The Island of Many Fates

Kasam smirked drowsily and drifted off to sleep.

Boom! Boom!

He was jolted to consciousness by a thunderous knocking on the door. He scrambled to his feet, gaping at it.

Boom!

The heavy door shook on its reinforced hinges. Dents were appearing in its solid metal surface. Over in the corner, Kryoni was on her knees, staring at the door. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and she drew the old, worn katana that he'd given her so many years ago. Kasam remembered his own sword and unsheathed it. He raised his hand towards and let heat start to build up underneath his skin. They stood ready to fight, waiting for the door to break inwards.

"Axelle, Artemis, if you have anything to say to each other I believe that now would probably be a good time to say it." Kasam said calmly. "It appears that one of the denizens of this island has finally caught up with us, and I cannot guarantee that the door will hold."

Artemis drew his sword, feeling an unfamiliar twinge in the pit of his stomach. Anxiety. "Axelle..."
A thousand different sentences flew unbidden into his head, a million sappy phrases to say. A rush of affection...and an adrenaline rush of fear, something he wasn't accustomed to.
"Axelle...be careful. Please."

Axelle jumped to her feet, confused. "What? Wh--" She heard Artemis and whirled around to look at him. "Y-you, too." She muttered, and pulled out her sword. Vivienne stood slowly, but made no move to get her axe. Her eyes glowed an intense shade of gold.

Artemis summoned all the bloodlust he could; apparently, not much. He was too concerned for someone else's safety, he realized. He turned to Kasam, hiding his nervousness. "What could it be?"

"Do I look like a bleeding encyclopedia animalia to you? Your guess is as good as mine. It's big, though."

"Very big." Kryoni murmured.

Kasam cast an amused glance at her. The tips of her ears went bright red, and she glared ferociously at the door. Kasam followed her gaze, and his lips tightened again.

"Blast it...stay put, damn your eyes."

Okay. Calm. Stay calm. It'll be fine. Just kill whatever it is, and it'll be fine. "Well, I thought this place was supposed to be safe." Oho! Now we're concerned about safety, are we?

David snapped his attention to the door. He began to stand up, but Richard said "No, David. There's nothing you can do in here!" David sat back down, and Richard stood up. He drew his sword, and took stance, preparing for whatever was to burst through the door.

Alistar's eyes flew open at the first loud "boom" and, brow furrowed, he reached for his mask, lying by his sleeping mat. Indigo and Elsa rose as well, silently preparing for a fight in their own ways: Indigo pulled his gloves on and picked up his whip, keeping a wary eye on the door, and Elsa grimly drew her sabre and took up a position next to Indigo. Alistar moved in front of her, lowering himself into a fistfighting stance.

"Stay behind me," he muttered.

"Oh, don't start with me," she replied, rolling her eyes. "You know I can fight just as well as you can. Better, even, since I've got an actual weapon. So don't give me any of your chivalry crap."

"... All right, fine," he said, not wanting to argue the point. "Just be careful. Don't do anything stupid or heroic."

"Same to you, boss," she replied, flashing him a smile.

OOC: Okay, guys, the skills are now in use. I sent you all PMs about the skills your characters have and how to use them. Please note that if you have a Red Mage or a Swordsman character, the Specialize and Weapon Training skills won't actually be used until you put your choice in your character thread. I might not notice it if you do, so you should send me a PM once the choice is made. Until then, though, I don't think you'll be suffering too too much.

There was a pause in the banging. The whole room was completely still, nobody daring to move an inch lest whatever was outside heard the sound and resumed its assault. Then the door split in two.

Kryoni charged for the mist-cloaked thing in the doorway. There was a swift movement, and the sound of clashing steel, and the dark-haired woman came flying back from the doorway. She hit the wall with a sickening thud, and lay still. Kasam's eyes widened and he ran to check her pulse. With relief, he nodded that she was still alive.

