The Crossroads [Horror/Adventure|IC|Open]

[Altito Asmoro]

Emma Madison
The City - Crossroads

Emma had run long enough, that the range between the outskirts and the city-ish place increasingly went closer than ever. Unfortunately, it's been months since her last blood-sucking on humans, the last being the attempts of it from a group of Vikings warriors...or what left of them after the Xenomorphs attacked the warriors and incubated some of them. They hid themselves inside a cave, hurdled, scared. She could felt their fear and worry, especially as she closing in to them and sucked their blood.

But it's a story for another day.

Now, although she wasn't tired nor struggled with her low blood level, the temptation to unleash the beast inside was high, and the Xenomorphs who incubated within the Dentata has no human blood within them. In the far, she could sighted a ship, on a top of a building.

When she finally reached down into the city, she was able to divert the attentions of the Xenomorphs with the...red-colored lines circling the buildings and the roads, in-between as well. It seems fleshy enough for their bellies, perhaps.

She hid near the building where the building next to it has that ship on it.

She should took a short rest for now. Or looking for a target.

[WaRtArIa]

Valyrius rubbed the back of his head, his own way of alleviating stress and pain. Today was truly a strange and horrible day, but there was no time to remniscize. If Valyrius does remniscize right now, he's going to die, and certainly, Valyrius does not appreciate dying.

Valyrius nodded in thanks, and quietly showed his appreciation. "Thank you for assisting me, good sir. That wraith was certainly a dreadful opponent to fight, and I could have gotten seriously injured. Not many player characters or non-player characters alike bother to help me, you know?"

For now, Valyrius was going to comply with Marcus's instructions. It was most likely safer if he stayed with the group. The man in black armor would be pleasant to interact with, he supposed. Using the magic of the Ring of Leaping, Valyrius jumped to the floor below, standing next to the said armored man. He was wielding some strange sort of rifle or handgun, and behind the orange glass on his helmet, eyes were not visible. There was a hint of arcane power or the like resonating from the weapon. It was uncanny, really, how everything here seems to have some sort of arcane magic. It's called ARCANE magic for a reason, not commoner's magic. He hesitantly addressed the armored man for a few moments. "...hello there, sir."

Valyrius briefly casted a Detect Magic spell on the area. Although the strange rifle did not in fact have any magic, behind a few buildings, there was sentience. He called out. "Whoever is there, I command you to step out into our line of sight!"

[The Moscow Metro Red Line]

Matilda Kerner

These demons were wheat before the scythe. Those who were scratched by the sword were burned by its holy flame. This offensive holy magic as any holy magic required her to recite a certain prayer. This also relied upon one's faith which Matilda was strong in. As she spoke her prayer aloud, her sword danced to her left, to her front, to her back, to her right, and so forth. It was in this intense battle meditation that Matilda failed to notice the man approaching her and the voice which spoke to her. Her eyes widen and her concentration was broken when she her head around to see who had spoken those words. The white flame around her sword dimmed.

She never comprehended that those were being spoken to her mentally so she thought someone was near. And indeed someone was. This person was in some sort of armor and wielded a sword of pure light. She spoke quickly while mentally reciting the prayer. "If there are more of these vile creatures, I agree that it would be better to have greater numbers to fight them off." She sliced one of the creatures and it leapt back screeching as a white flame began to consume it. "Lead on, stranger."

[Altito Asmoro]

Valyrius briefly casted a Detect Magic spell on the area. Although the strange rifle did not in fact have any magic, behind a few buildings, there was sentience. He called out. "Whoever is there, I command you to step out into our line of sight!"

Fuck, she's outed. But how? She's obviously able hide herself well within the shadows...

Unless, we are currently talking about someone casting a magic spell on the area around her. Magic is not a strange thing for Brujah, as they met clans with magic. Tremere comes to mind every time magic happened. A Tremere, is it? But to deal with mages close combat is dangerous, even for vampires.

Meaning she has to use her handgun. With handgun on hand, sniper rifle on the back, she showed herself up, slowly got out from the shadow, she even showed her fangs to shows...that she is a vampire.

There's a man. Two, perhaps?

"I mean no harm, O Dear Wizard! There's plenty of those Dentata at this city. Incubated Xenomorphs, to be exact," called and said by Emma to the men.

[Brusia]

Marcus Antilles

As the armored woman responded, a Dentatus leaped at Marcus only to be sliced in half by his lightsaber. Unleashing another powerful Force push to repel the oncoming Dentata, Marcus pointed in the direction of the ship and announced "This way!" as he pushed forward, clearing a path through the Dentata as best he could for the woman to follow. It was slow getting back to the Resolute as there seemed to be more and more Dentata around the closer they came to their destination, but they managed to arrive before being consumed by the Abyss.

Fortunately, several others had arrived while Marcus was gone, and one of them, another very tall humanoid in heavy armor, was raining heavy fire down upon the beasts below. This gave Marcus a small window to get himself and the armored woman up to the top of the Resolute before the horde completely engulfed them, and so after yelling only "Hold on!" he lifted the armored woman up to the top of the ship using the Force, then quickly jumped up after her. Looking down, he could see that the creatures numbered in the hundreds now, and even with the aid of these newcomers he wasn't terribly enthusiastic about their chances.

Secure for the moment at least, he began using the Force to pick up nearby rocks, debris from his ship, and anything else he could find to drop or throw at the swarm of Dentata, but it hardly seemed to put a dent in their numbers. Again using the Force to negate the language barrier, he asked the group standing atop the vessel:

"So, does anyone have a good plan for getting through this alive?"

[WaRtArIa]

Valyrius gave a harsh glance to the condescending vampire, displeased with the recent change of events. He carefully noted the new information, and then decided to later discover exactly what a Xenomorph was. With a sneer, Valyrius payed no mind to the woman’s fangs, rifle, or handgun. “Are you attempting to be condescending to me, a High Elf of outstanding regard and power? A vampire such as you would be rather foolish to attempt such behavior with me. I command and deserve more respect than that, considering that I have a ‘Protection from Evil Undead’ spell at hand.”

