The Hunting Grounds III - Second Most Dangerous Game

[UncleWolf]

Tundra

Even though the shadow magic isn't as strong as it should be, and neither is the disintegration spell, between those two and the high powered gun, the Virage is brought to it's knees, gaping holes in the main body and an empty socket where the main eye had been. The remaining hand rests on the ground, supporting the upper body, but it doesn't appear that it is going to get back up. Instead, the hide it has starts to slowly turn to stone, hardening and stiffening the entire creature. It seems that it is incapable of fighting anymore, even if the true lethality of those attacks cannot be measured at this time. There is still some flicker of power coming from the creature, even as it turns into stone.

[Darkcomet]

[Tundra]

"Don't declare victory just yet. Scans from our surveyor craft up there say it is still putting out a power signature, if a weak one, and considering it was smart enough to target me instead of anyone actually trying to fight it at the time, I am under the impression this is no simple monster. Therefore," N'alae begins, backing off and keeping the rifle pointed at the gaping hole where the Virage's central eye once was.

"If there are no objections, and to be blunt, probably even if there are, I'm going to make sure it stays down." She delays, although if anyone ELSE decides to do the same thing she'll fire. Because obviously there's a consensus there and she won't really need to argue.

But she'd rather not shoot first and start a fight.

[Fenric]

[Tundra]

Keiko drifts to the ground: her black aura fades and her eyes stop glowing as she solidifies once more.

Yeah, sure: blow the stupid ugly thing's head off already. We don't need it regenerating and coming after us again.

then she heads over to Leah

You ok?

[Recaiden]

[Tundra]

Leah picks herself up, watching the slowly petrifying monster.

"Just barely, yeah. I couldn't do a thing to it."

Looks quickly to N'''''alae and nods.

"Heh. Sorry for zapping you too when you jumped on it."

[Deathkeeper]

Tundra

Jace lets out a long breath, reaching up to put a hand comfortingly under Zebes' chin.
"No objections, Ma'am. Put it down." he says.

[Darkcomet]

[Tundra]

BOOM, headshot.

Not much else to say here. Let's see if a simple high-tech-excessively-brutal anti-materiel rifle can finish the job!

[UncleWolf]

Tundra

The final shot makes the beast slump forward as the last of the life leaves it. The process of turning to stone stops and it crumbles away to gravel. After the monster fades away, there's a series of items left behind, a reward for beating the Virage.

There are five items, one for each of the combatants. A cloak of grey leathery material, a ring with a small green eye set in it, an eyepatch of similar design, a long staff topped by one of the claws, and finally a pair of gauntlets fitted with the same series of claws that the monster had.

(The cloak acts as wings, the ring enhances natural healing and offers regeneration of limbs over a week's time, the eyepatch can restore sight to an eye and gives the user innate knowledge of whether or not someone or something is draconic, the staff regenerates any damage done to it as well as being stronger than steel, and the gauntlets help deflect magical attacks)

[Fenric]

Tundra

Keiko looks the items over

Huh. The staff is kinda nifty... not much use for the rest.

[Recaiden]

[Tundra]

Leah shakes her head.
"I will take whatever's left."

[Deathkeeper]

Tundra

One quick magical examination later, Jace and Zebes take the cloak and the ring. The latter will get slipped onto Zebes' tail due to his paws being a bit tiny for it.
"And now to just figure out how to get this thing to activate. And get it dyed. Gray is a terrible color for me." Jace jokes.

[Darkcomet]

[Tundra]

N'alae picks up the...eyepatch? "I...I don't get this. I am not under the impression anyone is missing any eyes...does anyone know what this is for?" It's probably rather amusing to see the Union's number two bewildered by something like that. "I honestly have no idea."

[Fenric]

[Tundra]

Keiko looks at her new staff

Ok... I got a stick with a claw on the end... but I'm still hungry!

[Recaiden]

[Tundra]

Leah chuckles at N'alae.
"Eyepatches aren't for people who've lost an eye."

Then she goes to pick up the gauntlets and try them on, nodding slowly.

[BlackCoatedMan]

[Cold Northern Forest - Night]

BCM stops dead in his tracks. He knew he was in a place called the hunting grounds. As for what he was doing in such a dangerous pace, he had no idea. In fact, the situation he was in felt ridiculous to him. He was alone, where anything could possibly attack for any combination of reasons while he had not even set up any form of self defense as a planeswalker. He berates himself with a double facepalm.

After that internal shenanigan he then opens himself to his mana and spells. "Hmn..." he murmured, luck was not for or against him this time. One after the other, rips through space form around BCM. One looked like there was a swamp on the other side. Another looked like there was a yard of filth on the other side. Lastly there was one where it looked like there was a stockpile of dead warriors and weapons.

