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Welcome to the world of Fortuna, a land of fantastic proportions. This is an original fantasy roleplay that takes place in a world developed over nearly a decade of work and collaboration. We aim to encourage all participants to have a hand in the stories of the characters here, and the world around them. Your choices are key - so make them with pride. You decide who wins the wars, you decide who becomes King, the world is ours, and together we will bring it to life!
Post by Maldrem "Wight" on Nov 8, 2017 20:11:45 GMT -7
Time to Get the Ball Rolling
W ight and Colossus took Leigh's cue with quickened ease when the two women approached, not wasting time with falling into step with them. It certainly didn't look any shadier than anything else that went on down here, so it's not like it particularly mattered, but still. Best not to stick out too much.
"The guy's name is Leif Jorgenson; I dunno if Kali knew him by a different one, but that's his real name in case she didn't. Neither of you lovely ladies ever filled me in on what you called him, at any rate~ But that's beside the point. Good news is I got the papers we need. Long as we can get that airship, we shouldn't have any trouble docking in Artavia."
"Got a threat, too," Colossus chimed in gruffly.
Mal snorted and rolled his eyes. "Colossus you lovable party-pooper, that was the better news I was building towards!" He returned his gaze to Leigh and smirked. "So I figured there could be a pretty good chance of Leify boy going turncoat on us if he caught wind of the chance of a bounty. Especially with Woodrow in the Aiss waters lately. So I thought we could use a little insurance against that, and went the extra mile to get it. A little personal threat to deliver to our man's ears, to "convince" him that that would be a bad idea."
Post by Leigh Haskell on Nov 9, 2017 14:51:56 GMT -7
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[attr="class","wavesundtext"] She had to admit that the two made a good pair, Wight and Colossus. Or more, Colossus was good at tempering Wight and making him more... Palatable. And, on top of that, the two had very clearly succeeded in what they had set out to do -- and then some. They were right that Jorgenson (Moann's piss, Aiss names are stupid) would have a pretty damned tempting reason for selling them out. He'd already made his money, and giving Defiled Grail pirates to Woodrow himself was sure to land him some kind of life-long pardon or title. Sure, they could threaten his life, but making sure they had someone on him just as good was going to balance the scales. Mutually assured destruction.
Besides, they were good, paying customers. "Good," She nodded in approval of the work the men had done, and the compliment was as probably as good as Wight was going to get out of her, "He owes us one, after what Kal just earned him."
Post by Maldrem "Wight" on Nov 9, 2017 15:09:38 GMT -7
Let's get some history~
"Oh?" Wight perked up at the remark, his eyes alight with interest. "And what, pray tell, did Kali earn for our good man? Actually, for that matter, how exactly did she know the guy again? Oh, what am I asking you for--" Wight waved a hand at Leigh in mock dismissal, answering his own question, and then spun on his heel to look at the Satyr. He began pacing backwards, keeping step with Colossus while his gaze stayed locked on her. "Kali my love, don't suppose you're willing to share a little? I'm interested in how your end of things went."
Colossus shook his head beside him, and Mal suspected it was probably at how carelessly he tossed out "my love" given what the orc now knew, but Mal chose to ignore that as long as the big guy wasn't saying anything.
Kali and Leigh found the boys and they all started walking towards the meeting place to discuss the potential borrowing of the airship form her contact. Leigh told the guys to talk and Mal informed them of the contact's real name - something Kali hadn't known previously, nor did she particularly care - and said they got the papers they would need to look legal in Artavia. Colossus then mentioned a threat, and Mal elaborated on the possibility that Leif could betray them in an attempt to get the bounty on their heads, and Kali hmm-ed as she realized that was in fact a distinct possibility. She wouldn't put it past any of the sleazeballs she'd made acquaintances with over her years in the ring to do something so short-sighted and underhanded. It would make him more money in the long run to just bet on her in her matches, but if he thought she gave it up to go pirate (which she kind of had done) he might think this would be a last way to wring some money out of her.
