Witchers of Nifelheim - Part 2

C̷O̴N̴S̶U̸M̵E̵ wrote:Rain growls looking to Twilight and Rogue, Rain rushes to radiance she grasps his arm, "Follow my movements." She adjusts his aim at the beasts skull, "Cast it!" She calls, "URSULA! Spells are nice and all but we gotta get rid of these things! Twilight, rogue! If you still have the mental capacity rip into that area!" She points to the beasts location.

Rain draws her revolver and fires off two shots into the kneecaps of miners.

"Mental capacity isn't the problem, it's the physical one" Rogue replies to Rain, gritting his teeth through the pain and grabbing the scope again as he spins around to face the Glystaria behind him, "He's hiding behind those stalactites, so if we're going to make that shot count, we're going to need our backs covered!"

"Aaaargh!" Twilight screamed on being attacked. Guessing that mana is less important then health, she pointed her hand at her attacker and casted fire at it.

"Everyone, tactical retreat! We don't have the power to defeat it now! It's too strong today!"

She gets up after the assailant drops away.

The revolver shots rang loudly in the closed space. Both of the miners emitted a muffled screech as the shots flew through their knees. The action seems to have staggered them, but otherwise didn't do any notable damage.


A ball of flame escaped Twilight's palm and immediately splashed across the parasites face. The thing shrieked, its jaws coming apart and the whole creature caught flame and burned out into ash, in a fraction of a second. It was dead before its remains hit the floor.


Johan snapped his fingers and another ice spike shot into the last humanoid parasite that stood next to Rogue. Hitting the creature in the chest, the spike pinned it against the wall, before the parasite crumbled to ash.



"Hold your ground!" Ursula barked over the sounds of battle:
"If we play this smart, we can end it now"


Thunder rumbled across the cave, as a lightning strike zigzagged out of Radiance's hand and arced toward the parasite on the ceiling. The spell violently smashed it over its muzzle, making the monsters head swing to the side.
A long, angry roar echoed over the cave. The fireball in its mouth flashed and blinked out of existence.


"Heh.. that should cool him off" Echo quietly whispered in Radiance's mind: "You disrupted his casting sequence. If he wants to pull that again, he'll have to start from scratch.
Be on a constant lookout for enemies cooking spells like that during combat. If they're not interrupted, it will usually spell trouble"



Briefly scanning the battlefield, you subconsciously note that the lizard up top is the only enemy left. Ursula is intently staring at him and frowning. The creature suddenly came into motion, rampaging across the ceiling and jumping from one stalactite to another. Without missing a beat, Ursula hurled another fireball at him, smacking him against the back.



"I'm out of Mana!" Kaylee called through the racket.
"Me too" Johan said, coming closer to you.

The wounds on Rogue's back and Twilight's shoulder already began to regenerate. The sharp pain was becoming gradually dull and the throbbing lessened.


"..mm.. that might leave a scar.. spectral wounds usually do" Alyx quietly called in Twilight's head.


"By my count, the creature should have 25 Health left" Ursula called: "If we simultaneously unload at it with everything we've got, it should be enough to-" she paused, looking in fear at the ceiling.



Rain and Radiance had strayed some distance into the cave, in order to get a clear shot earlier. A formation of jagged, razor sharp stalactites was hanging above them and the lizard wasted no time. At full speed, it rammed its head into the base of the formation.

With a deafening racket, three massive stalactites dislodged and plummeted down, right towards Radiance and Rain.

Rain already in the know of the monsters whereabouts, takes radiances hand and slingshots him a fair distance away from her she dives out of the way and takes aim with her revolver and starts firing shots at the beast hoping to ignite the cave with its muzzle flash.

She gives a slight chase and with a flick of her wings she closes in on the beast and activates her flash bulb. Before reaching out to pull it to the floor, "URSULA! GET YOUR BLUE HIDE OVER HERE!"

Kaylee Brown wrote:The revolver shots rang loudly in the closed space. Both of the miners emitted a muffled screech as the shots flew through their knees. The action seems to have staggered them, but otherwise didn't do any notable damage.


A ball of flame escaped Twilight's palm and immediately splashed across the parasites face. The thing shrieked, its jaws coming apart and the whole creature caught flame and burned out into ash, in a fraction of a second. It was dead before its remains hit the floor.


Johan snapped his fingers and another ice spike shot into the last humanoid parasite that stood next to Rogue. Hitting the creature in the chest, the spike pinned it against the wall, before the parasite crumbled to ash.



