Corruption of Darkness - OPEN

[killerinstinct]

I'm not sure I'm entirely done with the sign-up. I might change some things about it, but this is it for the moment.


Name: Real name is unknown, but is known to go by the name Papillon

Age: 22

Gender: Female

Class: Treasure Huntress

Appearance: Papillon has long brown hair that's slightly curled, especially at the bottom, and bangs across the forehead. Her eyes are a light shade of hazel. Her clothes are rather old-fashioned; she wears a button-up shirt with frilly sleeves, a black leather corset as a protection, tight black pants, and knee-length, fold-down brown boots (like a musketeer's boots). On her left hand is a black, fingerless gloves.

Weaponry: A rapier. The hilt looks fancy, is made of silver, while the blade is of steel. The rapier is specially designed for Papillon, as it is for left-handed users.

Skills/Spells:

Piercing Strike: This is mostly effective against a single opponent. Papillon locates an enemy's weakpoint, and can shatter his armor, no matter how powerful it is.

Phantasmal: Using her speed, Papillon circles the enemy, going around them fast, while thrusting her rapier at them at random times, enabling her to attack a lot and making her attacks unexpected, although rather weak.

Blade of the Illusionist: When close to an enemy, Papillon can use this trick, by thrusting and swinging her blade at an insane speed, creating illusions that she's attacking. This can be used as a way to confuse her opponents.


The Magician's Act: When facing an opponent, Papillon can in a flash disappear and reappear behind the opponent, like a magic trick. In truth, she just uses her speed to be behind the opponent when he least expects it. She cannot use this skill often, and she can only use it best around the beginning of a battle, as she would be least tired at that time.

Perceive: Since she's a treasure huntress, Papillon can increase her sense of perception when she concentrates on it. This also helps against opponents, to determine their weakness/strong points.


History: Nothing is known of her past. No one knows who her family is, where she was born, where she lived. Her name began to be known just recently. Whenever asked about her past, Papillon always avoided answering, and would only give a smile.

She has always travelled on her own, in search for valuable treasures, but when she encounters the group of mercenaries called Midland Elite, she decides to join them.

[shadowdeath]

So much for everyone growing up together.

And yay we can start now.

[killerinstinct]

Added a new skill.

I think I'm done now.

[Griffin]

OOC: Will get it up after dinner.

Or not.

Sorry, will have it up soon.

Also, Dan is coming back soon. He wrote up a new profile in his spare time. It's there now. Check it out.

[Griffin]

OOC: Following tradition, the first post will set the current scene and will be long. Also, please excuse the minor godmodding.

The Solarian border. A scar on the beautiful kingdom. Solaris is a very efficient kingdom, minimizing usage of resources without much loss of effectiveness. It was the largest amount of untapped resources, making the kingdom a priority target for rebels and bandits. The main attacker? The southern kingdom of Rufare. This kingdom is actually composed of rebel men from Solaris. They wish to claim the land and its resources to launch attacks on all of Saru.

Over the months, Rufare’s efforts to pierce the powerful garrison along the border have grown stronger and more frequent. They have also been given passage along the southern part of Tenmau’s border so long as they don’t bother the tribes. This has forced King Doren to spread his military out further. There were many close calls and the border guard is weakening. In an attempt to strengthen his garrison, King Doren has hired multiple mercenary groups. One of them, the Midland Elite, is small, but very powerful. With the promise of 1000 gold pieces a month, with or without action, they happily jumped to sign the contract.

They’ve positioned themselves in an old, abandoned fort not far from the midpoint of the Rufare-Solaris borderline. It’s been over three weeks since the last raid and the Midland Elite has had no action besides training spars. But, there is an upside to it all. They are expecting their first paycheck soon. With all that cash, they could each claim 200 gold. And after five or six months of service, they would gain one hefty sum.

What could go wrong?

__________________________________________________


Davian Boyer, leader of the Midland Elite, was sitting in an old chair, feet resting on a table. He watched the other four mingle about the fort. First, there was Lilliana, the youngest of the group. He cared for the little girl. At first, he was worried about letting a girl this young fight. But, after her first battle, he saw she was more than capable. Her magic has become an invaluable asset. He tried his best to keep her out of harm’s way.