She let them all talk until Mal turned back to address her specifically, inquiring in his usual way as to her history with the guy. "Yea alright, listen up kids it's story time. Leif and I go way back. When I first got here from the Fey realm I landed in Muerte and Leif was at my very first cage match. He mostly bets on big fights where he can make the most money, but it figures he would go to beginner matches too, to keep an eye on the new up-and-comers or whatever. He bet against me of course, wisely it turns out because I got the shit kicked out of me. I was in the scene for a while before he first talked to me though, wanted me to throw a match in exchange for a portion of the winnings from his bet. I agreed, let the opponent beat me up a bit, but as he was about to finish me off he made some stupid comment that pissed me off and instead I kicked his ass. It was a big come from behind thing, the crowd went nuts. That was the fight with Fa'nelth, Leigh," she added, looking to the woman before turning her attention back to Mal.
"Leif was pissed, tried to get his cronies to take me out for making him lose so much money but when I beat them up too he realized he'd make a lot more money keeping me alive. We struck an informal deal that I'd give him a heads up every so often of what I was planning on doing with the fight and he would bet accordingly. I made that deal with a few of the big betters on the scene, actually. They would split winnings with me or owe me favours or put in a good word with the people who ran the fights regarding who I should take on next, whatever. I split town when Muerte started going after beastfolk though, and I haven't seen him since until today."
Post by Maldrem "Wight" on Nov 9, 2017 16:50:08 GMT -7
Good ol' Story Time
M al appreciated how easily Kali told stories and opened up; she was a very straightforward type of person, which was refreshing when most of Mal's crewmates on The Greil were chronically cagey and secretive. It was nice not to have to ply and cajole to get a bit of insight.
"Sounds like a real upstanding guy," Mal commented airily, turning back around to keep walking forward, the rings on his horns jingling a bit with the motion. "And I'm sure he bailed the scene with no regard to his beastfolk fighters that were earning him money when the Mot crackdown happened. Honestly, what ever did I have to worry about, working with a class act like that?"
"So what're we in for then?" Colossus asked, his eyes darting around a bit more now that crowds were beginning to thin. Leigh had led them to a less populated area.
"Ah yes, that's right," Mal nodded, picking up his pace to catch up with her. "You mentioned a meeting. I assume then that we don't have the ship just yet?"
"Figure this one won a fight for you though," the Orc mused, nodding at Kali and the bruises she was covered in. He gave her an appreciative smirk.
‘Sounds like a real upstanding guy,’ Mal said as he turned back around following the conclusion of her story, and Kali chuckled. “Says the pirate,” she replied. When he commented about the man likely leaving without caring about what happened to the beast folk fighters Kali shrugged, though being behind Mal he wouldn’t see it. She hadn’t stuck around to make sure anyone else got out safe, and she had even taken part in a few fights to the death in her time in the ring so she wasn’t exactly a paragon of morality either. Leif was about as virtuos as anyone who bet on the fights really.
Colossus asked what they were in for now and Mal guesses, correctly, that they didn’t have the airship yet and were just going for the meeting first. Kali hmm-ed, also looking around as they passed less and less people as they neared the meeting area. Leigh was leading them as she was the one who knew where the contact wanted to meet. Kali wiped some blood from her lip and then wiped her hand on her leg fur. Colossus commented then and said it looked like she won a fight and she returned his smirk with her own. “Oh yeah, second part of the story is that he was at the cage fights here and so I got Leigh to tell him it would go down like the fa’nelth fight and then I challenged their reigning champion and kicked his ass. The odds against me were probably pretty high so he made off with a lot of cash when I won.”
Post by Leigh Haskell on Nov 10, 2017 14:23:18 GMT -7
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[attr="class","wavesundtext"] As Kali spoke, Leigh realized how little she knew about the satyr. She should have probably assumed she came from the Feywild, but she had just assumed that if Muerte is where she'd come from, Muerte is where she was always from. Kali was just like any other beastfolk to her, more a centaur's physical realness than a fairy's weirdly structured existence. She had to admit: It was interesting to ponder on why the hell she'd leave that place for here, especially since 'here' was probably the shittiest world Leigh could dream up. The other ones had to be somewhat better, didn't they?
Leigh didn't natter on like the other three though, focusing on the environment around them. The directions given to Leigh were not convenient, not without Jorgensen's private tunnels, and so they took a bit of work to make heads or tails of. Thankfully, Leigh was a navigator. If she couldn't find a direction, well... She'd throw herself off the ship when they got back. She glanced back down at the map to check her progress, the group had already left the main thoroughfare, but according to the directions they still had a maze of false pipeways to get through.
