Fable - Ask Rise of Darkness

[Elra Mistfall]

Elra listened carefully to the questioning as she tended to Joram. Asking the usual tavern-goers was worth consideration, perhaps some of those responsible frequented there, or perhaps another had seen something that their man had missed.

"You go ahead and ask the questions. Some questions are best left unasked to certain people."

She nodded once and knelt down so she was at eye level with her patient, keeping a polite smile on her face. "Mr. Joram, it's our understanding that you may have witnessed a heinous crime. Please, could you tell us what you saw two days ago?"

Joram set a hand on his forehead and groaned. His face tightened and lost some of its color again, but this time, not from sickness. "Yes I, I uh." He took a deep breath in and tried to "I was, walking home that night, from the tavern, on the way I saw some men wearing cloaks walk by, they had a child with them."

Elra's face betrayed a small hint of disgust, knowing full well what the cultists had done. Still, she kept her expression as neutral as possible. "Did you see anything else?"

Joram nodded, his voice cracking. "I followed them into an old house, they all went into the basement, when they came out I hid and let them past. And I, decided to check the basement..."

Jacob Ford Dauner

 

[Jacob Ford]

Jacob alone would then hear a voice in his head. "Some questions are best left unasked to certain people"

Jacob heard a voice in his head that stopped him in his tracks as he was about stepping out of the house.
"You'll do yourself a favor young man. Knock next time before entering my mind, or I won't be so polite." He replied, still in his head, with a docile smile on his face. With that, he put up his mind blocks, which for some reason was down.

Joram nodded, his voice cracking. "I followed them into an old house, they all went into the basement, when they came out I hid and let them past. And I, decided to check the basement..."

If Joram had been down a basement, then obviously he should have a unique scent all over him. A mix of dust and because he was near a human sacrifice alter, blood.

With one deep breath, Jacob took in the surrounding air around him, focusing on the scent coming from Joram. As suspected, stuffy dust was evident on him, and so was the blood.
But as Jacob tried trading the scent trail out the door, it vanished immediately he stepped out.
So not even good old fashioned scent trails won't work huh? Well, I think I'll leave this one to the demon expert in there... Jacob said to himself mentally.

Walking back in, he looked over at Dauner. "I can't pick up a scent trail. Hope you have a way to track the aura. Am a little rusty when it comes to aura tracking, and we don't have the time for trial and error." He said, in a tentative tone...

 

[Dauner]

Dauner suddenly felt amused at hearing Jacob. Although he looked like someone in his early 20s, he was still someone with several millennia of life under his belt, so being called 'young' by the vampire felt a little ironical. Though this wasn't the first and neither would it be the last time this misunderstanding occurred. He didn't care much for it.

He sighed. Jacob's words were akin to telling him to ask for permission whenever he wanted to speak to him. This betrayed the arrogant nature that was so common amongst members of the nobility. Jacob's mannerism also screamed noble from miles away. This was more than enough for Dauner to get a slight understanding of his new companion's background.

Since the blood and souls of the kids had already been refined by the evil artifact, it was obvious that trying to trace it would bear no fruit. And even if a slight trace remained, the magic circle suppressing the artifact, and keeping the dark energy contained, would see that it could not be traced either.

"As soon as I get a general location to search, I'll be on it" Dauner replied to Jacob's inquiry, with no sense of hurry in his words. There was no use rushing into things when they had yet to get the most important pieces of information.

Joram began to recount the events of that night, saying as much as he could remember.

"I followed them into an old house, they all went into the basement, when they came out I hid and let them past. And I, decided to check the basement..."

Joram seemed to tense up after saying this. He continued to speak, his voice trembling with every word.
"In the basement, there was a black spear in the ground... and a magic circle drawn around it. Then at the side of the room..." he held himself back, as he recalled the horrible sight. "Kids. A dozen or so. Too young. Their bodies. They were drained of all blood, till they looked like dried up carcasses"

He stopped. Visibly too shaken to continue recounting what he'd seen. Mira was aghast. To think such a thing was happening right beneath their noses. Dauner, from the side, shook his head. Seemed like he'd have to clean up some mess involving his kin again. By the severity of the situation, Dauner might need to spill rivers of blood once again. But that would have to wait. The most important thing, right now, was to find the basement Joram spoke of.

