VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

[Lord Magtok]

Outside the Base

All that's left to do now is point the sword downward and bury it in the hydra's head. Vog or not, it should be pretty easy to just plunge it in, right? It's not like this hydra is made of steel or anything. Just thrust it right between the eyes, and then stomp down on the crossguard to wedge it in further. That still leaves two more heads, but Calm Reed's probably got something planned for those, maybe. Or maybe she's going to just punch it to death with her bare hands somehow. I guess people can just do that when they're Exalted god-killing turbo monks or something.

[Shadowcaller]

[Commanders' Village]

That question seems to give the sorceress some pause. "Of no ability of my own I'm afraid. While eldritch is a craft with many applications I can't actually tap into invisible phenomena's and manipulate them any more than you can. However, I do happen to have a tool for that. You aren't the first one who've come to me asking if I can undo curses or other 'magical' effects so I've learned to adapt." Cessie pauses as she strokes her chin with her curved index finger. "Have you shown this to anyone else before? Do anyone know of it but you?"

Outside the Base

As Calm Reed runs up the hydra's spine there is suddenly a terrible roar.
Saint Laz has managed to plunge her oversized sword right in-between the eyes of one of the hydra's heads. Yet for a head that has been impaled by a blade, its moving an awful lot. Thrashing violently around as it roars.
If Saint Laz can hold on, the head will eventually just collapse on the ground and be still, but until then she is in for a ride.
The other heads seem to feel pain too, or just cringe as they see their follow head getting impaled like that. Whatever the case they're not taking this lightly. Both roar loudly and starts to move towards Saint Laz. But it seems the violent trashing the dying head is making has made it difficult for them to reach the knight. Instead, they decide to go for the next source of intense pain, namely the little humanoid that climbed up on their back.

When the monks fists strike the black body of the hydra again and again she will discover that the areas she hits actually start burning. Flames emerging from within the beasts body. At the same time, both heads are heading straight at her with gaping maws.

[Morty]

[Outside the Base]

The bursting flames will meet Calm Reed's swirling water anima, causing billows of steam to raise around the monk and the hydra. Calm Reed waits patiently as the maws close in on her, stepping slightly back and to the side so one of them comes at her just a bit sooner than the other. Then she'll move with the grace of a current sweeping towards the sea, trying to punch, grab and twist the hydra's neck to send the head crashing into the other one fangs-first.

[Rebonack]

[Vigil Tour]

Lazuli considers her options carefully.

She isn't really fuzzy right now.

Though she is something.

She could gobble up the caterpillar and learn how to be fuzzy from it.

But...

She doesn't want to throw up, either. While not fully sure of what that consists of, it doesn't sound like any fun at all.

Of course, eating something with big spines would probably be hard, too.

"Where would I find a hedgehog or a porcupine?" she asks.

[Earl of Purple]

Vigil Tour

"On the ground, under the base, I think. In some woods or along a hedge, I think. Though you don't need too much in that department; can you puff your scales up, roll into a ball and stuff?" If so, Lapis probably doesn't need a hedgehog to eat, just a bit of practice with her own new shape.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Commander's Village - Wenomir's House]

You'd have to be pretty silly to want to break into Vigil.

You'd have to be extra silly to want to break into the commander's house.

So guess what's being attempted tonight!

A slight figure in a tattered dark blue cloak stands underneath the giant floating island that is Vigil, standing apprehensively, as if waiting for a signal. With the moon out and shining brightly, it'd be a poor night for an infiltration, if not for a convenient fog drifting in from the west, seeded the night before by a crushed globe of magical ice, purchased last week from a Skyside vendor.

Well... It's now or never.

The figure reaches into a pocket and pulls out a small, tattered black feather, which she holds in her hand, cradling in a single palm extended out in front of her. A small spark, and the feather combusts with a pale blue flame, flickering timidly in the figure's outstretched palm.

Slowly, she starts to rise through the air, then float upwards at a rapid pace, cloak rippling around her, the tattered ends whipping around and fading into the night mist, breaking her outline and she levitates towards the base. A crude method of flight, and expensive too, but Vigil had acquired the services of a rather powerful Thaumaturge, based on Cass' reconnaissance, so the less of her own magic she used tonight to be tracked, the better.