Despite the fact that the enemies seemed to be evil undead, they would not be affected by the charm. They weren’t entirely evil, or entirely undead. They are desperate, corrupted, and hungry. Those sorts of creatures are some of the most dangerous of all, and the unfolding scene is definitely supporting this statement.

Not turning his gaze away from the vampiric fiend, Valyrius noticed that Marcus had arrived from whatever place he went to. Why exactly would he leave this area in the first place? With the undead swarming everywhere, it was truly foolish to attempt to leave a relatively safer place. Valyrius watched as Marcus used his glorified telekinesis spells on the enemy hordes. Despite the attacks causing high amounts of damage, the range and ammunition fell rather short.

Upon noticing around ten Dentata attempting to crawl up the ship, Valyrius casted a fireball spell, and watched as they plummeted to the ground. Valyrius made a dry remark. “Serves those damned bastards right.”

[Anowa]

-snip-

Jorge began speaking to the warlock, as his weapon ran dry of ammo, "Less talking!" A Dentata leaped upon his back and began trying to claw through his shielding, he simply reached back and tossed it off both him and the roof. Before reloading, "More killing!"

-snip-

Elsa had finished her climb up the building, and the moment she did her eyes locked to those of the other nightwalker, even from this distance, the vampiric half of her could smell the blood above that of the ammonia. And if she could smell her, so could the Dentata, "Get over here child, they can smell the blood in you!"

The sound of Jorge's pistol again running out brought her back into things, and she jumped over the ship looking for Jorge's machine gun.

"So, does anyone have a good plan for getting through this alive?"

Artorias sent him self sailing onto the ship from his planted location on the wall. He wasted no time setting up his warding circle, formulated not from blood or light, but from the dark ichor that still seeped from his left arm. Despite dying and becoming a free soul again, one could not escape the stare of the abyss, "We wait! The large black sandstorm looking cloud to our.. supposed east will kill everything that isn't within this circle when it arrives!"

“Are you attempting to be condescending to me, a High Elf of outstanding regard and power? A vampire such as you would be rather foolish to attempt such behavior with me. I command and deserve more respect than that, considering that I have a ‘Protection from Evil Undead’ spell at hand.”

Artorias looked up from his work and yelled quite clearly over the sounds of battle, "I'd very much like to note that everything we will encounter today is very much alive!"

The sounds of a squeal came from the corner of the buidling, the Xenomorphs had arrived for a demonstration. Said corner was promptly rendered a pile of acidic slag as Elsa returned with Jorge's signature weapon, no words were exchanged, she simply tossed the 200 pound weapon at the supersoldier who retuirned to his normal way of fighting seamlessly.

Elsa simply maintained her distance, taking accurate and lethal shots at anything that snuck up on anyone else.

[Altito Asmoro]

Valyrius gave a harsh glance to the condescending vampire, displeased with the recent change of events. He carefully noted the new information, and then decided to later discover exactly what a Xenomorph was. With a sneer, Valyrius payed no mind to the woman’s fangs, rifle, or handgun. “Are you attempting to be condescending to me, a High Elf of outstanding regard and power? A vampire such as you would be rather foolish to attempt such behavior with me. I command and deserve more respect than that, considering that I have a ‘Protection from Evil Undead’ spell at hand.”

"Watch your wretched mouth, Elf, or whatever you are. I'm not evil, or dead!" Emma said with such a rage you would think she would unleash her beast. Well, no, she couldn't released it if she's not very hungry. She glanced back and shot twice at the Dentatas who came at their head. They died. But of course, the Xenomorphs will soon come, and her handgun would be useless.

-snip-

Elsa had finished her climb up the building, and the moment she did her eyes locked to those of the other nightwalker, even from this distance, the vampiric half of her could smell the blood above that of the ammonia. And if she could smell her, so could the Dentata, "Get over here child, they can smell the blood in you!"

---

Artorias looked up from his work and yelled quite clearly over the sounds of battle, "I'd very much like to note that everything we will encounter today is very much alive!"

The sounds of a squeal came from the corner of the buidling, the Xenomorphs had arrived for a demonstration. Said corner was promptly rendered a pile of acidic slag as Elsa returned with Jorge's signature weapon, no words were exchanged, she simply tossed the 200 pound weapon at the supersoldier who retuirned to his normal way of fighting seamlessly.

Elsa simply maintained her distance, taking accurate and lethal shots at anything that snuck up on anyone else.

Emma moved to be on the equal line of the armored person and this...wretched Elf wizard of sort. Her sniper rifle would be useful here, but since it needs long range, it may be not very useful. However, the Xenomorphs most likely tougher than to be killed by handgun.

She reloaded her sniper rifle, and aimed carefully on each shots. It's the risk she had to took, but the other option was for her to use the far less powerful handgun...

[Brusia]

Marcus Antilles

Marcus nodded after Artorias told him the plan, then responded "Understood, I'll watch your back!" As Artorias set up his warding circle, Marcus stood next to him and watched for approaching threats. He wasn't watching for long, as a Xenomorph soon appeared on the corner of the building opposite to where its kin had recently been mowed down by heavy weapons fire. Marcus threw his lightsaber at the monstrous alien, cutting through its torso and sending it, and the acid now pouring out of it, spiraling towards the ground onto a group of Dentata.

That didn't stop them for long though, and another group of Dentata soon began climbing up the side of the building. Marcus lifted the one nearest the top with the Force, and flung it into the others on the wall, sending them all dropping back down towards the ground. To ensure that group couldn't try climbing again, he lifted a large concrete block off of the roof with the Force and dropped it on top of them; then sent it flying into more of their kind in the street.