He then drew mana from the swamp rift and from thin air there was a multitude or rats surrounding him. These were typhoid rats. He then stood in place. He did not know his reason for being here, but gut instinct tells him that he would meet someone here. A woman, if he was lucky... then again, with where he was, it might not be so lucky...

[Aric Kale]

Cold Northern Forest

Amidst the black mana, a dark portal opens up and outs steps a silhouette of a woman.
No, wait...it is a woman, utterly black, with silver eyes and nails. Her figure is appealing, but similar to Mystique, with no distinguishable openings.

She radiates evil, necrotic, and dark energy. Within her right hand, she clutches a spear. Not a particularly long weapon, only six feet tall, but next to her five-seven frame, it appears more menacing.

Dark one, serve me and I shall grant you greater power! She commands.
It would seem that she holds herself in high esteem.

[BlackCoatedMan]

[Cold North Forest - Night] (forgot the location tag earlier)

As he sees the figure of the woman, his mind immediately jumps to a thought. After wasting a quarter of a second on juvenile thoughts, he then pays attention to the actual ramifications of the woman's presence. It looked like she was a Black Planeswalker, if not, something eerily similar. She was doing well with her shot at intimidation, given that she was a full two inches taller than him. Unfortunately all that visual output just led to an awkward thought for BCM.

However, aside from her looks, what she said was more important. If she could truly make him more powerful, he'd kneel down right this second. However, no self-respecting creature would bend knee without proof. He'd have to test if this woman's words were true or just bravado. He'd also have to check if she was sane... Sad as it was too admit, with great power came great insanity.

Finally, though in her perspective immediately, he spoke, "Prove it!"

He jumps backwards to gain distance and tries to obstruct her vision of him behind the snow-covered trees. It isn't much to hope for, but maybe her living flesh might also be weakened by the cold. His Typhoid Rats, scatter as well, looking for an opportunity to bite.

Another rip in space opens to a swamp. BCM expends two mana to summon Pack Rat. With the typoid rats around, it becomes a little tougher. He expends one more mana, and directs a spell at the woman. It should disrupt her thoughts a bit.

[Aric Kale]

Cold Northern Forest

)(Keep in mind, since I'm not a planeswalker, I don't use cards [probably wouldn't anyways], but I'll do my best to describe my moves and actions.)(

Solana looks blankly at the rats.
How can you give diseases to the darkness? How can one infect evil?

It is of little concern to the Nightwalker.* Her dark flesh suffers small bites from the rodents that cling to her legs, but with a wave of her spear, Necrotic energy arcs out seeking to turn these rats undead and subjugate them to her will.

Unfortunately, his spell works well enough that any rats she manages to transform will not immediately follow her...still, undead rats are never pleasant.

*I've taken some artistic license from the Nightwalkers. Here's a rough idea of her abilities, but I've changed her to be more magical/necromantic.

[BlackCoatedMan]

[Cold Northern Forest Night]
((I'm using cards so as to add randomness to my character's RP. I'm using an app to shuffle my deck, draw seven cards and one draw per turn after. Also gives a somewhat clear definition of his limits as a planeswalker.))

Great his typhoid rats just died. He taps into the power of one of the lands he left unused. The typhoid rats regenerate and immediately makes distance between them and the nightshade. looks like he'll have to stall for time until he can make his pack rat stronger.

BCM's turn...

He opens another rip in space to a land. He then taps Mutavault, Shizo, and a swamp to cast another pack rat at the expense of a spell, Victim of Night. His two pack rats are a bit pumped, but BCM did not yet feel confident in their power to take down the nightshade. Looks like he will have to use himself as bait. He stops hiding and reveals his location to her. However he is running around, never keeping still.

((He has five lands in play. Two of which are untapped. For use in response to whatever you do to BCM or his rats.))

[Aric Kale]

Cold Northern Forest

)(How big/powerful are these pack rats?)(

You wanted to see my power, no?
Well here, taste and see!
As the Nightshade speaks, she reaches out in front of her with her empty hand and summons three blades of solidshade, an element similar in concept to hardlight, and casts them at BCM.

They should damage like normal swords, but the planeswalker might be able to absorb them, since they are pure darkness. Keep in mind, these have no hilts or handles...just sharpness.
Oh, there's also quite a bit of force behind these weapons. Enough to make the trees shudder from the impact, to say the least.

[BlackCoatedMan]

[Cold Northern Forest]
((Think of it this way. A regular soldier has a power and toughness of 1/1. My typhoid rats as a whole is 1/1. Pack Rat has the power and toughness equal to the number of rats in play on my side. There are 3 rats here now. One 1/1 'Typhoid rats', and two 3/3 'Pack Rat'.))

BCM stands there and takes the blades. He makes sure that it pierces him thoroughly enough. He then taps into his remaining lands to harness some black mana. He then pulsates this mana alongside his mental fortitude into the blades hoping to forcibly take control of them. Still, he was pierced thoroughly so it does damage him. If one were to look closely though, he was not bleeding.

