~bellatrix~ (reboot)

This whole place just feels...wrong. It looks like a battlefield-- more like a cursed battlefield out of some kind of horror story where the souls of fallen warriors rise up to claim the living. Even though I'm not one for ghost stories and I don't actually believe the place is cursed, even I can admit that something about it makes me feel...uneasy. But I know that I can't show even the slightest sign of weakness. Some of the crew already looks a little shaken up as it is.

I channel my power into my hands, thinking of the weapon I'm about to make. A sword forged in light...it won't be anything too spectacular, but it should help light up the way a little and it'll come in handy if we get in a fight. Energy flows from my hands as we walk towards the other side.

Concentrate...materialize...components...forged together...now, summon it. There it is! In a flash of light, a claymore appears in my hands that gives off a faint golden light. I take it by the hilt and hold it high! The sword shines brightly and as far as I can tell, it seems to have pushed back that feeling of dread in the air ever so slightly.
"Stand firm, there's nothing to be afraid of! If that lousy group of elves made it through here then so can we. Take heart and march boldly, without fear!"

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

Completely ignoring Leon's words of encouragement, Mordred turned to Trinity, concerned about how she was doing. He, too, noticed that some of the crew were feeling an overwhelming sense of dread from this place and he wondered if Trinity was feeling the same way. He motioned towards the remains of a large creature in the room, as it seemed to be the source of a lot of the crew's anxiety.
"That skeleton over there. Some of the others seem to be quite concerned about it, but I want you to ignore it completely. It may seem frightening, but the dead can do nothing to harm the living."
He looked around to the dark corners of the room, speaking quietly so as not to draw attention from the others.
"Instead, keep your eyes to the shadows. If there is any real danger in this room then that is where it will come from. If you feel afraid, use that fear to keep your eyes sharp and your mind focused."
One day, he would teach her how to walk in the darkest of places without fear. But for now she might as well use it to her advantage, rather than letting it paralyze her.

 

Mordred looked towards the areas that Trinity pointed out. Where she saw mice scurrying about, he saw only vague shadows. Where she clearly saw running water, he saw only a faint outline of water. He couldn't help but marvel at her catlike senses which were even sharper than his finely honed but merely human senses.

When she mentioned something moving underneath them, he knelt down and put his ear to the ground to see if he could hear it as well. Just as Trinity said, there was definitely some sort of movement beneath them. He stood back up and turned to her.
"Very impressive. Your enhanced senses are an enviable trait for any hunter to have. I expect you to make the most of it."

He then turned to the others.
"There is some kind of movement underneath the surface. It is difficult to tell what it may be; if the worst happens then it may be some sort of subterranean creature waiting for a chance to strike. Be ready for anything."


I chuckle when I hear Mordred's warning.
"If it is, we'll be ready for it, alright. It might even make things a little more interesting down here!"
I make it a point to keep an eye on the ground below me, just in case something really does show up.

 

The ground seemingly began to churn before them, as they had advanced too deeply into the domain of whatever lived in this terrible wasteland. Around them, the ground suddenly erupted, and worms, huge sickly red worms, tore through the bleak and cracked soil to bare huge circular slobbering mouths lined with saw-like glinting teeth. There must have been twenty to thirty of them, and the thinnest one was twice as thick as the mast of the Golden Dragon.

“HOARDWORMS!” Hexy's voice actually sounded fearful, and the pirates drew their weapons, looking terrified.

“Run me through quickly,” Tyrcestus said swiftly, his eyes darting around the group to make sure no-one was too far away for him to reach if needed.
“They devour everything in sight, and then they keep their prey in their stomachs until they naturally decompose. Alive. With no possibility of rescue – their stomach lining is used in witch cauldrons as they can resist any substance or assault on earth, magical and physical. Armour made of hoardworm stomach can withstand a ballista to the chest.”

The worms came closer, sensing their prey – and their fear.
“Stand your ground!” Tyrcestus stood firm, hoping the others would follow. “Get behind me. Focus fire on them one at a time – and whatever you do, don't get too close to the-”

A scream interrupted him, as a pirate had been snatched up by a long thick tongue and snapped in half, cutting his howl short.

