Fable - Ask Rise of Darkness

[Jacob Ford]

"Drink these, they'll increase your speed short-term!"

Jacob caught the vial thrown to him. He exmined it for a second before putting it away. He really didn't need a speed boost. "I'll keep this for later." He whispered under his breath.
Taking in the sight before him, he sped out if the way of an attacking child, standing just in front of Elra.

"Now this is an interesting twist of events... Not that I'm totally surprised though. I kinda expected something like this." He said.

"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."

Dauner had a point. If the authors of this cruelty were to find out their plans have been discovered, they would probably detonate their little demon bomb early.

"We will provide cover. Move quickly." Jacob said with absolution in his voice. He drew his sword from its quiver, and poised for battle.

"Forgive me little ones. Let me give you proper rest now."

 

[Elra Mistfall]

Elra kicked one of the undead away from her so that it fell back into another. She furrowed her eyebrows when Dauner mentioned dispelling the cultist's work. "Are you certain you can accomplish this?" She agreed that something had to be done, but if they meddled with this foul magic and failed, they could very well trigger what they sought to avoid.

Still, she positioned herself between him and the abominations the poor children had become, sword in hand. Blinking when Jacob stepped in front of her. She sighed. "I wish I could say the same, but all I expected today was to attend to a man with a hangover."

She knocked back another foe with the flat of her blade, not having the will to turn the blade on the once-children.

Dauner Jacob Ford

 

[Dauner]

Having received their approval, Dauner gave all his attention to the magic circle. First, he would cut his hand with a hidden knife he had on him. The blood which flowed from it would serve as material for drawing the sealing formation.

Having just recently arrived on Arethil, Dauner's knowledge of magic circles was limited, and the little he knew was all in theory. However, he still had knowledge of the corresponding equivalent from his old world, magic formations. While magic circles required only a drawing and magic, magic formations required materials specific to the task the formation was to perform. The former made for faster and easier magic constructs, and the latter for more expensive, but powerful ones.

Lacking the materials, Dauner choose to use his vital essence through his blood. Normally, he would keep his vital essence stocked away, since each drop of it lost, put a huge toll on him, and it was basically what kept him alive. But he'd let it flow through his blood when he needed to use it. Besides, Dauner hardly ever made a losing deal, so one way or another, he'd find enough compensation to make up for his loss.

Using the blood, Dauner began to draw runes around the magic circle. The more he drew, the paler he seemed to become. And a few minutes later, when he was done drawing, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, temporarily pausing to catch his breath.

---

Elra Mistfall | Jacob Ford​

 

[Jacob Ford]

Everyone took their various positions of action. Dauner at the magic circle Jacob and Elra in between him and the undead kids.
They needed to hold them back, buying Dauner the the time to deactivate the circle. And that was turning into a more challenging endeavor than expected.

The kids were surprising stronger than expected and fast too. Jacob either knocked them back, or slashed with the heal of his foot, or he'd decapitate with his blade. But more kept coming.
"I'd advise to be quick man. Although this is rather fun, I would very much like it to be over with." He shouted, towards Dauner.
The smell of blood fresh blood pulled Jacob's attention for a moment. What ever spell the half demon had conjured up, took its toll and he looked more pale that usual.

As fast as a blink, Jacob was by his side. "Is that all about the spell, or an incantation must be spoken?"

 

[Elra Mistfall]

Elra helped Jacob keep the undead back. Though she'd fought many such creatures in the past, there was something different about these. She drank a potion herself to give her a slight boost in strength. Which she used to fend off the next wave of creatures.

A part of her wanted to check and see what Dauner was doing, but the more rational part of her quelled it. Better focus on the task at hand and find out the man's secret another time. She heard Dauner start coughing and Jacob disappeared to go help him. Leaving her to face the creatures alone.

She gritted her teeth. "Whatever you're going to do, you better do it quickly!"

Dauner Jacob Ford

 

[Dauner]

When Jacob came to check on Dauner, Dauner felt disappointed, he didn't even try to hide it. He'd hoped to get comforted by the soft touch of a pretty doctor, but what he got was a dude instead. What a let-down.

"Is that all about the spell, or an incantation must be spoken?"