The chilling sensation he felt earlier began to grow stronger now, and looking up he could see the black sandstorm growing closer. He hoped for everyones sakes it would arrive soon, and until it did he would do all he could to protect the man creating whatever strange energy field it was that was going to protect them.

[The Olog-Hai]

-snip-

Emere

Emere had been on the deck of the Drakes Dream when he looked over and saw one of his crewmates, Vesaan, dive down towards something. He saw a flash of light as the Genasi disappeared, He swiftly jumped into the water. As he swam down the glow started to fade, his current speed wasn't enough. He extended an arm forward as his Szuldar glowed, he cast the spell Shape Water moveing a cube shaped area of water in front of him that created a vortex that he used to push himself forward the last of the short distance. As he vanished into the portal it closed behind him. He came out on the other side shortly after Vesaan did. He came out in an area near him, but he had to fall a farther distance. As Emere fell he used his innate control over the wind to slow his fall a bit, he landed with his Cloak fluttering behind him.

Vesaan Kevril

Peering down at the ground, Vesaan saw a swarm of little tiny shapes attempted to climb the structure towards the fire.

Hmm... don't look friendly, do they?
I mean, there's one way you could find out. You know how much we'd enjoy it... well, I'd enjoy it at least.
Exactly why I'm not doing it. Typically, your ideas turn out to be... less than satisfactory.
I think they work out just fine. Ripping things to shreds usually works.
Well, you know my feelings on them. You're definitely less... cultured than you are now, at least when you're released.
You want uncultured? You want uncontrolled? I can give it to you!
Please don't. It'll give me a headache, which means it'd give you a headache too. You're sane enough that you won't do yourself harm to do others harm, that I know.
Are you sure about that?
Yes. Now, if down isn't an option, there's gotta be some way across. Up we go.

Vesaan began to climb back up the fleshy tendril, shuddering and winching with every grasp he took of it, the squishing and sloshing disgusting him. Only when he was a few feet from back where he came through the portal, did he notice someone was standing beneath it.

"...Emere? What are you doing here?" Vesaan asked.

Kill him! Rip the flesh from his bones! Devour his soul!
Now, the last thing I know you can't do, and besides, someone else here would improve survival rates. Even you as an insane person... wait, nevermind. Logic doesn't really apply to you, does it?
I spit on your logic! I crunch on its meaty bones and suck out the marrow!
I guess that's my answer.

[Beiarusia]

Ennis Ó Cléirigh

A veritable wave of flesh had slammed itself against the ship, and whereas lesser men (and women) would have been consumed outright those within held on with some great if not impressive effort. The mindless Dentata and even more frightening beasts fell to the sustained and desperate onslaught. A motley crew fighting for their very survival when the odds were so decidedly not in their favor. It was…

Entertaining.

Few could pique the interest of Ennis after years spent wandering the Crossroads. Death was so commonplace here that it had lost its fabulous luster, becoming more a chore than a pleasure, which sincerely disappointed the girl more than was socially acceptable. Countless souls had begged and cried like sheep in a slaughter. It was boring. Uneventful. A wasted effort that left the girl more jaded with every encounter. But these brave fools had chosen to break that tiresome mold with fervent disorder. Ennis could feel a tension building inside of her like a dam close to overflowing, enthralled completely as the men and women grew ever closer to the brink, and when they were dragged into oblivion kicking and screaming there would come a satisfaction that had been lacking since Waterloo. The girl kicked her legs like a child on a bench, a malicious grin barely able to contain her glee.

The grin faded quickly enough. Ennis rolled backwards and onto the rooftop, avoiding the Dentata that had attempted to catch her unaware, the ungainly beast flinging itself from the building and down to the street far below. On her feet now, the girl turned to see more of the creatures clambering up to meet her.

Ennis sighed with some irritation. “I’m a little busy, ya know, so… raincheck?”

The nearest creature lunged forward with a loud shriek. Ennis deftly stepped aside with a small twirl to avoid the toothy maw, a hand drawing the long dagger strapped at her side and pulling it forth from its sheath in a graceful arc to slice into the flesh of the second Dentata to try its luck. A third was already upon her but the girl was simply too agile for the creatures. The two that hadn’t fallen to a messy demise turned for another go. Ennis, annoyed at the interruption, held her dagger aloft in a casual stance that would make any self respecting swordsman sneer in disgust. The Dentata rushed, one after the other, the first coming close to catching the girl with a wild flail of its arms, enough so to keep Ennis turned away for the other to sink its teeth between the shoulder and neck. The skin was broken and the dark miasma that lurked within the girl leaked from the wound. A quick burst of the lightless mist forced the biting Dentata to stumble back, rancid blood dripping from its mouth. Ennis spun around and held her dagger to the thing’s heart, a thin stream of the blackness snaking down her arm and around the weapon, coating the blade until it was as black as night before extending out like a cobra. The supernatural sword pierced the creature before fading away in an ethereal mist. A hair of a second later and Ennis slew the final Dentata that had bothered her viewing atop the rooftop.

Ennis stood amongst the corpses with a grim look on her face. Her wounds, minor if even that, were already healed, though her scarf had been torn a bit from where the Dentata had bit through. A shame for she liked her scarf.

Another shriek drew her attention, however, unlike the lowly Dentata this was something more harrowing, like some demon drawn up from the depths of hell, which was fitting in a way given the nature of the Crossroads. Ennis wasn’t too keen to stick around, especially so given that more and more Dentata were already forcing their way atop the building to reach her. Too many to fight. Perhaps sating her lust for death hadn’t been the wisest of actions.