For a second, there was complete silence as the groups stared in horror as the upper half of the man fell lifeless to the ground. There was something ominous, a dark promise of a horrible death, if they stayed. Tyrcestus took in a deep breath, ready to yell that running would only make it easier for the worms to attack, and that they'd come too far to back out now, when the pirates as one screamed a maniacal war cry and charged the worms en masse.

“Well then,” Tyrcestus managed, before a tongue slid round his waist and dragged him airborne. “OH CRAAAAAAAAA-”

Hexy summoned a large blade that pinned a nearby tongue to the ground, but more were snaking their way around her limbs, sliding beneath her clothes.
“Eyaahh~” she gasped, struggling as they started to lift her from the ground, tearing her clothes in the process. Vizard and Gizzard were so hypnotized by the sight they only realized their own peril when a tongue wrapped around Vizard's neck, prompting Gizzard to nearly decapitate his brother in an attempt to get it off. Clun took hold of Hexy's leg to keep her on the ground, only for him to be lifted up too.

In short, things were not going too well.

 

This isn't good...the battlefield is becoming very chaotic and it's getting hard to keep track of just how many things are going wrong. I'm gonna try to rally the men together into the defensive formation, I think that'll be our best chance of fighting off the worms.
"Come on, ya sea dogs! Use your heads and form up together! Stay close to each other and if you see someone getting pulled up by one of those worms, cut 'em free!"
Okay, let's see what I can do here...it looks like Hexy's in the biggest trouble right now, so I run towards her. I glare at the giant worm in front of me.
"Not on my watch, you don't!"
First things first, I jump between the worm and Hexy and cut right through the worm's tongue! Then I leap right at the worm and thrust my sword upwards through its jaw, killing it instantly. My sword's lodged in there pretty good, so I quickly summon a new one to my hand. I look over to Tyr; he's okay for now since that sword is holding the tongue in place, but he's still caught in it. I'll take care of two problems at once! While the worm holding Tyr is struggling to break free, I jump on its back and ram my sword through its skull. Not bad at all, if I do say so myself! Now, let's see who else--

"HURK!"
Just as I'm looking around to see who else is in trouble, I get caught off-guard by one of the worms' tongues!
"Not good, not good...!"
It pulls me off of my feet and starts dragging me across the ground. I drop my sword and summon two daggers in its place, stabbing them into the ground to keep myself in place.
"I could use a hand over here!"


Mordred held his ground, cutting down anything that came towards him and Trinity while destroying a few of the worms with powerful dark-element attacks. Even in this frantic mess of a battle, he kept his composure and held his own. Things went fairly well until one of the worms flanked them from behind and latched onto Trinity with its tongue. Mordred turned around to see what was happening and his eyes opened wide in shock.
"Ah...!"
He reacted quickly, stretching his free hand towards her-- not to grab her hand, but to direct his power. He quickly, almost instinctively summoned a giant hand made of shadow from the ground underneath the worm. He grabbed the worm by its neck before it could pull Trinity in any farther. Then, as his face contorted in a mix of anger and focus, he strangled the life out of the worm and with a sickening crack broke its spine. The worm's corpse fell to the ground and released Trinity from its grasp.

Mordred ran up to Trinity and knelt down beside her, keeping an eye out to make sure the other worms did not get too close.
"Are you alright?"

 

Vixie looked around for a source of fire...a torch or...there...her ears perked up and forward...by one of the doors, there was a small hint of flame. "Even cinders will do." She said to herself as she dashed towards the small flame.
A 'tongue' lashed towards her, and before it could grab her, Vixie leaped into the air and shot an arrow at it, pinning said tongue to the ground.
Vixie landed on the ground close to the flame. She held out her right hand, holding her bow with her left, before pulling the bow over her head to cross her form.
"That's it." She smiled slightly as she held the fire in both hands, using her own power to make it grow and brighten.
Another tongue lunged towards Vixie, only to be thwarted by Arisa's blade. Vixie nodded her head to Arisa in gratitude, and pulled the flame held in her hands a part. She threw the flame she held in her right hand at the worm about to make a meal out of Hexy and Clun...the fire striking the worms tongue. It seemed to scream in pain, and dropped the pair.

