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Bring down the Prince of Shadows

Forum-Index → Roleplay → Bring down the Prince of Shadows

possumboy

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                                                Posted: Thu, 16/06/2022 00:20                                                (2 Years ago)
                                            

She stopped, biting back a curse, then said in that same voice, "Pardon? I have never seen you before, sir."

RainRipple

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                                                Posted: Thu, 16/06/2022 00:37                                                (2 Years ago)
                                            

In a flash of movement, the man's arm darted out from the folds of his cloak, gloved hand closing around her arm. She really was small. Skinny, too; he could feel her bones concerningly well. "Lying is not a trait particularly condoned within Wolfshire. If you'll accompany me gracefully, Miss, you may find yourself issued only a warning. Do not test your luck; I am not known for being merciful." Why was he being merciful, even in such a slight, cruel way? Her altered tone and gait could only do so much to conceal her unique height and hair; he knew this was the thief who had nearly forced him to part with a constant, controlled factor of his life. Perhaps his patience was beginning to grow at last. In his opinion, though, that was a less-than-desirable occurrence.

Quote“Cause You make mountains move,
You make giants fall.
You use songs of praise, to shake prison walls.
And I will speak to my fear, I will preach to my doubt;
You were faithful then, You'll be faithful now."
-
"Faithful Now," by Vertical Worship

possumboy

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                                                Posted: Thu, 16/06/2022 01:28                                                (2 Years ago)
                                            

Perhaps he wasn’t as much of an idiot as she’d thought. Most people didn’t look as closely at her as he did. That was such a big part of her scams that she’d come to depend on it to make these things work. But the game was up. Or was it? “Well, would you look at that,” she sighed dramatically, “I suppose you caught me. I’m done for now.” She went limp, but in three beats she’d thrown the basket in his face (a difficult thing to do considering the height size), caught some of the stolen items and stuffed them in her pockets, and stamped down on his foot as hard as she could (and despite Lizzie’s size, it was most definitely hard), ending with a twist of his arm that would force him to let go. Before any of the witnesses or even the stuffy House man could react, she’d taken off as fast as she could, ducking and weaving among the stunned crowd, though the hood of her cloak was slipping off, so that her head of curly red hair could be seen, though her short stature disguised her greatly.

RainRipple

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                                                Posted: Thu, 16/06/2022 01:44                                                (2 Years ago)
                                            

Paradox nearly yelled, but he managed to catch his outburst and suppress it into merely a grunt of pain. For such a small thing, she was admirably strong. Admirably? Where did that come from? His foot throbbed horribly, even though she had to be half his weight and he was wearing boots, and his arm felt as if she had nearly wrenched it from his socket. He may have let her off before, but not this time; he hadn't doubted his assumption of her identity in the first place, and he now was only more certain of it. Gritting his teeth and shaking his head vigorously, he tore after her, cloak billowing out behind him as he pushed past people. Though he was unable to navigate the crowd as nimbly as she could, once the sentiment of what was occurring spread through the spectators, they began to attempt to move aside for him, his status clear in his attire and the way he carried himself even while angered. That pest would regret this.

possumboy

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                                                Posted: Thu, 16/06/2022 01:58                                                (2 Years ago)
                                            

Izzy glanced over her shoulder, and nearly yelled in frustration. Of course, he'd follow her, but she was hoping that he'd actually trust the town guardsmen enough to let them go after her. But no, he was going after her. So if that was how he was going to play it, she supposed she’d see just how well he knew this city. At the last moment, she ducked through an alley and leaped over a wall, crashing through the window of an abandoned building. Lizzie would lead him on a goose chase, before losing him at the town gates. Someone like him, who probably hadn’t had to do much chasing (or being chased) wouldn’t have the stamina to follow her that far. She kept going and going, climbing walls, sliding under construction, jumping over roofs. Finally, she when she wasn’t far from the gates, she stopped, shoulders heaving. He couldn’t have kept up. There was no way. Lizzie was about to leave when out of her corner of her eye, she realized the guards were dead, and she heard the growl.

