Dominic [M:123:1420:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=382&page=1#14144][b]Let me tell you a story...[/b][0:No encore today][1:You have my attention]
Moving as directed, his staff sweeping before him, Dom trudged through the malestrom of combat. He kept his distance as best he could, picking his way across the uneven terrain. It felt like an eon before he got anywhere, his breath already ragged from effort and fear. He just had to concentrate on moving, going to where he was bidden.
A small part of him, detached slightly from the rest of his mind, observed with an internal wry grin. So even semi-divine elemental spirits forgot that he couldn't see. That was something of a compliment that his condition wasn't immediately apparent. That little bit of him was already formulating lyrics and melodies, another thing for him to focus on rather than fear or fatigue. His body had never been very hardy, but given enough leverage his mind could be as armoured as a mounted knight and twice as quick.
Love, like Hope, has too few letters for a word so powerful.
Margrett tried to slip into the shadows. Without her armor she was much quieter, and although she didn't prefer the stealthy approach, sometimes it was the most pragmatic. She wound the wire around one hand, head low as she snuck around the rock formations and forge parts. The brutes were big, but she felt confident in her ability to jump...sort of.
She waited until the caster one had his back turned, then sprinted from her hiding place. The others around the caster would see her, but with their backup taken out she could pick up his weapon and at least be able to defend herself. She tried to jump high enough to slip the makeshift garrote around the brute's neck, putting her knee into his back and using her weight to pull it down and slice through.
Dominic stumbled a little every so often, the ground was quaking with battle that it made his step slip every so often. The water elemental seemed to be helping him keep his balance though, or so it seemed as she mentioned she wouldn't be manipulating his body in anyway.
The musician could hear the cries of disfigured men echo from the distance, and sometimes near as he continued on the path set before him.
"You're doing fine, keep steady, the way is clear before you."
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The caster was preparing another bolt to fire at the earth elemental, and ready to say something, before a narrow tightness wrapped around his neck. He tried to spit out, take in a breath, but the force on his back wouldn't let him. Blood began to seep from the line Margrett was making on the Caster's neck, and soon he fell on his knees and to his side.
The creature was clothed in rags and strung bones, nothing worthwhile for Margrett to wear that would possibly help defend herself. The monster did, however, drop a crude staff made of oak and an oddly shaped skull at the end of it.
The earth elemental charged into the oncoming group and swatted away almost half of the brutes that dared to come at him. The creatures were stunned on the ground for the moment while the others left standing were measuring up the golem, anticipating their backup magic.
"Oi! We needs mo' majik!" one of the brutes cried. This same one turned around to look for his caster, only to see him dead on the ground and Marg standing next to the body.
He shouted something unintelligent that made another one of his kin appear nearby Margrett, growling at her from a distance and then charging at her with his club raised.
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The way before Dominic was still mostly clear, everyone was obviously too busy fighting. No one noticed the lone, blind man creeping through all the ruined looking buildings.
"We may actually reach the spire before..." the elemental cut herself short.
A sudden explosion erupted and blew a building across the path Dom was walking, the force of which threw the musician off his feet and through a door way. The impact didn't seem to harm him much, other than knocking a little wind out of him. The water elemental may have softened the blow.
"My sister!"
From the center of the explosion, there was a fire elemental, a red and charred looking figure of a woman, surrounded by flames. Her body was mostly that of fire itself, making up her limbs and torso with pure energy that also held up some sort of metal frame that barely covered the flames.
Around the elemental were several charred bodies of brutes, about 4-5 of them. The building that was there, was nearly no more. The entire structure flew apart from within and it's remains now scattered the ground nearby. The fire elemental, exhausted, fell to her knees and scorched the ground under her.
More brutes were coming to check the explosion, along with a magic caster.
"She is weak, we must....no..." the water elemental was urgent at first before stopping herself.
"We must reach the spire without delay, we may not get a better opportunity than this to arrive undetected." the voice within Dom's ears was forcibly restrained.
She stomped on the end of the club, flipping it into her hand. She faltered a moment at how hideously unbalanced it was - understandable as it wasn't meant as a bludgeoning weapon probably - but then brought it up to block high, letting the brute's own weight stagger him as she slammed the staff into his gut.
Dominic [M:123:1420:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=382&page=1#14144][b]Let me tell you a story...[/b][0:No encore today][1:You have my attention]
Dom had little clue of what was happening. Oh he'd gotten better and better at knowing his surroundings during his time on the road and Wistvale had accelerated that like no other place he'd been. But this was a war. Underground. To his sensitive ears it was like trying to determine exactly what direction the sound of an upended jug of water was coming from while standing in the middle of a pyromantic explosion in a percussion instrument shop.
His heart was listening too, listening to the tension in his new passenger's communication and it terrified him. Elementals were embodiments of the unkillable essence of the world. They were not supposed to be frail, they were not supposed to die and they were not supposed to be afraid. That was a job for squishy mortals like him. He shambled on, praying silently that his destination was not far.
Love, like Hope, has too few letters for a word so powerful.