Returning her dagger to its sheath, Ennis turned for the roof’s edge, grabbing onto the lip and using her momentum to swing herself down and into the window below. The glass was long since gone and she easily found access to the building. The Dentata weren’t smart but they were determined and already they were swarming wherever they could. Ennis was quick to make haste. A skyway offered a potential escape, but not even halfway across the same ominous shriek sounded, right ahead of her. A dark form slipped into the doorway, thin like the Dentata but with an elongated head and tail, and from a glance alone it was clear that this was something to not be trifled with. The beast, a Xenomorph as Ennis would later learn, moved on all fours as it closed the gap between her and it. Another window and the girl was outside and on top of the skyway, keeping pace lest she be overwhelmed. A skylight shattered ahead of her as the Xenomorph came after. Ennis dipped from her path and onto a new one, making a small leap from the skyway to the side ledge of a building, and from there a pipe leading up to the roof. She quickly scaled the wall with the Xenomorph on her heels, a few Dentata coming along as well with only hunger to drive them. Ennis reached the roof and was quickly presented with now clear path to follow. No convenient tendrils or skyways or windows. Another shriek as the Xenomorph drew ever closer. With little choice Ennis ran for the roof’s end and took a leap of faith.

In her escape the girl had come close to the ship and was actually above where it rested now. A good jump was all that was needed to reach it, and though the fall would prove fatal to any human Ennis had little to worry about… other than the fact that she would be appearing quite suddenly amidst those whom only minutes before she had been watching with long due rapture. A problem to be confronted as it came along.

Ennis landed hard, having to brace herself with a hand, but was otherwise unscathed from her stunt. Of course some would no doubt turned to face the new “threat” and would be met with a young girl with both hands raised in appeasement.

After a moment a wary Ennis said, “Just passing through.”

[WaRtArIa]

For the most part, Valyrius ignored the vampire’s angry statements of denial. For Larethian’s sake, all vampires were a form of wretched undead, and if they didn’t like that fact, it was too bad. Perhaps in this strange dimension, that would be untrue, but who was Valyrius to jump to conclusions? While the Dentata swarmed at the bottom of the ship, Valyrius decided to cast a Vine Strike spell. Long green bristles burst out from Valyrius’s back and hands, lodging into a generous amount of twenty opponents. Narrowing his eyes, Valyrius signaled the vines to create the final blow, and thus, they blossoming into entangling vines as they pummeled the Dentata to death. Despite the fact that many of the enemies were injured, there were simply too many for this party to ward off.

Suddenly, as Valyrius was about to cast his River Whip spell, the form of a woman fell out from the sky, landing behind him with a loud clank! Valyrius jumped backwards in shock, not anticipating any more people to join the party. He stared at the gaunt and pale woman. “This game is truly starting to sicken me, with all these people appearing out of nowhere... Alright... who are you, and do you have intent to harm us in any way?”

Valyrius knew that interrogation could be rather pointless in a time like this, but it was basic procedure. He just had to do it.

[The Moscow Metro Red Line]

Matilda Kerner

Matilda was noticing the vast array of people being assembled on the top of this strange structure. She would discern their character and true nature later, all the matter were the creatures around her and the dark storm that was approaching. Stranger creatures began to appear they were sleek black and looked much different from any monster she encountered. They were too unnatural and they were too predatory. Matilda had encountered undead and demonic creatures in the past that were made for killing and for mutilating. But these creatures look liked predators. Matilda couldn't make out any eyes on the creatures, only its unnerving silver-like teeth.

Her sword was still enveloped in a white flame as she was mentally reciting the prayer. She slashed any of the creatures that came too close to the ship, however her new companions seemed numerous and powerful enough to hold the position by themselves. One of them was heavily armored and carried a large cannon that spit out bright bolts towards the enemy. Another was some sort of mage, an elf mage to be precise, who was holding his ground. Perhaps she could try something to give them breathing room. "These demons shall not come any closer!" She yelled suddenly. She took and deep breath and began praying aloud, "Heavenly father, may your kingdom come. May justice and peace fill the hearts of the righteous. May the wicked be smashed asunder under your gaze. The righteous shall inherit the land. Blessed by those who make peace and defend the children of the creator." As she spoke the white flame around her sword slid off and made a circle around Matilda. The circle of white flame quickly expanded and surrounded the perimeter of the group on top of the ship. The holy flames deterred the Dentata from getting closer but the xenomorphs were able to pass through with ease. "Purify our hearts, Lord. May your will be done and your kingdom come", she continued praying.

[Altito Asmoro]

Emma Madison

The Crossroads

The ground wasn't a safe place, not even when she is surrounded and assisted by many others. As far as she concerned of, she should be in the higher floor unless she's that confident the waves of Xenomorphs that incubated within the Dentata will died down. Well, it is apparent to her now that they won't, at least not now. Considering that there is a ship atop the building she's near with, she should be able to go there. Inside the building, there are stairs. It won't get her far, but the other option is for her to climb the building. She's no spider, but it is another viable option.

"I'll head to the top, see if I can try to shot them down better," said Emma to the rest. With luck, she could jumped and got her hand at something to be grabbed on. She jumped to the nearest ledge she could saw from her scope, and was able to got her hand on it. After that she positioned herself and found the stairs DID led to the top, should be grateful. She hurriedly ran to the stairs and into the ship at the top.

[The Krogan]

Jakob Lokesh

It did not take long for Jakob to spot the telltale signs of an urban center, his long strides having taken him out of what appeared to be a depression in the landscape where the ruins resided. Reaching more level ground, the skyscrapers rose high above the dunes in front of him, though even from here he could tell that something was not quite right. Though each building itself seemed somewhat normal, everything was covered in an organic film with long tendrils connecting buildings together in mid air, giving it the distinct impression of being alive. Something that left a rather bad taste in Jakobs mouth, as it all seemed to drip of ruinous influence. He did not have much choice in the matter though, as it was from within the that the smoke was originating from, and the approaching storm only further dissuaded him from staying out in the dunes. As though his armour could take on great amounts of stress he did not wish to be stuck in the open any longer then was necessary, especially on an unknown planet with an ominous looking sandstorm fast approaching. So Lokesh further widened his strides, breaking into jogging speed as the city loomed over him, hungrily awaiting to engulf the space marine.