Dauner turned to Mira, placing his hand on her shoulder to snap her back to reality. "Can you take us to the tavern your uncle always drinks at?"

Joram had done his part. Forcing him to recall anymore at this point would be too inhumane. Especially since, from what he'd said, Dauner had an idea of where to find the house Joram mentioned.

---

Elra Mistfall | Jacob Ford​

---

 

[Elra Mistfall]

Elra fought to keep a calm expression despite the grisly description Joram painted. She clasped her hands in front of her, tightly enough that her knuckles turned white. She breathed in before she spoke next. "It's alright Mr. Joram, the effects of your magic have been cleansed, and I'll ensure the culprits are brought to justice," she said in a kind, but firm tone of voice.

She rose to her feet and turned toward the others, listening as they asked Mira to lead them to the tavern. She walked over and added. "It would be a great help."

Mira glanced between the three strangers, eventually offering a small nod. She looked toward her uncle again with concern. "Are you sure he'll be okay?"

Elra glanced at Dauner suspiciously but nodded. "Yes, I'm sure."

Mira took a deep breath. "Okay. I'll bring you to the tavern."

Jacob Ford Dauner

 

[Jacob Ford]

"As soon as I get a general location to search, I'll be on it"

"Good." Jacob said with a nod, replying to Dauner.

Joram's recount of the story was horrific indeed. It turns out there were more children missing that reports showed.

Mira glanced between the three strangers, eventually offering a small nod. She looked toward her uncle again with concern. "Are you sure he'll be okay?"

Mira's concern for her uncle was understandable. But they needed to get to that alter.
"He'll be fine. I could compel him not to leave the house till you get back if you want?" Jacob asked with a small smile.

 

[Dauner]

The tavern was a 15-minute walk away from Joram's place. The group proceeded there in relative silence, with Dauner continuously releasing his spiritual sense, scanning for all energy fluctuations along the way.

A few minutes after they left Joram's house, Dauner felt a weak dark energy fluctuation. It wasn't strong enough to be the source they were after, but it was still stronger than what had plagued Joram. Could there be another who had fallen victim to the dark energy? He wondered.

"I got something!" Dauner spoke. "A few dozen meters ahead" he added.

He took the initiative to lead the group towards what he'd sensed. What presented itself before them at the end of the walk was an old, likely abandoned house. Being so close, Dauner no longer needed to use his spiritual sense to sense it. The dark energy exuded from within the building was very intense. Very suffocating.

"I believe this is what we're looking for"

---

Elra Mistfall | Jacob Ford​

 

[Elra Mistfall]

Elra followed at the back of the group, watching both her new companions carefully. Already she knew one was a vampire and the other was hiding something. She'd worked with unscrupulous individuals in the past, but at least she knew just what they were beforehand. With them, she couldn't gather much, but the issue at hand was too important to ignore.

Whatever her personal suspicions, she'd put them aside for the sake of protecting other children from this cult.

She raised an eyebrow when Dauner claimed he sensed something and started to lead them. "You have quite the acute sense for this," she said dryly. That couldn't be explained by a cursed sword. She paused when they reached the house and frowned. "This could be it, judging from Mr. Joram's story."

Even she could feel like there was something amiss, just being near to it.

Jacob Ford Dauner

 

[Jacob Ford]

"I got something!" Dauner spoke. "A few dozen meters ahead" he

"Yes, I feel it too." Jacob spoke after a while of working. They had left Joram and were walking in a direct at the outskirts of town.

"I believe this is what we're looking for"

The old tattered looking house was soaked in dark demon energy. On like anything Jacob had seen in a long time.
"We are indeed here." Jacob confirmed. "Now fellas, what's the plan of entry." He added, while pulling his sword from his side, taking it into his left hand, but keeping it in its sheath.