As she approaches the island, she senses the first of the wards put in place, and reaches into another pocket with her other hand, pulling out a silver tipped-arrow, which she holds aloft above her head. As she pierces the ward, the arrow combusts as well (with a regular yellow flame), and is swiftly discarded, tumbling back to earth with a soft orange glow.

A lot of trouble to go to. Have you tried knocking?"

Cass shakes her head, steeling her focus for the next ward. As she comes level with the base itself, she reaches into her pocket an pulls out another thaumaturgical charm, a small tarnished pocket mirror, which she angles towards the base, feeding it a small trickle of thaumaturgical power in order to create a short-lived silver barrier around herself.

Finally, she's above the surface of the base, and she releases the flaming feather, stepping smoothly out of the air and on to "land", as it were. She stands there, thinking for a moment, before she carefully creeps towards the Commander's Village. Luckily it's pretty easy to tell where she's going, since only one of them has lights on. Bracing herself for a moment, she vaults up towards an unlit upper window, perching on the windowsill as she puts a small technogadget on to the window.

That's it, really?

Cass tsks as she activates the device, deactivating the alarm system and unlocking the window, before she retrieves it, and pushes the window open, slipping through it, and then pulling it back shut.

Dusty. You sure this is worth it? He seems like a slob.

Cass steps lightly through the unused bedroom, shucking her cloak before she reaches the door. Underneath the cloak she's wearing a stiff, sleeveless dark blue top, and high-waisted black trousers with a double row of silver buttons running up both sides, and soft-soled boots. Cass slips out of the bedroom, sneakily making her way through the house, looking for any room that looks like it might be a good place to sit and wait.

[Morty]

[Commander's Village - Wenomir's House]

Cass will find a small sitting room upstairs, that also doesn't look like it sees much use. It's lined with weapons, though. Swords, axes, spears, daggers, bludgeons, even bows and crossbows. Many of them look like nothing Wenomir ever used when she still lived with him, but it clearly caught his interest as a collector.

The sorceress won't have to wait long. Maybe shorter than she expected. She made hardly any sound, but it seems the disturbance was enough for Wenomir to pick it up. Soon enough, she'll see him enter, wearing a pair of trousers and nothing above them, with his hair being down and damp. Seems she caught him washing. In his hand he's holding a plain-looking long axe. It's anything but plain, but Cass won't feel anything supernatural from it.

"You went to a lot of trouble to enter here unnoticed only to sit and wait here," he says in a conversational tone that is unlikely to fool Cass for a second. "If it's MERC's way of making a point, I don't care for it. I hope your actual explanation is more satisfying."

[Shadowcaller]

[Bardpocalypse]

Anika has given Rain a ride all the way to the base from the thankmas village and they have taken transportation up to the base itself. "So, this is VIGIL. Completely open as you can see. Everyone just sleeps in the barracks n' stuff." As Rain's player designed the base, I'm sure they can picture it pretty well without a description.
"Don't spend that much time here myself, but its alright enough for a place you have to risk your life for. Bet you think we're all crazy for working here, but most of the time you don't really do anything at all which is why go on private adventures." The druid smiles confidently as she breathes in the evening air. Couldn't say no to this view though, it was pretty amazing from up here.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Commander's Village - Wenomir's House]

Cass does notice the new collection, and in another circumstance she might have been discovered looking over them with interest, but in the current setting that might come across as a mite threatening. Just a little bit.

So instead, she's sitting and waiting patient, if a little fidgety, when-

Well, he is r a t h e r impressive, isn't he? Hmmmmm...

Cass is certainly taken by surprise for a couple of moments, both by the swiftness of Wenomir's appearance, and also by his... appearance.

"I... I came here for myself, not for MERC," she says, doing her best to try and remain composed and alert, despite any unhelpful background noise that might currently be occurring. She's gotta try very very hard to remember that this is still a very angry man with an axe, not her very hunky and very shirtless and wet boyfriend.

"We should talk."

[Bardpocalypse]

Rain looks a little more awestruck than Anika might have expected, as she takes in the surroundings and hears Anika's explanation.

"So you're saying that you're... heroes!!!?"

You can practically see the stars in her eyes.