Dauner got to his feet before answering the question. "Almost. Just a little more, and now's the crucial part" he'd say, stretching his bloody hands into the magic circle. As he did, the formation he'd drawn with his blood began to glow a faint crimson. The magic circle responded in kind, by cracking. Bit by bit, until it was almost completely broken. But Dauner wouldn't wait for it to break.

Battling the influence of the corrupted spear, Dauner would grab onto it, and hold it tightly. The dark energy itself was of no danger to him, but the spear was a little annoying, as it kept trying to suck up his blood and soul. If it had been a lesser demon, it might have fallen, but unfortunately for it, Dauner was no ordinary demon. He was a pureblood, or as people from the mainland tended to call them, demon royalty.

Rather than getting absorbed by the spear, what happened was quite the opposite. The spear was getting absorbed instead. By this time, Dauner had fully stepped into the magic circle. The magic circle shattered with a deafening sound of shattering glass. As it did, all the dark energy converged to Dauner, including the one, already in the spear. Ordinarily, such corrupted weapons would consume their owner, and make them a bloodthirsty slaughterer. But Dauner had been dealing with one such weapon for longer than he could recount. Not only that, the cursed sword he carried with him, was far more chaotic than the spear.

As Dauner began absorbing all the dark energy, the reanimated kids, would slowly, one after the other, fall, returning to their lifeless state. There would be a rumble, a slight earthquake, as Dauner pulled the spear out of the ground. A new trail of blood, made its way down his lips. From the difficulty, Dauner could only imagine how many lives had been forfeit to put this plan into motion.

---

Elra Mistfall | Jacob Ford​

 

[Jacob Ford]

Now, Jacob knew Dauner was probably a very talented man in demon business, but he didn't expect the fellow to absorb the spear's powers.

He watched as the energy from the spear was drained out and into Dauner. Now this fellow just got a whole lot more interesting to Jacob.
What other secrets do you hold, my dear halfbreed friend... Those were Jacob's thoughts as he turned around to case in the now quiet environment, void of any snarling undead kids.

"I think there's only room for one undead creature in here, don't you think?" A hint of jest laced in his voice as her spoke to the others, and a small smile made its way on shortly after.
"Now that this little issue is done with. Can we get out of here and get something to eat?" And with those words, the gluten side of Jacob was slowly revealing itself. Jacob was a rather greedy person when it came to food. He could never really get enough of it. "Ohh and while we're at it, let's find out who's behind this mayhem?" He quickly added.

 

[Elra Mistfall]

The glow from the circle tore Elra's gaze away from the undead creatures for just a moment. Long enough to see that Dauner had grabbed the spear. Her eyes widened in both shock and horror. "What are you doing!? Are you trying to get yourself killed!"

Yet Dauner didn't die, instead it was the circle that shattered and the creatures who fell dead once more. She blinked as if to dispel an illusion. Any normal human who exposed themselves to that much demonic energy would certainly perish, or at least go mad. To withstand so much, he'd have to be...

Elra shook her head. "There's still work to be done, I can't let myself be distracted." She approached Dauner and checked him for injuries. Noting the blood flowing from his lip. "Are you hurt?" she asked, though she wasn't sure what her medicine could do for a magical wound.

She frowned when she heard Jacob's comment, sighing when he amended it. "I would take this more seriously if I were you. I know not this cult, but as long as they're still out there, countless lives are still at risk."

Dauner Jacob Ford

 

[Dauner]

By the time the last ounces of demonic energy had been absorbed by Dauner, he looked paler than a starved vampire, and that was saying something. Being a demon, absorbing demonic energy was never a bad thing. It helped mend even the deepest of wounds and increase the power one had at his disposal. However, not for Dauner. He was once like that, a half-breed demon with extremely impure source energy. Back then, this would have been considered a heavenly blessing. But not anymore.

Dauner had spent thousands of years refining his source energy, making it purer with each passing day. Now, it was so pure that he had become a demon king, so absorbing energy of lower quality than his source energy was no less than self harm. However, if given enough time to refine it properly, it would prove to be a blessing in disguise, albeit a tiny blessing.

He finally pulled the spear out of the ground, once a demonic artifact that sucked and refined blood and souls, now just a stronger than normal spear, with an immunity to demonic energy.

