these villages would be so complicated...Thank you so much for putting up with me" said Cami in an apolegitc way. With a smile she accepted Camelia's hug, which faded away once the embrace ended. "Ehehehe..." she blushed with a fake laugh "Well I'm sure I'll have plenty to talk about with who ever's staying behind" she said hoping Camelia would accept that for an answer.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on January 30, 2018, 07:58:29 AM
The important thing, Rory supposed, was that for the moment Cami was safe... though, honestly, he was still trying to decide if Anov was really better for her to be than Vona. Thusfar the lecher in charge seemed to be the worst of things, at least as human matters were concerned, though the defense of this farming haven was another matter. He was already imagining himself back outside the gates, facing down a dozen or more stark-white Beowolves, and it was hard not to think that his chances were... well... grim. Still, this is what he'd been trained for -- and if he lost a fight when so much was on the line he knew he'd never hear the end of it from VCVS. He and Juno hadn't been through all those sparring matches for nothing, after all.

Mind coming back around to the present, Rory gave Cami a weary smile. "It looks like that'll be me. Don't worry -- if there's trouble I'll hold that gate no matter what comes." Stepping closer and dropping his voice to a half-whisper, he added. "Just keep an eye out for Master Vita... I think he's the real monster we ought to worry about in Anov."
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on February 07, 2018, 10:34:16 AM
Just as he was close to getting a read on the beastly woman, this blithering idiot had to come in and set her off. As she dropped the boy and left, Justice only paused for a brief second before walking back toward the singer and his more sensible charges. It seemed that most of everyone in this area was devoid of an objective sense of reason. Justice was rather perturbed, and it showed in his face. His stoic expression had a noticeable scowl to it. He gripped his walking stick in his hand, no longer tapping it along the ground as he walked. The day had truly set him aside in an emotional level.

Upon arriving back at the group, he looked over the three of them. "It appears that Miss Gaud will not be joining us for the remainder of this trip. Miss Cami, I must ask what happened to you on the way over." he said, the enthusiasm drained from his voice. He paid no heed to the jovial nature of the group before his arrival. They had a mission to do, and he would rather it get done as quickly as possible given their current situation.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on February 12, 2018, 01:40:20 PM
Camelia craned her head around when she heard somebody approaching. Oh, hey, it's Justice. And he seemed... heavily pertubed. Her fainted almost completely. The tone of his voice only cemented her perception, the smile dropping completely at that point. She walked right up to him and, stopping beside him, whispered low enough that only he could hear "Should I give you a hug, too?"

Yes, she did just return his advice. Half-jokingly, mind you, in an attempt to make him cheer up, even if only a little.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on February 27, 2018, 07:36:51 PM
'So whats the plan now guys? Navo?' Calen asked rubbing his throat with a gloved hand. Although his aura still held being gripped so tightly wasn't exactly the most pleasant experience and left a painful kink in the gaunt boy's neck. Speaking of the altercation Calen watched out of the corner of his eyes Gaud storm off and as she got out of sight visibly relaxed and glanced back towards Justice. It seemed like his fellow in black was as keen to get back on to the road as the rest of them although Calen still bristled at being ignored. Stranger still was Camelia walking right up to Justice talking under her breath whether it was because of adrenaline rush from Gaud or something else Calen's mind quickly became a whirl of possibilities. Calen let out a soft chuckle.

'Might be worth gathering as many as you can around the still functioning guns, Grimm can sense fear which is bound to be present after they lost one of their weapons but that doesn't mean they will know where the gap is. Worse comes to worse you could even use it as a funnel if numbers are the problem. Take care though, it wasn't the easiest thing getting Cami here, I'd be disappointed if it was all for nothing.' Calen contined, his sly grin finally regrowing after the day he'd had. Doesn't look like it will let up soon. Calen thought to himself darkly.

Drawing his sword and morphing it into it's glaive form Calen started twirling the beautiful staff, half out of boredom and half to signify he was ready to move on.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on March 21, 2018, 08:50:57 AM
"It appears that Miss Gaud will not be joining us for the remainder of this trip. Miss Cami, I must ask what happened to you on the way over."
"...I'm not really sure what happend either. Someone shot at us and scared my horse that threw me off. Please be careful, Grimm might not be the only danger out there, and please bring back Gaud...again" she said the last part with a joking smile.She faced towards Rory addressing him "So it'll be just you and me!".

