[Azriel] Deliveries

TT's young arcanist meets Izella and Verayes...and slips away in the middle of the fighting.
Characters: Izella, Azriel, Verayes
[Izella:] It is early evening in the business district. Customers and merchants alike slowly begin to disperse and return to their residences, or even separate worlds. Amidst the uneasiness of a probable attack by the Heartless, a few individuals still remain on the streets, milling around for their own reasons.

Stepping out of the crowds, a young woman wearing a black beret, carrying a conspicuously long suitcase shifts curiously in front of the large map. She nods her head and points to a certain spot then looks around quickly, as if looking for someone to ask directions from.

[Azriel:] Slipping through a knot of passersby with some difficulty, a tall youth adjusts his hold on a fairly tattered cardboard box in his grasp, the clink of glass bottles implements issuing mutedly from it as he painstakingly maneuvers himself down the street. His long raven hair is knotted haphazardly into a knot at his nape, and his clothing is rumpled, his features pale and tired; a lollipop stick juts from his mouth, partly muffling his muttered excuses whenever he manages to bump into one of the townsfolk going about their business. "Shorry. Echcuse me. Woopsh. Shorry." Thus, he makes his slow way through the district, largely ignored by most but for a few irritated glances thrown his way.

That is, until the youth pauses directly in front of the young woman, boosting the heavy cardboard box a little higher. "Er, excush me," is uttered politely as could be with the candy in his mouth, in a bored, somewhat neutral tone.


<OOC> Izella says, "by the way, did vandre tell cal that Iz is part of their unit now? =_="
<OOC> Izella says, "She didn't even ask. Vandre was just like, "Oh! Welcome to the unit!""
<OOC> Azriel says, "LOL!"
<OOC> Azriel says, "we'll assume it took place off-screen :P"
<OOC> Izella says, "Yes that would be better T.T insane guy in underwear.."
<OOC> Azriel says, "I swear, he's going to get laid again if he keeps doing that"
<OOC> Izella says, "by Cal? :D or Azriel? *hopes for the latter* xD"
<OOC> Azriel twitches. Good god XD

[Izella:] The young Magitek Knight blinks and looks away from the map, taking in the strange sight in front of her. At first she looks towards the box with the clinking baubles and other implements, proceeding to turn her gaze towards the lollipop and finally, his feet.

Looking up again to face him, she raises an eyebrow but grudgingly steps to the side. "Excused. Would you know if any shop that has to do with Magicite or Materia has opened recently?"

[Azriel:] "Mmm." The lanky stranger pauses, pulling back a hank of hair that had escaped his untidy ponytail and shadowed his face from sight. Shrewd blue eyes gaze down at the much slighter girl, their depths calm and limpid, belying his age. "Materia? That would be those orbs of concentrated magic a few people brought over from their world, right? No-one seems to know how to manufacture those, here. Or at least the technology to create them doesn't exist. So no, it'd be impossible to find a shop. Your best bet would be..." Sighing, the youth sets the box down on the pavement in between them, giving the other a glimpse of the beakers and bottles within it, and stretches, cracking his neck with one hand. "The black market or stealing one, I think?"

Pulling the lollipop out of his mouth with an audible 'pop', he glances down at the relatively short woman with a wry look. "If you're the type who doesn't mind resorting to that, that is. It takes all kinds..."

[Izella:] Quickly looking about at the boy's mention of a black market, the young woman simply nods in response. "Indeed, I expected that there would be no shops. Perhaps we can speak of this somewhere private? I need a certain type of magicite. You seem like a resident of this town."

[Azriel:] Shrugging his shoulders in a loose, amiable manner, the young man gestures expansively with the lollipop, narrowly missing a few passing late-evening shoppers. "I don't mind, though perhaps you'd care to give me your name first. Easier on me you know. I'm known around here as Azriel; something of a local apothecary, though there's no lack for chemists and the like, what with new travellers popping in here faster than they can move on." The midnight-blue gaze might be seen to sharpen slightly, though Azriel's smile remains ingenuous. What he's about to utter next remains unsaid, however, as a hapless delivery boy trips over the box that he'd set down on the pavement, falling headlong to the cobblestones with a crash of glass and a muffled thud. "Err...woops!"