 

[Dauner]

Hearing Elra's comment, Dauner turned his gaze to her. "Nothing a few years of training can't do". A few years of training both the body and the soul, that is. Wasn't exactly an easy training, but its results were just as good. Though using his spiritual sense could let him see a few miles away, it required partially detaching one's soul, which would leave the body vulnerable.
Although Dauner didn't exactly trust the group that much, they were all strangers with the same goal, and none of them knew of this secret. Or at least none that he knew of. This made him more comfortable using the technique with them around.

Dauner stood before the building, seemingly restless. The souls trapped beneath it whispered in his ears. They pleaded to be set free. Through one of the seven precepts he trained, he somehow had an affinity to souls, which aided in communicating with stray souls.
Opening up ones soul also had a number of disadvantages should he not be careful. And the vulnerability to soul attacks was one of them.

Caught in a trance, Dauner would find himself in a dark fog. This wasn't the real world. No. It was a depiction of the plane the souls found themselves trapped in. Dark. Cold. And constantly suppressed. It felt as though something was pulling Dauner in. Trying to trap him among the others. Dauner wouldn't be able to snap out of it fast enough, unless one of the others made him.

---

Elra Mistfall | Jacob Ford​

 

[Jacob Ford]

Jacob and the 3 other individuals stood before the building eyeing it with wonder and scrutiny. Mostly scrutiny though.
Elra's comment suggested she still had no idea of what Dauner was. Well, she was in for a surprise when she found out.

Jacob took a few steps forward, feeling the dark energy mixed with what felt like the life force of humans. Trapped souls... he said, mentally.
"We certainly have a lot of work to..." Jacob's speech came to a halt as he turned and saw Dauner with glazed eyes, like as if in a trance.
"You alright there man?" Jacob asked walking towards Dauner. When he got no response, Jacob lifted a brow. "Odd." Although they just met, Jacob figured Dauner not to be the type that wonders off in the space of his mind. Especially when they had just found what they were looking for.

Jacob lifted a hand, and placed his fingers against Dauner's temple. He felt a pulling force dragging on his mind. With a quick motion, he retracted his fingers. "I think we have a small problem." Jacob informed, turning to Elra. "Our friend here seams to be more in tune with the soul energy than I thought." He said, turning back to Dauner. "His mind has been sucked into some sort of Limbo? I guess?" Jacob sounded unsure, but he felt he could solve the problem.

Once again, he placed his fingers at Dauner's temple but this time, with both hands. Delving into his mind, he called out to him.

"Dauner! Can u hear me." He found him in the dark, standing with a lost look in his eyes. "Take my hand man!!" Jacob shouted, stretching his hand to him....

 

[Elra Mistfall]

"Of course, training," Elra muttered. She knew of such abilities, she encountered them several times in her life. Either it came from clerics and paladins who opposed such things and learned to track it. Or, it came from far more dubious sources.

Dauner clearly wasn't among the former.

She progressed toward the house at a cautious pace. Half expecting the door to fly open and a cultist to come running out at them. She'd neglected to bring her traditional weapons that day, she hadn't expected to need them for such a simple visit, but hopefully, she wouldn't need them. She paused when she heard Jacob address her.

She turned to Dauner and pursed her lips. Jacob was right, something was clearly amiss with him. "His soul? I can't say I have any medicine for that." She dug out a vial of smelling salts and pulled the cork off it, holding it in front of Dauner's face. "But maybe I can shock him awake..."

Generally, she used such methods to help victims of fainting or lightheadedness, but maybe it could help Dauner in some way.

Dauner Jacob Ford

 

[Dauner]

Dauner stood, not confused at what was happening, but rather amused. He had not thought he'd run into a soul type artifact this strong, and as such was too lax with guarding his soul, even after opening it earlier.