"Hold your ground!" Ursula barked over the sounds of battle:
"If we play this smart, we can end it now"


Thunder rumbled across the cave, as a lightning strike zigzagged out of Radiance's hand and arced toward the parasite on the ceiling. The spell violently smashed it over its muzzle, making the monsters head swing to the side.
A long, angry roar echoed over the cave. The fireball in its mouth flashed and blinked out of existence.


"Heh.. that should cool him off" Echo quietly whispered in Radiance's mind: "You disrupted his casting sequence. If he wants to pull that again, he'll have to start from scratch.
Be on a constant lookout for enemies cooking spells like that during combat. If they're not interrupted, it will usually spell trouble"



Briefly scanning the battlefield, you subconsciously note that the lizard up top is the only enemy left. Ursula is intently staring at him and frowning. The creature suddenly came into motion, rampaging across the ceiling and jumping from one stalactite to another. Without missing a beat, Ursula hurled another fireball at him, smacking him against the back.



"I'm out of Mana!" Kaylee called through the racket.
"Me too" Johan said, coming closer to you.

"I've still got some mana left" Rogue confirms.

Radiance forces a full mid-air stop with his wings, making Rain's fling only send him out of the way of the falling earthen spikes.

Using the sound as guidance Radiance draws on the still new, and alien, arcane knowledge. His fingertips pulse with energy as electricity sparks into existence. With the hand casting, he folds his fingers to create a "gun" and with his other hand, he supports the casting arm.

He fires off another round of lightning at the glysteria.

Kaylee Brown wrote:



The wounds on Rogue's back and Twilight's shoulder already began to regenerate. The sharp pain was becoming gradually dull and the throbbing lessened.

"That's better, I could get used to this whole regenerating thing..." Rogue comments to Rolo.

A heavy tremor shook the cave, as the stalactites smashed into the floor, sending large chunks of rock flying everywhere.

Radiance's lightning strike hit the monster dead on, making it screech in pain. Several revolver shots echoed over the area and hit its back, each shot revealing a brief bright snapshot of the caves features.


As Rain closed in and activated the Flashbulb, nothing happened. A brief error message appeared in her eye, indicating that the 2 minute cooldown hasn't completed yet.

The lizard immediately twisted in place and suddenly grabbed Rain with both of its massive front paws. It let go of the ceiling and jerked, plummeting down to the floor. Holding Rain with a death grip that held most of her body, the lizard lowered its front paws, making sure Rain would be the first to hit the floor, when both she and the monster would crash.


"MOTHER!" Ursula shrieked, darting forward in panic, but it was too late. As the lizard fell, Rain violently impacted the floor and the giant lizard crashed on her.
Rain's rib cage audibly cracked. The pain was indescribable, paralyzing and blinding, so intense Rain could not even breathe.
(Rain suffered a major injury -5 HP, 5 HP Remaining)


Ursula charged right at it, hurling a fireball at its face. The impact of the spell briefly jerked the monsters head to the side, before it shrieked and looked down. It still held Rain in a death grip with both paws, preventing any sort of real movement.

The creature lifted its massive head and prepared to bite off Rains head.

Kaylee, Johan and Ursula were all rushing towards it, but it seems they won't make it in time.


"SHOOT IT! SOMEBODY SHOOT IT" Ursula shrieked in panic.

Drawing the katana and wazikashi from his back Radiance dashes forward at the lizard. He strikes out with both blades. Aiming for the side of the lizard's head, near the jaw, in an attempt to stagger or oven decapitate it.

Rain struggles to breath her hands fiddling with something under her with a final thought she pulls out that rather ruined piece of metal and shoves it down its throat. If shes successful she grips on and attempts to take control, twisting the monsters head to the side. She rears her fist back and slams it down on where the metal bar should be hoping to break it into pieces.

Kaylee Brown wrote:A heavy tremor shook the cave, as the stalactites smashed into the floor, sending large chunks of rock flying everywhere.

Radiance's lightning strike hit the monster dead on, making it screech in pain. Several revolver shots echoed over the area and hit its back, each shot revealing a brief bright snapshot of the caves features.


As Rain closed in and activated the Flashbulb, nothing happened. A brief error message appeared in her eye, indicating that the 2 minute cooldown hasn't completed yet.

The lizard immediately twisted in place and suddenly grabbed Rain with both of its massive front paws. It let go of the ceiling and jerked, plummeting down to the floor. Holding Rain with a death grip that held most of her body, the lizard lowered its front paws, making sure Rain would be the first to hit the floor, when both she and the monster would crash.