<OOC> Azriel says, "Iz is asking Azriel about stuff..magicite"
<OOC> Verayes says, "omg ghei"
<OOC> Verayes says, "so ghei ahaha"
<OOC> Azriel says, "Not really. I know some skaters who have lollipops sob"
<OOC> Verayes says, "who says skaters aren't ghei?"
<OOC> Verayes says, "???????!"
<OOC> Azriel kicks. HARD.
<OOC> Izella says, "erm. brb z.z pizza guy (my dinner) just got here. *gives him lollipop*"
<OOC> Azriel says, "kekkeke."
<OOC> Izella says, "oh two double meanings!"
<OOC> Azriel tongues his lollipop.
<OOC> Azriel COUGHS
<OOC> Verayes rapes Azriel. >.>
<OOC> Azriel says, "....not in the street T_T"

[Verayes:] The door to the item shop swings open, pushed aside by a tanned youth who pauses halfway through the entrance and offers whoever's inside a farewell. He wanders onto the street, weaving through shoppers as he clumsily ties the straps on his satchel, securing its contents. "What a steal!" he exclaims, laughing nervously as a few people respond to the last word, "well not literally, I mean...what a deal, you know what I meant!" he offers with a snort.

[Izella:] Suppressing a laugh, the young woman smirks. "So, you were named after an apothecary? Or, were you named after a special potion?"

Looking sharply to the side as she hears someone commenting about a 'steal' and finding nothing of great interest, she turns back to the boy in front of her. "Regardless - Azriel, correct? My name is Izella. I shoot others for a living, though all we have been shooting at as of late are Heartless."

[Azriel:] Helping the boy up with a wry shake of his head, Azriel turns to inspect the box with a disgruntled expression, meticulously picking shards of the shattered beaker from within it. "Second time that's happened this week," he grumbles, shoving the last of the candy back into his mouth and tossing the broken beaker into a garbage bin beside one of the shop entrances. "You weren't hurt were you? Good."

Picking up the errant box and slouching back on his heels, he squints down at the M-tek Knight, canting his head. "The mage who taught me gave me this name," he comments blandly. "It's of no real significance really."

The young man's countenance barely changes as Izella mentions the heartless, yet his reply is terse, impersonal - "You lost Magicite in battle and need replacements? I can't guarantee that you'll find what you're looking for..." Quieting somewhat at the close proximity of another individual, he spares an offhanded glance over his shoulder. "Name a place and I think I could spare a few minutes to answer your questions. I still have to deliver a few things, so we'd best make it quick."

[Izella:] Looking away for a moment, Izella raises a hand to her chin in thought before speaking softly, in a discreet tone. "I have more than enough magicite. It is a special one that a seek." She shrugs, then winks at Azriel. "What if I joined you on these deliveries? That way we would have more time to talk."

"And...The mage who taught you? You aren't just a shopkeeper, are you?" She exclaims, while tapping her foot.

[Azriel:] "I wouldn't mind the company." Tucking his box securely under one arm and slipping his other hand into a pocket, Azriel allows for another, faint shrug, casual and dismissive, his reply glib. "Magecraft encompasses many different arts, as well you know. Among them is the making of potions and amulets. It's what I excel at, and what earns me a living." He offers his arm - or rather, his elbow - hand still in his pocket. "I daresay you'll find my rounds boring."

[Izella:] "Mind if I walk beside you, then?" Izella asks, ignoring the arm. "I am not familiar with amulets at all, or any of those pieces that seem imbued with magic. I was born with some of my skills, and the others came naturally as I clung to different pieces of magicite."

"Would you know if all magic is comprised of the same elements? I wonder if the spells of those from other worlds would work in mine," she thinks aloud, so casually as if asking what she'd be having for dinner.

[Azriel:] The glass bottles in the box clicking and clinking against each other, the young mage turns down the street without waiting further, though by his swift pace it's apparent he had a mind on hurrying rather than tarrying longer. "In theory. One need only observe a true mage at work to discern what they use," he answers, plucking a corked vial from within the box and ascending a short flight of stairs to an unmarked door. A brief knock suffices for the door to be opened by a sleepy-looking housekeeper, who takes the vial without a word and drops several gil into Azriel's outstretched hand. "Good day." Without so much as a glance at the old woman, the youth descends the stair back to street level, already rummaging in the box for another potion. "I wouldn't really know if it applies to your magicite."