"Are you hurt?"

Dauner turned to look at Elra. "No... Not really. I think I might need a checkup, doc" he would say as he stabilized his breath.

He listened to their exchange. Then, extending the spear towards Elra, he smiled. "I think you might be able to put this to better use than I could". After she'd have taken it off his hands, he'd continue. "I understand your sense of urgency. I really do. But we can't do anything if we aren't prepared enough" he'd speak. "We should maybe take a break and analyze the details. We should wait for the city guards to help us find the rest of these bomb sites..." he paused, a look of realization running across his face. Realization that he'd just let slip a detail he wasn't supposed to be aware of.

This was an act, but it would take a supreme and maybe even divine genius in the art of physiognomy to figure that out. That was how good he was at acting.

He quickly changed the topic as if to draw attention away from his blunder, "We should probably rest up at the tavern while we wait". If there was one truth in his words, it was that he needed to rest. A damn good rest. He'd overexerted himself absorbing demonic energy of lesser purity, and that had injured him, so he needed to rest to recover. But he wouldn't mind a checkup by the pretty doc.

---

Elra Mistfall | Jacob Ford​

 

[Jacob Ford]

"I would take this more seriously if I were you. I know not this cult, but as long as they're still out there, countless lives are still at risk."

Jacob smiled at Elra's little rebuff.
"Relax doc!" He began, with a little eye roll and a smirk. "I do understand the severity of the situation. But we can't do much on what we have now. We need more details."

"The spear could be helpful." He said again after a moment of thought, just as Dauner handed the spear to her. "Perhaps if we find the forge that crafter this spear, then we could find the ones who purchased it."

"We should maybe take a break and analyze the details. We should wait for the city guards to help us find the rest of these bomb sites..."

More bomb sites? That wasn't good. More bombs, meant more death.

"We should probably rest up at the tavern while we wait".

Dauner's talk of a tavern distracted Jacob from asking a question he was supposed to.
A tavern meant food. And food was good. " Yeah, good idea. A tavern sounds nice." Jacob said, with an almost crazed smile.

 

[Elra Mistfall]

Elra took note of Dauner's appearance, not unlike a certain vampire she'd encountered years ago. But he was no vampire, that much was certain. She pursed her lips. "I'll do what I can, but your wounds seem more magical than natural."

When Dauner offered her the spear she hesitated, taking a closer look at it. The demonic energy that'd engulfed it before had dissipated without a trace. It appeared to be a (mostly) normal spear now. She slowly reached out and took it from him. "My thanks."

She considered Jacob's words. "True, perhaps we can use this weapon to track the cultists. An old friend of mine specializes in enchantments, though none that abominable. I can ask for his opinion if need be."

She sighed when the two of them insisted they take a break, setting a hand on her hip. "If preparing ourselves is the goal, I know a far better place for us to rest than a tavern. I have my own business, one that can provide us weapons, armor, medicine, food, and somewhere to rest. Let me take us there, after we've informed the guards of our findings, of course."

Dauner Jacob Ford

 

[Dauner]

"Nothing of the sort. Just a few broken organs" Dauner'd respond to Elra, assuring her it wasn't a magical wound, yet, seemingly making light of his situation.

Jacob was proving to be quite a glutton, thinking first with his stomach, but Dauner wouldn't hold prejudice against that nature of his. He was, after all, the demon king of the seven virtues, and there was no 'seven virtues', without the virtue of gluttony. That plus the fact that he was a man that fervently advocated desire in its purest form.

It would come to light that Elra had her own business in the city. A place that could provide weapons, armor, medicine and a place to rest. That rung a tiny little bell in Dauner's head. Her name was Mistfall. Dauner thought as he ran through the archives that was his memory.

Dauner, who had been making plans to stamp his name on the world of Arethil, and build an organization capable of rivaling the strength of kingdoms, and empires, had done a lot of research on Alliria, which was to be his starting point, and its most influential residents. Among the things he'd learned, was a story about the Mistfall sisters. Once part of a mercenary company, who had battled and slain a dragon.