The thing in the doorway strode forward. As the mist parted before it, its features became clear. It was human-shaped, over seven feet tall, and it was covered entirely with pitch black, gleaming armor. The helmet had a T-shaped opening from which a thick mist seeped. Past the mist, nothing was visible. Two sharp, curled horns protruded from the sides of the helmet, adding to its already intimidating height. The armor was covered in menacing spikes on almost every surface, and the buckles that held it together were made of ivory carved into the shape of human skulls. In its right hand it held an oversized two-handed sword, easily five or six feet long. The sword was made of the same pitch-black metal as the armor, and the pommel was a skull coated with a thin layer of metal. It raised the sword and pointed it at them. From under the helmet came a deep, echoing laugh that carried all the menace and threat of a thousand words.

Death Knight
Level: 5
HP: 100
ATK: 16 (21)
DEX: 12
CON: 16
INT: 14
WIS: 10
CHA: 10
Using:
Death Sword (ATK+5, two-handed)

The death knight raised its free hand and pointed its open palm at them. A sheet of black fire blasted forth at them, scorching their faces and singeing their clothes.

Death Knight vs. Kryoni, Kasam, Elsa, Alistar, Indigo, David, Richard, Axelle, Vivienne, and Artemis
Death knight casts Hell's Wind. All opponents take 5 damage.
Kryoni: 55 HP left
Kasam: 55 HP left
Elsa: 35 HP left
Alsitar: 45 HP left
Indigo: 45 HP left
David: 35 HP left
Richard: 55 HP left
Axelle: 55 HP left
Vivienne: 55 HP left
Artemis: 55 HP left

From using her magical intuition, Elsa has learned the spell Hell's Wind. Cost: 5 MP. Damages all opponents for 5 HP. Ignores WIS.

David and Richard quickly patted down their clothes. David looked at the new enemy, and uttered a single curse. Richard's sword was shaking in his hands, but he stepped forward for the attack anyway. He charged and jumped, aiming into the helmet.

"Crap." Artemis looked at Axelle worriedly, and was relieved to find her shaken, but okay. He leapt at the figure, slashing its' head and chest.

OoC:Uh, guys?

OOC: I was thinking more than two people would post. :-s

Kasam offered Kryoni his hand, and pulled her to her feet. They charged, Kasam aiming low and Kryoni aiming high. He hit the armored knee hard, denting it severely, while her sword crashed into the horn helmet, setting it ringing loudly. Richard hit it head-on, sweeping his sword diagonally across its chest. The armored figure was forced back into the wall with an ear-splitting crash. Artemis came last. His katana sang as it cut a swathe through the air, sweeping into the helmet and slicing off one of the curled horns. The armored figure clutched at the stump and howled. It brought its sword up reflexively, clipping the side of Artemis's head. He was sent spinning across the room, landing on Axelle's lap with a grunt. Everybody took a moment to laugh, then resumed combat.

Death Knight vs. Kasam, Kryoni, Richard, and Artemis
Kasam attacks: (15+4)-(12+3)=4 damage
Death Knight: 96 HP left
Kryoni attacks: (17+1)-(12+2)=4 damage
Death Knight: 92 HP left
Richard attacks: (17+6)-(12+2)=10 damage
Death Knight: 82 HP left
Artemis attacks: (20+3)-(12+3)=8 damage
Death Knight: 74 HP left
Death Knight attacks: (21+3)-(17+4)=3 damage
Artemis: 52 HP left

OoC: Poor, poor Artemis. xD

Artemis tumbled backwards and landed heavily. Wincing, he grabbed the side of his bleeding head. He sighed, attempting to ignore the pain. He then noticed where he was, blushed, and cursed.
Comfortable enough for you?
Slightly disoriented, Artemis rushed the figure madly, aiming a stab at its chest, to be followed by a sweeping strike up towards its head.

OOC: Lol, Fluff, I envisioned all the people stopping, turning to look at Artemis and Axelle, laughing a fake laugh for a moment, turning back around and looking at the knight thingy. In a very Final Fantasy-esque fashion, too. It was odd.