A loud boom from an upper level reminded him of his partner in crime, Simeon Grey. Simeon spent most of his time in the upper levels, experimenting with new chemicals and alchemical ingredients. His chemical bombs and stealthy knife attacks have made him Davian’s go to guy for priority target elimination.

Third, there was Aero. Davian was shocked after hearing his tale of being kidnapped by Tenmauans and seeing the hole drilled in his body. He went from shocked to impressed when he learned his used these holes to fight. It was a unique fighting style, but an effective one. He provided fast, powerful strikes and powerful support.

The last of their group is Tekrias. A sheltered individual, Tekrias is a summoner. The art of summoning confused Davian, but he figured a powerful summoner could prove useful. Tekrias didn’t verbalize with him much, but on the battlefield, a mutual trust could be felt. It could be felt among all of them. It’s what made them so elite.

Davian himself? He saw the synergy of this group immediately on that day. The day the Midland Elite were formed. They came across a large cache of stolen goods and helped guards fight off the thieves. The mixture of trust and skill was beautiful. After that fight, he told them his plan. Now, they have more money than they could ever imagine.

The thunder warrior tilted his head up and yawned. Despite the promise of large amounts of gold, Davian was longing to sink his blade into some bandits. With no activity along the borders in weeks, Davian and his crew have relaxed a bit. Instead of relaxing in his chainmail, he sits back in casual wool clothing. His sword still rests by his side though, even in his sleep.

He was ready to doze off when the tapping sound of boot on stone grew louder. A guard dressed in chainmail with a surcoat bearing the Solarian crest entered the main room, clearly out of breath. Panting, he said, “Sir...Sir Boyer. An attack...along the entire southern border. And...and from the southeast, from Tenmau.”

Davian quickly stood up. “Are they Tenmauans attacking?”

“No sir...rebels...coming from their border.”

“Thank you. Rest here, and then rejoin the fight.” The guard turned and left. In a booming voice, like thunder, he shouted, “Midland Elite! Enemies have been spotted along the entire southern border! Suit up and meet out in front! GO!”

Davian quickly ran to the room where their armor and weapons are stored. He unclipped his scabbard and kicked off his boots. Then, he pulled his splintmail shirt and leggings on, pulled his boots and gauntlets on, and placed his sword at his side. Jogging down the stairs to the entryway of the fort, he waited outside for his comrades to appear.

OOC: There we go. Suit up people!

[Admin]

Lilliana was feeling rather lazy, and unusually thrilled that she gets to work. She never took long getting ready for battle, since she dressed very casually to operate most effeciently. Throwing off her nightgown that she was resting in that day, she grabbed her worn pair of jeans and her red dress, and threw both on rather sloppily. Her bracelet was already on her wrist, dangling loosely. She gripped her boots and jumped into them. Lilliana gripped the little knife tucked into the right boot, and secured it there.

'I'm armed, dressed, now... insurance...'

Lilliana puffed a breath of air onto her hand, and ran that hand through her hair. Her dull brown hair was changing color before her, into a soft, silvery shade of white. She motioned her hand in front of her eyes and made the big brown eyes into a frightening white. She gripped the wrist of her right hand, and twisted her hand around her whole arm, making a peculiar tattoo appear.

'It's such a pain to do every battle, but if someone wants to get revenge, there's a significantly lower chance they can get it on me. And I haven't done a silver haired, white eyed girl in a really long time. Let's hope nobody dies that I don't want dead.'

Lilliana was ready. She smiled a wicked smile, and she cracked her knuckles. 'I'm ready! Hurry up, guys!'

OOC: Just so you know... 'Manipulation of the Color Spectrum' It's her 5th spell.

[Dan,_the_Overlord]

Simeon heard the Davian shout from below with one of his inventions, a speaking tube. He buckled on his leather armor and grabbed a knife. He fled the room, and returned only to grab a belt holding a vial of poisons.

Once in the fortress hallways, Simeon approached a wide window and swung out over the sill on a rope that fell to reach the ground. Sliding down, Simeon gripped the rope harder with his leather palm plates to slow his momentum.

He joined the rest of the troupe at the castle entrance, and began slinging a backpack o' fun over his shoulder and applying Skinslime to his knives.

[Will]

Tekrias was already dressed in his mage robes. In the area of the fort he resided in, he quickly knelt down and said a prayer. From what he heard, the legions that were to soon flood the area were massive. He needed the strength and support of all of the summons he would choose to aid him and his group in the fight.