[Rebonack]

[Vigil Tour]

"Umm..." Lapis mutters.

Then looks back at herself.

"I don't know? I've never tried that before."

To be fair, she hasn't ever tried... well... most everything before.

And so she takes a deep breath and-!

Rolls herself into a ball, her sharp-edged plates sticking out and looking rather threatening.

Success!

"Is it working?" comes a muffled voice from inside the scale-ball.

[Morty]

[Commander's Village - Wenomir's House]

Wenomir looks at Cass for a moment with a carefully unmoving expression. His appearance certainly seems to have caught her off guard, hasn't it. Well, it's not really his problem. He slowly walks over to another chair found in the room and takes a seat, resting the axe against it. Normally this would be unthreatening, but to someone who knows how quickly he can move it might not look this way.

"Okay. We're talking. Or rather, I'm going to stay politely silent while you talk about why you're here. Then I'll see about how I'll answer."

[Shadowcaller]

[Bardpocalypse]

Well... Anika might have thought Rain already knew that part.
Not that she was going to back away from this opportunity to impress!

"Y-yeah! Exactly! In fact, I was already described as a hero before I joined VIGIL. I fought monsters and, uh, saved a lot of people. That's why I joined in fact, so I could keep doing that." She puts her hands on her hips as she looks mighty proud of herself.

[Earl of Purple]

Vigil Tour

"Yes, it's working. Not sure how sharp the scales are..." Makuro very carefully reaches out to try and feel how sharp the scales are. She might cut herself if they're exceptionally sharp, or even just normally sharp. It doesn't overly matter if she does, however; the hands are quite bony, and her regeneration works best in those areas closest to the bones.

The hoopoe takes this opportunity to flap off, flying somewhere else. It might reappear later; it can recognise Makuro's thought pattern and find her that way, though Lapis may prove a little trickier. Still, it's a good chance to disappear without being noticed, since one's essentially blinded herself by rolling into a ball, and the other is looking at said ball.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Wenomir's House]

It's actually quite a while since Cass has seen Wenomir move up close. But for some reason I think being chopped to pieces by an axe at lightning speed is probably not the refresher she's looking for.

And... the silent treatment. Oh dear. Cass didn't really have all this planned out. At Wenomir giving her the death glare isn't helping matters. It's not so fun being the direct recipient of one of those.

This isn't how it was meant to go.

Maybe you can just try kissing him?

"I... I'm here to talk to you," she says, clearly starting to get flustered.

[Bardpocalypse]

"Woooooooow," says Rain, her big blue eyes even wider and starrier than before, if such a thing were possible.

She places her hand on her harp, looking suddenly shy.

"All these years I've sung songs about heroes... but I don't think I've ever met one myself."

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Commanders' Village]

That question seems to give the sorceress some pause. "Of no ability of my own I'm afraid. While eldritch is a craft with many applications I can't actually tap into invisible phenomena's and manipulate them any more than you can. However, I do happen to have a tool for that. You aren't the first one who've come to me asking if I can undo curses or other 'magical' effects so I've learned to adapt." Cessie pauses as she strokes her chin with her curved index finger. "Have you shown this to anyone else before? Do anyone know of it but you?"

[Commanders' Village]

Ithuriel tilts her head and shrugs, "I'm not much of an expert on magic, really. I don't understand how my own works, honestly. Divine something-or-other." She rubs her arm around the affected area. "Feels kinda weird too. Anyway, honestly, I've been too busy to get it seen to when it doesn't seem to be really killing me or anything right now. Too much going on in Inside. So, no, I haven't told anyone else yet. But if you have a way of dealing with it, then we can give it a try."

[Morty]

[Wenomir's House]

It dawns on Wenomir that he's going to have to do the heavy lifting in this conversation. Which is... not what he expected from a midnight intruder who was clearly skilled enough to get in without anyone noticing. He noticed, but only after some time. All of this just to talk? She could have knocked on his door. Instead here she is, acting flustered and awkward. The sight of his chest doesn't have that much of an effect on people.

"Yes, and you've snuck here in the night to do that. So that no one else knows you're here and hears us talk?" He drums his fingers on the arm rest. "Even though we've never met before. Or have we? Who are you, exactly?"