She held up her hand to silence the others as they left behind the last vestiges of noisy citizens, and just as Kali explained the last of what the two of them had done. "Which means he owes us," She spoke in hushed tones, walking more cautiously now, "Which also might mean he'll try to keep us from collecting. Be ready." Colossus grunted in confirmation, and Leigh heard a cracking of massive knuckles. Between the four of them, Leigh was certain they wouldn't have a problem with any of Leif's people. Colossus and Kali were both incredible fighters, and as a bonus Kali had her enchantment magic. Mal and Leigh on the other hand - well shit, if they could escape from one of the most high security prisons in the world while being chased by highly trained guards, they could probably take on some mob enforcement fuckers.
They reached the criss-crossing steel pathways depicted in the notes, which were a series of sewage pipes that had never been used for sewage. They were a cover, of course, and they connected all the places where the serious criminal dealings went down. This is where mob families did their deals with Aiss police, where the most high ranking nobles who visited would hide in order to observe their darkest predilections, where illegal slaves were sold to the highest bidder. Each person they passed was untouchable by the law here, they were protected. It was too bad for them that pirates weren't so good at heeding any laws.
"This is it," She finally stopped before a wide, round wooden doorway bolted into the massive steel of another tunnel. The door held a single marking at it's lower left corner that matched what she was given, the only indication of who this tunnel belonged to. Or perhaps the only warning that the unprepared should stop here, lest they find themselves swimming in the ice with pockets full of rocks.
If Leigh were an idiot, she would have waltzed in, ready to make her deal, but she wasn't - and she knew Jorgensen wasn't, either. Instead, she nodded her head to one side of the door where Wight would position himself, and she took up the other. Then, she gave Colossus and Kali the signal to enter. Muscle first.
Post by Maldrem "Wight" on Nov 10, 2017 19:41:05 GMT -7
Why's it always gotta be the hard way...
H e snickered a bit at Kali's offhanded reply to his own remarks; she wasn't wrong. Maldrem was hardly in any place to be making moral statements about someone else, true enough. But hey, at least pirates could be said to have a code of honor they usually stuck to. And that included paying up on debts that were owed, and not double-crossing one another. Pirate's who did either of those tended to be pariahs even among their own kind, after all. But Maldrem doubted that mobsters like Leif had any such code of ethics.
Leigh pointed out that Kali's win in the arena meant that Leif owed them now, and Maldrem certainly agreed with that statement, but it was plainly evident that all four of them also anticipated that Leif might not feel the same way. Which is precisely why once the group arrived at the door that would lead into the man's den (after what seemed like forever of walking through tunnels), Leigh gave them a silent signal to be ready. Maldrem complied quickly and silently; now was no time for jesting. He took his spot on the other side of the door from Leigh, his hand close to the daggers at his waist. He tested the sharpness of the nails on his other hand against the wall for a moment, making sure they'd be able to break skin. Spreading some illness could always come in handy in a fight like this, and he certainly had enough magic left in him to manage that still.
He nodded at Leigh, prepared, and Leigh then nodded at Colossus. It was time. The orc rolled his shoulders casually and gave his neck a light crack before reaching out and opening the door with more subtlety than Maldrem might have initially expected. He then ducked under the frame and stepped inside, Kali close behind.
It all happened so quickly that Maldrem was certain that he would have been killed if it had been him through that door. Just about as soon as Colossus was through the door, two arrows went flying straight for him. The orc's surprisingly quick reflexes saw to it that he he turned in time for one to bounce off his shoulder pad, while the other stuck into the thick skin near it. But that was hardly the end of it; four agents had started moving just as soon as the arrows flew, armed with swords and spears, one of the spearmen making a killing stab for Colossus's throat. Colossus had a big advantage in height and strength, however; a shorter man may have found the spear reaching him before he could react. Colossus, however, caught it by the shaft before it could get anywhere, yanked it forward, and grabbed its now-in-reach wielder by the face.
Mal could hear a muffled scream that was chillingly short as Colossus plucked the man up and squeezed, before then slamming the back of the man's skull into the nearest wall. The orc had an impressive grasp of crowd control awareness, though, because just as he was handling that he was also swinging out with his very broad left arm at one of the swordsman who had been aiming to follow up on his comrade's attack. Mal saw the blade break Colossus's skin in a spray of red, but that didn't stop him from smacking the swordsman so hard that he went flying clear across the room.