Welcome to chapter 2 of Songs, heres something that might interest you
Spoiler: ShowHide
(https://i.imgur.com/QIbtjzI_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium)


Continue on to see her friend!
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on March 27, 2018, 06:24:17 PM
(OOC: First off, HUGE thanks to you Ord -- the artist you commissioned to draw Rory did a truly outstanding job, and I think I'm still picking my jaw back up off the floor from seeing the finished product. Looks like he did a great job on Cami as well, and can't wait to see how Gaud looks!)


Well, the group was all back together now, if only briefly.

Justice, he couldn't help but notice, seemed... well, grumpy might've been an understatement and a half. In the brief time he'd gotten to know the upperclassman Rory hadn't seen him approach anything you might describe as 'jovial' unless he was contentedly poking and prodding at someone's thoughts and behaviors, so it wasn't unexpected. Still, his expression suggest a mood most foul indeed. Hopefully that didn't end up attracting any Grimm once they left the safety of the walls... though, in all honesty, he'd almost feel bad for the Beowolves if Justice crossed their path in such a state. But... why? Rory had the distinct feeling he'd missed something, a notion reaffirmed as Calen rejoined them massaging his throat.

The shieldbearer's thoughts turned abruptly as Cami mentioned being shot at, his expression briefly twisting in horror. It was hard not to assume Vona was behind that, but the idea that they might retaliate against an unarmed civilian on a goodwill mission -- let alone one with Cami's reputation -- was disturbing to the extreme. That thought was still sinking in as he absorbed Calen's advice, nodding along in numb agreement.

"... Makes sense. Hopefully at least a few villagers have personal weapons to contribute if -- scratch that, when -- the Grimm start probing the defenses." He paused, considering what other options might be available. "I have a few other ideas, but I'll have to see what there is to work with. In any case," He turned to Cami, mustering a reassuring smile that dimly reflected her own. "I promise, Anov will hold. I'll make sure you and the people here are safe, one way or another."

"Stay safe out there," He tapped the edge of his goggles. "And stay in touch if you can. I downloaded some old topographical maps of the area before we left Beacon that might still be useful; I'll send them to Calen's Scroll before you head out."

It was probably too much to hope that things would be quiet and uneventful until the replacement gun could be retrieved... time would tell what troubles awaited the students next.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on March 31, 2018, 05:36:44 PM
Despite Camelia's attempts, Justice was in no less of a foul mood. Justice stared daggers into Calen as soon as he opened his mouth. It was not enough that he had kept from being sated in his curiosity, but now he does not even have the courtesy to shut his damn mouth for five minutes. "It is times such as these that truly test a man's patience...Miss Cami, I will get your friend back. Although, I will advise against returning to Vona for the time being. Considering the conditions, we may have to delay your performance for safety concerns." Justice said, the contempt in his voice showing that he would not be easily swayed in this matter.

He had had enough of this area, the people in it, and the lack of reason. Trying to get this girl through safely was similar to teaching apes poetry, it would be a lot simpler if anyone had higher functioning brains. Alas, he had to deal with a girl who wouldn't know a difficult day if she were hit by a bus, a primitive woman whose solution for everything from boredom to personal safety involves assault or attempted manslaughter, two children who are so blinded by the possibility of being a hero they are stumbling over each other to make heroic sacrifices, another child who thinks a smart mouth can make up for a lack of forward thinking, two leaders with their heads firmly up their own asses, and no tea left in his damn thermos.

Justice took a deep breath and started walking in the direction of Navo. This day was going to be longer still.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on March 31, 2018, 10:22:22 PM
Camelia listened to the others as they spoke up, still somewhat concerned by Justice's decidedly negative mood. Not that she could help it, really; he didn't seem like the type to talk, which left her no opportunity to act other than wait for him to open up. Which, while not impossible, certainly seemed unlikely.

After some brief exchanges, they set out. The older suit-clad Hunter-in-training departed without further notice, taking Camelia somewhat by surprise. She started walking and rapidly waved goodbye to the folks staying behind before turning to face forward and taking out Orion. Since things, unfriendly ones, were very obviously out here.

When she'd caught up to Justice, she slowed down a bit to match his pace and whispered "I know this probably isn't your style but you can talk to me if you feel like it, any time." before devoting her senses to the surroundings, half-expecting to see the rest of the journey as a quiet one, bar either external intervention or Calen motormouthing.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on April 01, 2018, 09:42:42 PM
Calen could feel the tension rising in the group, the things unsaid clawing for a way out. It felt marvelous. Waving goodbye to Rory as he ran off to reclaim his horse then trotted back to the group Calen called out to Rory. 'Don't only play defensive however, make sure you keep a retreat path open and it will help if outnumbered. If doesn't matter if there are twice as many grimm as you have able bodies if you isolate and destroy the smaller packs. Regardless take care and the best of luck Master Rory, you to Miss Gaud.'