"MOTHER!" Ursula shrieked, darting forward in panic, but it was too late. As the lizard fell, Rain violently impacted the floor and the giant lizard crashed on her.
Rain's rib cage audibly cracked. The pain was indescribable, paralyzing and blinding, so intense Rain could not even breathe.
(Rain suffered a major injury -5 HP, 5 HP Remaining)


Ursula charged right at it, hurling a fireball at its face. The impact of the spell briefly jerked the monsters head to the side, before it shrieked and looked down. It still held Rain in a death grip with both paws, preventing any sort of real movement.

The creature lifted its massive head and prepared to bite off Rains head.

Kaylee, Johan and Ursula were all rushing towards it, but it seems they won't make it in time.


"SHOOT IT! SOMEBODY SHOOT IT" Ursula shrieked in panic.

Rogue powers up his lightning strike and fires it off at the Glystaria's body, where he has less chance of missing.

Thunder rocked the cave as Rogue's lightning struck the monster, leaving a huge dark mark on its side. Ursula discharged another fireball almost immediately, hitting the same spot.

The lizard released a muffled screech, just as Radiance slashed at the side of its head. The monsters lower jaw hung loose, seemingly numb and just as it was about to lower its head, Rain drove the faintly glowing rod in its mouth.

The old Witcher weapon had an immediate effect. The lizard arced its back and released a deafening howl. And as Rain brought down her fist onto the piece of metal, it shattered into several large, jagged chunks, which quickly embedded themselves in the lizards upper jaw.



The monster backed off and released Rain almost immediately. Arcing its back and contorting, it fell backwards and began twisting its head, clawing at the pieces of the old Witcher weapon, stuck in its mouth.
Its body suddenly ceased all motion and the lizard slowly lifted its head with a screech, before its carcass began slowly turning to ash, from the tips of its claws and to the large spikes on its head.


A few moments ticked by and the lizard turned into a statue of ash. It stood there, for a few seconds, then crumbled. And as it did, you vividly felt some sort of energy leave its body and flow into everyone in the room. Faint, dancing strings of red light, marked the energy's path as it streamed towards you, flowing into the depths of your soul.

Your parasites emitted a brief satisfied sigh. It seems their hunger was satisfied.


Ursula came closer to you and released a tired smile:
"...looks like we pulled it off, good job, everyone" she brightly smiled.


"W-whats happening?" Johan wearily asked, as he watched the red strings of light slowly flow toward him.

"Every time you slay a creature, its soul will be absorbed by your parasite" Ursula said: "Parasites must eat souls to survive, thus every time you kill an enemy, the enemies soul will be 'eaten' by your parasite.

The more your parasite 'eats', the more powerful it becomes.

This process is quantifiable and measured by something we call 'Experience Points'. Every time you slay an enemy, your parasite consumes its soul and earns Experience Points.


After amassing a certain number of Experience Points, your parasite will reach a new threshold. We call it 'Leveling Up'.



Every time you'll reach a new 'Level', you will be able to distribute 2 points to increase the following categories:

Health
Sanity
Mana

You will be able to distribute 2 points among these stats."



Ursula nodded to you: "In short, slay many monsters. Absorb their souls and 'Level Up', as much as you can.
The more monsters you'll kill, the more powerful your parasite will become. And in turn, he will make you more powerful. It is the principle of the Glasgow Synergy"

(Everyone has gained 200 EXP from the recent battle)
(You feel your parasite has reached a new threshold)


"Wow, looks like you guys leveled up" Ursula said. Her Witcher sense must have detected the change of power in the depths of your souls:



"Your current stats are as follows:

Health: 10
Sanity: 10
Mana: 10

Please distribute 2 points among these stats" Ursula said with an encouraging smile.

//Radiance: Level 2

Health: 11
Sanity: 11
Mana: 10

”You’re doing great Laylah. How are you feeling?”

Health: 11
Sanity: 10
Mana: 11

Rain grips her ribcage tring to take a few deep breaths, "The... witchers weapon took one more even after his death. May he rest in honor." She slowly pulls herself up, looking for any remaining pieces, "I could at least make a handle out of whats left." She pauses taking whatever she can find of the old weapon, "Alright! Lets get this thing out. Ursula im trusting you have a flare to send off to get backup in here." She stretches herself out as she begins moving towards the mine cart.

Health:11
Sanity:10
Mana:11

Twilight just stands there watching from in the back. She shook her head.

"That was beyond reckless, everyone. If any of these steps failed, we'd be dead by now. But apparently that's how you have to roll in this group, complete disregard for one's own safety."

She takes a few steps to the cart, then looks to the group. "Let's get the cargo out of here. The sooner we're out, the sooner we can make plans that don't involve what amounts to suicide bombing."

----------
Health: 8/10
Sanity: 10/10
Mana: 0/12

Radiance cracks his neck and gives the blades a quick swipe to get some of the blood off before resheathing them.