[Izella:] "THANK YOU!!! We look forward to doing business with you again!" Izella shouts from the foot of the stairs, hopefully loud enough for the aged customer to hear.

"You might try to get more uniquely designed bottles. What about circles, or twirls?" She steps back unto the street, offering a hand to assist the boy with his bottles. "You mean, you've never held magicite or materia? I daresay that I think, if any of the other worlds have natural mages, they would be able to learn many new spells on a much faster pace. I thought you would have known something about that."

[Azriel:] Peering bemusedly at the female Knight from over his box, Azriel allows, "It'd be more trouble than it's worth. Few people have any use for empty potion bottles; most of them are just returned to me if they want to recoup a few extra gil." He holds up a potion for inspection, the colourless liquid within catching the light from the streetlamps. "Some people learn faster than others, I suppose. I've heard of some with a natural bent for magic, without need for other artifice to enhance their spellcasting. It's a matter of perspective, really."

Even as the mage continues speaking, he's not slowed down or eased his pace, his long stride unfaltering as he turns into an alley much narrower than the street they'd just left, his steps echoing hollowly along the stone walls. The shadows lengthen and creep along the alley's cramped corners, seeming to flicker eerily at the corners of one's vision as the pair of them pass. "Of course, every mage nowadays seem to be bending their energies to defeating the Heartless rather than exploring the other uses of their craft. It's become nothing more than a tool for war." The dark-haired youth slides a brief glance to the girl at his side, the hue of his eyes gas-flame blue in the darkness. "With good reason, however." He gestures, then, with his free hand, at the gleam of yellow glimpsed just behind them in the alleyway.

[Izella:] Upon seeing the yellowish gleam around the corner, Izella immediately reaches for her daggers but stops midway. Instead, she continues to walk forward, though her pace slows down on purpose so that she happens to be a few paces behind the younger boy.

"One of your customers?" Izella asks, before continuing to speak. "At least there is much less conflict now, among the people within our own worlds."

[Azriel:] "Uniting against a common enemy tends to do that." Azriel's voice rings softly within the narrow space the alley affords, his steps gradually drawing to a halt before a door set into the left wall. Rapping against it with his knuckles, he patiently shifts his grip on his box, seeming to pay the creeping darkness behind them little heed. When the door does open - to disclose the wary face of a skinny, mustached resident - he intones politely, "I've come with the weekly delivery, but I need you to hold this box for a second." Without so much as giving an explanation the youth shoves the cardboard box into the startled man's arms and closes the door unceremoniously in his face.

None too soon, as it turns out - viscous black tendrils seep along the ground, solidifying at an alarmingly rapid pace as they gather to surround the two still within the alley. "This tends to happen if you visit these parts often."

[Izella:] Instinctively chanting a few words and pointing two fingers towards the black tendrils, Izella calmly jumps back, positioning herself against the tightly closed door. "Visitors? Please don't tell me they're customers as well." She says to Azriel quite sincerely while dropping her bag to the ground with an unceremonious thump.

"Did I aim it at the wrong target?" Izella asks her companion. "It was supposed to slow down!"

[Azriel:] A low, muffled roar oozes from the Heartless' mouth, the slow spell rippling across it in concentric circles of energy that seem only to delay its progress; the rest coalesce at much the same speed as they had before - with terrifying swiftness. Other shadowy shapes rear out of the murk, a pair of winged gargoyle-like creatures reaching with crooked claws for the Magitek Knight, and a third flanking the reluctant Azriel.

"I really hate it when this happens," the raven-haired man murmurs, leaping back a pace with surprising lightness. "We'll be swamped if we fight them here."

[Izella:] Drawing one dagger from the sheath, the Knight utters another incantation - this one causing her to move at an abnormally quick rate. She then reaches for the other sheathed dagger, ducking underneath the claws of the fiends in the process. Another quick glance from Izella, and uttered incantation causes a small fire to try and consume one of the flying creatures.

It utters a shrill, high-pitched scream and recoils backwards but manages to stay airborne. The Knight manages to spring upwards, in order to stab the other creature but it evades her attack and joins its scalded companion to regroup.