Quite a feat. One Dauner had wanted to accomplish for millennia, but he was no lunatic. He had no interest in senseless killing, and only killed those whose actions asked for it. That made it hard for him, since most of the dragon's he'd met lived seclusive lives and hadn't cause much chaos before. That, plus that most of them were too scared by the sight of the grim reaper, to do anything to offend him. But that was a story for another day.

"This place wouldn't happen to be the Dragon's Den, would it?" Dauner would ask with an interested look on his face.

---

Elra Mistfall | Jacob Ford​

 

[Jacob Ford]

"If preparing ourselves is the goal, I know a far better place for us to rest than a tavern. I have my own business, one that can provide us weapons, armor, medicine, food, and somewhere to rest. Let me take us there, after we've informed the guards of our findings, of course."

"Yes indeed, we will inform the guards of our findings. But first, that food..." Jacob said, almost in a hurry as he walked up the wooden steps leading out of the basement.

It took a moment, but finally it sunk in to Jacob's consciousness that Elra had a business of her own. Hence he stopped half way up the steps.
"You own your own business? That's rather interesting." Jacob said with a glint of admiration. "Say... You wouldn't happen to have a few lingering humans I could sink my teeth into would you? I'm getting famished, and we need all the strength I can muster."

Although he didn't need to feed often, Jacob had been just some previous months back, risen from a few centuries' long slumber. He was taking the time to replenish his strength. At the current moment, he wasn't at full strength. And with the little squabble they just had with the undead, he needed nourishment fast. Or he'd be turning on his companions at some point during their mission..

 

[Elra Mistfall]

Elra sighed at Dauner's light tone when describing his injuries. She reached into her pouch and handed him a healing potion. "Here, drink this. It will enhance your body's natural healing. Good for any race. It should at least keep you going until we reach my clinic." If he were a human, he'd require intensive care, but he wasn't, which meant that such measures might be unnecessary.

She took a step back and glared at Jacob for making such a suggestion. "If you're truly starving, I have blood bags at the clinic. And if I were you, I would refrain from thinking such things going forward. I have no innate prejudice against your kind, but I won't hesitate to act if you feed on an innocent." She tightened her grip on her new spear as she spoke.

She glanced at Dauner from the corner of her eye and nodded. "It would happen to be, yes. I'm the owner of the Dragon's Den, alongside my sister Tanith." Her tone lowered into a mumble. "Whom would likely want to know about what's going on here herself."

Dauner Jacob Ford

 

[Dauner]

The healing potion would prove to be less effective on Dauner than on humans, but it would be effective nonetheless. Taking it from Elra, he would gulp it down in an instant. "Tastes like cherry". As expected, the potion did alleviate his injuries, if only by a little. Then that had him thinking. Magic potions weren't a thing back in his world. Rather, they used elixirs in the form of pills. There were multiple types, each with its own use, but the ingredients for them were hard to find on Arethil, safe for the low level elixirs, which were of no use to Dauner.

If he could get his hands on the recipe for a magic potion, and then add a new ingredient, demonic energy, he could more than triple the efficacy of the potion for him, and even more so for demons of lesser source purity than him. The idea had him positively thrilled.

Listening to Jacob, Dauner shook his head. The vampire had been walking on landmines for a while now, and it would come as no surprise to Dauner if he were to get hit for it pretty soon. Although there were a few things Dauner wouldn't do, he was one who acted human, for the most part. That included, showing empathy and sympathy where it mattered, though himself being a stranger to the feelings he showed, and watching what he said, less his words had him walk on daggers.

As Elra would scold Jacob for his suggestion, Dauner, from behind her, would whisper, such that only Jacob would get it by looking at his lips move. "Real smooth man"

Dauner would offer the elf a smile. "That sounds quite remarkable. I was quite taken by the stories of you slaying a dragon" he'd say, gesturing for her to move on ahead as they would be leaving the scene. "Would you mind sharing the tale?"

---

Elra Mistfall | Jacob Ford​

 

[Jacob Ford]

She took a step back and glared at Jacob for making such a suggestion. "If you're truly starving, I have blood bags at the clinic. And if I were you, I would refrain from thinking such things going forward. I have no innate prejudice against your kind, but I won't hesitate to act if you feed on an innocent." She tightened her grip on her new spear as she spoke.