 

I'm holding on with everything I've got, but...it's not looking good. I don't think I can wait for anyone to come over and get me out of this! I keep a tight grip on the daggers, but this worm's slowly starting to pull me in...I can see the daggers pushing through the dirt as I slide towards the worm's mouth.
"No...not here...not like this!"
I...can't hold on!

Then it happens. I lose my grip on the right dagger and barely manage to hold on to the one in my left hand.
"AH!"
I let out a yell as my head and body turn towards the worm. It's like...looking into the mouth of Hell itself. My eyes go wide in terror...my heart is beating so fast it feels like it's gonna burst...

I'm...scared. So scared...I...

...I don't want to die!!

...

Then, it happens. Something snaps inside of me. "I don't want to die." That thought takes over every single part of my being and pushes me towards something that's been waiting deep inside of me. It's...a new facet of my power that I hadn't discovered yet. I think I was close, but this life-or-death situation pushes me over the edge. It drives me to draw out more power than I ever have before. My mind goes blank. I let the mana flow freely through my body. I look directly at the worm and stretch out my hand towards it.

As I do, weapons appear out of thin air directly above my target. Swords, spears, axes...about ten weapons in all. They're just floating there...waiting for my command. I send them all towards the worm at once and they fly quickly, skewering the worm and freeing me from its grip.

I stand up and look around as mana flows all around me, surrounding me in an aura of power. I stretch out my hands to my sides and as I do, weapons begin forming high above the battlefield. I take careful aim at the horde of worms as I summon dozens of blades. This won't be enough to kill all of them or even most of them, but it's all I can do right now at my level of power. But it should be enough, at least. Enough to put a dent in their numbers and help drive them back.
"I get it now. This is what it's like to create weapons. This is what it really means to be a Vanguard."

I mutter to myself as I finish summoning a swarm of weapons. Then, just as quickly as they were summoned, I send them flying towards the ground and they pierce through many of the worms' hides. Some of them are killed instantly, many of them are wounded with weapons sticking out of them, but only the ones who were left completely unscathed were the worms still tunneling through the ground.

I fall down to my knees, feeling exhausted. I need a chance to catch my breath...I'll have to trust them to take care of the rest.

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Mordred's eyes darted back and forth at the worms that were surrounding them as he kept his blade at the ready. He couldn't deny that Trinity was right-- there were an overwhelming amount of worms coming towards them at once. He grimaced, knowing that even though it was dangerous, he couldn't afford to hold anything back in this fight.
"To think that we've been pushed this far so early into our excursion..."
He quietly muttered under his breath in frustration. He then turned his head to Trinity and whispered.
"Stay close to me. And don't be afraid of what you're about to see."

A dark aura began to enshroud Mordred. A thick darkness overtook his blade such that even the darkest corner of this dimly-lit arena seemed bright in comparison. Shadows encircled his form, surrounding him, empowering him.
"Apocrypha...I need more of your power."
With this thought in mind, he drew forth even more power from the cursed sword. The amount of dark energy coming from him could now be easily felt, giving him a terrifying presence that could inspire dread in even the bravest of souls. It was now plain to see that the ancient arms of legend earned their reputation as weapons of great power and, in Apocrypha's case, terror.

The worms sensed this overwhelming presence and immediately moved to attack. Whether it was out of fear or simply out of instinct was anyone's guess. Three of them appeared in front of them from beneath the earth at once-- but before they could even position themselves to attack, Mordred raised up chains of darkness from the ground beneath them and ensnared them. He then summoned a wall of shadow swords in front of him, aiming them at the worms.
"...Perish."
At this command, the swords flew into the worms and sliced right through them, killing all three immediately.