BCM's turn... ((Down to 14 life))

He taps in to the mana of two swamps to cast Mire's Toll and Duress to try keeping her off balance. He taps into his remaining lands for the mana to summon a third pack rat. As for the banter, he can't really afford to reply due to having just been used as a triple sword sheath.

[Aric Kale]

Cold Northern Forest

)(Alrighty, thanks for letting me know.)(

I'm unsure how these cards should affect Solana, since they both require her to reveal her cards...
Hmm, how about if I reveal some tricks?

BCM will be able to sense that she is not all that durable, if struck by the right thing...such as one of the swords that he just took over...or light. Light and Positive energy work well against her.

So, either use her opposites, or overpower her where she's strongest. That is how to defeat Solana.

There's that. She'll use this turn to summon full battle armor, cladding herself in solidshade from head to toe.
Also, a portal opens behind her, but nothing enters or exits just yet.

[BlackCoatedMan]

[Cold Northern Forest]
((Mire's Toll and Duress not only reveals but discards. Kinda hoped to use it to disrupt spells she planned on using. But yeah, info is good.))

BCM smiles. Looks like he was able to stop her full offensive. His new blades are now floating near him, ready to defend. He taps into all of his mana except for swarmyard. He summons a Prickly Boggart to his side and then removes a spell to cast the fourth pack rat. They should be pretty beastly now ((5/5)). One more rat and he'll be on the offensive. Now he can banter.

"You're pretty powerful, I'll admit. But what's your end game!?" If it was to rule the world, he could deal with that, there are many worlds anyway. If it was inane, pointless destruction then they had nothing more to say to each other.

[Aric Kale]

Cold Northern Forest

)(Hmm, that probably would've made more sense...)(

Solana laughs. It's a cold, mocking sound, born of one of Aric_Kale's characters.*
Puny, trivial creature...who said anything about goals? I enjoy wanton destruction...I would not mind conquering the world, but if it freezes over before I have the chance, I'll find a new one.

She summons two wights from beyond the portal, they're about 3/3, since they're fully armored and equipped with solidshade daggers.
The creatures lunge for BCM's rats, aiming to stab the rats and then drain their lives away. Such is the nature of wights.

The Necromancer attempts to hit the boggart with a beam of Necrotic energy fired from her spear. It could easily be dodged, but if it hits, the monster may turn undead and switch sides.

*Oddly enough, very few--if any--of my characters have long term goals...it's just not the way I play. Not in my mindset.
I react and create stories, but I don't look for a foreseeable end. It ends whenever, usually in death, but I don't even know what my characters truly desire.

[BlackCoatedMan]

[Cold Northern Forest - Night]

It was inane, pointless destruction after all. Not because of insanity but from what he just heard, self-indulgence. Here I thought you were so beautiful... who knew ya would be uglier than gluttonous pig." he says, no longer enamored by her.

He sets two of the blades he took over to block the wights. One sword per wight. The last would bounce back and forth between the two for damage and confusion. BCM orders the Prickly Boggart not to dodge the necrotic energy. It hits the boggart, after it dies but before it becomes undead, BCM directs a spell, Tragic Slip towards Solana. This should inflict some damage.

He sacrifices another spell and taps three mana to summon the fifth pack rat. With five pack rats and a typhoid rat. The five pack rats should all be at 6/6. Barring the one he just summoned, due to summoning sickness, he makes four 6/6 pack rats lunge for Solana. Hopefully she'll still underestimate them and die for it. With the combined power of tragic slip and pack rat, Solana should be quite damaged.

[Aric Kale]

Cold Northern Forest

)(I'm trying to adopt some of your terms, but I've never played MTG, and combat is typically more freeform in the threads than this, so we'll see how everything goes.)(

BCM's spell does well, destroying Solana's armor with his damaging spell, but he'll regret leaving her wights alive, for two more join the fray...

The Necromancer uses her influence on all five of the undead on the field to increase their stats by 2/2. The undead boggart should be under her control, though that's up to you to decide. If he is, he'll attack his former master, while the two new wights, who are about 5/5 now, will act as a meat shield against BCM's rats. They're obviously going to die, but they may do some damage, and they'll buy time.

Solana will use this opportunity to take a few steps back and prepare a spell for the next round.
You may speak of me how you wish, but you must be ready to face the consequences, ratmaster...

[BlackCoatedMan]

[Cold Northern Forest - Night]

((Well, the limit of spells BCM can cast as well as the power and toughness of creatures serves to display the limits and power of BCM. As a planeswalker, just summoning things, like Phyrexian Obliterator, left and right may not be the best thing for roleplay. It does help if you use the power and toughness so I have a gauge of their power. But if you don't feel like doing it then that's ok, I'll just make a rough guess.))