RainRipple

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                                                Posted: Thu, 16/06/2022 02:16                                                (2 Years ago)
                                            

Oh. My. Goodness. This woman was going to drive him insane. Thankfully, Paradox possessed quite the experience in chasing people who wanted desperately to avoid being coerced to part with their deeply adored wealth. Intelligence was his tool, and he used it to the fullest during these pursuits. There were a number of places a fugitive would never be expected to flee to; the barracks, the jail, and the town hall, for instance. He doubted the thief would risk the high concentration of soldiers near those first two, and the town hall was in the complete opposite direction, but on a hunch, he dropped back, beginning to chart a path towards the town gates. He couldn't make use of the same shortcuts she could, but that didn't mean he couldn't make his way around with nearly equal efficiency.

As he, chest heaving, approached the exit to the town, a location that few ever dared come near nowadays with the exceptions of the multitude of soldiers positioned there to prevent the feral, violent beasts from the dying world outside from entering, he saw his prey paused before the gates. His thrill of triumph was cut short, however, when he noticed several large quadrupeds surrounding her. They were a mix of canine and feline, massive and emaciated, their eyes glowing with a pale red light. Pooled around their three inch serrated claws and dripping from their foaming maws was a thick, black-red liquid that could only indicate the presence of one substance. A glance towards the guard posts told him the source.

On swift feet, he bolted towards the young woman, wrapping an arm around her from behind and spinning her out of the way just as one sprung, its jaws snapping at empty air. Any retreat was hampered by a low growl from behind him. They were completely surrounded.

possumboy

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                                                Posted: Thu, 16/06/2022 03:10                                                (2 Years ago)
                                            

Izzie had seen a lot of things in her life, but they’d always involved humans. Human anger, human poverty, humans who made her eat raw fish upside-down. But the only time she’d ever even heard of these things was stories. Rumors. So, she was stricken in place. Lizzie’s mind could not believe that she was actually seeing these…creatures. So she didn’t have the presence of mind to move when the beast flew at her. And she wasn’t expecting the arm that grabbed her and saved her, especially not one that was attached to the man she’d been running away from not moments before. But the moment was over. Once she landed and the man let go of her, she drew the hunting knife she kept in her boot, and the dart gun at her waist. The dart gun only had a few charges left, but the creatures were already too close for her gun. She looked to the man. He’d jumped into save her, for reasons she couldn’t explain. The least she could do was return the favor. “Thank you for the favor, but I can handle myself,” she said slowly, Izzy’s gaze darting to each creature. “I’ll clear you a path and you can get out of here. I’ll be fine on my own.” That was a lie, of course, but for one, she didn’t want to see someone get hurt, no matter how annoying and self-centered they were, and she didn’t like the idea of being in debt to someone from a House.

RainRipple

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                                                Posted: Thu, 16/06/2022 03:27                                                (2 Years ago)
                                            

These beasts were the likes of which Paradox had never seen. Though he was comparatively well-versed in every-day occurrences, at least for a descendant of a House, he was still admittedly rather sheltered. These monsters were hungry and feral; there was no reason in their demonic eyes. The more he looked at them, the more blood he saw spattered on their pelts. They had killed at least forty guards, and if nothing was done, he and the woman would soon be added to a total that could never satisfy their empty bellies. "No chance," he shook his head. "I'm an aristocrat, but that doesn't mean I'm some callous dog who lets others to fight my battles. Besides, they're at least twice your size." As another beast began to stalk forwards, he threw a punch at its snout, causing it to let out a hiss and retreat. Pain wouldn't hold them for long, though; hunger would always trump all in the end.

possumboy

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                                                Posted: Thu, 16/06/2022 04:18                                                (2 Years ago)
                                            

Izzie was surprised that he was actually willing to stay. This House member was surprising her more and more, but she’d never say it. Still, she was a tiny bit grateful. Izzy may be able to face a lot of things, but this wasn’t high on the list. It didn’t change the fact that she said, “Well, you’re certainly a dog, maybe not callous. Perhaps you’d like aggravating? Smelly?” As the beasts took a few steps forward, her eyes darted around, and suddenly, she formulated a plan. “Hey, pretty boy, when I say duck, duck, alright? I know it might seem impossible, but you need to trust me, alright?”