"Hah! To think I'd fall into the allure of a mere artifact" he joked. At first, he thought of breaking free from the force that sought to pull him in, but it was going to be a little challenging without external stimulation to help awaken his body. However, he didn't have to do things the hard way. Jacob had somehow wandered into his soul sea.

Dauner's mind was not like that of normal humans. It was like an abyss, looking with dangers at every corner. If Jacob wasn't careful, he'd end up having his soul eroded by demonic energy and swallowed by the abyss. Moreover, it was strictly guarded against invasions, by 7 pillars which represented his 7 precepts. Although this wasn't very effective against artifacts which didn't possess sentience and couldn't fall for the temptations, a person would have to resist the allure of seven different temptations before making their way in.

The attack had however weakened the power of the pillars, so it wouldn't be too hard for Jacob to make his way to where Dauner's soul source was.

Dauner turned around upon hearing the familiar voice. He was surprised at how the vampire had succeeded in making his way across the minefield that was his mind barrier. Although it was greatly weakened, it was still not a feat ordinary people could perform. This just made him more interested in Jacob, and in the race of vampires in general.

He could think of that later. Keeping Jacob waiting would, after all, be rude of him. He reached out, grabbing hold of Jacob's hand, and using it as an anchor, against which he pulled himself away from the suction.

Soon, both men would be push out, as though they had been rejected, and hence kicked out by Dauner's mind. As soon as he would return, Dauner would be hit by the strong smell, causing him to jerk his head back, away from it.

"Whoa. That was quite... something. Ahem. Thanks guys" he said with a smile which he assumed would convey gratitude. Now that he knew what he was dealing with, he'd definitely not fail to properly maintain the walls of his soul sea.

---

Elra Mistfall | Jacob Ford​

 

[Jacob Ford]

Jacob watch for a while before Dauner took his hand, and then he felt a force push against him. Then in a second, they were both back to reality.
Just then, Jacob's sensitive nose picked up on a pungent smelling potion, which led him to cringe his nose.

He took away his hands from Dauner's head, then cleared his throat. "Well, don't go wondering off in soul worlds next time without warning. That was rather a challenge for me.... Breaking through your mind." Jacob stated, rubbing his own temple.

Turning back to Elra, he asked. "What the hell was that pungent stuff?"

 

[Elra Mistfall]

Elra pulled back the vial and closed it off. She glanced at her two companions and shrugged. "Smelling salts, I don't have any magic, so it was all I could offer." She glanced at Jacob. "I'm sure it was quite pungent for your vampire senses, but it contains nothing that would be a threat to you."

She slipped the vial back into her satchel and looked ahead. She didn't know what'd happened with either of the two, due to said lack of magic, but she could tell they were in the right place now. She furrowed her eyebrows. "Are we certain we should go directly in? Perhaps we should ensure we're prepared."

Jacob Ford Dauner

 

[Dauner]

Turning back to face the building, Dauner decided to concentrate on the task at hand. Rather than signs of life, all he could sense from inside the building was death. He was more than certain there was no one inside. Or at least no one alive.

"I can't sense any signs of life from the other side of the door, but something doesn't quite feel right"

Mira, who had been lost on what was going on, had been standing silently by the side. Shifting his gaze towards her, Dauner would offer a warm smile.

"Thank you for your help, but I think we can handle things from here. If you could, would you mind informing the guards about what's going on here?" he'd say, before turning to Elra.

Doctor or not, if there was one thing Dauner had noticed upon first seeing her, it was that she'd had her fair share of battles. Assuming she was experienced enough, Dauner didn't see any problem with letting her follow him in.

He detached his sheathed sword from his belt and handed it over to her. "I don't know how good you are with the sword, but better safe than sorry". As he'd hand it over, he'll make sure to imbue some of his vital essence into it, which would ensure that its user is always safe from the influence of demonic energy. Maybe he was just being too cautious, but his gut told him something wasn't right, and he'd never disregard his gut feelings.

