Open Chronicles Something Wicked...

[Taayi]

KNOCK KNOCK

Arnor’s taps echoed out. Since it was unlocked, the wooden door slowly crept open by the force of his knocking. Humid air seeped forth from the castle.

If Arnor and Elle moved through the threshold, they would find themselves within the castle’s courtyard.

In the center sat a glowing, red orb. Runes moved across its surface. To Elle, this orb would be the source of the many whispers that overlapped each other. But to Arnor, it would be a repetitive whisper of,

You’re here! You’re here! You’re here!

However, surrounding the courtyard would be many, many villagers. They were strung up on fleshy poles – upside down – near the walls surrounding the courtyard. Villagers hung motionlessly with pale skin. Gashes in their throats and wrists revealed the source of the stream of blood flowing downhill.

Arnor and Elle have found a blood ritual.

Beyond the courtyard was another doorway that would lead into the keep proper, should the pair push on.

However, pained coughing could be heard to the right. An emaciated woman hanging upside down lived, and no wounds could be seen on her…

Arnor Skuldsson Elle Selena

 

[Arnor Skuldsson]

Yes, he was here.

"Vile magic. Any idea of what it all means?"

He gestured to the orb, sword tightening in his grip as he marched around the courtyard. Only one woman remained, no marks left on her.

The hunter in Arnor smelled bait.

He stood at a stand off distance from the woman, clutching his sword tightly.

"They let you live?"

He said, cocking his head, looking at the collection of the dead gathered around them. He turned his head back to her.

"Why?"

 

[Elle Selena]

Elle was not particularly studious when it came to magic, having learned most of what she knew from her mother. But she did understand the type of magic this was, and the dread was almost palpable.

"It's a blood magic," she said, ominously. "You probably guessed that. The blood of the townsfolk is being used for some ritual. Be careful."

Despite her earlier sarcasm and sass, there was a twinge of genuine concern in her voice for Arnor's safety. She watched as he began investigating the scene, following him at a close distance, but not too close, not wanting to close the distance between herself and the horrid, sad scene that Arnor was approaching.

 

[Taayi]

The hanging woman’s eyes appeared glazed over. Even as Arnor spoke, she remained focused on the crimson orb.

“Yes, the festival,” her weak voice spoke, “You ready, son?”

It’s a trap.

Silence followed as if the woman expected an answer between her pained breaths. It appeared as if the bindings keeping her on the pole could be cut with relative ease.

The air seemed to buzz. The smell of rain mixed with that of blood as the clouds overhead darkened. Rain began to drip down from the sky.

If either Elle or Arnor looked around, they would definitely not see enough bodies to account for Sonder’s entire population.

 

[Arnor Skuldsson]

Nothing was right, and everything was wrong. Arnor walked over to the woman, fully knowing her doomed situation. Her will was not her own, and any answer she would have given him was a moot point. With an expert flick of his wrist, he did not cut the bindings- but rather the pole she was attached to, freeing her with a brutal, swift cut, letting her fall to the ground.

"These rituals..." He said, crouching over the woman, setting her upright against a nearby stone wall, before rising back to his feet. "What do they entail- and what are they for?" He held his sword in the same defensive, passive manner. In reality, the sword held behind his back was as much of a relaxed position as it was a sort of ruse- from the position he was poised for a very effective block from either the rear or the front, before his counter-attack.

The fact that there were only so many bodies hanging close was a sign of dread for Arnor, but he didn't voice it. He understood, thus far, Elle to be as perceptive as he was. Or at least, enough.

He also understood there was only so much he could do for the victims of the ritual. He was not a healer, and he was not a man of medicine. He was not a mage, nor a wizard, and could undo what had been done. His grip tightened on his sword.

But he could very well punish those- or whoever was responsible. Or whatever.

 

[Elle Selena]

"In most blood magic rituals, the blood of the living is used to power something else. Blood is significant in the world of magic, it contains some kind of energy that blood mages convert into raw energy..."

She knew more than she thought she did, for someone who didn't practice that particular dark art. It must have been that she was the focal point of a ritual sacrifice herself. The rain was unexpected, but at this point Elle was beginning to think whatever or whoever was behind this was toying with them at this point. The lack of blood, as well as the number of people missing, led Elle down to a darker conclusion than they'd already reached.

"I'll put up a ward for us, to shield us from whatever is causing this. It may not be strong enough."

She didn't often do this, but she called upon her patron for additional magic; sometimes the patron would answer, and sometimes Elle would become suddenly exhausted as the magic was cast from her own reserves. She felt the magical energies flowing through her as she whispered in a forgotten tongue, and the ward was successfully cast, invisible to the naked eye, but magically it would provide resistance against any attempts to attack both the physical and mental faculties of the recipient. Elle didn't know how much it would help, if at all, but as she had no other skill to speak of, she was at least trying to help.

