- VANDAL -
Van pushed open the door to the old fisherman's shop. Some mischief had occurred around this part of town while they were away. There were dead beasts and Umbras scattered about as if a battle had ensued here as well. Could there be others ... No, we should have met them by now, shouldn't have we?
"What do you think happened here?" asked Magpie.
"Not sure," responded Vandal, "maybe the Umbras fought the beast for some reason."
"Didn't you say they practically teamed up against you and Navi, though?" asked Senshi.
"True," conceded Van, "but who knows? I've even seen some Umbra kill and eat each other. Not sure about the other beasts though ..."
Inside the shop, Van filled his bag with as much as he could carry with weights.
It was getting dark outside, so with the ammunition run complete, the trio headed back to the building to rescue their fellows. As the sun sank past the distant hills, Umbra's of various lower levels came out to harass them. They made short work of them.
Senshi loosed her arrows, Magpie danced with her sword and showed some magical skill, and Van, to save resources, split a few Umbras with the axe.
"Anyone hurt?" Van called behind him as he walked into the great building.
"I'm fine," said Magpie as she cleaned her blade.
Senshi said the same.
They proceeded up the steps of an emergency stairway, metal creaking with every step they took. On the landing of the fifth floor, a lesser Umbra lurked, snarling to itself. Vandal took aim, but Magpie squeezed his shoulder.
"Won't Cordis and the other's hear the gunshot?" she whispered.
"You're right," agreed Van, "best go quietly from here."
"I've got this," said Senshi quietly and quickly as she drew an arrow.
Even in the dark, she sent the arrow between the dark creature's eyes.
Thinking about the dark, Van decided to light his axe, enchanting it with fire. The soft glow did some help to illuminate the way as he held it almost like a torch.
The stairway stopped on the seventh floor: the steel steps had fallen and the railings, a mangled mess.
"We'll have to find another way," said Van, "clearly."
They walked into the hall of the apartments and after a couple of steps, there was a glowing sign above a doorway further down. That could be a way up, thought Van.
As they walked the floor creaked loudly and Van could feel slight movement on the floor on every step they took. Senshi and Magpie seemed to sense the same, and the three of them trod softly.
The door to an apartment fell from its hinges ahead of them, and a level three Umbra slithered out, bearing sharp teeth and two tongues. Another came out of a room behind them, letting out a half-cackle, half-growl as it dripped acid from its maw that sizzled on the torn rug of the hallway.
Senshi, quick with the bow, loosed two arrows at the one ahead, the one that blocked the new stairway passage. It responded angrily, lashing both its tongues at Vandal. Before they could grab him, Magpie stepped closer to him, lifted her arms, which gave off a violet glow, and a translucent shield with strange symbols spawned before them.
Fascinating, thought Vandal. The tongues seemed to cringe at Magpie's shields. Van made a swift cut at them, shortening them. Under Magpie's cover, they both made their way towards it.
"Senshi!" Vandal heard Magpie yell.
Behind, one of Senshi's arm was being tugged at by the other level three's tongue while another wrapped around her ankle. The faery pulled out a curved blade and began to hack at them.
Magpie let her shield fade, and she raised her hand at Senshi's opponent. A lightning bolt with a bright violet glow shot out from her palm, the brightness temporarily blinding Vandal's one eye. The shot was loud and Van thought there was no reason to be clandestine at this point. I'm no use without my long gun, anyhow. Vandal let all three shots bury themselves in the Umbra at the stairway. The enchanted gems gave the uncharged bullets partial fire damage; the Umbra was stunned and began to glow and smoke.
Vandal flew at the level three and cut it nearly in two. He looked back to see Senshi pulling her arrows from the dead Umbra, a gaping hole in its chest where Magpie had smitten him.
The floor shook, and Vandal could hear the straining of the structure above. What's that ... Suddenly, the floor above gave way, and debris fell down into the hall, separating him from the Senshi and Magpie.
"Senshi? Vandal called from across the mess of wood and pipes, "Magpie?"
"We're alright, Van," Magpie called out, "We're ... we'll find some other way to the top."
As much as Van was reluctant to leave them behind, he turned and entered the stairway and headed up.
- LADNAVIA -
"What in the twelve hells was that?" said Ladnavia.
Two loud bangs were heard from below in the apartments. The rest seemed to hear it as well, as their interview of the one called Shadow came to a halt. Ladnavia snapped her fingers at the level four.
"Go see to it," she told it.
"Oh?" it retorted with fake surprise, "I take orders from you now, do I?"
"Clearly, you are our servant," said Navi
"Clearly, you are a spoiled princess and it shows," spat the level four.
Navi only let out a snorty laugh at that and the Level Four hissed.
"It seems our guests have arrived," said Cordis "and are working up an appetite."
"What's the plan, friends?" asked the necromancer in smooth tones.
"Perhaps we—" started the Aeromancer, the one named Caecius, interrupted by a sudden tremor.
"Could it be another shift?" wondered Navi.
"Must be that faery," added Gideon, "I've seen her magic. She made a barrier of concrete and metal around her hours ago just to dress her self privately."
"She is on our side, yes?" Caecius asked Cordis.
"I do believe so," responded the blonde demon, "if she is, the gunner and Shadow's lady should be no problem at all."
"And if she hasn't defected?" asked Gideon.
"Well," said Cordis, "you have the honor in dealing with any difficulties that arise."
Gideon agreed and Ladnavia smirked.
"At least this creature knows its place," she said drily.
"I'm sorry," said Gideon, fixing his hair with irritation, "I fail to see your place here. Please, explain why I haven't torn you to shreds and eaten every last piece of you."
Navi made a noise of false sympathy and said, "are you still angry about the bolts? That was the past. Now, we are allies, even if you are a breed of those slithering slimes."
Cordis yawned, watching the hostile back and forth.
"Laddy," he said patiently, "must you piss off everyone you meet?"
"I wouldn't say I must," defended Ladnavia with a smile, "more so that I desire to."
Shadow seemed to like that philosophy, laughing lowly. Caecius, however, was indifferent to the farce around him.
"So what should be done?" the aeromancer asked them.
Cordis swung a leg over the other and thought for a moment before responding.
VANDAL'S INVENTORY:
BULLETS: 9 / 12
BANFROW : 70%
10% used per shot
MAGPIE'S ENERGY/MANA: 3 / 10
Use of lighting: 4
Use of shields: 3
ns 15.158.61.12da2