[Shadowcaller]

[Commanders' Village]

The sorceress nods slowly. "I'll have a elemental fetch the device then." She makes a gesture in the air and vaguely feminine figure made of what appears to be cooling magma materializes in the air next to her, starting with the legs until it stands there fully formed just a blink of an eye later.
It then starts running out the door as if following some silent command, which it probably is.

Soon it makes a return carrying a pale white staff with a flared head which it hands to Cessie. Then it just stands there silently and watches as Cessie gets up from her seat. "So why don't you show me this injury?"

[Bardpocalypse]

Anika rubs the back of her head, suddenly looking sheepish. "We're not as special as people think. I'm not taking as much of a risk as your average person considering I can turn into a freaking bear and cast spells. When it's peacetime, I just worked as a healer. Though I'm not sure I'm really meant for that..." She gestures at Rain. "I mean, I wouldn't be anything without people like you that sing songs and writes poems about people like me."

[Ashen Lilies]

[Wenomir's House]

"You're much more intimidating from this end," she says, sulkily. Which is a statement and specific tone of voice probably not likely to make Wenomir feel like he has any firmer handle on the situation.

"I... not easy question. But we knew each other- or, you and someone similar to me knew each other- and I think I still know you."

Hopefully Wenomir wasn't hoping to get a simple or straight answer for his questions.

[Bardpocalypse]

"Well, if it's a song you're looking for, I think I can set you up." Says Rain, running a hand over her harp strings. "I'd need to see some deeds to sing about first though!"

[Shadowcaller]

[Bardpocalypse]

"Deeds, huh?" Anika asks rhetorically as she seem to consider what kind of deeds one could perform in the middle of VIGIL. "I could take the form of a hawk and soar high above the base." The druid remarks as she makes a sweeping gesture at the night sky. "But that wouldn't be much of a deed, I'd just be doing it to impress you." She winks at Rain. "But perhaps just being your tour-guide in this, ah, temple of heroes would be enough? You could make a song about it all. The commanders alone probably have enough deeds for a whole song book or two." Anika now gestures at the commander's village above.

[Morty]

[Wenomir's House]

Wenomir quickly runs through the list of people he might know and who might have a reason for appearing in a different form than normal. Doesn't seem to... wait. There is one possibility that hurts his chest like an old wound. Is this really the meeting he hoped for and despaired of? Or is he just fooling himself? He's good at that. His hands grip the armrests tightly as he leans forward.

"I... think I know who you mean," he says, trying and failing to sound as detached as before. "But I still want to hear you say who you are and how you know me. Because I really want to know if you saw the way we knew each other... or how I knew this someone... the way I did."

[Rebonack]

[Vigil Tour]

The plates are pretty sharp.

Not quite 'freshly broken obsidian edge' sharp, but still pretty sharp.

Makuro had best be careful!

After a few seconds, Lapis uncurls herself, looking quite pleased!

"It worked! That'll make it harder for things to eat me, right?"

Lapis, no one at VIGIL is going to try to eat you.

You're too weird. And people usually don't eat other people.

"Hey, the bird is gone," she realizes. How mysterious!

[Earl of Purple]

Vigil Tour

Makuro does cut herself, slightly. She hisses in pain and retracts her hand, looking at the injury- which isn't as bad as it feels, apparently. A bit of blood, but it's stopped bleeding already. She wipes the blood off on the ground and straightens up again.

If Makuro knew more about medicine, that would interest her far more.

"It should do, yes. Although nobody here wants to eat you, Lapis. Has it?" She looks around, and can't see it. "So it has. I wonder what it's up to." Makuro wonders if they should warn somebody, but then it hasn't done anything yet, has it?

[Murkus]

[Urgent Business - Skybase]

Adir arrives here, most likely just now disembarking from the ride up. He makes it clear to the lookout that helps him that he needs to see VIGIL's leadership with all haste - he names Wenomir specifically, but he admits he doesn't know who all is in charge here any more. Hopefully dropping that he used to be with Watchtower and that he helped clear the monsters off this damnable flying island will give him some clout with VIGIL's hired help.