As for the other two agents, it seemed like Kali had already gotten started on them. She was shorter and a lot quicker than Colossus, and it hadn't seemed to take her any time at all to recognize what was happening and dive right into the fray with the other two. Maybe she wasn't quite as quick as Wight, but she had a better balance between speed and strength than he did.
While she worked, and while Colossus clearly had things handled on his end (even as more agents were now entering the room), Maldrem instead fixed his attention on the bowmen at the other end of the room. They stood up on a high balcony, the presence of which actually made Maldrem aware for the first time of how surprisingly lavish this place looked despite the grungy appearance outside. The entrance room they were in looked like a rather impressive foyer, with a double-staircase similar to the like that he had seen in castles leading up to the aforementioned balcony. The archers there were knocking more arrows, taking aim at the orc and satyr below, and for a moment Maldrem wondered why they weren't just using pistols. It was a common weapon for criminal sorts to use these days.
Without even having to look, he was sure Leigh had also fixed her attention on them. The archers were back-line fighters, much like Maldrem and Leigh were in this particular situation, and picking them off was something they could do. Maldrem gave his interim captain another nod as they darted inside, Maldrem slamming the door behind him. This was Leif's territory, and if he had the kind of goon squad that Reina had called a "rival", then they'd doubtlessly be attracting a lot of that goon squad by brawling with some of Leif's men right in the entrance to his home. They didn't need to be snuck up on.
As he plucked one of his throwing knives and tossed it right for one of the archers, he made a mental note to himself to find a barricade for that door as soon as things calmed down a little. The knife didn't find its mark, though; the archer saw it coming and dodged swiftly aside. Mal noticed then that she was elven, and suddenly her agility and insistence on using a bow made more sense to him. As soon as she had moved aside, she quickly changed targets, her arrow aimed for Mal, and fired.
Maldrem cursed under his breath as he dove aside. In front of him, Colossus was still handling a veritable swarm of enemies, at least five men and women surrounding him, but they were giving the Orc a rather wide berth now that he had pulled the massive axe off of his back. More impressive, surprisingly, was Kali, who was surrounded by just about as many fighters, and was still holding her own despite a much more diminutive size in comparison. Mal suspected her enchantment was helping. He wanted to jump in and help as well, but that wasn't going to be an option as long as those archers continued to harass them. The other one had been firing as well, sometimes at Kali, sometimes at Leigh, and it was being quite the thorough distraction.
Maldrem considered the idea of making an illusion to help him close in on them, but he knew how elves were; their fey ancestry tended to give them an eye for, and a general resistance, to magic. And Mal wasn't the kind of skilled illusionist that he made most of the crew believe. Fooling humans and most other non-innately magical sorts wasn't a huge issue, but more magically-inclined people tended to be trouble. He remembered his near-death experience with the Gnoll in that Liesdron prison all too well. Kali's enchantment also probably wasn't going to be as effective on the elves, assuming she could even find the time to try and direct it at them.
He took cover behind a vase with a frustrated groan as another arrow went flying. How was he supposed to deliver Reina's warning not to turn on them if he never even got to see Leif in the first place? If he could just get close enough to someone to speak her name to them without getting killed...
He managed to spot Leigh in the fray, now having also taken some cover after whatever else she'd been up to, and caught her eyes. "Ideas, captain?"
OOC Notes: I avoided detailed descriptions of you guys' actions and tried to stick to inference based on what would be typical of Leigh and Kali, but I will perform any edits you guys need me to as necessary! Let me know what you think, because I know I took some more liberties than usual with this one!
When Leigh called for silence Kali complied. She wasn’t a big fan of authority in general but when Leigh took charge it was pretty hot, and to be fair it was also important for them to pay attention now that they were almost there. Who knew what kind of fun ambush might be planned for them. Leigh was right - Leif might be willing to do something... unintelligent to try to avoid paying back the favour.