IC: Axelle flushed as Artemis fell into her lap, but as soon as he was off of her, she hopped to her feet again. Her sword was ready, so she darted forward and slashed expertly across. Vivienne, apparently, had taken a moment to laugh. She looked at the armored figure before her and pulled her axe from it's place on her back and stepped forward slowly, aiming the weapon and bluntly swinging it towards the knight.

Richard whipped his sword around, and ran forward again, using momentum to increase the swing of his blow, and hopefully make more than a dent in the monster.

OOC: I just realized that, since I'm sort of the DM/GM/judge/thingie
here, I can pretty much do whatever the hell I like. ^_^ THIS IS
AWESOME!!! (By the way, am I the only one who just realized that
Artemis is going to be an absolute beast in fights from now on?)

Kasam, Kryoni, Artemis, Axelle, and Vivienne all rushed the armored creature. Their blows rained down with a sound like an army of midgets trying to headbutt a giant bronze bell into oblivion. Fortunately, the attack had a far more effective effect than was effectively effected heard. Unfortunately for Richard, he didn't make anything more than a dent in the armor, possibly from lack coordination due to chuckling (either that or he got a crappy dice roll). The armored figure struck out blindly, swatting Artemis away like a fly. The blow's damage was superficial, but it still sent Artemis staggering back. Turning to catch his balance, he tripped and found his face buried in Axelle's chest.

(Artemis takes 19 damage from embarrassment)

Death Knight vs. Kasam, Kryoni, Artemis, Axelle, Vivienne, and Richard
Kasam attacks: (15+4)-(12+3)=4 damage
Death Knight: 53 HP left
Kryoni attacks: (17+6)-(12+5)=6 damage
Death Knight: 47 HP left
Artemis attacks: (20+1)-(12+2)=7 damage
Death Knight: 40 HP left
Axelle attacks: (12+5)-(12+2)=3 damage
Death Knight: 37 HP left
Vivienne attacks: (15+6)-(12+4)=5 damage
Death Knight: 32 HP left
Richard attacks: (17+3)-(12+5)=3 damage
Death Knight: 29 HP left
Death Knight attacks: (21+4)-(17+1)=7 damage
Artemis: 45 HP left

Richard fell back, arms shaking. He took his sword in one hand, and shook the other arm. He repeated for the other arm, then fell back into stance. This time he lunged at a gap in the beast's armor.

OoC: Arty is now comic relief. Once again, poor, poor Artemis. xD

IC: Artemis opened his mouth as he fell, so he could spit a damning curse at the beast. It was meant to stop the beast in its tracks, and might have, had Artemis been able to say it. Unfortunately, all he was able to say was a series of very un-intimidating muffled noises.
Eh? What's this covering my mouth? It's soft...
Oh...oh...f***.
Artemis leapt back in abject horror. "OH CRAP! I'm sorry! Oh damn oh damn oh damn!"
Face flushed, Artemis backed up, holding his hands over his head. He then remembered what was going on, and with a nervous titter he ran towards the monster, slashing at in with a vengeance.
Oooh, you REALLY liked that.
...

Axelle tried to hold back a laugh, but failed. "It's, uh, fine, Artemis." She giggled. She looked down and huffed, as there was saliva on her chest. She took a moment to wipe it off before lunging forward again, swiping at the knight with fierce agility. Vivienne fell to the floor laughing, but caught herself a moment later and swung her axe barbarically.

"Just you wait," Kasam muttered to Kryoni. "They'll be doing that on purpose soon enough."