 

[Arnor Skuldsson]

"Whatver you can do, do it."

He made for the entrance to the keep, stopping briefly at the entrance. He placed a hand to the doorframe. There were no locked doors in Sonder. Not here.

Quite curious. With a hefty shove demonstrating more strength than he let on, the mercenary stood in the doorway, the trick of the light appearing as if he was enveloped in darkness. Once inside, he reached into his pocket. Producing a small vial of curious origin- something he picked up west of the Spine, out near Falwood. As he understood, it was a chemical reaction of mixing two chemicals.

He broke the seperation inbetween them, and held up the small tube, which produced a hefty yellow-green light. It lit their path, and he turned to make sure Elle was still near him.

"My people have a mistrust of most mages coming to the Tundra. I am beginning to see why."

 

[Taayi]

Arnor cut the woman down from the post. She gave a weak yelp as she fell to the ground. Some sharpness came back to her eyes as Arnor propped her upright.

“W-wha?” she murmured.

Once Elle cast her ward, the whispers of the wind became garbled and unintelligible to Arnor as well. In addition, the woman’s eyes opened wide. She squirmed as she saw the death surrounding her. Her breaths grew heavy with panic. Her heart raced as she watched the armed Arnor walk away and toward the castle door.

The door that Arnor opened lead to a wide, unlit entrance hall. His handheld light revealed the keep’s paintings torn from walls, blood spatters scattered throughout, and more signs of chaos.

The light from the tube pushed further into the keep and revealed a shape standing deep within. A humanoid. Tall. It sported a hood with a blank, bronze [mask] staring expressionlessly forward. Something made of chitin hanged from his shoulders to his knees – the surface of it wiggling.

It took a step toward the opened door…

 

[Elle Selena]

Elle followed Arnor closely, allowing room for him to draw his sword if still needed, but within regular speaking volume. She was terribly afraid at this point, although she tried hard not to show it. She found the strange light he produced to be most curious.

Is that... alchemy?

The intersection of her magic and the chemical science wasn't too far off; if she'd been mixing that instead of medicine, one might even call her an alchemist instead of a witch. She wondered what other tricks this tall, strong, gruff, handsome man had up his sleeve.

"My people have a mistrust of most mages coming to the Tundra. I am beginning to see why."

"Blood magic isn't looked kindly upon even by others of my craft," she said, knowing the implications of her being a witch and the potential ties to the forbidden that entailed. "Perhaps your people are right to fear."

Speaking of fear... At last, the door was open, the entrance hall lying before them, and they had finally made contact with their quarry. Elle panicked at the sight of the gangly abomination that stood before them, and was getting closer and closer.

What... is... that?!

 

[Arnor Skuldsson]

"That. Would more than likely be-" He stopped, tossing the light between himself, Elle, and the Chitin covered humanoid before them.

"A part of it all."

He stared down the.... thing before him, holding his body entirely still. He finally moved, rotating from the standing guard to a more aggressive stance, his sword at his side.

"I assume this is your doing."

 

[Taayi]

The figure stopped once Arnor took a sword fighting stance. The buzzing in the air continued. The handheld light rolled toward the creature to reveal more of its form.

Part of the chitin shifted as an arm. Insect eyes and mandibles replaced what should have been hands. Hundreds of “legs” squirmed. Blood covered the chitin plates of this beast.

“You’re awake, the Master said humans wouldn’t…” it spoke.

Another bolt of crimson lightning followed. The light pierced through the windows and open door of the keep to briefly illuminate it. If Arnor or Elle looked back, they would see the red orb being struck by plasma for an unnaturally long moment.

Once the sound and light of the bolt faded, the Centipede took another step forward…

 

[Elle Selena]

Elle's mind was racing with all sorts of terrible thoughts.

Okay Elle, don't panic, it's just a horrifying, disgusting monster--your mother dealt with stuff like this all the time right? You can do this. You're definitely not going to panic and run away. Definitely not.

She found herself backing away, but there was only so much room in the hall. At some point she resigned that running away was no good; she saw the swordsman approach the grotesque creature. She felt like she should do something, but was far too terrified. Yet he stood confidently before the beast, even seeming to challenge it. Maybe there was some way she could help after all. Elle eyed the creature's movements--it was still too unnerving for her to act--but she tried thinking of some kind of magic that might help the swordsman.

After all, that was about the only thing she could do in a situation like this.