It was long outside the town before Calen started to get bored. 'So what did you guys do to pass the time between the last two towns? I spy? Anyone capable of keeping a chess board in there head?' Calen asked striding ahead of the group thanks to his four legged friend. A beep sounded from Calen's scroll as Rory's maps arrived, giving them a brief looking over he held his scroll up, shaking it, offering it to whomever wanted to read then tossing it upon assent.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on April 14, 2018, 12:12:39 PM
"You two follow me" as the conversation died down a ragged looking guard approached Cami and Rory and lead them back to the gate facing the forest. The guard came to a stop at a thick wooden hut of a guard post that served as part of the wall "You'll stay here until your friends come back" the guard instructed simply and dissapeared opposite their post to a similar looking one.
The room had minimal ameninities, a chair facing a window outside, a bed in a corner, a plain looking desk in the center, and a bell presumably in case of emergencies decorated the room.  Cami leaned her guitar case up against a wall, fell atop the bed and let out a tired sigh. This wasn't supposed to be so confusing, wondering how the situation came to be she reminded herself of something happy and asked Rory "So how was Gaud? You met her right?



Justice, Camelia, and Calen (plus his stolen horse). The rocky path looked exactly the same as the road that first lead them to Vona. A wall of earth stood to their left making navigation easy, as long as the group followed it, it was impossible to have gotten lost. Every now and then a break in the ground or obstacles stood in the way requring slight detours but otherwise nothing hostile approached the group.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on April 14, 2018, 05:45:02 PM
So... this was what he had to work with. Given the way the guard responded it looked like any chance of asking the villagers for help was basically out of the question. That certainly put a damper on things, but what could really be done? It seemed unlikely that Vita would have spared anyone or anything regardless...

He was just starting to make a mental list of what he did have on his side when Cami's voice reached his ears. Gaud. Would it ever be helpful to have her here right now. "We did, yeah." He leaned against the wall, glancing at Cami as he spoke but trying to keep an eye on the window. "She's a talented fighter... seems like she cares about you a lot, too." Better, he thought, not to mention the ambush in the mist and how Gaud's distinct approach to combat scared him almost as much as the albino Beowolves had. "...I'm sure she's doing what she can for these villages, in her own way." He added after a moment's thought.

"So, how did you two meet, anyway?" Remembering back to her fascination with music and the effect that Justice's violin had on her, Rory had his suspicions about what common threads bound these two women together.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on April 14, 2018, 11:15:07 PM
Thankfully for the travelling students, Justice had enough time to clear his head before Calen decided to speak up once more. While he did appreciate the gesture from Camelia, it would have been pointless to try and explain the intricacies of psychological field study to one who does not have a base knowledge of the art. "Alas, we did not. Rather, we listened to a bit of music. I think it would be fairly useful for the trip ahead. Wouldn't you agree?" Justice said. He generally hoped for a few outcomes to go in his favor.

Playing music would hopefully draw out Gaud. Being ambushed would end well for any of them, and Justice was going to give himself an aneurysm if he kept his semblance up much longer. Also, a small signal to the town of Vona could serve as a way to not be shot. Considering the temperament of this area, it would be equally likely that it would bring more fire upon them. Justice retrieved his violin, stowing his walking stick away for the time being.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on April 18, 2018, 01:15:59 PM
Camelia kept walking alongside Calen, more or less vaguely keeping tabs on the conversation at hand while most of her focus remained on her surroundings. The mention of having some live music for the trip did manage to make her glance at Justice for some time, though.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on April 19, 2018, 09:02:37 PM
'Yes Master Justice give us something heart pumping, something inspiring. Make us feel like gallant heroes riding atop their noble steeds doing battle against the darkness. Doomed perhaps as the darkness is never ended and they are few .... romantic right?' Calen responded grinning widely. Having already had a few hours in the saddle Calen was quickly remembering all the lessons from his childhood. And the mount was responsive enough, clearly more used to farm work but it had clearly had some training, maybe it was a show horse or eventer perhaps? Swapping between prancing and trotting as well as a normal walk Calen was clearly getting antsy. Even on foot the speedster despised keeping a slow pace but with such a power animal beneath him it was getting intolerable. 'How about I scout on ahead? It would be a pity to walk into another ambush.' Calen asked not really waiting for a response and already took off at a quick gallop.