[Azriel:] The gargoyle reaching for Azriel swipes at the lean young man, only to come up with a clawful of hair as one talon rips through the cord holding back the youth's ponytail; with fluid grace he ducks beneath the creature's grasp, whirling behind it, a dagger coming free of his coatsleeve in the same motion and cast at the beast's glaring eye, burying itself in the eyesocket to the hilt. A hoarse scream rends the air as the gargoyle clutches at his ruined eye, jaws gaping as it staggers backward, giving the mage a crucial moment in which to retreat.

Backing up against Izella without sparing a glance back at the knight, Azriel readies himself, tangled locks spilling messily over face and shoulders. "I'm going to be late," he mutters beneath his breath, a ripple of distortion issuing from him as he motions at the half-blinded gargoyle. Time seems to slow around the beast, its movements stretched out in slowness as though it were mired in an unseen net, its wings flapping in slow motion as it comes to a halt just a few paces shy of reaching the pair of them.

Undeterred by their companion's fate, the other two gargoyles snarl as they approach, one of them springing straight at Izella, its jaws opening to bite and rend.

[Izella:] Aiming to pierce the gargoyle's neck, Izella feints to the right as it moves to evade her blades once more. She then spins around by using its left shoulder as a pivot. Finally, she stabs it on the back of its neck with the tanto blade on her right hand, following it up by quickly twisting the blade within the creature before dislodging it. "Distract them for a moment! I need my bag!" She shouts in a loud voice while turning to face Azriel.

[Azriel:] "Easily said..."

The shadows gather and deepen about Azriel as he gestures sharply, clasping his hands together. Inky blackness bursts from the foremost beast's mouth and eyes, spilling about its head in a noxious, clinging cloud. The gargoyle gives a ringing grunt, swinging its head bullishly; rather than halting its onrush, blind and enraged, it crashes into him, nearly crushing him against the wall, its huge wings beating the air. "...ugh...Not so easily...done!"

Arms pinned by the beast's bulk, the slightly built mage stops struggling as he's held against the alley wall, his mouth working. A thin sliver of ice coalesces from the wall, lancing deeply into the gargoyle's flank.

Roaring, it spins away, letting him drop heavily to his knees, giving him the chance to unleash another blinding spell at the third gargoyle.

[Izella:] Not wasting any time, Izella runs straight towards the case she had left on the ground and moves to open it. She looks up for a second to see the young mage is all right before hurriedly unzipping the bag and pulling out a rifle. Looking for the nearest Heartless, Izella raises the scope to eye level and steadies herself to shoot in one quick motion.

As she fires, something suddenly pulls on the Knight's leg and causes her to miss. Looking about frantically, Izella notices the inky tendril now tightly wound around her left leg. She drops the rifle and slashes at it, to no avail.

[Azriel:] Gasping, Azriel rolls nimbly forward between the first gargoyle's planted legs, using his forward momentum to bound back to his feet. Rather than hesitate to glance back over his shoulder at the floundering creature, he focuses, concentrating. "Run, Izella!"

Fire blossoms in the heart of the darkness, spearing through the shadow in a gout of flame; it's echoed swiftly by bursts of flame that sear the pair of blinded gargoyles. The smell of smoke fills the alley as the beasts recoil, staggering, their wings still on fire.

[Izella:] Closing her eyes to concentrate, a small burst of flame erupts around the tendril, causing it to writhe about and let go of the Knight's leg. She rolls backwards and grabs hold of her rifle once more. Wincing at the slight pain in her leg, and fires four rounds at the coalescing shadow on the ground without bothering to aim properly.

The bullets that pierce the ground crackle and glow a bright, lingering yellow which causes the shadow to retreat into the shadows. As it does so, Izella causes even more fires to burst around it, making part of the shadowy fiend dissipate into the ground.

[Azriel:] Muttering beneath his breath, the black-haired youth runs directly at one of the gargoyles, springing up on its shoulder with surprising agility. "I won't say it a second time...we have to get out of here!" Keeping his footing on the balking beast with some difficulty, he somersaults gracefully over the gargoyle's head, landing neatly atop the high wall that ran along the alleyway. Like a high-wire artist he runs along it until he's parallel with the Knight and her attacker, ignoring the swinging blow that the gargoyle aims at the puny, unseen person that had dared use it for a stepping-stone.