"Grant us strength and courage, o' aeons of might."

Tekrias slowly walked down do the front of the fort. His dagger was sheathed at his side. Hopefully, Tekrias wouldn't even have to use it. He wondered about their chances. They were truly an elite fighting squad, but the five of them would have to hold an entire border. Soon, Tekrias made his way to the front.

"Duty calls...?"

[Griffin]

OOC: Just a note, there are other guardsmen about. Granted they aren't near our calibur, but they can hold their own.

[shadowdeath]

OOC: So... I'm guessing KI joins later? Or did you completely forget her?

And... I'll write up a post soon. By today.

[shadowdeath]

Aero was lying in bed with his eyes open. He had been awake for awhile, but didn't feel like getting up. Sometimes, he thought, you just have to take it slowly.

Then Boyer shouted that they were being attacked. Quickly, Aero got up. He slipped on his pieces of armor. He checked the straps to make sure they were secure. He looked out of the window and squinted, trying to judge the enemy size. Aero then looked down and saw that the others were already prepared at the front gates. He jumped out of his window and landed on the ground, next to his comrades.

[Griffin]

OOC: You'll see.

With the team prepared, Davian gave the orders.

"Listen up team. We've got Rufarian rebels along the entire southern border flooding in. The guardsmen are losing their footing so it's our job to hold them back. It may seem like a lot, but they have be spread thin to cover that much land. More guardsmen are positioned at the southeastern part of Tenmau's border, holding off the rebels with other mercenaries. We'll reinforce this border and then move to aid the Tenmau border. Stick together and help out the guardsman if you can. Midland Elite, move out!"

Davian ran to the fight. He stopped many meters away and viewed the massive numbers that they must face. Guardsmen were doing their best to form a human wall, but more and more rebels were slipping through.

Davian felt confident in himself and his team. Holding his blade to the sky, a small crackling noise the be heard. At the tip of Davian's blade, a ball of lightning was forming. He whipped his arm down and pointed the sword at a small rabble of rebels who broke through the line. Bolts of lightning jumped from the ball and struck the rebels in the chest, sending heavy voltage right to their hearts.

The Midland Elite have arrived.

[Admin]

Lilliana ran to take a position. She maintained a poise that exuded confidence, despite her being absolutely terrified that she might be taken away as a prisoner. Or worse.

She stretched her arms left, then right. 'Don't want to pull a muscle when I snap someone's neck, now do I?'

She strentched her legs, left then right. She took a stance and leaned backwards, arching her back. She threw her legs up so she was standing on her hands.

'Fun's over... time to kill.'

She was never the type to allow others to do her dirty work. She rushed forward, to a spot where the guards had been pushed away. Rebels were leaking through, and would only continue if something wasn't done quickly.

Hmm. I'll kill 17 rebels and join the line of defence.

Lilliana rushed the rebels leaking through the defence. The white haired girl made her move. Clenching her fist, she sent 1 powerful lightning filled jab straight through the heart of each of her 17 foes, dodging their attacks gracefully. The wildly swinging blades couldn't touch a hair on her. Each foe that had entered from that point went down, the strain being so severe on their hearts, it took them down swiftly and rather cleanly.

Lilliana charged to the line. 'Don't let your guard down, team.' The white eyed girl chuckled madly, rather enjoying her job. She clenched her fists again, ready to defend against oncoming attacks. 'Heh heh heh heh heh... Come, try your best, I'll kill you all.'

[Will]

"It begins..."

Tekrias quickly stepped away from the Midland Elite, and pulled a multi-colored gem from a hidden pocket in his robes. In the soft earth beneath him, Tekrias started using the gem to draw. He drew a wide circular grid, about ten feet in diameter. Within the circle, Tekrias drew many ancient runes and writing, all in a complicated pattern.

Tekrias walked carefully to the center of the massive grid, knelt to one knee, and began muttering ancient words known only to very few people. Slowly the grid began glowing red.

[Griffin]

It seemed as if more and more rebels were flowing through the line of guardsmen as his allies joined the fight. Davian was locked in a sword fight with a rather skilled rebel, but one missed block caused the rebel to drop from a large gash to the thigh. He could tell the line was slowly getting pushed back as more and more guardsmen fell.