It didn’t take long before he could hear the sounds of combat in the distance, the familiar crack of gunfire mixed in with the screeches and roars of an unseen animal. Slowing down some, Jakob began to concentrate on pinpointing just where exactly the commotion was coming from, though he had a good idea as to where. Cautiously, Jakob entered the city, his eyes rapidly dancing across his surroundings in search of any danger, even though his auspex indicated nothing within his vicinity. His earlier guess as to the where the fighting was coming from was confirmed as he drew closer to his destination, the rise in volume audible even if the echoes of the buildings could confuse lesser beings.

Suddenly his auspex pinged a hit, drawing his gaze to the display within his helmet. Just on the edge of his scanner’s range, several beings could be seen moving at speed in the direction of his own objective, giving the behemoth pause. It was already obvious that there was a full on battle taking place ahead of him that he could not yet see due to several buildings and tendrils obstructing his view, with his auspex hit only confirming that unknowns were on street level. Thus came the time for planning, as to go any further like he was now could either get him killed or pinned down. At the moment his biggest enemy was his lack of information about nearly everything about his current situation, and that was a problem that needed to be remedied immediately.

Charging into the fray to like animals to solve the problem may suit some his cousins from fellow chapters, but Huntsmen were taught differently. Directing his gaze upwards, Jakob began to calculate distances between the buildings and their probable durability. He then cautiously walked closer to the thick organic material that covered the buildings, and in several cases connected them. Withdrawing his combat knife, the space marine poked and prodded the material in an effort to discern just what the heck it was and if it was safe.

Hmmm… does not appear to be the work of chaos… he thought to himself as he began to test its durability, though still with much caution. Chaos was a tricky enemy, and always tried to fool the righteous into letting down their guard. So it was why when he started to scale the nearest building with the organic materials help that he always made sure to have at least one of his hands free of the stuff as he climbed. While also keeping his knife and power axe within easy reach, just in case he needed to either cut his way free or cut off a limb. The organic mass was surprisingly tough, and made the ascent up the structure somewhat easier as it gave him more maneuverability and options while climbing. Allowing Jakob to avoid large openings in the buildings structure, as he was naturally suspicious at this point and did not think it prudent to expose himself in such a way.

Reaching the summit, Jakob deftly pulled himself over the lip and onto the roof the building, instantly drawing his bolter as he again scanned the surroundings with a heavy gaze. He could now see that the smoke was but a few blocks over, though still obstructed by a taller building so he could not yet see what was transpiring. This could be easily remedied, as a path of uniformly level rooftops led past the said obstruction and would bring him into view of his objective. Thus he began to make his way across the rooftops with as much haste as he could manage, having a few close calls of nearly falling through. Which could have put a definite damper on an already bad day for him.

The sounds of battle were now closer then ever, and as he got closer the auspex began to detect more and more beings ahead of him. It was only when he had reached the end of the rooftop chain and stopped at the sight before him that he seriously began to question whether he was still on the material plane. Before him raged a desperate engagement that was both familiar and strange on a certain level. Familiar as it looked like many a last defense he had partaken in, but strange in the sense that it was conducted by a most disparate band of humanoids. Ranging from beings somewhat familiar in armament and dress, to what appeared to be psykers smiting creatures with their powers. Strangely enough, the thing that gave him the most comfort in the sense of familiarity were the swarms of Xenos, or mutants, that swarmed about. As they presented a clear enemy for him to exterminate.

…..By the Emperor, what insanity have I fallen into this time, he thought to himself as he kneeled down, bracing the bolter against his should for added stability. He always made sure to carry with him a good supply of ammunition for his bolter, but the amount of targets before him and no immediate chance to resupply meant that he was going to have to be economical with his fire. Thus he would have to aim for the more clustered groups of filth climbing the wall to maximize his effectiveness, the power and explosiveness of the bolter rounds would do a number on them. Thus he began to fire off rapid and accurate shots into the crawling masses of enemies, adding his own power to that of those already fighting on the building diagonally across the street from him. Though he always kept a watchful eye on his surroundings, mindful of the possibility that he to could come under siege.

[Naval Monte]

Elizabeth Ashwood
Crossroads-Catacombs

Elizabeth has been trapped in these god forsaken catacombs for probably days, weeks, months, possibly years now; the woman wasn't even counting down how long she has been underground to begin with and in all honestly knowing would have probably made things worse for her. Elizabeth was forced to stop smoking her silk cuts to have them for that special occasion when she finally leaves the catacombs and finds a place to rest for minute or an hour, she just wants to relax in a place where she doesn't have to worry about being eaten by some monster lurking in the shadows.

The "Lurkers" as Elizabeth has begun to call were becoming fewer in numbers, a prospect that was both relieving and stress inducing. While less "Lurkers" is great for the witch the fact they are growing absent in the catacombs can lead to many dire predicaments. Either there is something in the section of the catacombs that Elizabeth is in that even they fear or she would begin to become too comfortable in this place and let her guard down for a Lurker or some other creature to catch her.

Elizabeth remember that one video of the man who got himself inside the French Catacomb and she knew what not to do in the catacombs and thanks to the torches she can see in the dark. Elizabeth found yet another fork and as she thought on which path to go she felt a breeze going from one of the paths, her instincts told her to take that path. She followed the path as it lead her up, the breeze still surrounding her. Eventually she would find herself outside of the catacomb, standing in front of a cave. "Finally I'm out of that mess. Now I have explore whatever nightmare version of Wonderland that I somehow found myself in."

The woman began to walk off. Once more she was getting rather bored with just walking around doing nothing until she saw something she was somewhat glad to see, buildings, signs of some sort of civilization either once being here or luckily still present. Elizabeth noticed that on top of one of the buildings there was an alien spaceship. She closed her eyes and counted to ten and when she open her eyes again the ship was still there. "Okay I'm not seeing things. There is a bloody spaceship here. I just hope ET isn't in the mood to finger my arse like I was a cow or a hillbilly." The woman sighed after her statement and walked to the building to see why there was a spaceship.

