As if to answer Chaz's curiosity about Kerag, the orc began to snore obnoxiously loud. He was absolutely plastered, and slept through not only Nuala's interruption but the chaos afterward. Needless to say, he would wake up the next morning, that is if Wistvale was still around, with a terrible hangover and no recollection of the party whatsoever.
Last Edit: Oct 12, 2011 12:53:37 GMT -5 by Sir Kerag
Kiga only followed the rag tag group in silence. He could be more useful, he enjoyed being a scout... but was not comfortable offering his skills. He had no attachment to this group of people.... but would not see these children taken.
Something stirred inside of him but Kiga was very, very good at ignoring it these days. He made no noise, not a single sound even as he walked upon the loose ground.
A shame indeed. If only Jonah knew what awaited them in the fog...
The group of heroes, some guardsmen, others concerned citizens, and one chaos creature stepped outside. The fog obscured their vision drastically, and even skywards the blood moon was a blurry crimson circle. Thirteen remained comfortable on Margrett's shoulder, holding a paw to hide the movements of his lips as he whispered into Margrett's ear, directing them through the thick supernatural fog, which seemed to warp and wrap around the group, swallowing all view of the tavern as they continued forth. The night was quiet, save for a periodic howl some distance away, though with each step, the sound was getting closer. They walked along the outskirts of the forest, heading towards the pumpkin patch.
Thirteen held a paw up, suggesting they stop a moment
"Can't you smell that?
Thirteen arched his back, nose in the air. He twitched, ears folding back, hair standing up, tail high. The cat hissed. A wolf howled in response.
Somewhere within the pitch blackness of the forest, and close, was a monstrously large dark shape, and a pair of red glowing eyes staring at them all from the shelter of the trees. Thirteen looked extremely distraught, shaking his little cat head, his strange eyes looking into Margrett's own.
The Dire Wolf has our scent!
Suddenly the red eyes shifted from view, followed closely by the swift thuds of heavy and quick steps. The massive shape was running towards them, moving through the growth of the forest effortlessly, pushing aside or breaking whatever stood in its way. The dire wolf broke the Forest's perimeter and slowed to a walk, approaching the group, a deep growl reverberating in its throat.
Kiga looked at the large beast with an almost knowing grin... but said nothing. He'd been in the back of this group but had decided the fog were magical and that much of this was nonsense. Show. He wasn't impressed, it lacked the sheer maliciousness of the evil spirits that roamed his home land. This was more like a tale... a child's fable. Something to keep them in their beds at night.
But he slunk from view of the beast, not too far... but the night was all the cover he needed. He shifted silently, effortlessly into the dark and the fog, repositioning himself now beside the beast some distance away. He would only watch until forced to act.... should such magic not simply negate his stealth.
While the Dire Wolf slowly took his time, carefully sizing up his meal, the fog shifted a multitude of colors, happily welcoming Kiga into it's embrace away from the group. Unbeknown to the ninja, the nightmare realms were connected to the minds and dreams of every sentient being. It was a collection of dark, blood, necromancy magic and witchcraft, feeding off the thoughts and horrors dreamed in the mind. Tonight was a special night however. Tonight the Nightmare Realms coexisted with the Material Plane, and could bend the world to it's twisted will till the Witching Hour passes. The fog reacted to these thoughts, and the giggling of children surrounded him from all directions. However it did not focus on Kiga alone, preparing a surprise for him all the same as the fog around him began to take a peculiar shape....
The primordial consciousness of the fog searched the minds of everyone, digging for their greatest fear to make manifest.
Margrett glared at the wolf, drawing her hammer in one hand and putting the other out behind her to the people following her.
Stay close. Don't get lost... She paused halfway through, realizing that something unnatural was happening. She finished the sentence, looking around anxiously, her face still grim.
Celephai stuck close to Margrett, but stayed toward her side, in case something decided to strike at her flank. Wolves were hardly terrifying compared to other things she'd encountered on her home plane. This was mere child's play.
"I have your back, Margrett, but perhaps someone else should handle the creature seeing as you carry the only lead we have."
Venom unsheathed his blade and took Marg's right side for assistance, watching the large beast walk up to them. He was sure someone was going to get hurt this night. Everything so far was out of the ordinary so he could only expect that more unnatural beings would be found within the fog.