Davian turned to view his allies and called a lightning bolt down upon a foe headed for Tekrias, preparing a summon. Once that summon was up, it could help stem the tide of rebels. Until then, Davian charged into the frontlines, his sword cackling wih static.

[shadowdeath]

Aero came speeding in. A rebel swordsman came into his path and swung down his sword at him. Aero brought up his left foot, stopping the sword with his armor. He then jumped off of his other foot, and swung it at the rebel's head. The airhole at the back of his heel went off, speeding the leg. The foot came into contact with the rebel's head, and he fell over.

Aero landed on his two hands, holding himself up. He looked and saw that there were still more rebels coming in. Aero bended his elbows, then pushed himself up into the air. He moved his leg backwards, then sped his leg forward. At that moment the air seemed to be "sliced". It slice traveled over and hit multiple people along it's way.

OOC: Ugh, it's hard to write this char. Dunno if any of my actions make any sense.

[Griffin]

OOC: Made sense to me.

[Dan,_the_Overlord]

((ditto.))

Simeon took in the battle, trying to find a way to help without causing colateral damage. Ah-ha!

On the left side of the line of fighting men, the guardsmen were being pushed back as a line of big, beefy rebels advanced with giant scimitars, battering swords and spears aside.

Simeon started whistling as he tested the wieght of a knife. HE tossed it up and down a few times, and flicked his wrist. The knife flew through the air, almost invisibly fast, and caught in the throat of a rebel that had just hacked a guardsmen away.

The remaining guardsmen, not noticing the bleeding, staggering rebel, fled, and the line started to break. Digging in his backpack o' fun, Simeon drew a block of explosive and stuck a fuse in it. He lifted the block up in the air to catch a thread of electrons Davian drew towards him. A spark ignited, and Simeon chucked the block at the rebel group that threatened the left flank.

With a flash of firey combustion and doom, the rebels burst into flame or...ruptured. Simeon smiled. And they had said he was crazy....

[Admin]

Lilliana was feeling unsuccessful with her slow, but steady assault on each heart of her closest foe. She was simply fed up with the abundance of magic she had rushing through her, but the wasted stamina she was whittling.

'This is so very troublesome. Punching is boring.'

Lilliana ducked back, dodging the horizontal slice of a sword. She planted her hands firmly on the ground and whipped her feet up into the air, wedging her toes brutally into her foes jaw, knocking him back. She planted her feet on the ground and held both hand forward, sending a frightening blast of heat forward from her hands. The cruel looking orb of fire was as tall as she was, and as wide as she was tall.

'Let's get rid of a few of you! Eh!'

She launched the orb madly forward, burning the flesh off of all the people within the good 30 feet that she launched the ball.

Lilliana continued her assault, rolling her thin body rapicly through the wreckage that she stood in, striking rebels fiercely in the skull, paralyzing them, killing them, badly injuring them, it varied on the precision of the strike. Most went down within 3 hits.

'Hmm... I am getting tired.'

She stepped back once again, back to the line. From her hand, a thin stream of water escaped. It moved in front of the guards. Lilliana smirked to the guards, who stepped back slightly. Every enemy to step above the stream of water was to be surprised by a painfull water drill, wedging itself through their torsos, having the people dangle dead like puppets before the drill let their bodies drop.

Lilliana sat back and fiddled with the water with her fingertips. 'Excuse me, guards? I... I can get this part of the line, please step away and take down more escaping from the side. Thank you.'

Lilliana was dripping with sweat. Hopefully her efforts were paying off.

[Griffin]

Lilliana's magic held one spot, Simeon could cover another with bombs and gas, and Tekrias's summons could hold a third, leaving the melee team of Davian and Aero to take a fourth and the guardsmen on a fifth section of he border.

Things seemed to be going well.

Davian called out for Aero to follow him as he ran down the line of rebels. He sliced a rebel's arm before he could dismember a guard. He shocked three more ganging up on a captain. At this point, the first notice of fatigue hit him. The rebel strategy was to overwhelm foes with number and the rebels were notorious for excessive birthing.

They needed men, not necessarily soldiers.

Before joining the guardsmen, he planted his sword in the ground and began rubbing his hands together. He breathed deep. He held his hands far out and right before he brought them together, he yelled to the guards in his thunderous voice, "Cover your ears!"