The gaunt boy didn't want to go into the next town alone so he doubled back and spent some time scouting out the areas close to the road. Finding a fair supply of wild greens and game Calen was in a good mood as he trotted back into view with a brace of three large hares laid behind his saddle and pack filled with the bounties of the forest.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on April 24, 2018, 12:30:53 PM
CAMELIA JUSTICE CALEN
As the group traveled, no creatures hostile or not seemingly approached the group. The landscape similalry remained unchanged with nothing notable to consider, except for Calen who scouted ahead. Fresh circular blast marks were seen throughout the area, indicating a battle that happend not too long ago by someone using explosives.

RORY
Spoiler: ShowHide
"Well to explain that i'd have to explain where Gaud and I came from" Cami began to explain retelling the story she told Calen. "In our tribe Amandla I wasn't cut out to be a fighter. I can't make an aura, I'm not good with guns, and I always end up hurting myself with a weapon. For a long time I thought myself as a failure because everyone else saw me as one too" Cami explained with a sad expression, but despite this she still grinned. "But one day a bard named Astir Ripen came to Amandla and everyone mocked him. Amandla doesn't treat outsiders very well and even less so when they can't fight. But even when no one would listen to him Astir would always be playing music, if he wasn't eating, he was playing, if he wasn't sleeping he was playing. Anything not related to fighting was seen as a waste of time so no one ever stopped to listen. But I did, I was the only one who sat and listened to him play, from when the sun came up to when it came down. Eventually I couldn't help it, I asked Astir to teach me how to play his guitar. And I did! I learned so fast Astir was amazed, he said it was as if I was meant to play. It was the first time in my life good about myself about something!" Cami beamed at the memory and caught herself as if she remembered something. "Bear with me a little bit I'll get to your question eventually" she said realizing she'd ended up telling her life story from Rory's simple question.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on May 05, 2018, 02:57:09 PM
Rory nodded along attentively while Cami explained things to him. He could certainly relate -- in his own way, he was a "failure" as a combatant as well. Even though he could generate an Aura it stubbornly refused to support him offensively, and thought he could swing a sword or fire a gun his ability with such things was basic, at best. Sometimes it seemed like life, and even his own soul, were determined to make him a human punching bag... and keep him that way. "I completely respect where you're coming from, Cami. I know how hard it can be not fitting in, to feel unwanted... and how vital it can be to find something that's truly yours in life." He smiled at her, just a hint of sadness finding its way into his expression. "Please, continue."
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on May 07, 2018, 04:45:29 PM
Things were just as Justice had feared. It was obvious to him that Gaud was loose in the forest, probably slaughtering everything between the cities. While her combative abilities are well developed, her recklessness could cause her to be caught off-guard. He began playing once more, the song that he had played previously. He purposefully stood far from his two charges as possible. If Gaud was in the emotional state he thought she was in, things had the possibility of getting somewhat explosive.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on May 08, 2018, 06:42:36 AM
As Calen went off ahead on his own for a while, Camelia more or less just watched him go off before returning to her surveillance routine. With a horse, try as she might, he was outside her intervention range. All she could top was wish him a safe moment away.

Later, as Justice began to draw away, Camelia nearly started to try and catch up before realizing that he hadn't just sped up, but was merely putting distance between them. Why, though? First thing that came to mind was just to get away, but then he would've just sped up. It was sorta contradictory to the music he was playing as well. Oh, perhaps it was because of the music? Was he walking a bit ahead to put distance between the source of the sound and the rest of his team, in case of an attack?

Camelia concluded that it was entirely likely and, as a result, redoubled her efforts to keep watch for dangers, especially ones headed for Justice.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on May 08, 2018, 10:23:42 PM
'Doesn't look like there is much ahead. Although there looks like there was a pretty big scrap ' Calen remarked as he dismounted handing the reigns to Camelia. 'Perhaps you and Master Justice should ride, I can use my semblance to keep up and we should try to keep as quick a pace as possible... unless there is a reason why you guys are walking apart?' Pulling a few of the greens out of his saddle bags Calen starts chewing and stretching, getting ready for the long run ahead.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Ordelis on May 22, 2018, 02:01:59 PM
CALEN JUSTICE CAMELIA
From the distance the tall wooden gate of a village could be seen. Though it was hard to tell because the gate was built within the mouth of a huge cave. The barrel of a gun could be seen sticking out of a hole right atop the gate. "Who are you? State your name and business" barked a voice coming from the hole.