Hooking a leg over the wall, Azriel swings upside-down to extend a hand to the besieged woman, his hair hiding all but one fiercely glaring blue eye. "Hurry!"

[Izella:] Immediately taking notice of the boy's sense of urgency, Izella slings her rifle and shouts "Right behind you!" and gets to her feet. Her hands grasp the top of the wall and she pushes herself upwards, using the momentum to raise one leg over. Taking note of the distance to the ground, she shifts her other leg over the wall and lands on the other side without much effort.

"We could have won," she whispers to herself, before looking about her surroundings for Azriel's whereabouts.

[Azriel:] "Shit," Azriel manages to croak hanging upside-down, just before a shadowy tendril wraps itself around his neck and winds itself sinuously around his body, yanking him off the wall. Uttering a strangled sound as he hangs suspended in mid-air, the young man is slammed once against the unyielding stone wall, then back against the house immediately opposite the wall, hurtling through the air. Mercifully there happens to be a window directly in the way, and the mage is thrust straight through it with an explosion of shattering glass and wood.

The tentacle doesn't stir for a moment, pausing, broken glass and splinters of wood sliding off it and pattering to the ground. Convulsing, it retracts as a blue jet of energy flares up around it, a muffled shriek issuing from it as if it were in pain.

[Izella:] Looking up at the wall and suddenly hearing a dull 'thud' on the other side, Izella utters a very audible 'Fuck!' She backs away a little bit and jumps once again to try and grasp the edge of the wall. This time her fingers only scrape the top. The knight lands on the ground and remembers something, making her suddenly thankful that she hadn't crossed the wall.

Unslinging the empty rifle and opening the bolt, the Knight tosses it over the wall and simply hopes that it doesn't break. She then jumps once more and, this time succeeds in scaling the wall. She peers straight ahead towards the house with the broken window and sees nothing but darkness. "Hey! You still alive?" she shouts. "HELP! Anyone!"

[Azriel:] Silence answers the M-tek Knight at first, broken only by the shadow-monster's gibberings as it trails off down the alleyway. A low groan resounds from inside the house, mingled with the crunch of glass breaking underfoot. "Ungh...damn it. I think I broke something just then."

Azriel pokes his head out the window, a few cuts from the broken glass scoring his face. He takes off his coat and wraps a sleeve around his fist, using it to clear enough broken glass from the sill in order to be able to climb out safely. Climb out he does, but with a wary glance down the alley to ascertain where the monsters were. "I think you'd better get out of here," he warns the Knight, stepping out into the shard-littered street. Brushing glass from the leather of his coat, he dons it without further comment, drawing something that he'd had sheathed in the small of his back. "They're coming, and I don't think anyone will help."

"I suppose you still need to get over the wall?" Izella beckons toward the young mage. She looks down to asses the pain in her knee and notices a small rip and a small spot of blood staining her pants, over the area that her knees scrapped the ground when the Heartless dragged it.

"There may not be much time, but I really do need the magicite I had been asking about. We can still try to return to my world. This town is doomed as is."

[Azriel:] "I live here," answers Azriel grimly, unfolding the stafflike object and gripping the bladed ends in sure, deft hands. "That may not mean much, but so long as there's a town standing I'm certainly staying in it." The linked sections rattle faintly as he moves, stepping back a pace and squinting carefully down the alley. Muffled growls drift from the Heartless further down the alley as they scent the wind, moving in readiness to attack. The young mage's eyes narrow slightly, intently, broken glass crackling beneath his step as he shifts.

The sound seems a signal for the shadows to attack, one extending clawed tendrils for him. The staff in Azriel's grip blurs into whirling motion in answer; there's a faint hiss as steel carves air and shadow, an ensuing roar from his foe, and severed limbs drop to the ground, dissipating into ebony smoke. "I'm definitely done here for today!"

With that the youth leaps back into the air, seeming to hold flight for longer than a mere leap would have launched him. Thrusting one end of the bladed staff into a chink in the wall, he vaults atop it, retracting the weapon with a turn of his wrist and folding it away into its sheath. "You don't seem to have much...experience fighting the Heartless. Or do you?" Without waiting for Izella to answer he leaps to the relative safety of the other side, landing with a grunt.