Half a second later, a massive crack of thunder shocked the attacking rebels. The guards quickly rallied and struck them down, Davian among them.

[Will]

Tekrias opened one eye and looked over to Davian. "Thanks."

Now the grid was completely glowing brightly. It was so bright, it was almost blinding. The red lights then reached their peak in brightness, then instantly stopped shining at all. A strong gust of wind blew in and erased the grid from the ground. Tekrias looked slightly fatigued, but smiled.

The ground underneath the entire battlefield rumbled momentarily. Then, in front of Tekrias, where a handful of soldiers were advancing on Tekrias, the ground split open and shot up large bursts of lava, completely incinerating the soldiers. Then, arising on a large molten rock, came the horned beast, Ifrit.

Ifrit, with a large battle cry, lept down from the magma-covered rock, and instantly slashed two soldiers in front of him to pieces. Ifrit finally took note of the massive number of enemies before it and changed its face into what could be best described as a smile. With a wave of his hand, the ground split up under a large group of soldiers and a burst of lava shot up at least ten feet high, disintegrating the soldiers.

While Ifrit was off causing a fiery bloodbath, a soldier tried to get behind Tekrias with a spear. The soldier thrusted, but in the rush of things, only managed to barely hit Tekrias in the shoulder. Tekrias quickly turned around and stabbed the soldier in the throat.

Things looked to be going their way.

(OOC: Ifrit: www.ffcompendium.com/art/10-ifrit-a.jpg)

[Admin]

The piece of the line Lilliana was fending people off from, the fighters had figured out her water trick. Most diverted their efforts into attacking the few guards around her. The nearby defences were weakening.

'Shit... This won't work much longer... Ah...'

She dropped her fingers, and the magic stream she created became nothing more than water. Lilliana clenched her fists again, and punched the few rogues that had pass through the line. The shock stunned them, and while they stood stunned, she finished them with solid electric strikes to the back of their heads.

Gotta keep up the motion I can't wait! I can't turn my back on the enemy!

Lilliana ceased from the assault of the few that escaped through, and turned to see a sword slice right at her face. She couldn't dodge the shocking attack quickly enough, and caught the tip of the sword at her nose.

'Son of a bitch!' Lilliana clenched her fist tighter, and swung straight at the fighters stomach, but with the assistance of a wicked little skill, her hand slipped straight through his body, and exited his back. Her entire arm was covered with blood, and at the end of her fingertips was a lung.

'...Removal. Have you ever had an organ removed without your skin being cut? Painful huh... That's what you get for cutting me...'

Lilliana wiped the blood dripping off her face. I'm going to practice using removal on these next few idiots...

More rogues tried to run past her, but Lilliana ran with them, and in a short jumping/rotating motion, she kicked and punched organs out of her opponents without cutting through them. Lilliana charged into the crowd, punching brains, bones, and organs out of her opponents. Despite her fatigue, she pushed herself harder. She didn't want to lose, and she didn't want to look like an idiot in front of Davian. His opinion of her mattered more than her own opinion of her.

Punch... kick... grip... strike... assassinate... I have to improve... I have to!

[Griffin]

A wicked grin crossed Davian's face as he heard the cry of Tekrias's demon. He struck down more foes with the edge of his blade, trying to space out his lightning attacks. His breathing grew heavier. All these years of combat have strengthened his team's endurance to high above average levels, but this much time in constant combat takes a toll.

After cutting open the chest of the last foe in his area, he realized a familiar noise. It was the low rumbling of thunder. Davian was confused. He hadn't summoned any thunder.

As he racked his mind, the sound grew louder. It was coming from Tenmau's border.

Then, it hit him.

Tenmau. Plains. Nomads. Mobility. Horses. Cavalry.

...Hoofbeats.

"Oh no."

Far off in the distance, he could see a large cloud of dust behind a wedge of indistinct moving objects. This wedge collided with a line of guards and knocked them silly. Taking advantage of his thunderous voice, he shouted, "MEN! Cavalry in the distance! Finish up the rabble here and regroup!"

As Davian scanned the Rufare border, he could see the rebels retreating into the swamps of their homeland or toward the cavalry. He called another Forked Lightning on five more rebels and sliced a few more chests. The cavalry was still far off, and they would likely wait to secure the entire borderline before pushing forward into Solaris.