RainRipple

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                                                Posted: Thu, 16/06/2022 04:34                                                (2 Years ago)
                                            

"Pretty boy?" he thought incredulously. Goodness, she sure liked to talk. Still, due to reasons unbeknownst to him, her smart-alecky words irritated him enough, even in the middle of such a dire confrontation, to elicit a response. "Ah, that's right. I'd forgotten we were both canines. I did recall your status, though; it's rather memorable." Shaking his head, he, just for a moment, remarked on how foolish the situation was. There was a reason the heads of the other Houses allowed their subordinates to complete their duties for them, and instances like this seemed to be a prime example of said reason; there was no risk to life or limb if one never left their estate. For some reason, though, Paradox found himself willing to do as the woman said. There was no reason for her to not attempt to allow him to die and use his body as a distraction while she fled, but she seemed at least somewhat reasonable and surely was aware how ineffective that would be. Beasts such as these would let no prey flee unscathed. With a grimace, he added, "But sure, fine. Whatever it is you're planning, do it quickly."

possumboy

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                                                Posted: Thu, 16/06/2022 04:57                                                (2 Years ago)
                                            

One of the beasts snarled and stepped forward. “Duck!” Lizzie yelled, and shot the dart gun, hoping that he would be quick enough. Otherwise, that made her job a lot harder. The dart flew through the air towards one of the beasts, lodging in its side. The dart was strong enough to knock out a grown man, but all it did was send the beast stumbling back, long enough for Lizzie to rush forward. When a beast ran after her, she stopped, whirling around, and jumped. The beast snapped at empty air as she jumped onto its back, lodging the knife into its back. This was worse to it then the dart in the other, and it fell to the ground, twitching. One was still trained on the House man. “Break the pipe and take him down!” Lizzie yelled at the blue haired pain in her neck. “I can handle these ones!”

RainRipple

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                                                Posted: Thu, 16/06/2022 05:48                                                (2 Years ago)
                                            

Reacting nearly instantly, he bent his knees, dropping low before darting out of the way of the monster pelting after the woman. An odd feeling, almost like relief, rippled through him as he watched her overwhelm it. Paradox was quickly learning that her small stature should not be allowed to deceive anyone into thinking she was anything less than competent when it came to protecting herself. What pipe? he wanted to ask, but the beast stalking him charged before he could ask. As he sprinted to the left, forcing the monster to change its course, he spotted the long drainpipe he assumed she had meant running down the wall of the gate.

Head spinning, he ran straight at the wall, leaping at it in a way that made it look almost as if he were about to attempt to run up it. Pushing off the structure, he somersaulted over the creature, grabbing the pipe as he did so and letting his momentum wrench it free. Paradox landed a little to the left of the monster and, without so much as a moment of hesitation to even gather his bearings, brought the pipe down on its skull. Short of breath, he just stared at it. He had no idea where that had come from or what had given him the idea to try it, but at least it had worked.

possumboy

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                                                Posted: Thu, 16/06/2022 15:42                                                (2 Years ago)
                                            

There was a ledge in the building that Lizzie was retreating to, but it was high above her reach, and there was little chance of Lizzie reaching it in time. The short-statured thief might be fast, but she wasn't superhuman. Still, she had to try, if she was going to get herself and the pompous giant out of this situation fast. So, she sped up and took a leap. As she jumped, one of the beasts grabbed her leg, their claws gripping hard enough to rip through the leather of the boot and into her skin. Lizzie gave a cry of pain, and nearly fell back against the wall, but managed to barely grab the ledge, pulling herself free of the beast's grip. Once she was on the ledge, she pulled out her gun, shooting down the last of them, and once the final beast fell to the ground, she leaned against the ledge, exhausted.