RORY
Spoiler: ShowHide
"For a long time I just practiced playing the guitar by myself. I played in the ruins of some destroyed buildings where no one could find or hear me. But whenever I would play every now and then I couldn't help but feel someone was watching me. For the longest time it scared me, I thought someone would one day come and take away my treasure and tell me to I could never play again. I couldn't explain it but I just knew someone was nearby and it would only happen when I was playing. It made me not want to play, that feeling of not knowing what they wanted or what they were going to do. But one day they gave them self away. I heard a crashing noise from nearby, like something falling, I went to look what it was and you can figure out who it is right!?"   she said excitedly. "It was Gaud falling asleep standing up!" Cami said giggling at the memory. "Can you believe it she fell asleep falling down and still didn't wake up! Everyone in the village knew who Gaud was but she and I were so different and we'd never talked before I was so confused"
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Riven on June 03, 2018, 04:14:55 PM
Rory blinked, surprised. Gaud just... just fell asleep from the music? He immediately thought back to earlier, when Justice had played his violin as they'd exited the fog-shrouded valley area, and had to admit that it made perfect sense. So music -- or at least live music -- had some sort of affect on Gaud. Was it just that soothing to her? Maybe it was less soothing, per say, and more that music itself just had some sort of amplified effect on her. Would an aggressive, fierce piece of music carry her into a battle fury? Would a somber piece draw her to tears? If so... if so, then that was information he needed to keep to himself.

The notion that someone as strong as Gaud could, essentially, be manipulated by song was harrowing. At the very least, there was some proof that it wasn't just Cami's playing that had an influence. Putting himself in Gaud's shoes, the idea that someone could play with his mind so easily was chilling. Definitely not something to tell Justice then... assuming he hadn't already worked it out for himself. Damn.

"That's... wow. I've never heard of someone being so effected by music before." He was genuinely floored by what Cami was describing. "I imagine the conversation after she woke up was... awkward? Lively?"
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Mikelobmike on June 06, 2018, 10:22:43 AM
Justice promptly ignored Calen's remarks as they moved closer to the city. There may be a chance that he stops talking if he realizes that nobody is listening. Justice continued walking toward the large wall as he saw the gun poke out of one of the holes. It was not the first time he was shot today, so he could not muster more than a quiet indignation at the prospect. "We are the security detail for Ms. Unis. We would like permission to enter the city to confirm details of the performance and look for Ms. Gaud." he said, keeping his violin resting on his shoulder.

He took the smallest of steps he could manage while trying not to be noticed and attempted to position himself in between Camelia and the door. The list of outcomes played out in his head, and he figured proper positioning would be necessary if things were to become violent again.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: nathan67003 on June 11, 2018, 08:37:56 PM
Camelia took the reigns Calen handed her out of nowhere, albeit befuddled as to what she should do with them. She heard Calen's question, though. And chose to let Justice answer it, if he even did. Turns out, he didn't.

When a firearm's barrel poked out of the wall they'd been steadily approaching, Camelia's pace slowed to a crawl, moving forward with her hands open, palms facing forward, at shoulder height, reigns still held onto by her right thumb. And while she certainly appreciated Justice's apparent concern for her well-being, she wondered why exactly he'd put himself between the gun and the only person on the team that carried a shield. Sure, he was a third year and she was a first year, seniors and juniors etc. but it still felt weird and unexplained to her.
Title: Re: Songs of Peril [Closed]
Post by: Kingnoname1 on June 12, 2018, 02:59:19 AM
A little put out that no one took up the horse Calen did at least get some enjoyment of watching Camelia awkwardly hold on to them for the rest of their journey. A few times Calen almost wanted to put the poor girl out of her misery but then the gaunt boy would notice something else humourous about the whole situation. Near the end of the trek mercy did eventually win out and Calen mounted up for the last leg of their journey, trying his hand at more intermediate ridding skills like smoothly swapping from a trot to a canter to a full gallop, pacing seemed a bit too far for a small town horse but Calen's mind was already a wash with the benefits of a well trained horse.

As the three finally came to the town came up behind his two companions. 'If those craters back there where caused by that gun we should probably try our best to make good first impressions, meaning if one of us gets all slobbered over by a village elder it might be worth taking one for the team.' Calen whispered mostly joking. Seeing Justice inch forward Calen was about to add something more but thought better of it and simply dismounted and waited for a response.