 

[Arnor Skuldsson]

He didn't need to say anything else. He tossed the light between them, partially illuminating Arnor and Elle, but moreso the creature before him.

"I'm not human."

And he took a step forward, sword at the ready.

"And neither are you. So what are you, exactly?" He bided his time, pacing forward, before he brought his sword down in front of him, in a guard. He was planning his attack- but hopefully could react more than he could attack. Under the arms seemed like a good plan.

 

[Taayi]

The creature looked at Arnor as he spoke. Then it looked toward Elle.

It lifted its left “arm”. A putrid liquid oozed from the centipede-arm’s mandible. Likely venom.

“More human than you,” was the creature’s answer to Arnor.

Then, it lunged forward and swiped with its left arm. The centipede’s head shot toward the side of Arnor’s abdomen with significant weight behind the strike. Its sharp mandible was wide open and ready to bite any flesh it could find…

 

[Elle Selena]

Elle watched, almost petrified as the creature struck. Did she know any magic that could help here? She started racking her brain... Bad luck hexes... no, those were for the villagers that really annoyed her... perhaps a rain hex? No, that wouldn't help either.

She would think of something, but Arnor was just going to have to manage without her for a moment.

She did at least think of the healing potions she'd brought. Those would come in handy if Arnor was wounded and they got a chance to recuperate.

Still, the question loomed: What is this thing?

 

[Arnor Skuldsson]

Arnor was not an expert in creatures, but if he knew anything... insects had a strong shell, but a weak underside. True as it was in monster hunting as it was in everything else- he supposed, at least. Hard shells, soft underbellies. Natures natural course. To be flexible, you had to be able to bend some part of your body.

So Arnor sidestepped, his guard giving him a swift opprotunity to cleave upward. Arnor was not a showman, his swordsmanship was deliberate and brutal, putting swift ends to conflicts. There was no fanfare, there was no spinning about, no quips. Just an expert in the art of killing people and things putting himself to task.

And the Centipede was about to find out. Arnor had another reason for sidestepping- the arc of venom, if his blade made contact, would hopefully not shower him. He'd encountered blood that was acidic before, it was unpleasant to say the least. Having to dispose of a perfectly good cuirass because of acid burns was not something he wanted to repeat.

He just hoped this... thing wasn't going to melt through his sword.

 

[Taayi]

Arnor swung his sword and struck the Centipede’s left arm.

WHACK​

​

CRACK​

“??!?!?!?!?!??!”

A loud hiss from the creature followed. Its left arm remained attached to its shoulder. It had twisted its arm as it neared where Arnor stood before his sidestep, so the blade struck the edge of the arm's carapace. The mandible snapped at air – missing Arnor’s delicious flesh. Some venom and a putrid black ooze-like "blood" from the trunk found itself on Arnor’s sword, but the metal would show no sign of melting due to this liquid.

Despite this, the Centipede’s gaze was locked onto its actual goal – Elle. With Arnor having sidestepped due to its previous attack, the Centipede had a brief opportunity...

It lunged forward as it attempted to use its chitin carapace to keep Arnor's blade away from its far less armored body. Its other centipede-like arm reached out toward its intended prey. Despite its size and odd limbs, it moved as quick as a trained knight.

If it could reach Elle, it would not kill her. Rather, it would grasp her and attempt to hold her hostage before Arnor - hovering a mandible dribbling with venom over her neck if it could.

 

[Elle Selena]

Elle watched as the northman struck the grotesque creature, his blade connecting with a sickening crunch. She wondered for a moment if their worries had been misplaced, or if Arnor were simply so skilled of a swordsman that even so foul a creature was an afterthought. She was, of course, incorrect for thinking so, as the wounded creature sidestepped Arnor and lunged for her, taking her completely by surprise as she was still dabbling in her thoughts, trying to think of something to do to help. It seemed now that she, instead, would be the victim.

She tried, too little too late, to avoid its lunge, but it was swift and she was no warrior. She quickly fell into the monster's clutches, subject to whatever whims it willed, for the moment. She struggled, in vain, her body weak and

She felt her Lunar Patron starting to stir, a deep and terrible feeling in her gut that resonated with strong magic. If Arnor didn't do something about this, then the Centipede might be facing something far more terrible than the blade of a skilled swordsman. The Patron could sense when her life was in danger, and would go to great lengths to ensure that Elle, as a vessel, was kept safe...

 

[Arnor Skuldsson]

Arnor was a skilled bladesman.

A gifted hunter.

A lover of many fine baths, soaps and antiquities and arts.

As Nordenfiir went, he was cultured, interested and well-traveled. But all in all, he was still that. He was a man of the Tundra.