RainRipple

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                                                Posted: Thu, 16/06/2022 19:05                                                (2 Years ago)
                                            

A cry from a building behind him broke Paradox out of his momentary amazed triumph. Allowing himself no further time to catch his breath, he pelted towards it, expecting the worst. The last monster was lying motionless on the ground, and above it on a platform crouched the small thief, breathing heavily. On closer inspection, he noticed a blaze of dark, shiny red on her leg. Grimacing and hurrying over, he called, "Hey, everything alright? Do you think you can get down?" He cast a glance at the beast on the ground. It was impressive that she'd knocked it out so thoroughly. Pausing, he added, "If your leg is damaged, you could jump down and I'll catch you."

possumboy

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                                                Posted: Thu, 16/06/2022 19:35                                                (2 Years ago)
                                            

Lizzie grit her teeth, staring down at him, one hand gripping her leg, the other holding the leg as she debated her options. She didn't trust that he wouldn't just haul her to the jail the minute he caught her. Then again, he had jumped in to save her, and that wasn't something that a lot of people would do. But then he'd insulted her. What was wrong with him? She sighed. "You know I have absolutely zero reasons to trust you, right? I'm-" she winced, the pain was excruciating.

RainRipple

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                                                Posted: Thu, 16/06/2022 19:47                                                (2 Years ago)
                                            

Sighing, he shifted his weigh and crossed his arms. He had no clue how he was going to care for her wound; that wasn't a subject he possessed much knowledge in. Why she found the need to continue in her obstinacy even whilst clearly badly injured, he might never know. "And I even fewer to trust you; I suppose we've picked a rather inopportune situation to find ourselves in. However, I did just exert quite the effort to assist in keeping you alive, so it would be a rather foolish waste of time if I left you up there to bleed out. If you can't get down on your own and it would irk your pride too much for me to catch you, I'll have to come up there and carry you down, and I don't think you'd particularly enjoy the rough landing that would entail."

possumboy

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                                                Posted: Thu, 16/06/2022 20:02                                                (2 Years ago)
                                            

Izzy wanted to scream, but she didn't have the energy. He was proving too much of a point for her to argue, but she liked to argue. A lot. But she had no choice. "Fine," she snapped, slowly making her way down. Unfourntanetly, she didn't have a lot of handholds, so her landing was still rather rough, and she was limping as she tried to move past him, stumbling several times.

RainRipple

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                                                Posted: Thu, 16/06/2022 20:51                                                (2 Years ago)
                                            

Paradox watched as the woman climbed down, annoyance flickering in his stomach. It wasn't the easiest thing for him to offer his assistance to others, and her quite callous ignorance of it irked him. He did suppose that was better than actually having to aid her. As she attempted to walk, though, it became clear to him that, whether she wanted it or not, she needed help. Shaking his head, he stepped forwards and caught her arm. He had to consciously stop himself from being too rough. "Hang on," he said, irritation somehow mixing with an unusual hint of concern in his tone. "You aren't going anywhere until we get that fixed. Sit down."

possumboy

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                                                Posted: Thu, 16/06/2022 20:57                                                (2 Years ago)
                                            

Lizzie sighed, and finally relented, sitting down. "Fine," she snapped, "But only because I'm 50% percent sure I know where I can get help."

RainRipple

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                                                Posted: Thu, 16/06/2022 22:19                                                (2 Years ago)
                                            

Paradox knelt down in front of her, grimacing and sliding off her boot. For all of his cold bravado, though, the sight of the full wound made his head spin a bit. He had no clue how to handle it, and the sight of deep injuries was not something he had any particular fortitude in regards to. He had to turn away for a moment, the only symptom of any feelings being a simple closing of his eyes. Shaking himself mentally, he shrugged off his cloak; the bottom seemed to have ended up frayed during the fight. He ripped some strips of fabric from it, but that was as far as his knowledge of how to manage her leg went. "How would you recommend I... assist you?" he muttered, trying to avoid looking directly at it.