BCM hopes that Solana's as tired as he was. He was already top-decking, meaning that he only had one spell available every few seconds ((turns)). With the spell that he got, he manipulated the blades to eviscerate the undead goblin into pieces. He then casts another Tragic Slip aimed at Solana.

As you say, the wights buy time but do little damage as they are swarming the wights. There are now 5 beefed up 6/6 pack rats, none had summoning sickness anymore, gunning for Solana. BCM also taps one mana to activate Mutavault, one of his lands, to become a 2/2 creature with all creature types to pump his pack rats even further to 7/7 as well as to function as a meat shield against the wights in front of him. It will likely die, since it was outnumbered. Similar to Solana, he used it to buy time for the next round.

"What price, my death or destruction? Believe me Wight Woman, there are far worse fates to fall prey to." He speaks like it comes from his own experience. He wondered briefly if he should be in any position to continue with the banter, he was wounded when his opponent was untouched.

[Aric Kale]

Cold Northern Forest

Oh my...7/7 rats, eh? Several of them too...

Sadly, her wights did not buy her enough time, so to cast her spell, she makes a daring move.
BCM will notice the Nightwalker's left arm fade into mist and form itself into a ball in front of the woman...she uses the energy from her removed arm to rush the spell and create a box of solidshade around her. The tragic slip will do some damage to the shield, but it should hold for this round.

You can say what happens to the wights attacking BCM. The wights attacking the pack rats are dead. And two more wights 3/3 enter from the portal behind her.

It would appear that the portal is starting to fade away though...Solana is losing concentration and can't keep up the supply of reinforcements for more than one more turn.
Still, who knows what she's cooking up inside of her box? It can't be good, that's for sure.

)(Sorry if I seem dodge happy, it's hard to tell exactly how much damage a 7/7 creature would deal...and I'm not fully sure if a purely physical creature would damage her. I'm gonna say they will, but since they're a beefed up swarm, I'm assuming letting them hit at their current strength would spell instant death.

Don't worry though, she'll leave a few toys for BCM before she leaves.)(

[BlackCoatedMan]

[Cold Northern Forest]

BCM assesses the situation. Behind Solana, there are two 3/3 wights. She herself was in a box of solidshade that had some damage on it. Near her were his five 6/6 pack rats now that his mutavault died defending BCM from two wights who I assume are 3/3 as well now.

BCM looks at the spell he drew this turn. It was Duress. He casts it at Solana, hoping to disrupt whatever she was planning. He manipulates the three solidshade swords he took over control of to clash with one of the wights attacking him. The other wight, he just grit his teeth and took a hit. ((He is down to 11, around almost half-health)) BCM's body that he was using wasn't alive, so the wight shouldn't be able to drain any power from that hit.

As for the pack rats, they continue to gun for Solana, even if she was in a box of solidshade. They try to reach Solana before the new wights go and act as more meat shields. As for the lone Typhoid Rats, they are in the battlefield but stay clear of the fight, just being there to pump the power of the pack rats.

[Aric Kale]

Cold Northern Forest

So many foes, such little time...
Solana's wights fight without fear or any sign of letting up, even as spells and rats are thrown at their mistress.

Wait...
With that last barrage, the box shattered, and all of its remnants were sucked into a quickly collapsing portal, leaving the undead minions to fend for themselves.
BCM can hear a voice whispering just behind his ears as the portal draws to a close, You have not seen the last of me yet, boy...

In place of the Necromancer, a magnificent glaive of solidshade stands, balancing perfectly in the soil, with its blade facing the sky.

[BlackCoatedMan]

[Cold Northern Forest]

A cold sweat metaphorically goes down BCM's spine. The Nightshade woman, though not a planeswalker like himself, was a powerful necromancer he thought. Looks like he'll have to prepare for a future encounter. Stereotypically speaking, when someone says, 'You have not seen the last of me' then they typically have a large ego. An ego that BCM seems to have wounded.

Well, time to mop up the mess. He expends his spell that he drew and tapped his mana to summon a pack rat in front of him. The now 6 7/7 pack rats make short work of the leaderless undead minions. When that is done, BCM heads to the spot where the solidshade glaive stands. He then orders his typhoid rats to touch every inch of the weapon to check it. He will also try to sense any lingering dark magic that may be on the weapon.

If the weapon is safe from any traps, BCM will then pick it up.

((EDIT: Aric Kale PM'd me that the weapon is not booby trapped.))

With the weapon in his hand as well as the three blades of solidshade in his control, he gathers them up and transform them into a bunch of keys. He places these keys on a key ring on his waist. He then feels fatigue gnawing at his mind. Splintering his mind, even into just two, was a heavy toll. This body would also need repair. He undoes the mind splinter. He simultaneously switches his body from the Hunting Grounds and the Temple of Inari as well as planeswalking away his unbattered body to a place of his own.