When the woman got to the top she found not only the ship but the strange people and beings surrounding it. "Lizzy old girl what on Earth have you gotten yourself into?"

[The Olog-Hai]

<snip>

"Emere? Buddy, are you there?"

Vesaan approached what appeared to be his friend, and reached out to touch him. As his hand should have made contact, it met no resistance, and passed through what was now obvious to be an illusion.

Well well, what have we here? A sad Vesaan? Ooh, I wonder what happens next.
Shut up you! Just shut up!
Let's not get testy now.
You idiot? Do you know what we just lost?
We lost nothing. You lost a friend.
No. We lost a way back home. He could have flown us back through the portal, or eventually learned a spell to transport us back to our home plane. Now, however, we're stranded here, unless you have a bright idea on how I could possibly learn something like that.
Looks like we're back to square one then?
Yes. Back to square one. I don't like the looks of that wall of black in the distance, and its coming right for us. I'd guess that the denizens of this plane might know how to deal with it, so finding them would be our best shot.
So, what, head to the smoke?
Yes. Head to the smoke. Now, if I see correctly, the interlocking web of tendrils should give us a path to it, and its not too far away. Only a few minutes of climbing.
Then get to it! I want to live as much as you do. Well, unless you'd somehow suffer first without me suffering too, which is pretty much impossible, so...

Vesaan sighed, and began to follow the path down and across the fleshy tendrils. Pretty soon, he was standing on a structure adjacent to the one which the smoke was emerging from. It turn out there was a large chunk taken out of the top, and the smoke was coming from a large hunk of metal. Standing outside were a few figures, the details of whom he couldn't make out from this distance. Gazing down, he saw that the way he had initially seen was broken, the vine hanging limply down the building. Well, there was only one thing to try.

"Hey you down there!" he shouted. "You willing to give a man a hand?"

[Anowa]

Below, the sounds of Dentata cleaving strips through the Chaos Marine's Ceramite armor could be heard, as well as his pained screams. The man had not been quick enough nor ferocious enough to deal with such a number of enemies, especially with such a swarming mentality.

The area around Artorias lit up in a large transmutation circle before expanding to include a good portion of the rooftop.

"Anyone who wants to live get in the circle now!"

Jorge simply began to stride backwards, noticing the Astartes out of the corner of his eye, he wasn't the first he'd encountered, but he was the first that was using a ranged weapon first instead of charging in and getting killed, "Get over here Astartes!"

Elsa paused and looked up at the new addition to the motley crew, "Just jump for fuck sake!" That moment of distraction caused some damage to the woman. A Xenomorph got lucky, grabbing a hold of her lesser arm, and chomping down on it, before ultimately ripping it rather gorily off. blood and viscer sprayed as Elsa reflectively started firing into it's head, spraying it's acidic blood across her form, with a suppress cry of pain she jumped towards the transmutation circle, as chunks of her body were melted and her right leg simply slipped off under the corrosive onslaught.

Jorge acted, simply grabbing the woman and dragging her back to the circle, the Dhampir still firing at anything that got close.

It was then the the unholy screaming and general sense of unease could be felt from the pitch black sandstorm on the way, less than six hundred meters and closing fast. Those outside the circle got the picture, walking, jumping, flying or running inside, still wary, but smartly deciding that it was the lesser of two evils.

The moment everyone was inside Artorias signified the final action, sealing the circle in a decently sized bubble, blocking out all noise and creatures that wished them hostile intent. And then the Abyss washed over them, the occasional scream could still be heard through the dome, but most terrifyingly, was the fact that the creatures banging on the dome were simply reduced to ash, their souls visibly remaining before they to took the color of the Abyss.

Things were finally silent, beside the audible sounds of pain from Elsa, who began to -remarkably- start regenerating her wounded areas.

Jorge was the first to speak, "One question at a time please."

[Beiarusia]

Ennis Ó Cléirigh

There hadn’t been much time to humor the would-be interrogation as something quite odd soon occurred, although the entangled nature of the Crossroads made the term subjective at best or elsewise inane. Either was correct and yet wrong in simultaneous fashion. To Ennis, who had spent several years trapped in this plane of existence, odd was just the new normal, or at the very least unsurprising. Not to say that the transmutation circle and subsequent bubble wasn’t at all convenient. The ravenous Dentata were trapped outside the protective charm and quickly torn asunder by the abyssal storm, their shrieks fading until only a stiff silence remained. The very large man in futuristic armor was the first to speak.

“One question at a time please.” Likely he’d been through this before.

Ennis looked to those around her, unsure if this turn of events was a blessing or a misfortune. Impending doom still resonated around them, subdued somewhat, but still there nonetheless. One had already been claimed by the horde and the others would no doubt fall soon enough to some disaster or creature or whatever else the Crossroads had in store. Truthfully there was little else for Ennis to do so it didn’t take long to throw her lot in with this pathetic bunch if only for the time being.

It would be interesting.

“This a normal day fo ya lads?” Ennis asked without really expecting an answer, adjusting the scarf around her neck as it had become disheveled from her leap of faith.

[WaRtArIa]

Valyrius

There had not been enough time to fend off the monsters, but thankfully, that did not have to be done. A giant black storm of darkness had slowly approached the monsters, destroying everything in its path.

Even though Valyrius thought that the group was doomed for the most part, the protective charm and the transmutation circle that had been casted around us was extremely helpful. The ravenous and savage Xenomorphs, Dentata, and more were trapped outside the protective charm and were quickly torn apart by the abyssal storm, their shrieks and cries fading until there was only the sound of blowing winds.

The strange armored man, who was mentioned earlier, began to speak. Based on his wording, it was likely that this situation happened before. And based on his company right now, it was safe to assume that no one in his party survived this dimension, sadly enough. Alarmingly enough, this party’s fate can easily mirror the fate of previous party, which definitely must have been horrid.