"I guess we should be heading in now"

---

Elra Mistfall | Jacob Ford​

 

[Jacob Ford]

"Smelling salts! Urrghh!!" Jacob gaged at the thought of the smell again.

Jacob took a wif at checking for signs of life as well. With a which breath, he took the air around him. As before, there was no scent in the air relating to their current situation. Jacob the used his vampire vision and hearing to see if he would even pick up on a beating heart, but non yielded results. Just darkness.

Dauner handed his sword to Elra. Not too characteristic for a typical warrior, but then, they weren't fighting under regular conditions.
Jacob gripped his sword tighter in his left hand.
"I'll go first. If there's any booby traps... Well at least I can't die. Not like this anyway." He began slowly walking up to the porch of the house while taking quick glances behind at his companions...

 

[Elra Mistfall]

Elra examined the offered sword before actually taking it. Skeptical about wielding it, given the mysteries surrounding the man already. But if there were children's lives in the balance, she couldn't afford to wait and investigate. "I prefer the spear, but I can wield a sword well enough." She nodded in gratitude.

Jacob offered to go first, and she couldn't help but agree, with everything she knew about vampires. He'd be more than durable enough to survive any ordinary traps. To kill a vampire, one needed to make a trap specifically for them.

She gripped the hilt of her borrowed sword with both hands. "Dauner should go next, he can apparently sense this energy. I'll go last, and watch for ambushes."

Dauner Jacob Ford

(Sorry for the delay, I didn't get a notification for some reason.)

 

[Dauner]

They had prepared enough. It was time to move in. Dauner nodded at Elra, who proposed he went next. Although one would assume he'd unwrap the sword on his back to use, since he'd given the other one to Elra, he didn't. If anything, doing that would instead make things worse.

He'd follow behind Jacob, looking relatively lax, with his guard down. It wasn't, though. He was constantly on alert, making use of his spiritual sense to look out for any danger. However, their path down to the basement would prove to be uneventful. That is, before they'd arrive there.

In the basement, everything Joram had explained proved true. Mummified corpses of little kids, and a spear stuck in the ground, surrounded by demonic energy so thick, that it was now visible to the naked eye. A dense, pitch black substance, that gave off an eery feeling to all who gazed at it, as if trying to invade them.

Elra would be safe from it, though. As long as she held the sword, that is. As for Jacob, Dauner figured he'd have a way to protect himself, and if he didn't, he could always knock him out before he went crazy. He really didn't care much, to be honest.

Dauner noticed the drawings around the spear. The force field that was preventing the demonic energy from going out and spreading into the city seemed to come from the drawing. It was no doubt a magic circle.

The bodies too had some abnormalities. Although they were dried up, they had unusualy well toned muscles, even for kids.

---

Elra Mistfall | Jacob Ford​

 

[Jacob Ford]

The sight seen down at the basement was a gruesome sight indeed. You could say that Joram's description was rather an understatement.

The pungent smell of mummified corpses floaded Jacob's nose, causing him to gag, mentally. Taking in his surroundings, he spotted a soear stuck in the ground in the middle of the room. The dark energy emanating from the spear was practically visible to the naked eye due to its concentration and thickness. It's pushfull demonic force would try to burrow it's way into Jacob's mind, but with no success. Years of cultivating and honing his mind powers were not for naught.
Looking back, he could see that Elra was also unaffected, and neither was Dauner. So far so good... He said to himself.

Wondering a step closer to the the corpses, he could see their odd looking appearance for mummified bodies.. Shriveled up, yet highly toned muscles.
"What what sort of ritual is this?"
He questioned...

 

[Elra Mistfall]

Elra followed after them, taking slow, cautious steps and keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of ambush. Nothing. The house appeared empty, at least at a glance. When it concerned magic and cults, one never knew what may lay in the shadows.

Her face paled when they entered the room, her grip on the borrowed sword tightening. But she otherwise showed no sign of distress. She couldn't, not when the killers were still at large. She had to focus on finding them first.