"Have we ever had our own safety in mind?" he gives Twilight a questioning look "But as it stands, this time we have a year, and the support of actually skilled fighters" he gives Ursula a nod "to help save both Nifelheim and Earth. As opposed to our usual day, day and a half panic"

I'm suggesting we spend at least a week to train and prepare. Get a base level of understanding of the language and customs of this place before we set out."

Twilight gives a solemn look. "I have it. I don't know about you guys, but I don't enjoy fighting, to risk my life for another. If there is a way with less risks, I gladly take it as long as it doesn't trample over my principles."

She looks away from the group. "Tell me guys, what makes you guys choose the path of the possible shallow grave? And I don't want excuses of "I'm really good so there's no risks", I want a honest answer. What does a life of fighting offer that makes the risk worth it?"

Disgruntled purple wrote:Twilight gives a solemn look. "I have it. I don't know about you guys, but I don't enjoy fighting, to risk my life for another. If there is a way with less risks, I gladly take it as long as it doesn't trample over my principles."

She looks away from the group. "Tell me guys, what makes you guys choose the path of the possible shallow grave? And I don't want excuses of "I'm really good so there's no risks", I want a honest answer. What does a life of fighting offer that makes the risk worth it?"

"Says the woman who gladly ran into the fight against Ursula when we first met her, unarmed and with the intention to talk even when she was screaming she was going to kill us" Rogue comments "Isn't it obvious; we all, including you, do what we do because we believe our actions can make a difference, even if it costs us our lives in the process. Our end goals may be slightly different, but the mindset is the same."

He turns to Ursula "You said our symbiotes need to eat others to survive, but how long can they go without, if it came to it?"

"Like there was another choice at that time." Twilight replied. "I jump in when I have to, but it's not something I like, as seems the case with you guys. This act seemed foolish on all accounts. If any of this went wrong, we'd be down at least one person. Is that really worth it over waiting a day and trying again?" She frowns. "IS IT?!"

Disgruntled purple wrote:"Like there was another choice at that time." Twilight replied. "I jump in when I have to, but it's not something I like, as seems the case with you guys. This act seemed foolish on all accounts. If any of this went wrong, we'd be down at least one person. Is that really worth it over waiting a day and trying again?" She frowns. "IS IT?!"

"If you hadn't forgotten, we're on a bit of a time limit here, and it's not like we didn't know the risks" Rogue replies calmly, "A glystaria is loose in our world, and nobody back there knows anything about it or how to deal with it. The Witchers are on the final countdown for their big migration home, and they still believe they're at war with us.

We are completely cut off from our world, unable to contact them about any of the startling revelations we've uncovered. And everyone save Rain's children are still out there too. We don't've the luxury of holding back for reinforcements, because those reinforcements don't've any reason to trust us yet.

Of course we don't want to just throw our lives away, but every day we delay, bad situations are growing worse and worse."

"Yes Rogue, but about five years on Nifelheim is one day in our world." Twilight replies factually. "So while there is a timer, it's a very looooooong time before we reach that. But we won't reach that if we jump right into danger at every oppertunity and possibly losing our heads. We need to be aware when to step forward and when to step back, especially since we have to play the long game to fix all the problems you listed."

Her eyes narrow, then goes to the cart. "Right now, there's one course of action. Get this metal to the base and rest up. The rest comes afterwards. Is that clear, children?"

Disgruntled purple wrote:"Yes Rogue, but about five years on Nifelheim is one day in our world." Twilight replies factually. "So while there is a timer, it's a very looooooong time before we reach that. But we won't reach that if we jump right into danger at every oppertunity and possibly losing our heads. We need to be aware when to step forward and when to step back, especially since we have to play the long game to fix all the problems you listed."

Her eyes narrow, then goes to the cart. "Right now, there's one course of action. Get this metal to the base and rest up. The rest comes afterwards. Is that clear, children?"

"Yeah, knowing your track record, I don't believe you have any more of a right than any of us to play that whole 'children' card" Rogue smirks, "I mean, I see what you're doing, or at least attempting to do, clumsily.

Trying to one up everyone and claim the moral high ground, humble us all into your line, but we don't work for you, we're all independents with no set hierachy, and we'll inevitably operate laissez-faire as a team how we feel is best for the situation. Sometimes that means we trip over each others' feet, other times we take out multiple objectives simultaneously."

"That blame goes for the both of us then, you realize." Twilight says coldly.

"Now get to work already. Not as an order from a higher up, but as a PRACTICAL request from your 'Teammate', there's no point wasting time with pointless discussions like these."

There was a noticable disgust about the word 'teammate', as she prepares the cart for pushing.