Another worm appeared and tried to attack them from behind. Mordred could sense it coming towards them and disappeared in a puff of smoke, instantly reappearing in front of the worm. He stabbed his sword into the worm's stomach and as he did, shadows formed around the worm, consuming it and leaving nothing but a dead husk of its former self. More worms came, trying a more direct approach by leaping directly at Mordred, hoping to catch him before they tunneled back into the earth. In response, Mordred focused his power into the blade itself and the aura around it grew into a massive blade of darkness. He swung the giant sword at the worms one by one, expertly cutting them down with each slash as a pool of darkness consumed whatever was left of them. Finally, as the last of the worms approached, he slammed his sword into the ground and formed a magic circle that stretched towards the worms. When it reached them, black hands appeared from the ground and pulled down the worms, consuming their life energy and burying their corpses beneath the earth.

When there was no more immediate threat-- though, admittedly, that could change at any moment-- Mordred pulled his sword out of the ground and staggered back, clutching his head and groaning. Clearly, using that much of Apocrypha's power at once took a heavy toll on him mentally. He breathed heavily as he fought to maintain control of himself.

 

OOT: Why do I do this to myself...?

The field was once again desolate. At least, for a few seconds.
The earth rumbled. And as if they had never left, worms erupted around them again, twice as many and some even larger than the ones they had just defeated.
We're not ready for this, Tyrcestus thought. We weren't even close to ready.
Then suddenly, Vizard and Gizzard ran to the front of the group. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Hexy yelled. "That's the least safe place there is, you numbskulls!"
The two brothers faced the oncoming worms, and raised their arms above their heads. A strange spectral mist began to curl around their fists, sliding down their bodies until the pair of them were covered in it, obscuring them from view. The worms did not cease their charge in the slightest - until the mist blew away and where two had stood, one remained.
His clothes were flowing robes. The air around him was thick with magic. His hair a long luscious blue. His face one of such attractiveness that a few of the male pirates actually swooned.
"Did..." Tyrcestus was lost for words. "Did they just... fuse?"
The figure raised its hands and spoke. As it did so, a gigantic quill, dripping with ebony black ink, wrote the words in the air as they were spoken. "And lo, the worms did cease their futile assault. Their very lives hanging in the balance, they knew their only option of survival was to help their new masters to reach the lower levels of this dank and horrific place."
The worms stopped. They seemed... afraid now, tentative and flinching.
"They parted, and the way to the next level became clear."
The worms parted, and the way to the next door was completely unobscured.
"And, not wanting to invoke the wrath of their lords, they fled back underground, never to trouble them again."
The worms let out shrieks and frightened gurgles, and in a flurry of dirt and soil they were gone back to their tunnels.

The figure swayed, and suddenly there was a poof and Vizard and Gizzard were each rubbing their heads as though they'd been banged together. Tyrcestus, Hexy, and even Martyris were completely speechless. Clun just started marching towards the next door. Tyrcestus pulled himself together and ran over to where the dark warrior and Leon had fallen.
"You... both ok?" He raised his hands. "If you're injured, I can heal."

 

Still breathing heavily, I look up at Tyr and nod.
"No injuries, I just...pushed myself a little too hard, I think. So, uh..."
I glance over at Vizard and Gizzard, who seem to have...de-fused, I guess.
"Am I just imagining things or did that really just happen? Because I can't believe we just got saved by those two...No offense, but I just...how do I put this?"
I'm trying to choose my words carefully.
"I, uh...didn't think they had it in them. Yeah, let's go with that."


Mordred seemed to be recovering fairly quickly; he sheathed his sword and shook his head at Tyrcestus' question.
"No injuries to speak of, I will be fine after a short rest. It has been quite a while since I used that much of the sword's power at once so it seems my mind was not ready for the sudden strain it took on me."
He looked over to Trinity.
"What about you, Trinity? Is everything alright?"

 

Vixie tilted her head slightly with an expression of awe. Being new to the group she was unaware or completely naive to the brothers pervertedness. Vixie ran over to the pair, and as she was taught at the temple, she grabbed their hands and kissed them gently.
"I am in your debt." She said to them, as she released their hands.

Arisa shook her head and walked over to Leon and Ty. "We should move on before those things come back."