[Verayes:] The humidity in the air suddenly rises as moisture thickens the wind. Ribbons of water materialize from the humid air and swirl together to form orblike shapes. The spun element shimmers and then catapults in a set of three, slamming into Heartless on the way. Shadows, hit by the concussive force, are slammed into the walls of the alley and disperse into black mist. Footsteps clumsily thud as a figure emerges from the shadows of the alley. "I was going to drink that bottle of vodka! You know" he shouts, eyes slanting as he looks down at the shards of the broken container, a puddle of liquor already amassed.

<OOC> Izella says, "*gets diarrhea and falls off wall*"
<OOC> Azriel abandons you both. :)
<OOC> Verayes says, "sob *can handle himself, unlike vandre >.>*"
<OOC> Azriel says, "I wonder why"
<OOC> Azriel XD
<OOC> Verayes says, "because vandre needs approval to function"
<OOC> Verayes says, "verayes just needs liquor and tobacco"
<OOC> Verayes says, "sob"
<OOC> Verayes says, "and fatty foods sob"
<OOC> Verayes says, "that and vandre was sad that no one actually helped him"
<OOC> Verayes says, "sob...weakling xD"

[Izella:] "Oh. You were wrong. Someone did help!" Izella shouts to no one in particular before hopping down to the other side and reloading her rifle with a stock of strange golden bullets kept in her bag.

"I use this rifle to snipe from a distance. I suppose I should have been more careful. I would have ran away if you weren't with me. I need that magicite," Izella yells as she peers down the alley, scouring for the source of elemental magic. "Don't get many chances to walk about and go looking for magicite, either. Rotten luck maybe?!"

[Azriel:] A strange laugh rises from the other side of the wall. "Maybe, but whatever you need can wait. I'm not going to hang around and get pulped by Heartless. My spells ought to wear out in a little while, so I'd rather just go." There's a muttering about potions and nosy people, and Azriel's footsteps fade away into silence.

[Verayes:]

Blackened wood whirls through the air, cutting through it as the wind whistles with the speed. Like a moving cage, the twirling staff pushes back some of the lesser Heartless. Grunting, Verayes stops the whirl of wood and slams one end onto a Heartless's head, bashing it off clearly. He ducks and allows the other end of the staff to spin overhead and into another Heartless, repeating the same blunt decapitation as before.

"Heartless in the city, not a surprise, but I wonder who be calling them here" he thinks outloud, glancing around as if to see if others are around. "Anybody out there?" he inquires in the same strong tone before cutting off, a tentacle shoots out at him from the darkness, as the massive shadow begins to slither. Quickly, Verayes bats away the intruding limb and takes a few steps back. "Damn..."

[Izella:] "Someone, help me!" A young woman's voice is heard from the darkness. "I was attacked for no reason!"

Izella kicks the nearest door open and enters the ground floor of the dwelling that Azriel had been thrown into. In the darkness, she aims her rifle towards the door - ready to shoot at anything that enters.

[Azriel:] The foremost gargoyle, still blinded by the cloud of darkness still wreathing its head, snuffles close to the open door, relying on its hearing and sense of smell to track the whereabouts of its prey. Folding its wings back to better peer into the doorway, it thrusts its head through; finding the aperture too narrow for its broad shoulders, it gives vent to a grunt of irritation, withdrawing and shouldering its way into the hole offered by the shattered window instead.

The tentacled Heartless facing Verayes reaches for him again, undeterred by his efforts, its tendrils reaching for his legs this time, but no less swift than before.

[Verayes:]

The shadowy tentacles wrap around Verayes' legs, gripping them tightly as they begin to pull. Resistance meets them as Verayes, using one hand, shoves one of the staff into a groove in the ground, using it to anchor himself. The other quickly moves, calling forth a blast of watery energy to do away with his bindings. "Vilg, stupid monster" he mutters under his breath.

"Where are you?" he calls out, glancing around as to look for the source of the sound.

[Izella:] Already poised to shoot, the female Knight pulls the trigger as soon as the gargoyle's head appears in the window. The bullet enters its skull and releases and explodes in plume of electrical sparks, instantly turning the blinded gargoyle into a wisp of dark smoke that dissipates into the air.

"In here! The house!" she shouts towards the direction of the voice.