He would know how strong Kali was and knew now that she had at least one accomplice so he would probably have quite a gang prepared to take them on if he did make such a poor decision as to betray them. Leigh stopped them in front of a set of doors attached to a pipe or sewer or what have you, and said this was it. She took point on one side of the door and Mal took the other, leaving Colossus and Kali to be the first to head inside. Kali, already bruised and a bit bloody from the fight earlier, was more than willing to get a few more trophies if it came to a fight. Colossus looked ready to kick some ass too, and then he opened the door up and the party began.
The moment the two of them stepped inside it became clear that Leigh’s suspicions were correct - two arrows came flying at Colossus and a handful (really, only four? Leif should know better than that) of lackeys bolted in to take them on.
Kali allowed herself a moment of distraction as she watched with unbridled glee as Colossus grabbed the first man right by his face and crushed him in his hand and then against the wall. It was one of the most brutal, delicious things she’d ever seen.
But she couldn’t just watch, she was in this too and she had her own flunkies to counter. One had a spear and the other a sword, and frankly she couldn’t wait to impale them both on their own weapons. The one with a spear looked to be missing a handful of teeth, which might explain why he had chosen a slightly longer range weapon so she couldn’t kick out the rest of them. The one with a sword looked like he liked to work out as much as he liked to eat. The arm that held the sword frankly worried Kali more than the blade itself - even without a weapon that guy looked like if he bodyslammed her she might go flying.
The spear reached her first, being of a longer range, and she ducked quickly and put her hands on the ground, using the leverage to spin a kick at Toothy who she caught soundly on the ankle with her hoof. He let out a yelp of pain that was music to her ears and she was pretty sure she broke that little round bone humans had down there because he almost cried when he tried putting weight on it again. Meanwhile she flipped back to her feet and dodged to the side when Sumo stabbed at her with the sword, and this time she retaliated with a quick one-two punch to the jaw. She had partially hoped to drop him with it but instead she was pretty sure she hurt her fists more than her firsts hurt his face. He let out a chuckle and cracked his neck side to side in a way she was sure he thought was intimidating.
She noticed the motion of the spear from Toothy in time to start moving to the side, but not fast enough to move completely out of the way of the attack, the blade caught her torso and ripped a hole in her perfectly good tunic and she let out a shout of, ”Hey!” before whirling around and decking him with a punch much more successfully than she had with Sumo. As he crumpled to the ground she grabbed the spear and turned back to jab it right through Sumo’s neck, the least protected part of him, and watched with a sick kind of pleasure as it found its mark and popped out the other side coated in red. The best part was that she must have got an artery, because the blood squirted out in time with his dying heartbeat as he too fell to the ground.
Kali’s vision tunnelled as more assailants arrived. She watched them approach like a lion watches a gazelle, her pupils blown wide with excitement and hunger. An arrow thudded into her left shoulder and she ripped it out without even looking, relishing in the pain of it, and stabbed it into the eye of the first of the newbies to arrive. She grabbed the next one by the arm and the neck and practically threw him into the woman next to him, and then stomped on the woman’s head when she landed on the ground.
Four more had arrived while she did that and they surrounded her, a couple looking maybe a little worried but all of them ready to fight. As they all came at her she jumped and rolled out of the way, feeling a cacophony of pain and pleasure as hard ground met her injuries. When she got to her feet and the four of them turned their attention her way she smiled sadistically and for a split second they realized they were absolutely fucked and the fear in their eyes was fucking bliss, and then she grabbed their strings like puppets and said, ”Fight,” and they fell upon each other like rabid dogs, tearing each other apart. She barely even registered the spark of pain that bloomed behind her eyes at the magical exertion, she was already ready for more. She was ready for the finale.
”Leif!” she roared as she started stalking further into the base. ”I’m going to destroy you!” As more of his cronies flocked to her she dodged and kicked and tackled them in turn, and for those that proved more frustrating to deal with she reached for their very wills and crushed them like bugs, fueled by their screams of agony. She had all but forgotten her fellow teammates or the battles each of them were facing. She had tasted blood and there was no stopping now. She was going to tear that traitorous weasel to pieces.
Post by Leigh Haskell on Nov 11, 2017 11:07:27 GMT -7
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[attr="class","wavesundtext"] Leigh had anticipated that Leif would send quite a number of goons, considering he knew how tough Kali was, and that he knew she had Leigh on her side. What she hadn't expected was a fucking army. She wondered briefly if Mal and Colossus had gotten found out, or maybe sold out by whoever they had gone too for intel, but she didn't have time to consider what the hell went wrong - she only had time to fix the goddamn problem.