 

Mordred nodded back to Trinity.
"Of course. I simply overexerted myself, I will be fine soon enough. Come, we need to keep moving if we wish to make up for lost time."
He looked around at the others to see if they were ready to continue on.


I look back at Arisa and smile.
"You know, I couldn't agree more. The sooner we make our way out of the place, the less chance we have of running into those worms again or maybe even something bigger! But hey, since we managed to survive that, the elves shouldn't be too difficult as long as we can beat them to the sword."
Then I look over to Tyr and my crew, trying to get an idea of if they're ready to go or not. It looks like most of them are okay, if a little shaken up.
"What do you think, Tyr? It looks to me like we're ready for round two of whatever this place has to throw at us."

 

Vizard and Gizzard both blinked, then grinned like loons. "Hey, in order to repay that debt, you could kiss us again!" Gizzard grinned cheekily - and then Hexy dragged them away by their ears, much to their complaining.
Tyrcestus dragged his mind off what had just happened, and nodded. "I don't know what the hell the perv brothers just did, but there's no telling how long it will hold. We better get rolling."

Clun was already halfway across the field, leaving the group a clear trail to follow and proving that there were no worms awaiting them further ahead.

The pirates rose up and moved in a mob across the plain, far more serious and contemplative now, some shooting saddened looks at their fallen comrades.

"Ow - ow - ow!"
"Thanks - ow - would - ow - be - ow - nice!"
Hexy had managed to tug them to the back of the group, before glaring at them.
"Ok, what in the nine hells was that? You two have done literally nothing but goof off for the entirety of this trip and then you just cleared out Levia Inferis's top floor! Explain."
The two brothers looked at each other. Vizard cleared his throat.
"My brother and I... we're actually really one person. We were magically split up, years ago as a child, to stop what you just witnessed happening all the time. Over time, the separation spell has weakened, meaning that every once in a age we can return to our original form."
Hexy was too stunned to react.
"So... you're actually just one man."
"Yep." The two brothers started walking again. "From Vizard and Gizzard, combined we are Wi Zard."

The door at the end of the plains yielded a huge staircase again, and they climbed down that in short measure.
When they reached the bottom of that, another pair of doors awaited them. Clun shoved them open, then stopped dead as though physically stunned.

There was a huge cavern mouth, from floor to ceiling, inviting them into a huge darkened cave. There was no light inside at all, not even torches. It spoke of no return and the end of all hope.
"Well," said Tyrcestus brightly, "who wants to go first?"

 

"Hold for a moment, I believe I brought a torch with me for just such an occasion."
Mordred was just about to look through one of his bags when Leon made his way to the front of the group, a confident smile plastered on his face as always.

"Not to worry, I've got this one!"
Let's see...I distinctly remember making a sword of light before that whole worm fight started, so I think I can still recreate it without too much trouble. I think back to the weapon...shape, size, materials...there, I think I've got it! I hold out my right hand and focus my power into it. A few seconds later, an ornate longsword appears and starts shining brightly.
"Perfect. Let's get moving!"
I throw caution to the wind and charge right into the cave!

Mordred's expression was cold and stoic with just a slight look of disappointment as he watched Leon rush recklessly into the dark and most likely extremely dangerous cave. He turned to Trinity and whispered.
"A word of advice. Never follow his example. Ever. Now, what can you see inside this cave?"
This place was even darker than the last and he had a difficult time making out much of anything from the small amount of light that was pouring in from the entrance, so he decided this was the perfect opportunity to make us of Trinity's enhanced senses.

 

"Hmm..."
Mordred furrowed his brow as his mind started to dissect the implications of what that meant.
"Then I would say two possibilities are most likely: either the elves are waiting for us ahead or there are prisoners on this level. I sincerely hope it is the latter. Encountering the elves so quickly after our last fight would certainly make things...difficult."