[Azriel:] Protesting shrilly, Verayes' foe withdraws, gathering all its tendrils together and bracing them against the alley's enclosing walls as the water spell fends off its reaching arms. Cracks spiderweb the stone as it presses back against the masonry, snarling; with a rattling scream it launches itself forcefully at the mage, resembling a gush of black oil roaring through the alleyway.

Even as the shadow-beast charges Verayes, the gargoyle wounded earlier by Izella shuffles after it, wings feebly batting against air and stonework, its wounds bleeding a black, inklike ooze as it sniffs the air.

[Verayes:] Muttering, Verayes exhales and dashes forward, releasing a wild scream as he sheathes his staff and crosses his arms. Energy sparks into existence from where his arms meet and in a flash expands outward into a bubbly shield of energy, forming a barrier around Verayes. Continuing his run falls into a slide, skidding on the ground as the tentacle beast leaps, shadow slipping over his barrier as the two part ways once more. From its exertion the barrier quickly fades as Verayes notices the source of the voice, the woman. "Come on, this big turd of a shadow is getting on me nerves." he comments.

[Izella:]"Step out right now?!" Izella shouts from inside the house. She hears a clanking sound and quickly turns around to see the man that Azriel had shoved his belongings to huddled in one corner.

[Azriel:] The dark blob that had attacked and overshot Verayes tumbles down the alley for a distance and smashes into the gargoyle that Azriel had slowed to a halt earlier, serpentine tendrils whipping out and clawing the walls to slow its momentum. An angry roar builds in its throat as it slows to a halt and flows along the ground in a black, rippling tide, parting around the dazed gargoyle's feet.

Uninjured and momentarily confused as it lurches into motion, the gargoyle growls as it spots another figure in place of its originally intended prey. Ignoring the fact that its earlier targets had disappeared, it goes quickly into motion, outstripping the tentacled Heartless as it hurtles into attack.

[Verayes:] "Yes, be coming out and help me" he barks, eyeing the woman in the building as he turns to face his new opponent. Booted heels pivot, spinning Verayes around, dodging the gargoyle somewhat - the claws still tearing into his side, ripping clothes and flesh, as he unsheathes his staff. Eyes narrowed, he shoots the staff forward, slipping it between the gargoyle's legs before striking upward, again and again and again. With another grunt he lifts the gargoyle with the staff still between its legs and brings it back down on his other side, smashing the Heartless into a cloud of smoke. "Pedlr" come the words, hissing as he touches his side, gingerly.

[Izella:] "Coming?" The Knight whispers to the man as she heads towards the door. "It wouldn't matter either way, seems like it's about over."

"No? Suit yourself, then." She gingerly crouches by the box and picks up a few potions that the mage had left behind, telling them apart by their vague colors and scents in the faint light.

Izella slings her rifle upon her shoulder and steps out the door, looking about the alleyway for any sign of life. Again, she makes her way up the wall and walks towards the direction of the man. "Still breathing? I brought potions."

[Azriel:] Even as the last few wisps of dark smoke fade into the air, the third, injured gargoyle shuffles forward with difficulty, wings trailing brokenly as it attempts to bite Verayes and take a chunk out of his shoulder.

On his other flank the creeping Heartless makes its slow but inexorable way toward the twain, hauling itself along with the aid of its tentacles. One wraps around a jagged plank that had skittered down the street from the time it had tossed the other mage through the window, and as a first greeting of sorts it smashes the length of wood down at the Magitek Knight with all the glee of a toddler attempting to crush an ant with a building-block.

[Verayes:] The gargoyle's attempted bite is met with an angry elbow to its chest. stunning it for only a second, enough to allow Verayes to slip away. He limps quickly towards the woman, noticing the rifle as he sits on the ground by her side. "You can have him" he mutters, breathing heavily as he places a shaky hand over his hand. He intones arcane words and energy begins to bathe the wound, seaming the cuts up with energy and halting the loss of blood.

[Izella:] Unable to make the split-second decision of which side to land on, Izella instead stands still for a moment too long and fails to dodge the falling piece of wood as it hits her across the right shoulder. She looses her balance and crashes into the street on her side.