They had time. Now, they need to make use of it.

[Will]

"Roger that..." Tekrias said silently. Tekrias turned to Ifrit and walked up to him as soldiers started running from the supernatural beast of fire, and proceeded to pat Ifrit on his back. "You okay enough to battle through the calvary? I'm sure Shiv-"

Ifrit suddenly shot Tekrias a look that made Tekrias smirk. Ifrit was always ready for a challenge. Ifrit also was against the idea that Tekrias would even think of using his rival, Shiva, since their elements clashed. Ifrit quickly crept away from Tekrias, and with a wave of his feral paw, sent a wall of fire in front of the troops' retreat. The stupid ones died, the smarter ones were singed.

"Just let me know when you've had enough, Ifrit."

Usually 'enough' was when Ifrit got bored.

[Dan,_the_Overlord]

Simeon peered through his goggles at the advancing wall of thundering horses and soldiers. Reaching into his backpack o' fun, he glutched a vial of Eye Gas, a vile substance of burning pain on theeye's. Running out into the field the cavalry would soon reach, he placed vials of the stuff on the ground at even intervals.

"This ought to screw someone's day" He said, smirking. He laced his daggers with some more poison and prepared himself for the bloodbath to follow.

[Griffin]

His Davian finishing up his section of the border, he turned to see Simeon lining the soon-to-be cavalry path with Eye Gas. "Good idea Simeon!" Once the gas hit the horse's eyes, they would whinny and sprawl all over the place, eliminating the effectiveness of the charge.

Then there was the bad news. The guardsmen on the Tenmau border were beginning to rout, leaving this side of the border ready and open to the charge...and they were already on their way. "Elite! Group up now!"

Davian took position some meters away from the lines of Eye Gas Simeon placed. Once the horses were hit by the gas, they could pick them off at range.

[Will]

As Davian called the order, Ifrit had finished up the last troop that was a threat to Tekrias' part of the border by hurling a huge molten rock at a small handful of soldiers. Tekrias called for Ifrit to follow, and they both hurried over to Davian.

Already, traps were being set for the incoming calvary. The charge could likely be stopped with the gas being set up.

"Orders, sir..?"

[Admin]

Lilliana finished ripping entrails from her last foe, and hustled over. The white hair she created was dripping wet with the blood of her enemies, as was the rest of her body. Even the white eyes were glazed over slightly with blood. It was a normal look for the girl, since she's been known to be covered in blood before, so she didn't really think anyone would notice.

'I'm here, still alive. What's this situation like?'

[shadowdeath]

OOC: Need to rewind a bit...

---

Aero knocked a guy over with side kick. He proceeded to take down a couple of other people, kicking and punching them down to the ground. Somehow, Aero ended up being surrounded by a group of rebels. They held their swords out, slightly hesitating.

A loud roar came from behind Aero, and the rebel group's eyes turned towards it. Big mistake. Quickly Aero knocked out one guy with an armored fist, grabbed him, and smashed him into another guy. He backflipped kicked another guy, and landed on his hands.

Air started coming out of his heels, and he spun his feet around, kicking the entire group. Unfortunately, one guy managed to give a nice cut on Aero's leg. Ignoring the pain, he kept on spinning, and kept on knocking the rebels out.

After finishing his tornado kick, Aero saw that the rebels were retreating. It would obvious that they were retreating because of him, not because of a big scary horned fire monster dog behind him.

He spotted the rest of the elite and started jogging towards them.

[Griffin]

OOC: I called Dan and he can't post tonight, so he told me to move on without him. Pretend he's already regrouped with us.

"Good work guys," Davian breathed. He was regaining his breath after the long fight. "Over at Tenmau's border," he pointed with his sword, "there are units of light cavalry reinforcing the rebels. Simeon has already laid out Eye Gas to disrupt the horses, but we still have a long fight with all the rebels backing the cavalry. I did see some guards running back to the Solaris castle. We might get some reinforcements as well. Until then, our objective stands: hold off the rebels and live to see another paycheck."

Davian faced the oncoming cavalry. Then, he looked to the blood-stained borderline. Corpses all along the line, most of them rebels. Davian muttered, "We better get a bonus for this."