Unsure of what to do, Valyrius simply decided to wait, knowing that attempting to escape this protective charm would probably lead to doom. As for now, he is simply going to ask questions.

“...what course of action do I presume we take now...? I suppose that we must wait for this mysterious storm to end.”

[Anowa]

“This a normal day fo ya lads?” Ennis asked without really expecting an answer, adjusting the scarf around her neck as it had become disheveled from her leap of faith.

Elsa croaked from the ground, both her abdomen and arm fully reformed, the skin still remaining translucent. "For the past two thousand years, yes. You'd be surprised how fucking wacky things get in the Crossroads. Name's Elsa."

Jorge nodded, "I'm Jorge, I suppose it's proper of me to tell you all to get some stories queued-"

“...what course of action do I presume we take now...? I suppose that we must wait for this mysterious storm to end.”

Jorge continued as he turned to his massive weapon, starting to take it apart for service, "...I'll let Artorias explain."

The Abysswalker straightened, "Yes, the storm outside is known as an Abyssal tide, it's touch corrupts, and it's voice can drive one insane." He lifted his left arm, black ichor still dripping from between the armor's seams. "It also looks back. And once it grabs hold it won't let go... centuries of agony for me until a being of prophecy came by and killed my soul for the second time before it released me into the realm we're in now. Though I can hear it's whispers from time to time."

He stopped gazing at his arm, "It's also notable that the storms can last anywhere from two hours to eight months... My full title would be Knight Artorias the Abysswalker, Artorias if you feel it's a mouthful. A Pleasure."

Elsa made his own addendum, with a small laugh, "Welcome to the Crossroads, where everything starts, ends, and is reborn. Where everything coalesces into a hellish landscape in which there is literally no escape. You could walk for millennia and never happen upon this place again. So pop a squat and start thinking of tales to keep us occupied."

Jorge shook his head, mumbling, "Dropping that bomb a bit early aren't we?"

[Brusia]

Marcus Antilles

Marcus was in something of a state of shock after the battle ended. For all the years he'd fought in battles all throughout the Galaxy, he'd never seen anything like the battle fought today. The unknown species in unfamiliar armor fighting with weapons the likes of which he'd never seen, combined with a black sandstorm that reduced every living thing it touched to ash, served to leave the Jedi temporarily non-plused. He snapped out of it as the group of three that arrived at the ship just as the battle began, started introducing themselves and speaking of the place in which he now found himself.

From how the one called Artorias described the nearby Abyssal tide, it sounded as though this was a planet strong in the Dark Side; a thought which only served to further trouble Marcus. The woman named Elsa then put a name to this mysterious place: the Crossroads. Looking towards the woman as she spoke, he saw that she had been injured and was prepared to help tend to her wounds, but when he saw that she was regenerating limbs it was clear that her healing abilities were considerably superior to his own. After she suggested that everyone sit down and think of tales to keep occupied, and once the group had finished speaking, Marcus turned to address them, saying:

"Elsa, Jorge, Artorias, it is a pleasure to meet you all. I'd like to thank everyone for your assistance; if you hadn't have found my ship when you did I'd either be ashes on the wind or food for one of those horrible creatures by now. For those of you I haven't met yet, my name is Master Marcus Antilles of the Jedi Order, and the ship we're standing on is the Resolute. If we're going to be here awhile, you're all more than welcome to stay inside of the ship. The reactor is offline so there isn't any power, and she's in pretty rough shape at the moment, but the hull held up well enough that it should protect us from any adverse weather, and most of the food and water survived the crash so you can get something to eat and drink if you'd like. The entrance is through the port-side hatch, and if anyone needs assistance, I can help you get in."

[The Krogan]

Jakob Lokesh

The urgency with which the armoured man expressed Lokesh's need to reach the group upon the other building definitely caught his attention, that and the fact the stranger knew what he was. So without further ado the Space Marine ceased firing his weapon, magnetically attached it to his armour, and began to back up across the roof so he could get a running start. It was then that he really noticed just a how close the storm had gotten, and instinctively knew that he needed to move right then and there as an ominous murmur could be heard in the distance. So without giving the distance between the two buildings, which was considerable, much thought the Huntsman leaped across the divide. His landing causing the building to shudder too its very foundation, though it luckily all held together. Once he was in, what seemed like a bubble enveloped the group, causing the Astartes to grab for his weapon again as he realized another figure in more primitive plate had created it. Though before he could demand what unholy ritual the thing was conducting the storm struck.

Jakob watched silently as the beasts stuck on the other side simply disintegrated as the storm washed over them, their souls like an afterimage for but a few moments. Causing him to somewhat relax the grip on his bolter when he realized the bubble was to protect them and not for more nefarious purposes as far as he knew. That didn’t mean he had let his guard down though, as he was still surrounded by strangers, and as far as he was concerned everyone was a threat. Especially the armoured figure who had set up the protective magic and the filth seemingly regenerating itself on the ground. Add the several other beings inhabiting the roof top and Jakob was having a hard time keeping an eye on all of them.

Grenade should thin their ranks a bit, as long as most of them aren't daemons or some other kind beast... He thought to himself, though judging by the armour the man who called himself Jorge wore, he'd probably survive. He quickly discontinued this train of thought though as he realized trying anything of the sort would probably expose them all to the daemon outside, plus he still needed answers.

The giant waited and watched in silence as a few of the others began to ask questions when it was made known that they should do so. First a young women, then a man whose appearance did nothing to quell his misgivings. As he quickly noticed the hallmark pointed ears of the Eldar upon the man, beings who he had fought not all that long ago. He stilled his hand though and listened keenly as the thing on the ground, otherwise known as Elsa, and Jorge introduced themselves, finally naming the hell he found himself in as the Crossroads. He then focused his attention on the being known as Artorias, who further answered some of the questions Jakokb had had in his mind. Again Jorge and Elsa further informed the group of their already obvious misfortune, after which a man claiming himself a "Jedi" or some such introduced himself. Informing the group that they were in fact upon his ship, and invited that the group partake of the shelter and consumables it provided.

