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 Post subject: The Raid
PostPosted: March 13th, 2016, 7:36 pm 
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Count

Joined: June 23rd, 2015, 8:57 pm
Posts: 508
Location: Ontario, CA
Stopping quickly by the garrison’s kitchen, Sorik grabbed a small loaf of bread and made his way back to his office. The Pyrencians’ unexpected arrival had necessitated major adjustments to the raid planning and he had spent several hours with his counterpart from the southwest, working on a strategy to integrate and utilise both forces. Everything was finally ready.

He sighed heavily as he considered a small iron box on the shelf behind his desk. It was already overdue… but it would have to wait a little more. So many things to do, so little time. As if to further confirm this thought, the bell tower echoed in the city, announcing the curfew. It was time.

He donned his armor and quickly ate his rudimentary meal before descending to the training court where, on one side, his men were already assembled and on the other side, the Pyrencians stood with barely contained excitement.

With Lieutenant Elandre and Captain Gaithe at his sides, he called for silence. “We stand here tonight on the brink of battle. Some of you know what we face, some of you may not. The men and women we are about to engage are embroiled in a plot to transform themselves into Endermen, and bring the dragon that resides in the cursed End here, to destroy everything our forefathers worked so hard to build. I say, we cannot stand by and let that happen. Now, I don't know exactly what we will face in there, but I do know one thing. I trust each and every one of you here with not just my life, but the lives of everyone in this vast Empire. When we get in there, I want you to apprehend as many as is possible, but don’t throw away your lives for it. Anyone who has started transforming however, put them down without mercy. Now we go, quickly and silently. You have had your orders, let’s move.”

With satisfaction, he watched both forces - 27 Cestrians and 35 Pyrencians - file in three groups and, with himself, Elandre and Captain Gaithe leading each group, they crept out of the garrison walls. Two days had been little time to ensure the two factions would work well together, but the time had been well utilized and all was going well. He only hoped that the… cultists if that’s what they were, did not suspect the intervention.

As they neared the farm where the cult met, Captain Gaithe motioned to two of her soldiers, who dropped into a crouch. They half ran, half crawled towards the farm, and when they reached it, they disappeared around the stone gates. After a few minutes passed, they reappeared and headed towards Sorik and Gaithe. One of them, with violet eyes and pure white hair, slapped his forearm to his chest in a rough salute and whispered, “Captains, the cultists are not in the farm, but there is what we suspect to be a sentry stationed under the porch, in the ground level’s doorway.”

“Excellent job, Veran.” Gaithe responded, “Well, Captain Sorik, this is your raid, how do you want to deal with the sentry?”

Sorik thought for a moment. “As you said and demonstrated, you are skilled at not being seen. Can your men bring him here for interrogation?”

“Gladly.” Gaithe spoke for a second to her two soldiers in what Sorik could only assume to be the Pyrencian’s native language, before all three rushed off towards the farm. Sorik stared at the buildings for what seemed like an eternity, but he recognized it was only a few minutes before Gaithe and her soldiers resurfaced, dragging a body between them. “Here you go.” she muttered cheerfully, dropping a bound and gagged young lad at his feet. Sorik was shocked to recognize the chancellor’s son; a boy of only thirteen summers who stared back at his captors with horrified panic in his eyes. “Lars Condry, I wonder what your role has been in all this… or your father’s for that matter. Now you will tell us where the meeting is held and perhaps I will call for leniency when your involvement here is brought before the Assembly.”

It was evident that the boy’s mind was racing, but it didn’t take long for him to nod vigorously, signifying that he would talk. Sorik removed the gag, while Elandre kept him in check with her blade, in order to discourage any rash decisions. Lars stuttered as he blurted half intelligible babble about how he little he knew and how he did nothing wrong. He was jostled back into coherence by Sorik who sternly ordered him “Silence! Show me where the meeting is held; we’ll discuss the rest later, believe me on that.”

To his relief, Lars did then did as he was told. The farm’s ground floor was a basement like room, and an iron door was concealed inside a closet, leading down to a small room. Once they ascertained that the area was secured, Gaithe and his own group moved in while Elandre’s troops spread around the farm.

Now they barely needed Lars’ guidance. Beyond the iron door was a narrow staircase leading to a small cellar. There, horrific screams could be heard, coming from deeper underground. He easily found a trap door as described by the boy. With forty soldiers following him, he jumped down.

Sorik landed on the stone floor, and Gaithe dropped in right beside him, a sword in her right hand and an axe in her left. The Slayer noticed that her leather bracers and gloves were missing, and he could see strange red tattoos that moved across the skin of her hands and forearms. Yet, as astonishing as those were, his attention quickly reverted to the scene before him. He had had no clear idea of what it was they would find, but he never would have imagined… this.

There were six beings, half darkness, half flesh in the center of the room., with an inoperative ender portal between them. Four others lay on the ground, writhing in pain, and another two were ominously still. Other cultists were pressed up against the walls, some dead, some with panic in their eyes. Blood was everywhere, it looked like the half dark men in the center were killing cultists in some sort of bizarre ritual to try to get their semi-functional portal to open. Near the portal, a man Sorik recognized as the farm’s owner was yelling some crazed prayer until one of the dark beings flung its arms around the man’s head and drained him from his life while screeching, its face contorted in a nightmarish grin. Gaithe shouted, “We need to stop them now!” as she charged forwards and slammed her axe into the back of one of the cultists in the center. Purple ichor splashed forth from the wound, but the man simply turned around and slammed his pure black fist into Gaithe’s abdomen, lifting her off the ground and sending her reeling.