While Colossus dealt with clearing a path, and Kali took on some of the more unique threats, Leigh and Wight were left with archers. Neither Kali nor Colossus were built for range, which meant it was up to them. The two of them entered after sharing a nod, and Mal slammed the door behind them. Leigh took off in one direction, not paying much attention to where her crewmate went. It didn't take long for the archers to spot them, and so she avoided a barrage of two arrows fired from one bow by diving behind a couch, the force of the projectiles making the arrowheads peek out the other side. Leigh had to laugh. Arrows. Even a broke-ass pirate could get a pistol these days, and rich asshole Leif Jorgensen had archers? That would be his downfall.
Leigh peeked over the edge of the couch to get a better look and count of the rangers. Two, she noted, standing on opposite sides of a wide column on the balcony, with another wide column on their other side. They had plenty of cover, and they had a perfect vantage point for most of the room. They were elven, which likely meant they'd have been carrying bows since they could walk, and it also meant that they would have quick reflexes. How quick? Leigh supposed she'd find out soon.
She ducked back down and brought out her pistol, checking the cylinder before locking it into place and pulling back the hammer. She tried to count the archers' shots by ear to find an opening, but all of the noise was making it too difficult to tell the difference between the sounds. Instead, she waited a four count before coming out of her crouch and firing at the archer on the rightmost side of the balcony. The shot missed by a hair, but interrupted the elf's own attempt at a shot, causing them to misfire the double arrows they had loaded. Unfortunately for Leigh, the sound got the attention of the other elf, who quickly fired their own arrows at Leigh. Being part elf herself, Leigh managed to move quickly enough to avoid a direct hit, but the shot grazed her arm, slicing right through the leather of her jacket.
"Fuck," She muttered, ducking back down in time to miss a fresh shot from the archer she had tried to kill. The archers were gonna be a problem, and Leigh needed to come up with a better solution than her gun. As she worked over her options, her eyes briefly observing the room each time she bounced up from her crouch (and narrowly avoided another arrow), someone on the floor decided to try and surprise her.
From behind her, a hand grasped through Leigh's nest of hair, yanking her head back roughly and tearing at the roots. She dropped her gun as her arms instinctively moved back to whoever was pulling at her. One of the enemy's hands loosed itself, likely going for a weapon, but Leigh wouldn't give him a chance. She grunted and pulled her hook back, and then lodged it into her assailant's hand, making him cry out in pain as the jagged end pierced through his palm and locked him in her control.
In an attempt to keep charge of the situation, the man doubled down, grasping with his hooked hand and pulling violently at her hair - but Leigh didn't give a shit about hair. She pulled her knife from her belt and sawed through her hair under his grip without a second thought. The moment she cut the last strand the man was holding, she gained all of the momentum and pulled him forward with the hook. She flattened herself, the man flipping over her as his arm twisted and crunched in a way that it was not intended to. When she looked back and pulled out her hook, she could see how the man's arm was bent backwards and quickly turning purple.
He whined at her pathetically, cradling his arm, and Leigh realized she now had a way to get a better vantage point. She grabbed her gun, and then grasped the man with a hooked arm around his neck and shoulder, now he was her hostage -- now he was her meat shield. She stood, forcing him to stand with her, and the arrows that were intended for her slammed into his chest with a muffled thunk. She used him to get herself back behind a column nearer the entrance, and found Mal behind it's pair.
"Ideas, captain?" He asked as she held her meat close, and she didn't nod right away. "Working on it," She grunted, poking out from behind the column to get a good look to form a plan. The arrow that flew this time was angled slightly to Leigh's right, the archer overcorrecting in an attempt to not hit her shield, and hit the column uselessly instead. What Leigh saw gave her enough of a plan however. Hanging down from the four corners of the room were large fabric banners. Two on the entrance side -- which wouldn't help them get to the balcony -- and two right by opposite edges of the balcony. Leigh could climb rigging like she was born to, and was sure that if she could avoid getting shot, she could climb the banners to get up there quick.
"They're too fast to hit from here, but they're easy to distract." She told Mal, "The banners. Cover me." She dropped her pistol to the ground and kicked it over to her crewmate, readjusting what was now just a bloody corpse in her grip. She took a deep breath to focus herself, and then... It was show time.