Bleeding from a wound on her forehead and unable to feel anything on the left side of her body, she groans loudly before breaking the top part off a potion bottle, dripping the remaining liquid into her mouth. Once again, she dodges the piece wood by rolling to the side. She quaffs another potion that instantly gives her strength but doesn't stop the bleeding. The Knight then grabs her rifle and rushes towards the injured gargoyle, distracting it with multiple bursts of flame before shooting it point blank in the head.

"I'm afraid I used all the potions I had," she smirks while turning towards the injured man. "My bullets have no effect on the one with tendrils."

<OOC> Verayes says, "sob I have something planned for the tentacle monster xD"
<OOC> Verayes giggles.
<OOC> Azriel says, "...."
<OOC> Azriel says, "i hope you're not making it a sex toy"
<OOC> Verayes says, "sob"
<OOC> Verayes rethinks his idea. >.>

[Azriel:] The last gargoyle gives a dying shudder, its claws scraping the ground and wings twitching reflexively before it at last disperses into smoke, leaving a smoldering, jet-black stain on the dank pavement. The remaining monster hurls the piece of broken plank straight at Verayes in vindictive rage, gibbering and seething up the alley at an even greater speed.

Ink-dark tendrils shoot at the mage and M-tek Knight in viscous spears of gleaming black, their tips razor-sharp and meant to kill. A jaundice-yellow, pupilless eye opens in that shadowy mass, rolling to regard its two opponents with a cold reptilian gaze.

[Verayes:]

Wincing, Verayes moves out the way, the wood shattering as it impacts the wall and sends a shower of splinters about, some piercing and studding Verayes' back. Regardless, anger has already welled up in the man's eyes as he pushes against a dumpster and sends it rolling towards the incoming beast. He pants and falters back and quickly notices a metal lid, one that blocks access to the sewers that run beneath.

"Keep it busy" he calls out to the other as he steps behind the lid and begins to concentrate, lips quickly quivering as arcane words flow from his mouth and into the air. The lid begins to tremble.

[Izella:] "Flush it again, you!" Izella screams as she steps to the side to avoid the tentacle. Instead of moving forward, it slings backwards, wrapping itself around the waist of the Knight. She flails uselessly as she's thrown against the wall, landing dazed on the ground and unable to move her limbs.


[Verayes:]

The words continue to spill, arcane in definition as the tone changes, soft now and the words overlap, as if more than one voice were speaking. Voices echo as the lid is pushed upward, propelled by a large torrent of water that follows behind. Extending arms and hands, Verayes weaves the torrent, calling it down to wrap around him before shooting it forward towards the tentacled beast. Slime, rats and other sewage remain with the water as it streams down the alleyway.

[Azriel:] The sharpened tendrils stab straight through the dumpster that Verayes had pushed to block them, curling up as the monster attempts to thrash loose of the object impaled on its arms. One tentacle, ripping free, knocks the manhole cover out of the air just as the column of sewage water hurtles straight into the creature, slamming it back down the alley with the force of a geyser.

The only sound that breaks the ensuing silence is the deafening clang of the manhole lid as it crashes into the pavement, spinning a good few seconds before collapsing.

[Verayes:]

Panting, Verayes struggles to remain standing. Eyeing the unconscious woman he mutters and begins to limp her way. A man, from inside a building rushes out, bumping into Verayes. The man yelps as Verayes grabs onto him, utters a few words and begins to draw magical energy, siphoning it from the man as he inhales the mist of mana. An exhale escapes the man's mouth before collapsing to the floor, unconscious.

"Thanks" he whispers, waving a hand over his body and bathing it with magic. Splinters fall and wounds heal, restoring the flesh and body to a better condition. Boots sound off as Verayes continues his trek, finally kneeling by the woman while placing a hand on her forehead, chanting.
-----
<OOC> Izella says, "wait wait. what if IC... verayes and azriel own a flower shop? :x"
<OOC> Azriel says, "............."
<OOC> Izella says, "won't that be teh cutest things ever <3"
<OOC> Azriel does not kill people.
<OOC> Verayes says, "that could work sob if you want xD"
<OOC> Azriel says, "OMG"
<OOC> Azriel grows weed. Verayes smokes it. The end.
<OOC> Verayes says, "ahahaha xD"
<OOC> Verayes whores himself out to make ends meet. T_T
<OOC> Azriel just works part-time.