Elle was grabbed. Elle was held tightly.

Arnor stopped, collecting himself. He narrowed his eyes, hate filled light brown orbs directed solely at the Centipede.

His soul came alight, and he dropped his sword. With a dim blue-white light, he pulled his head back, screaming.

And with his mighty roar, his voice changed. His body did too. And within moments, seconds really- Arnor had dropped his sword.

And taken on the form of the great bear. Brown in color and nearly two men tall, his people's ritualistic magic came to light. He stood on his hind legs, his paws poised in front of him.

He roared, the great and terrible beast that he was now. But few could match his ferocity as a man- but he did not know any that could match him as a bear.

And it wasn't fixated on a crowd of orcs. Or fish. Just a single, solitary creature that incurred his wrath by touching his friend.

 

[Taayi]

One of the centipede-arms continued to hold Elle in place while the other hovered its arm near Elle’s throat.

SNAP SNAP

The jaw clamped down a couple times on air. Venom dripped from them. The tiny “legs” on its arms squirmed as if they truly were live bugs.

The creature silently watched Arnor transform into a bear.

“As I said,” the creature spoke as if continuing the last words it spoke.

As Arnor’s roars shook through the air, the creature tilted its head toward Elle and said, “Now, why didn’t the orb work on you?”

With the reposition of the Centipede and Arnor, the Centipede stood closest to the open door to the courtyard The orb in the center of the courtyard could still be seen to give off a crimson, bloody glow.

The Centipede’s gaze returned to Arnor. It stood still even in the presence of a large bear.

Even if a patron watched for Elle.

As it threatened to poison her.

It only gave an order.

 

[Elle Selena]

Despite her perhaps many previous lighthearted quaffs about dying in her life due to her predicament, when faced with the reality of imminent death, Elle found she was much less belligerent about the matter, and far more terrified than she could have predicted. The grip of the monster's legs, and the sound of its fangs were almost too much for her to bear, as she screamed in complete terror. Whether for Arnor or her Patron, Elle's life was no longer in her own hands.

She began to felt a stirring. Small projections of force began emanating from her body, testing the Centipede's grip with its many legs, which worsened every time the Centipede brought its fangs closer to her. An almost imperceptible veil of moonlight in the form of armor covered her thin form, and the clouds outside began to clear, only in small patches for the moment. Yet her breathing only grew heavier as the current moment grew in intensity.

“Now, why didn’t the orb work on you?”

She was too cheeky not to respond.

"I.. think my Patron.. disagrees with your plan..."

 

[Arnor Skuldsson]

The bear did not stand down. It only moved forward, thunderous steps.

He never spoke in this form. It offput most people. But he didn't need to. The patron of the Moon, and the creature before him. The creature was afraid. Afraid of something. Afraid of dying. Which meant Arnor could kill him. Hurt him. It.

The only thing between Arnor and that, was Elle. He craned his neck and roared again, and raised his arms- and went to shove Elle out of the way and go after the thing that killed so many.

 

[Taayi]

Silence replied to Elle. Silence and a forceful shove by the Centipede toward Arnor’s bear claws. As Arnor moved forward, the creature’s push would have enough force to put Elle on a violent path toward Arnor’s claws if nothing was done to stop it.

It might give the creature a second as this might distract the two. This would be enough. The Centipede quickly used the strength in its legs and even arms as they pushed against the stone floor of the keep. He aimed to leap out of the open door, into the courtyard, and to get within arms’ reach of the crimson orb…

 

[Elle Selena]

The sudden armor of force surrounding Elle would likely have reverberated and caused the Centipede to lose its balance momentarily as contact was made and a loud hum permeated the halls of the castle at the point of contact. She was sent forward, as intended, but when her body made contact with the bear's swipe, the armor did its work again, causing a reverberation and loud hum again as she was repelled swiftly and harmlessly from the point of contact.

She rolled away a good distance, but momentarily got to her feet again. The magic was flowing through her body now; how much fuel her Patron had given her remained to be seen. She lifted her arm as magic coursed through her veins, and a thin beam of moonlight sprang from her fingertip with a similar low hum, scorching the wall behind the Centipede in a line as the monster escaped out the front door. Unlike before, however, Elle gave chase to the creature, thoughts of burning it until there was aught left but ash racing through her mind.

 

[Arnor Skuldsson]

Arnor didn't have much time to react. If anything, he had nothing at all. The creature went for the orb.

Then, a beam of light scorched the walls where the creature was.

He shifted back, a flash of light. He dashed to his sword, just as the creature was going for the orb...

He was unable to stop whatever it was that Centipede was trying to do.