The glare coming of from Elra's gaze could melt a block of ice in seconds. That is, if glares could melt ice.
her distain for the mere though of Jacob feeding on anyone was clearly seen on her countenance, in her eyes, and the grip on her new spear.
"Jeeze relax doc! I was merely poking some fun." He said with a smile that said, calm down. "I may be a dark creature, but I never feed in innocents" He added, with a more serious look in is eyes.
"The blood bags will be fine, thank you." He finished.

Although the doc posed little to no threat on his life, he would rather prefer a friend than an enemy. Jacob learned a long time ago that having friends is way better than having enemies. They could really come in handy.

"Real smooth man"

Dauner standing behind them, mouthed a sentence only Jacob picked up on. A sly smile crawled past his face for a brief second.
"All this talk of Taverns and food is making me more hungry but the minute. Can we go now?" Jacob said, in an almost annoyed tone.

 

[Elra Mistfall]

Poking fun? Elra wasn't sure whether to believe that or not. She knew firsthand how tricky his kind could be when she hunted one down some years ago. Still, she couldn't afford to disregard help from anyone without hard proof. She rolled her eyes when he insisted on leaving. "We should find a guard and report our findings first. They should be made aware of the danger."

She'd just started walking outside when Dauner asked his question. "The tale is quite long and complicated, spanning a decades-long conflict. The simplest telling is that there was a dragon named Ajax who aspired to conquer Alliria, coveting the city's wealth. My sister and I, adventurers at the time, as well as our allies, fought against him. Until we decided to make a final, all-or-nothing attack on Ajax's lair. That I'm still here is testament to how it went."

Dauner Jacob Ford

 

[Dauner]

"The fight must have been easy, I'm guessing. And the price for victory, must have been... steep" he said. Dauner had a hard time imagining ordinary humans, elves and dwarfs easily killing a dragon without a sufficiently large number of trained fighters. Yes, he was underestimating their overall ability. It was hard not to, after observing them for thousands of years. But their strength in numbers and unity against a common foe did have some merit to it.

As the group would walk out the front door, they'd recognize a familiar face. Mira, followed by some guards, would approach the old building. "Oh! Impeccable timing" Dauner would comment, grinning as he rubbed his hands together. The leader of the group of guards would walk up to them.

"What are you doing here?" he'd ask the three. "This place is to be sealed off for investigation as an official crime scene"

---

Elra Mistfall | Jacob Ford​

 

[Jacob Ford]

"We should find a guard and report our findings first. They should be made aware of the danger."

Elra was indeed a doctor to her core. Thinking only of others, whereas Jacob was only thinking of his stomach. He could be very selfish at times.
"Well I don't think there would be a need to find one. Cuz one has already found us..." Jacob said, gesturing to the front door as they walked the abandoned halls. "Well more like,a few guards." He added. He had picked up two scents. One belonging to Mira, and the other, a rather odd mixture of sparsely rusted armor and body odour. One that could only come from a guard.

Jacob listened in on their conversation, not really planing to contribute anything, as they walked to the door.
Just as they stepped out, they came face to face with Mira and the guards.

"What are you doing here?" he'd ask the three. "This place is to be sealed off for investigation as an official crime scene"

"Well, my dear sir. We just contained an explosion, which if it went off, the town would have been in total chaos by now ." Jacob replied the guard, while tucking his sword back into its sheat, and hanging it to his side, once more.

 

[Elra Mistfall]

For a moment Elra remembered the fight with Ajax, all the split-second moments that could've gone horribly wrong if anyone had done something even slightly differently. She refocused on the present, realizing that she hadn't yet answered Dauner. "It was a difficult battle. But not a costly one, though I'll admit it almost was. Dragons are mighty beasts, but they can be handled like all others with the right preparation and tactics."

Their conversation was interrupted when Mira arrived with the guards. Who were naturally curious as to what the three of them were doing there. Jacob stepped in to explain, and though what he said was accurate, it wouldn't alleviate suspicion.

Elra stepped forward and cleared her throat. Her reputation could help them in this situation. "I apologize for the confusion, but he's right. If you'll allow me to explain; I'm Elra Mistfall, the young woman with you can testify to that. I was called to take care of a patient, where I met these, gentlemen." Describing her new companions as such felt like a lie.