She shoved the corpse out between the two columns, and four arrows pierced it perfectly, the archers having hoped for her or Mal to have revealed themselves. As they reloaded, Leigh dashed out from the opposite side of the column, taking the outside route through the room in order to get to the banner. The bottom was a good eight feet from the ground, and she wanted to start as high up the thing as possible, so she jumped mid-run onto a couch, then to a table, and then took a wide leap. She heard commotion around her, but needed to trust Wight (and Colossus, and Kali) to take care of that. If she paid attention to it all, she would fail.
Her hook grasped into the first bit of fabric it hit, her hand grasped a bit lower than it to steady herself, and her body slammed against the wall with the force of her jump. For a moment she saw bright light in her vision, but even as she was disoriented she began climbing, not being able to afford the time it would take for her vision to clear. She pulled herself up with her hand (not wanting to put too much weight on her hook for fear of slicing through the fabric entirely), using the holes made with the hook as a foothold on her right side as she climbed.
As she climbed, she felt weight at the bottom of the banner and looked down briefly to see one of Leif's men attempting to climb after her, or perhaps just trying to pull the banner free of the wall and send Leigh tumbling. The man's distraction was fucking stupid, however, since all Colossus had to do was throw another enemy into him, and he went down like a sack of potatoes.
She kept climbing, not ignoring the fact that arrows were piercing the banner around her as she climbed. Wight has this, I have to trust him, he's going to keep them from--"Agh!" She cried out as an arrow pierced her left forearm. Pain exploded behind her eyes and her hand dropped from the banner, her hook now the only thing keeping her from falling a good twenty some feet feet to the ground. "Fuck!" She yelled, trying to convince her hand to get a grip again, to ignore the pain. As she struggled, the weight placed on her hook began to tear through the fabric. An inch, two inches-- A foot. She cried out, cursed Jorgensen, and after a three count just fucking jumped, using all of the momentum she could possibly muster.
She was nearly thirty feet off the ground now, air above her, air next to her, air under her her, the railing of the balcony the only thing she was aiming for. It was as if time slowed as she jumped and her hook swung for purchase--
The painful vibrations as her hook lodged itself into the balcony was the most beautiful pain she'd ever felt. She let out of an adrenaline-fuelled laugh and pulled herself over the edge, tumbling to the other side and into a roll to avoid an arrow that didn't come. Wight must have been doing his job. Leigh took the few seconds that he bought her to get up, yank the arrow out of her arm with her teeth, and then run at the archers who she now had primo access to. The first turned towards her and pulled the bow taut, but Leigh's fist found the elf's face before she could fire, and the force of the punch sent the woman off the edge of the balcony. The bow dropped as the elf grabbed the edge, trying to hold on. Leigh would normally have finished her off, but the other archer approached from behind.
A searing pain entered Leigh's shoulder as the arrow pierced her mid-turn, but the archer wasn't made for hand-to-hand combat. Leigh spun around, her arms moving in a wide circle to give her hook heavy weight behind it as it bit into the spot between her enemy's neck and shoulder. The elf's eyes went wide, blood bubbled from her mouth, she dropped to her knees, and as Leigh pulled her hook out, the blood spurted uselessly out of the wound.
By the time Leigh looked back to the carnage below her, it was clear Mal, Colossus, and Kali and managed to clear off the wave. Whether there were more coming, Leigh couldn't be sure... What she did know was that they had to get to Jorgensen, as the idiot was the only one who could stop his band of enforcers and mercenaries. As she opened her mouth to give the command to find him however, she realized Kali wasn't there. She worried for a moment that the satyr was under one of the piles of bodies, or that she had been grabbed and killed somewhere Leigh couldn't see-- But then she heard it:
"Leif! I'm going to destroy you!" And she knew that Kali was fine... And seeing red. "Shit," Leigh grunted, looking for the door at the top of the balcony, "Don't let her fucking kill him!" She yelled down to the other two before kicking the door open and making her way down a new and foreign hallway.
The skin OTHERWORLD was made by JAWN of WICKED WONDERLAND.
FORTUNA-RPG was created by MELLIE. Images belong to their respective artists. All codes and scripts belong to their respective coders. Please DO NOT take anything without the owners' permission.
