GoldenCat/Equinox
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Equinox
The Caravan goes...
...The noise, the violence and the stench of Nexus fading far behind Selina and her caravan, as the great pastures of the East freeze, and the pines appear in the distance. The feel of the north touches Selina, the feel a little girl with blood on her hands left, so long before.. a cold, but welcoming feeling. Signed in blood, the contract with the Deathknight stands, and she knows her mission. To the north, to Whiteshield.
Until entering the north, it was a safe enough trip, by the standards of the age of sorrows. Some thieves, some muggers, one or two attacks of wild beasts. Nothing of real note, until the northern winds began to blow.
First, a wagon that expontaneously caught fire, burnt wholly, causing extreme loss to all the merchants with goods in it... then, many of the horses catching some weird disease that made their manes and skin acquire a green, fungal tint...
And then, today... a sound not unlike an explosion, debris flying overhead and the scent of fire. Merchants run for their lives as whatever begins the conflagration makes it explode in fury, screams echoing through Selina’s wagon...
Selina De Windia: Suppressing an exasperated sigh as the remainder of the explosion propogates outwards, Selina steps around one of the wagons, putting some distance between it and her if anything else should happen as well as trying to get out of the line in order to see what's (probably) attacking the caravan.
Caravan: Many people and wagons on her way - but Selina can hear, above the crowd’s stampede, the cries of men, the clashing of steel, and even feel - for real? Or only in her mind, by assossiation with the screams she hears so often on her job? - the scent of spilt blood.
Another explosion, debris and wind frightens the animals, a great Yeddim running towards the lithe windian.... the lumbering beast shrieking and howling a hollow, mute howl as it runs, its stunted, useless eyes missing the little black-winged figure in its path....
Selina De Windia: As the lumbering beast of burden begins to put on speed, the wind of the explosion which spooked it causing her (not completely fastened) greatcoat to blow back violently, Selina leaps into the air and unfurls her black-feathered wings to their full span in a single blurred movement, gazing past the yeddim to survey the scene at the head of the caravan.
Somehow, I doubt this is barbarians.
Dragons: And it isn't. As she, she sees the unmistakable signs of 3 Princes of the Earth – The red tinge in the skin of an aspect of fire, and the greenish tint on the skin of two Water aspects, moving with the grace and power of demigods, effortlessly turning the caravan guards into little bloody slices on the ground.
The Ebon Dragons are wearing simple clothing, the sort you would never see a Realm scion wearing - forest-colored clothes, akin to those of wealthy merchants in components, but pratically-oriented. The Fire Aspect would seem like a dynast if not for his seemingly lack of manners, in Red Jade armor and with Daiklave in hand, shining red under the cold northern sunlight. No fewer than 20 human reavers are with them, and all the Dragon-Blooded laugh and tell jokes as they mow through the caravan guards, the sole Dragon protecting the expedition dead on the ground.
As the Assassin gets to such vantage point, she can sense the scent of burning flesh, seeing the fires on the ground and scorched land, those still alive crying while on fire... and sees the fire aspect throw a third elemental burst, exploding a wagon, laughing as he commands them to burn!
Selina De Windia: Outcastes. Lovely.
Selina moves down to land on the roof of the rearmost wagon, shrugging out of her greatcoat as she does so in order to expose herself, drawing her rapier.
Channeling a bit more of her power through herself, the assassin wraps the chill northern winds about herself, fashioning them into a chill, swirling aura that would hinder even the aim of charms which throw out pure energy -- and then she readies herself to spring upon them, as she tosses her greatcoat to the ground, wadded into a ball, as far behind the caravan as she can.
Dragons: The fire doesn't have any mortal or Dragon close to him, enjoying burning people at the distance. The humans are attacking weaker caravan members, and the two water Dragons are eliminating the remains of the caravan guard... most ruthlessly, each fighting with about 4 humans as it stands.
Selina De Windia: After sizing up the situation, and somewhat surprised none of the Dragon-Bloods notices her -- sloppy fools deserve what I'll give them -- Selina begins her attack.
The Windian moves toward the nearest, taking to the air once she runs out of wagon-roof, holding Dreamshard out as she gains altitude and then dives on the nearest water aspect, her black and grey anima banner flaring to life in a whispering hiss which slowly builds up to a crackling roar as the bonfire of essence envelops her with shadow and small bolts of lightning. The weapon itself seems sheathed in the glow of death essence, edges suddenly unnaturally sharp as she hurtles down toward her prey. Other than that, the Dark Angel makes no sound, merely focuses on her target with a smirk.
Dragons: The Water Aspect notices the incoming raven in time to rise his slashing sword, which is easily ashattered by your attack, as the blade goes inexorably towards him.... the blade cutting deep through his Exalted flesh, elemental blood splashing on the ground as the Dragon steps back, wide-eyed... “Who... are.. you?”
And as he asks, his fellow Dragons turn their heads...
Selina De Windia: "Just an angel." Selina replies, slashing twice at the wounded Dragon-Blood with her weapon as she prepares for an assault from the other two, aura flaring about her.
Dragons: Strangely enough, the Water Aspect doesn't seem fazed by his broken weapon - in fact, he moves to parry with it, smiling smugly at Selina as if he had parried her blade flawlessly and hadn't even been hurt.... yet, even with a broken weapon he parries her strike, moving like falling rain to avoid her second strike... but no rain is faster than the touch of oblivion.