The stag looks dressed for war. He's further enhanced his slender silver armor with a ballistic vest and modern armor plating, blocks of ceramic in pouches running down his chest. A pair of long guns are crossed on his back, hanging from leather straps. His face does not reflect his warlike appearance - he's never had a particularly intimidating air about him, and his seven-foot height has done little to add to this. He mostly just looks out of place and in awe of the renovations since he was last here. His goofy, flicking deer's ears complete the whimsical picture.

[Morty]

[Urgent Business - Commanders' Village]

Adir won't have to wait long. When the adventurers and civilian manning the island send word that Adir has arrived, he tells them to let him come. The warrior is also in full equipment, but in his case it's just his official uniform, really. The Answer in longsword form is hanging from his hip as usual, humming with power.

"Adir. You look ready for trouble," he says when he sees his friend. "Planning some payback for Riverside?"

[Arkhosia]

VIGIL Armory

Blanche can be found here, inspecting a rapier with mild interest. She's wearing lighter gear than before, her worn military jacket layered over a black sweater and tan leggings. Her flaxen hair is also unbound, allowed to flow down her shoulders in a somewhat disorganized manner. The attempt at a casual appearance is somewhat undercut by the pistol holstered at her side, however.

[Shadowcaller]

VIGIL Armory

"Oh hey, Blanche!" A voice Blanche might recognize calls out. "Could you teach me to use some of these cool weapons?" Anika is dressed in her workout outfit which seem to have an unusual amount of belts, standing with her hands on her hips, grinning at the catgirl.

[Arkhosia]

Armory

The marksman perks up as Anika's voice reaches her ears, returning the rapier to its rack perhaps a touch too quickly to be casual. "Oh, hey! Uh, sure, I definitely can. Anything in particular?" She asks, folding her hands behind her back with an attentive look.

[Shadowcaller]

VIGIL Armory

"Weapons that blow **** up. Do some real damage. That flame weapon you use, bombs... that sort of stuff!" Anika crudely explains.

[Arkhosia]

VIGIL Armory of EXPLOSIONS???!!!

Blanche blinks briefly, taken aback. "Well, heavy and explosive ordinance aren't my forte, but I should know enough about them to teach you a few things." She answers, before beckoning Anika to follow as she moves to wherever any of those weapons can be found in the armory. "If you ever want to learn how to handle something like a DMR or a sniper rifle, I can be a lot more helpful... hm, maybe you'd enjoy an anti-materiel rifle...." She muses.

[Lord Magtok]

Outside the Base

As Calm Reed runs up the hydra's spine there is suddenly a terrible roar.
Saint Laz has managed to plunge her oversized sword right in-between the eyes of one of the hydra's heads. Yet for a head that has been impaled by a blade, its moving an awful lot. Thrashing violently around as it roars.
If Saint Laz can hold on, the head will eventually just collapse on the ground and be still, but until then she is in for a ride.
The other heads seem to feel pain too, or just cringe as they see their follow head getting impaled like that. Whatever the case they're not taking this lightly. Both roar loudly and starts to move towards Saint Laz. But it seems the violent trashing the dying head is making has made it difficult for them to reach the knight. Instead, they decide to go for the next source of intense pain, namely the little humanoid that climbed up on their back.

When the monks fists strike the black body of the hydra again and again she will discover that the areas she hits actually start burning. Flames emerging from within the beasts body. At the same time, both heads are heading straight at her with gaping maws.

[Outside the Base]

The bursting flames will meet Calm Reed's swirling water anima, causing billows of steam to raise around the monk and the hydra. Calm Reed waits patiently as the maws close in on her, stepping slightly back and to the side so one of them comes at her just a bit sooner than the other. Then she'll move with the grace of a current sweeping towards the sea, trying to punch, grab and twist the hydra's neck to send the head crashing into the other one fangs-first.

Saint Lazarus lets out a rather impressive string of curses as she struggles to maintain a grip on her sword. She can't let go and risk losing it again, that'd be twice in the same fight. Ms. Mithar would probably have a few things to say about so casually discarding her best weapon at a moment's notice. It's not enough just to win this fight, Saint Laz has to fight well, so Ms. Mithar is convinced she deserves to be here. She hangs on, plunging her knife into the beast as well, so she has two blades to hold onto, instead of just one. That should make this slightly easier, right?