"The patient told me about this house and several murders. Time was of the essence, so we investigated and prevented the completion of a ritual that could've killed many in Alliria. But sadly, there could be more," she continued to explain. "You can find the scene of the ritual in the basement. I'll warn you, it's a grisly scene."

Dauner Jacob Ford

 

[Dauner]

*SLAP*
Dauner facepalmed at Jacob's words. He didn't lie, but the way he worded himself lacked a lot of tact. To Dauner, Jacob seemed like exactly the kind of person who wouldn't be able to survive a day in the game of politics and court intrigue, where every word was a double edge sword, that could make and destroy you. Elra's salvaging of the situation was most welcomed.

Dauner stepped forth, in turn, to speak up. “Dauner A. Light! A pleasure” he'd say, extending his hand for a handshake. “As my companions have rightfully said, we were indeed investigating a ritual taking place within the city. It is my belief, that there have been several cases of missing children in the last few weeks, the bulk of which might have become fuel for these inhumane rituals. As the ones in charge of keeping the order, I thought you might want to know of this, and so I sent Mira over with the message” he'd add, offering them a smile.

He'd chosen his words carefully, with the intention of invoking the guard's sense of responsibility towards the citizens of Alliria, while also trying to explain their intentions with Mira as proof of that. That was why he had sent Mira, who was a witness to everything, rather than a letter, or a stranger.

---

Elra Mistfall | Jacob Ford​

 

[Jacob Ford]

Jacob was bland and tactless in words. And this many at times landed him into trouble. This time however, he had people to clear up the situation.
"That's right... Just as they said." He would add.

 

[Elra Mistfall]

The guards looked skeptical at first but soon began to relent at the three's insistence, along with Mira affirming their story, Elra's in specific. The leader furrowed his eyebrows, nodding at two of his comrades, who walked inside ahead of him. "We have more questions for you."

Elra folded her hands in front of her and nodded. "Of course, we'll be happy to tell you everything we know." For the next several minutes the guards continued their questioning, asking for details on what they saw, the guards that were sent in soon returned, pale-faced and newly motivated to stop the cult. Finally the questions came to a stop.

The leader frowned. "I need to report this to the captain. We'll begin searching for the rest of these ritual sites."

Elra nodded in appreciation. "That would be a help." She glanced at her two companions. "If there's no more questions, may we leave now?"

Dauner Jacob Ford

 

[Dauner]

Dauner was no fan of questioning. It felt absurd to him, that he, prideful as he was, would have to sit and be questioned by another. That, however, never stopped him from playing the part. As the guard asked one question after the other, Dauner's replies would be all but completely honest. All his answers aimed at helping them apprehend the culprits, and nothing more. However, he wouldn't provide them with all the information he knew. For all he knew, the guard he was speaking to could have been one of them, or just a corrupt guard on their payroll. Distrust. That was one of the fundamentals that built Dauner into who he was. He was one whose trust was hard to earn. Almost impossible even.

From the little he would share, he would obscure details of what and how he knew what he knew, or did what he did, in every response, as he skillfully dodged a few questions without providing any clear answer. During the interrogation, Dauner's playfulness played a big part in keeping his secrets hidden, and that to an annoying extent. Finally, they were done, and could now leave. The guard nodded at Elra's question as they proceeded to seal off the site for further investigation.

"That wasn't so bad" Dauner would comment as the guard left. "Thanks for helping us out, Mira. When this is all over, I'll invite you out for a drink" he continued, discarding all hints of playfulness, and letting his charm do the rest. Needless to say, with his natural charm being able to induce a sense of attraction in everyone of the opposite sex, he had a rather flirty side to him.

---

Elra Mistfall | Jacob Ford​

 

[Jacob Ford]

The guards and their questions were boring the immortality out of Jacob. From one question to the other, the guards inquired.

Finally, they ended the session of questioning. Jacob answered truthfully, although more tactfully this time. After all, Elra would not be allowed to speak, while they were questioning him. She wouldn't be there to save his ass this time.

Once the guards began to leave, Dauner spoke up, expressing gratitude to Mira. "Well, why not invite her now. We are after all going to get something to eat." Jacob sugggested. "We are still getting something to eat right?" He asked, turning to Elra with almost a pout in is eyes.