Kryoni allowed herself a tiny smile but launched herself once again at the armored creature. Kasam stayed a moment longer to chuckle, then followed her, blade at the ready. Her blow sent it staggering, but his glanced off the armor. Axelle twisted, bringing her sword down on its head. The other horn fell to the ground, severed. Richard threw himself at the armored creature, slicing a cruel gouge into its chest and knocking it back. It recovered, however, and charged them again. They were all sent flying through the air, landing flat on their backs. The armored creature stomped towards Axelle, but Artemis threw himself in its path, sword braced in both hands. The katana arced through the air in a magnificent wide sweep, hewing cleanly through the breastplate. Had a man been inside the armor, he would have lost every rib in his chest to the blow. The unearthly spirit, for it was indeed a spirit contained inside the armor, stumbled back, then lurched at him. Artemis blocked the swipe, but the sheer weight of the greatsword drove his katana back until the two-handed blade cut deeply into his shoulder. His right arm dangled uselessly at his side, but he held the katana out defiantly still. The monster raised the sword again, ready to cleave him in half.

Vivienne leaped into the air, bringing her axe down forcefully. The helmet was crushed like a flimsy piece of tin, the mangled visor flying off and clattering off a wall. The battered suit of armor swayed on its feet, then crashed heavily on top of Artemis. He was trapped on top of Axelle, a twenty-pound breastplate pinning his face to the same position it had occupied but a moment ago. Fortunately for Artemis, the rest of the armor hid his unfortunate (or was it?) position from the rest of the room's occupants.

Death Knight vs. Kasam, Kryoni, Richard, Artemis, Axelle, and Vivienne
Death Knight attacks: (21 6)-(17 1)=9 damage
Artemis: 36 HP left
Kasam attacks: (15 2)-(12 4)=1 damage
Death Knight: 28 HP left
Kryoni attacks: (17 1)-(12 2)=4 damage
Death Knight: 24 HP left
Richard attacks: (15 5)-(12 3)=5 damage
Death Knight: 19 HP left
Artemis attacks: (20 6)-(12 1)=13 damage
Death Knight: 6 HP left
Axelle attacks: (12 6)-(12 2)=4 damage
Death Knight: 2 HP left
Vivienne: attacks: (15 5)-(12 5)=3 damage
Death Knight: no HP left
Death Knight has been defeated!

+50 exp to all
+25 gold to all

OOC: by the way, that two-handed sword is now up for grabs. Man, imagine a temperamental swordsman trained with THAT thing!

Artemis couldn't believe his luck. Or unluck. He struggled, attempting to get up, but not really putting his heart into it. He sighed.
"Well, I'm stuck," he said into Axelle's chest. "Uh...nice weather we've been having..."
Since Artemis's face couldn't grow redder, it turned an odd purple, but he carried on. "I'm glad you're okay. I was scared for a moment back there..." he said, muffled, trying not to show how relieved he was...or how becoming their current position was to him.
He pretended to try and get up again. "Nope..."he sighed feebly. "I guess my left arm just isn't strong enough."
You've been lucky today.
Shut up.
That sword wouldn't go amiss.
Right. But I probably really can't get up and grab it. Stupid useless arm.
Artemis cleared his throat. "Gah..."
Eloquence at its finest.

Axelle let out a rather loud grunt as Artemis and the knight fell on her.

"DAMMIT SOMEONE HELP!" She yelled, and Vivienne happily obliged. She pushed the breastplate off and pulled Artemis upright.

"Oooh, look, a shiny sword!" Vivienne squealed, picking it up. "Soooo who wants it?" Axelle rolled her eyes and stood, dusting herself off.

"Thanks, Vivienne."

"Oh please, call my Vivi. Vivienne's too formal." A giggle passed through her lips.

"Yeah whatever." Axelle said, and turned to Artemis. "You okay?"

Artemis tentatively opened his mouth. "I want it." He turned to Axelle. "Yeah, I'm fine," he bluffed, wincing. "My arm's bleeding, though." He reached into a pocket for his Vicodine.

Axelle rolled her eyes and took the meds. "No." She said, wagging her finger. "Well, one. I'm sure you're in pain." She smiled and handed him a pill and put the rest, well, in her bustier.

Wait, that might not be such a good hiding place, considering the recent events.

Vivienne handed him the sword.