As the wolf approached the group, an uneasiness began to stir inside of Rue. It wasn't so much fear of the wolf as much as the fear of the impenetrable fog and the unnaturalness of the night and its events. Her hand crept towards her bow, preparing herself, should the wolf attack.
Chaz kept behind the others, looking from the wolf to the fog and back again. His costume didn't make him feel any better, even though it was a little armored. He regretted going now; but he had to try. That family was counting on him. Well, not really, but sort of.
A good scientist is a person with original ideas. A good engineer is a person who makes a design that works with as few original ideas as possible.
The fog was pleased with it's findings. Lightning cracked across the sky and thunder boomed. The wolf howled, and then it happened.
Several figures were emerging from the thick fog, as if suddenly summoned. Margrett's father stepped forth, shaking his head. When he spoke, it was soft, almost a croak.
"You've failed me Margrett. Have I taught you nothing?"
---
Chaz's wife Anri carried their child in her arms, but she was crying, covered in blood, crying out Chaz's name. The little girl wailed, flinging her arms.
---
A horde of decaying figures, arms outstretched were reaching for Venom, his name escaping their horrid putrid lips, the stench of decay almost too real for it to be merely a nightmarish mirage.
---
Thirteen saw his little sister, half of her face eaten, crying. The cat nearly fainted, but remained on Margrett's shoulder, hissing.
---
Rue's father also stepped into view, sword dripping with blood, shouting his daughter's name, anger burning in his eyes. He slowly walked towards her.
---
The shapes around Kiga almost formed something substantial, but then stalled, as if confused. It broke away from him, embracing the wolf, obscuring all view of the creature.
---
Celephai's mind was particularly enticing for the fog. It almost cooed as it played through her horrific memories, conjuring an amoebic mass from the darkness. The shoggoth assumed a spherical shape, countless eyes floating its surface.
---
And just as the fears began to manifest themselves to the group, they began to change. Margrett and Rue's fathers held their hands upwards, maggots seeping out of their nostrils and mouth, tears of blood covering their faces, a legion of insects flowing underneath and breaking out of their skin. Anri and her daughter became monstrously perverse versions of their former selves. The horde of Venom's slain shambled forward, and the shoggoth came closer, absorbing the monstrosities as it went.
The wolf darted to and fro, hidden in the fog, collecting the rest of the nightmares in its massive jaws, Anri and her child clutched in its mouth, along with Margrett and Rue's fathers, feeding them to the shoggoth. It consumed all of them, growing larger as countless human, insectoid, and monstrously perverse limbs outstretched and grabbed the wolf, despite how it struggled, and devoured it as well. All of the eyes glowed a terrible crimson.
Yet they weren't entirely gone. Quite a few of the horde's face could be seen on the surface of the mass, as well as the nightmares of the other heroes, beckoning Venom to join them. Margrett and Rue's fathers called out for their daughters, and Anri begged Chaz to come closer. They called for Jonah, and as if on cue, the children from the party could be heard crying out for help a distance away from them. It was a shapeless congeries of protoplasmic bubbles and the thing came closer, massive now, at least five hands reaching for each hero individually.
Cel stared up at the amalgamation of terror, eyes trying to focus on the massive, immutable horror that towered over them. Shoggoths were beings far stronger, and perhaps of more sinister intelligence than natural life on this planet, but could only imitate other life forms... sometimes in the most heinous of ways. Her knees buckled, and fear began to creep up her spine.
Something, however, didn't quite feel correct. This wasn't right, it wasn't supposed to be here of all places! They were locked in deep vaults far beneath the earth, beyond reach of any mortal. To have wandered this far in search of... what? Nothing made sense... perhaps one of the gods had sent it to kill her, in case she betrayed them.
As the hands reached for her, she surged forward to grapple with them, attempting to tear each one of them from the main mass of the whole, crying out various curses in her native tongue, furious beyond sanity. Nothing was going to take her rightful place as the one whom would turn the world into an altar of sacrifice, not even this foul apostasy!
Venom was in horror at the sight of this creature. He presumed they had all died already and were in the gates of hell now. His fallen victims all reaching out to him, he couldn't keep a grip of his blade as it fell to the ground. It was his time, he thought, and he began to give in to it, taking a step forward towards it. This was his judgement and he was ready to accept it.