It was as this Claudius Antilles finished that the Space Marine could no longer hold his tongue.

"I've got a tale... A tale of a killing machine stuck within the small confines of some magic spell with a group of beings of whom he is doubtful are even human, in fact, he knew just by looking that some were Xenos and others... Well he could only guess at what sort of daemon filth they were." He paused to let his words sink in before continuing.

"You see, this killing machine was in fact a warrior, a righteous soldier of mankind who had trudged his way across half the galaxy, crushing the skulls of man's enemies beneath his armoured boots... With a bolter in his right hand, axe in the other, he had fought the Dark Eldar of Minos Tir'eth, stood fast against the Greenskin hordes at Armageddon, and purged the heretics of the ruinous powers from Emperor knew how many planets... He had witnessed such horrors and carnage that a lesser being would have died long ago, his mind and soul flayed from existence, with but the horrors of the warp left to pick the bones clean..." He paused yet again, sure that he had everyone's attention by this point as he delivered the final salvo.

"Now this Huntsman of the Wild Hunt knew no fear of death or mutilation, all he cared about was the destruction of mankind's enemies, and to shield it from harm when need be... So let me ask you this, you ragged group beings..." he said, his gaze roving across the group as he brought his bolter to bear.

"Having heard my tale, am I to purge you all from this sorry existence? Human, Xenos, and mutant all have consorted with that Chaos filth torn asunder below, a crime worthy of immediate death as you could all be corrupted, if this planet is not already steeped in Chaos... Or... Should I instead lend my axe and bolter to our continued survival as allies of circumstance?" He asked, before quickly adding.

"I do hope your answer convinces me of the latter".

[Anowa]

"I do hope your answer convinces me of the latter".

The elder trio sat unmoved, Artorias spoke, "A few issues with that, firstly, if you kill me this shield falls and you get turned into tainted muck. Secondly, Jorge can react much faster than you can. And Finally, you're the third Astartes we've seen die because they think they've been invincible. Marcus Aurelius, Ultramarines, cleaved in two by a combine and incinerated. Damian Glass, Black Templars, impaled and magically exploded by a Banshee. Bjorn Hapfthor, Space Wolves, fell under the onslaught of the wretched Dentata that assailed us moments ago."

"I'd also like to point out that from a technical stand point all of us are aliens upon this realm. And from a further sense of introduction, none of us are demonic. Elsa is only half vampire, Jorge is augmented in a state similar to you, and my armor is enchanted. I can't say much about the rest of us, but it's quite possible that you've pissed off several individuals more powerful than you within the confines of this bubble. So perhaps you should sit down and take a breather, and wait until this tide is over before an attempt on anyone's life is made."

It was then Elsa sat up, her regenerating now finished, "So, Astartes, you fell like sitting down and finding out your bearings or do you fancy your chances out there?" She jacked her thumb outside the bubble to the pitch black abyss that surrounded them.

Jorge paused his maintainence and picked out a certain word from the Space Marine's tirade, "I'd like to pick apart something else, 'planet' is incorrect. This is no planet, it's an entirely different realm of existence. Like Elsa said, you could keep walking in one direction forever and never happen upon this building again. No one here is going home for a very, very long time. Cooperating is one of the few things we can do here."

[WaRtArIa]

Valyrius hissed upon hearing the insolent giant’s words, and took a deep breath, attempting not to spew an incomprehensive mass of insults that would surely cause an even greater ruckus than what was occuring right now. His semblance of sanity and sensibility was slowly wearing away during the centuries. Being referred to as an Infernal daemon scum was so horrid, it simply made Valyrius wanted to scream in frustration.

While it did seem somewhat like overreacting, it was somewhat justified. Today, he was divorced, he got injured in an explosion, he wasted all his mana, he was transported into some demonic realm, he got insulted by some strange beings, and he got embarassed by actually Even though it was true that it was High Elven custom to be polite and well-mannered, the company that Valyrius was keeping was certainly making that difficult. Profanity aside, Valyrius HAD to remain calm, or else he would essentially destroy his chance of survival, honor be damned.

Biting his lip, Valyrius held his tongue and processed all the useful information obtained.

This realm—known as the Crossroads—was in fact not a planet, but a separate plane of existence, similar to Inferno or Celestia. Valyrius’s beliefs were now confirmed, but horrifyingly enough, he was actually right about something for once. It was a bad omen indeed.

The magic charm and the alchemy circle the group was cowering under protected them from the black sandstorm, which essentially destroys everything in its path. As he looked closer, he realized it was not in fact destruction, but something darker and much less merciful. However, he had no information specifying about this phenomenon.

The human Marcus was a “Jedi” and apparently had inherent telekinetic powers. He has food and water.

The vampire named Elsa was in fact a half-vampire, and according to her, she was in fact not undead, like most proper vampires.

The insolent giant apparently “slayed the Dark Eldar of Minos Tir'eth, stood fast against the Greenskin hordes at Armageddon, and purged the heretics of the ruinous powers from Emperor knew how many planets.” Whatever he was saying, he was proud of it. However, to Valyrius, it just sounded like gibberish. Perhaps it was a cultural custom from wherever he came from, to be proud of such nonsensical things. He was apparently a “Huntsman of the Wild Hunt,” which was a redundant title to Valyrius, as all proper Huntsman search for a wild hunt. Also, they are idiots that don’t have common sense and don’t have a sense of self-preservation. They also seem to be overtly obsessed with honor and pride. Like most sentient species, sadly enough. Apparently, this insolent giant is threatening to purge us all unless we ally with him.

Sighing, Valyrius muttered to himself the one thing that was most likely echoing through everyone’s thoughts. “Do us a favor and shut your insolent trap, blubbering meatbag.”