“Are you alright!” Sorik shouted as he charged another one of the cultists. Gaithe looked up and her eyes met his for a brief second. He expected to see pain or fear in her eyes, but all he saw was joy, as a small trail of blood leaked out the side of her mouth.

“I am Gaithe Sera-Blodh! Scion of the Goddess of War and Bearer of the Serathrial! I will not be defeated by these abominations!”

She ducked another punch from the creature and slashed her blade across its human leg, and the being screeched and partially vanished, leaving behind his still human parts, the rest of him re-appeared behind her with its fist raised. Someone started a warning shout, but Gaithe already knew. She swung her axe behind her back and then whipped around, opening a large gash across the chest of the creature with her sword. Another screech pierced the room as it teleported back to the rest of its tortured body. Behind them, the troops flooded in the room and rushed in the melee. He caught glimpses of the Pyrencian Captain’s battle, the cultist attacking from all sides, while Gaithe became a whirlwind of steel, purple ichor and crimson blood spraying from her weapons, and her flesh as she was unable to block all of the strikes of the abomination.

Facing another one of the beings, Sorik struck it several times, along with Veran and the unnamed scout from earlier, until the creature lay on the floor dead. By that time, all of the other cultists were dead or captured. He moved towards Gaithe, who was covered in purple and red stains from head to toes. He noted that she was grinning, almost scarily, as she turned towards him. Suddenly, her face dropped from a smile to a look of pure rage as her gaze moved from him to something behind his left shoulder. He spun around to see one of the half endermen beasts holding Veran by the neck. He started to move towards it, but he heard a sickening crack as the creature twisted its wrist. Veran dropped to the ground, and from behind him a terrifying shout sounded, and a glowing red axe flew past him towards the creature, who vanished right before it struck, but did not re-appear.

Gaithe sprinted past Sorik to Veran’s lifeless body, as she screamed and sobbed, tendrils of red energy coming from her arms.

“Brother, don’t leave me!” She wailed, as the rest of the Pyrencian soldiers took a knee and saluted his body.

Solemnly, Sorik grabbed a torch from one of his men and gravely walked to the walls behind the portal, on which twelve life sized tapestries depicted endermen. He set fire to them, then left the room.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sorik and Elandre watched the funeral pyre burn down the human remains of the fallen cultists before he would leave for the Imperial Island.

After the raid, Liserett had received his report with her usual calm, business attitude, as if it were but another mild annoyance that had been dealt with, and had asked more questions about his impressions of the Pyrencians than about the cult, as if he had had time for diplomacy matters. He wondered how long this city would have survived without the Slayers’ involvement. She did understand the need to protect the city against monsters, but only as much as was needed to protect her tax payers and her Villa.

He did convince her to let release him from duty so that he could join Hermertia’s international effort to enter the End and defeat the endermen plague at its source, but only once he promised to proudly represent Chester-le-Ford’s; sporting its colors and carrying its banner, as ‘her’ involvement would be seen by the Empire.

He turned to his wife, “It is time for me to go, Acting Captain.” She smile and kissed him, making him realize how they had neglected their intimacy lately, and how much he missed his wife. He had called her acting captain without even realizing, even though they were alone. With a sheepish smile, he kissed her back before asking, “Elandre… should I not come back, you will see that Athelric gets the…” Elandre put her finger on his mouth, interrupting him. “Shhhh... Yes, I know, but you will come back my love. Now go before you ruin this moment thoroughly.”

Sorik chuckled and, after one last embrace, walked off towards the stables where his mount was waiting for him.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gaithe sat solemnly before King Anthrail as he read her report on the events in Chester-le-Ford. Eventually, he looked up. “I am sorry for Veran’s loss, Captain, but you did well, for your first mission in command. It is too bad that one of the creatures escaped, but you did well under pressure. However, you are not done yet.”

“What do you mean, your highness?” Gaithe replied

“The nations of Hermertia have finally realized the time to strike at the dragon is long overdue. I am taking my retinue to the site of one of the end portal to meet with forces from all over the Empire, and I wish for you to join me, Commander”

“Sir I’m a captain, not a Commander.”

“Don’t correct me, Gaithe, I know what I said.” Anthrail replied, laying the golden phoenix emblem of a Commander before her.

_________________
Lady Liserett of the House O'Kleefe
Countess of Chester-le-Ford, Wysteria
Deputy Minister of Hermertian History
Appointed Minister of Wysterian Architecture


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 Post subject: Re: The Raid
PostPosted: March 23rd, 2016, 8:04 pm 
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Duke

Joined: May 30th, 2015, 5:52 pm
Posts: 522
Location: Stirling, Scotland
It is good to see an end to this hideous cult. The efforts of Wysteria, Casadia, and Pyrencia should be celebrated in this victory.

_________________
Ainmire Sera-Blodh of House Flenadrison, second of his name, King in the South, Ruler of Carrickshire, and slayer of false Kings.
"The Crippled King"
"Flanders"


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 Post subject: Re: The Raid
PostPosted: March 24th, 2016, 2:46 pm 
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King

Joined: May 30th, 2015, 10:17 am
Posts: 3862
Location: Stirling - Scotland
This could be just one of many hidden cults within our civilisation. Vigilance and courage have destroyed this foul nest, but, who knows how many others are out there. Be wary, fellow Hermertians.

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Petra Ravnikaar of The Veil


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