She approached the spear in the center of the room, though she dared not touch it or the energy surrounding it. Her eyes narrowed. "And what is the purpose of this? I wonder."

Dauner Jacob Ford

 

[Dauner]

Dauner shook his head. This was worse than he'd thought.

"Seems like some preachers of chaos have decided to target Alliria" he'd say, approaching and circling the spear and magic circle surrounding it. "From the density, I'd say the moment this demonic energy is released, everyone within a mile radius will be affected. Imaging what would happen if everyone lost their sanity and saw everyone else as demons. Their bloodlust would rise, and they'd kill as much as they could. It'd be total chaos" he'd add, crouching to examine the magic circle. He didn't fear the influence of the pure demonic energy, because he was made up of an even purer form of it.

His mind wandered away from the issue at hand, as he gained some fascination for the magic circle. Perhaps if he could study it, he could devise a formation that improved its sealing qualities. And if he could combine the properties of the magic circle with a sealing formation, it could yield greater result. The scholar in him awakened at these thoughts.

He wouldn't have that much time, though, as his gut began to warn him. Now getting to their feet, were the corpses that had littered the basement. Undead? No, they seemed more than that. Their bodies had been tempered with to make them much stronger than any undead. They had become fighting machines, now answering only to the will of their creator. This sight disgusted Dauner. But he wouldn't dwell on it, for he now understood what was actually going on.

---

Elra Mistfall | Jacob Ford​

 

[Jacob Ford]

The room was quiet an evil chill hovered in the air.

"Seems like some preachers of chaos have decided to target Alliria" he'd say, approaching and circling the spear and magic circle surrounding it. "From the density, I'd say the moment this demonic energy is released, everyone within a mile radius will be affected. Imaging what would happen if everyone lost their sanity and saw everyone else as demons. Their bloodlust would rise, and they'd kill as much as they could. It'd be total chaos"

Dauner's words sank into Jacob's mind, as he examined the room himself. Under normal circumstances, a blood bath wasn't such a bad ides. Jacob was at times, sadistic and cruel. He would enjoy a good blood bath any day. But this time, it concerned children
The precious life forces of children were being tainted to create dark energy. Jacob wasn't about to let that happen.

Stiring began in the room, as Jacob was still in thought. He was brought back to his senses when he heard a wicked snarl, coming from one of the now, reanimated kids.
"Ohh shit!! What the hell!!" He exclaimed

 

[Jacob Ford]

OCC: sorry I took this long guys. Was so busy this week.

 

[Elra Mistfall]

"Preachers of chaos?" Elra echoed. Her lips pursed when Dauner explained what could be accomplished by their profane ritual. If something like that was unleashed in the middle of Alliria, thousands would be at risk. "We don't have time to waste. If we can't dispel it ourselves, we need to find someone who can."

She stiffened when she heard the snarl, and saw the bodies rise back up. "Tch, we don't have time for this!" Fortunately, she'd packed a few useful potions. She reached into her satchel and drew out two vials, tossing one to each of her companions. "Drink these, they'll increase your speed short-term!"

Dauner Jacob Ford

 

[Dauner]

Dauner caught the vial sent flying his way. He didn't really need a speed boost, seeing as he could outrun all of them. However, the thought hit him that Elra probably wanted them to leave first, before coming back better prepared. But Dauner had another idea in mind.

"Guy. I know this might sound dangerous" he began to talk, seemingly unconcerned by the reanimated bodies. "But I'll need you to cover while I try sealing the magic circle. I believe, the conspirators might try setting this... bomb, off, when they find out their plans have been uncovered."

He stretched his arm, holding onto the heads of one of the kids who tried jumping at him. He tried using the difference in the reach of their arms to his advantage, but was surprised to find out how much strength the body had. It was like it had been infused with metal to increase its combat effectiveness. He put more force into his arm, and threw the body into the others before they could start pouncing onto him too. He then turned to the other two.

"I'll be counting on you" he said, turning back to the magic circle right afterwards.

---

Elra Mistfall | Jacob Ford​