As the rapier comes down, it severs his insides... and he laughs. He laughs with blood on his mouth, water-tinted skin tarnished by the blood that pours forth from his wounds and mouth...
... And even before his death, he seemd to disbelieve anything was... amiss, falling to the ground like a lump of meat, the blood trickling away like running water. Exalted, but dead as any other man.
"Unfortunately, we have to burn even angels on our path.” The Fire Aspects remarks, “But you seem to be an angel of darkness... does darkness burn?" Daiklave resting on his shoulder as he raises his left palm, flickering fire licking it until it is rdirected as a blast towards Selina, rushing like on a summer-dry orchard to burn the angel to cinders....
Selina De Windia: Selina doesn't even bother to dodge that, letting the winds swirling about her deflect the bolt of fire as she stands before the corpse of the first water aspect. "You'll have to do a bit better, little dragon."
Dragons: The other dragon-blooded finishes crushing the throat of a mortal, turning to the dark beauty sheathed in winds in front of him... "You should know better, Kahr" He says, throwing the corpse close to Selina.
"Fists will work better in this lady of dark winds..."
He waits on her move, calculating, confident.
Selina De Windia: With a throaty laugh, Selina gestures upward with her free left hand, the aura of darkness around the hand and arm lessening for a bit as the small lightning bolts crackle more strongly for a moment.
As the blue corona envelops the assassin's left arm, a burst of lightning and wind erupts from the ground at the feet of the second water aspect.
Dragons: The Water Aspect flows out of the way of the burst, droplets of water on his wake, looking at her one of contempt. Then, a nod to the Kar, who burns with fiery essence as he jumps towards Selina, his Daiklave coming down over her face with all the confidence of a Prince of the Earth...
Selina De Windia: Raising her rapier with a slight flare of essence to bat the fire aspect's daiklave away from her, Selina smirks ever so slightly at the dragon-blood. "Still not enough. Having a hard time with the concept?"
Dragons: "That someone is foiling the cause of divine righteousness? It won't be forever, bitch... Yield to the scions of the new Realm, or be consumed by it!" The Fire Aspect preaches, his voice commanding as he hits the ground.
The Water Aspect nods, moved "Have your defenses eroded, and be drowned in the power of the new realm. You, all of you! Get her!" He gestures towards Selina, commanding his mortal followers.. whom all strike at her form... missing, due to her winds, and her beauty.
The beauty enhanced by the emerald gem on her neck.
The guards mostly dead or hiding, the reavers now mostly focused on her, the scenario of the caravan takes a calmer pace now - those who had to run away did so already, and those who stayed now lurk behind the wagons, hoping for the assassin to triumph.
About 10 men swarm around Selina, her beauty staying their blows, her winds redrecting the few that go at her... . and the two dragons circle her, the fire aspect close, the water from afar.
Selina De Windia: The new Realm? She thinks as she leaps out of the circle with the force of the wind seemingly behind her, rushing past the reavers and fire aspect to the water, rapier poised to skewer him as with his comrade.
Dragons: He prepares to flow out of the way again, the same near-hypnotic fluid movements fto avoid your attack, trying to step back out of your way like the tide retreating after a crushing wave...
The human bandits fall to the ground like flies, groans of pain coming from them as her anima shows her elemental heritage and burns in rippling winds and dark lighting. Those unhurt keep their distance... eight of them, in total, drawing their bows.
The Fire Immaculate runs towards Selina this time, and the Water Aspect prepares to attack the Dark Angel with his bare hands, at long last, moving and crackling them like weapons... . ... making his hands like the claws of a dragon! He jumps foward, attacking Selina twice with arms like crushing waves and fingers like claws...
Selina De Windia: Seeing her last blow turned aside by what she now figures is a water immaculate, or ex-water immaculate, Selina growls and strikes at him again, a slight darkness cloaking her weapon this time. But not as dark as her initial thrust. "Am I unmanning you? Come at me all at once!" She yells as she attacks the water aspect.
Dragons: The Immaculate begins to glow with essence, his anima exploding in drops of water that are cut in half by your gusts of wind and bolts of lighting....
And then, the Fire Aspects comes, as you knew he would, his red Daiklave flashing on the sun with tongues of fire as he slashes at Selina, his anima exploding in more fire, close to what Selina's own anima display....
And then, all archers take their arrows, and all at once, showing discipline, let their arrows fly towards the Dark Angel! ... And all their arrows fall on the ground or the wagons, without a chance in helll to hit the whirlwind of dark air that is the Dark Angel.... swatted away by her windy shield.
Vorpal: The spiteful, furious hiss of hot iron plunging into water is the only warning they get before a barrage of rays made of pale silver light, pure and cold like an arctic night, suddenly flash in from outside the battlefield. A gust of freezing wind billowing leaves in their wake, the Essence-made beams streak past the reavers and Selina, heading straight towards the Fire Aspect with vengeance
Dragons: About to strike the Dark Angel, The Fire aspect is hit by the soul blast, feeling the hate and negative power in it as he falls backwards, tasting the ground, barely keeping his hands on his Daiklave... “... who?!?”
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