He hadn't really thought about what they would do if they actually found some of the prisoners on this island. Deep in his thoughts, he was already coldly calculating how he could use them to his advantage.
"If there are prisoners on this floor, that could actually work out quite well for us. If we were to free them, they would almost certainly turn on the wardens and by extension, the elves. They are woefully unequipped to fight them in any meaningful way but at the very least, they could make a useful reconaissance force."
The fact that they would be releasing convicted felons from prison and indirectly yet willingly allowing human lives to be lost meant practically nothing to him. Right now, they could be useful. That was all that mattered.

 

To be fair to Leon, he made it about twenty paces charging through pure blackness before something hit him very hard in the face and knocking him out instantly.

When he regained consciousness, he was inside a cage. The bars were made of some strange steel, warped and twisted, as though it had been wrenched roughly by hands rather than forged that way. That was not to say he was alone...

"Hello," said a small voice to his right. "Are you here to rescue us?"

OOT: YES GOD HELP ME I'M BRINGING IN ANOTHER PARTY OF CHARACTERS WHAT YOU WANT TO FIGHT ABOUT IT

Tyrcestus felt the sudden inexplicable urge to facepalm and barely shrugged it off.
"Everyone, stay in a pack. I don't want anyone getting picked off by whatever's in this cavern."
"What about our captain?" a pirate asked fearfully. Tyrcestus thought about how best to phrase his reply.
"I pity the poor thing that tries it," he said finally, and the pirates responded with whoops and cheers.
I don't know what the poor thing would die from first, indigestion or ear-ache.
Oh, shut up, you.
Hey! I am a god! Do not take that tone with me, you impudent mortal!
One more complaint and I will never look at a naked lady for the rest of my life.
...I'll be good.

The group moved slowly into the darkness of the cave. Clun, like Trinity and most trolls, also had good night vision, so he stayed at the back of the group as a rear guard. Hexy stayed near the centre, a fire burning in her hands to provide light as they travelled. Tyrcestus stood near the front, a living barrier between them and whatever lurked in the darkness. Vizard and Gizzard were either side of Hexy, still looking terrified, jumping at every new sight the cavern threw at them.

The cavern itself was vast, the light not managing to reach the ceiling. The walls were craggy and etched, and strange markings that were certainly not natural were becoming more and more prominent the further in they got. The shadows the flame cast were threatingly looming over them, and when one pirate accidentally stubbed his toe and let out a yelp of pain the entire party jumped in fright.
After about five minutes of walking, there was a shout from behind them, a great yell of surprise and fear, and they all whirled - only to find that Clun had vanished.
"CLUN!" Tyrcestus bellowed, but didn't dare abandon the group. Only silence surrounded them once again - at least, visibly.
"Great." Divine flames were trickling up Tyrcestus's arms. "That's two gone. Any ideas?"

 

Urrrgh...I rub my head, trying to soothe my aching head. It feels like I took a warhammer to the face. Okay...focus, Leon. What the last thing I remember? Right, yeah...I was leading the charge into the cavern, something hit me and--

Huh? I turn my head to the right and that's when when I realize that wherever I am, I'm definitely not alone. It's kinda hard to tell who's here with me, it's hard to see anything but I'm not sure if it's because my vision's still blurry from or because it's dark in here. Or both. But I can definitely tell from the voice that it's not anyone I know, so I guess I did get separated from the others after all.

Ah well, guess I'll have to make the best of a bad situation! Besides, I might've just made some new friends. Only one way to find out! I stand tall and with a look of confidence, loudly announce my presence!
"That does indeed seem to be the case! I believe that fate has brought us together for that very purpose. That being the case, allow me to introduce myself. I am Leon Dragonfang, captain of the most heroic group of pirates to ever sail the seas! Now that I've given you my name, may I ask yours?"


Mordred motioned for Trinity to stay close to him. Seeing that the situation was quickly spiraling out of control, he decided that he needed to take charge in some way.
"Everyone, stay on guard. Move forward in a circle and keep your eyes on every last part of this cavern-- do not dare to blink for a even moment until we know what kind of creature is lurking about."
He pulled out a torch and lit it for the little bit of extra light it would provide, then he drew Apocrypha in his right hand and held it in a reverse grip in case he needed to strike quickly.