08-09-2017, 02:20 PM
I take the pint of brownish-looking ale that’s thrust before me and I eye it suspiciously. Eh, fuck it. I chug the disgusting-looking liquid fast enough that I don’t have to taste it. Phew! I let out a belch.
“Got anything stronger, barkeep? Anything transparent?”
The unkempt-looking barkeep wiggles a bottle. “Tequila?”
“Give it.” I snatch the bottle without much resistance and chug away. Damn, that’s the shit! I can feel my toes going numb. After a third of the bottle is done, I slam it back down on the counter. “Now let’s party!”
Frankly, partying with these inbreds isn’t exactly what I had in mind. Every now and then, I check twitter. I realise that it’s not … the best avenue for private communication. I can find a bunch of tweets with my name on, and congratulations, but none from anyone I give a shit about. A bunch of nerds are planning on coming out here to meet me. Oh, great.
Right on cue, a bunch of cosplayers come through the door. Covered in weird silvery armour, visored helmets and … oh wait, those aren’t cosplayers, those are …!
“Enel.” I recognise their leader. Why does her appearance make my blood run cold?
“Aren’t you …?” I try to remember the name. “Claud … i … a? Of the uh … blue fire guys.”
Her next statement is an announcement, not a response. “I am Carmine, of the Paladins of the Frigid Flame.” That was it. But why does she look so … intent? We barely spoke the last time we met.
Confirming my suspicions outright, she reaches to a sheath at her side and very slowly draws a blade. I say ‘blade’ – it’s more of a number of blades, intertwined together and wreathed in sparkling blue flame. It looks more ornamental than functional, but I can appreciate that. Gotta give the peasants something to fear.
I kick up from my barstool angrily. “For what do you disturb my revelry, Carmine?! I just got out of a long competition and had to kill a lot of people to earn this money. Now I just want to relax and spend it on a few drinks.”
Her voice comes slightly flanged through the visor. I wonder what she looks like under there? She’s got the curves, but I bet she’s got some kinda alien face. Shit, I didn’t pay any attention to what she was saying. Something about a blood sport? She takes a step forward. “… Did you forget!?”
“What now?”
I hear a hiss of air through the visor. From the way she punctuates each word, it’s as if she’s repeating herself or talking down to me. “The library! In Carrefore! You burned it down!” She turns to the rest of the room. “Listen, all of you! I have no quarrel with you. Leave this bar and we’ll have no problem.”
The barkeep is shouting. “Take it outside, take it outside!”
I cross my arms. “Yeah, Carmine.” The guys behind me don’t seem exactly brave, but they’re drunk enough and know they like me more than the guys in metal armour. “Fight me outside, like a man.”
“Very well.” She sheathes her sword. “We will take this away from civilization, as you request. But you will not esc-”
I lob a stool at the back of her head, and pandemonium erupts. Most of the bar tries to exit through the back, but a few braver ones leap forward to’ard the knights. I try to leave them out of the cone of lightning I send in Carmine’s direction. It engulfs her and the knights behind her, and I maintain it for as long as I’m able. The drunkards on my side only buy me a second before they’re ablaze and then – just gone.
Shit. I cut off my stream to dodge blue flames from the left and right. A pincer movement – they’re organised. Darting backwards, I toss a couple bolts into their midst, and it connects nicely. But the ones I’ve shocked are quick to recuperate, and they close in now.
Mantra.
Flames from the fore, left, right, and above!
I flip backwards but not fast enough. The whole bar is on fire now. Fuckin’ ironic, don’t you think?
I burst out through the back door, practically breaking through the already-open frame in my haste to escape. My eyebrows, pants and shoes are all on fire, and I dive into the sand, rolling, to put them out.
“Damn it …!” I curse back at the figure who now emerges from the flaming establishment, accompanied by her followers. “You’ve pissed me off, bitch!”
“Got anything stronger, barkeep? Anything transparent?”
The unkempt-looking barkeep wiggles a bottle. “Tequila?”
“Give it.” I snatch the bottle without much resistance and chug away. Damn, that’s the shit! I can feel my toes going numb. After a third of the bottle is done, I slam it back down on the counter. “Now let’s party!”
Frankly, partying with these inbreds isn’t exactly what I had in mind. Every now and then, I check twitter. I realise that it’s not … the best avenue for private communication. I can find a bunch of tweets with my name on, and congratulations, but none from anyone I give a shit about. A bunch of nerds are planning on coming out here to meet me. Oh, great.
Right on cue, a bunch of cosplayers come through the door. Covered in weird silvery armour, visored helmets and … oh wait, those aren’t cosplayers, those are …!
“Enel.” I recognise their leader. Why does her appearance make my blood run cold?
“Aren’t you …?” I try to remember the name. “Claud … i … a? Of the uh … blue fire guys.”
Her next statement is an announcement, not a response. “I am Carmine, of the Paladins of the Frigid Flame.” That was it. But why does she look so … intent? We barely spoke the last time we met.
Confirming my suspicions outright, she reaches to a sheath at her side and very slowly draws a blade. I say ‘blade’ – it’s more of a number of blades, intertwined together and wreathed in sparkling blue flame. It looks more ornamental than functional, but I can appreciate that. Gotta give the peasants something to fear.
I kick up from my barstool angrily. “For what do you disturb my revelry, Carmine?! I just got out of a long competition and had to kill a lot of people to earn this money. Now I just want to relax and spend it on a few drinks.”
Her voice comes slightly flanged through the visor. I wonder what she looks like under there? She’s got the curves, but I bet she’s got some kinda alien face. Shit, I didn’t pay any attention to what she was saying. Something about a blood sport? She takes a step forward. “… Did you forget!?”
“What now?”
I hear a hiss of air through the visor. From the way she punctuates each word, it’s as if she’s repeating herself or talking down to me. “The library! In Carrefore! You burned it down!” She turns to the rest of the room. “Listen, all of you! I have no quarrel with you. Leave this bar and we’ll have no problem.”
The barkeep is shouting. “Take it outside, take it outside!”
I cross my arms. “Yeah, Carmine.” The guys behind me don’t seem exactly brave, but they’re drunk enough and know they like me more than the guys in metal armour. “Fight me outside, like a man.”
“Very well.” She sheathes her sword. “We will take this away from civilization, as you request. But you will not esc-”
I lob a stool at the back of her head, and pandemonium erupts. Most of the bar tries to exit through the back, but a few braver ones leap forward to’ard the knights. I try to leave them out of the cone of lightning I send in Carmine’s direction. It engulfs her and the knights behind her, and I maintain it for as long as I’m able. The drunkards on my side only buy me a second before they’re ablaze and then – just gone.
Shit. I cut off my stream to dodge blue flames from the left and right. A pincer movement – they’re organised. Darting backwards, I toss a couple bolts into their midst, and it connects nicely. But the ones I’ve shocked are quick to recuperate, and they close in now.
Mantra.
Flames from the fore, left, right, and above!
I flip backwards but not fast enough. The whole bar is on fire now. Fuckin’ ironic, don’t you think?
I burst out through the back door, practically breaking through the already-open frame in my haste to escape. My eyebrows, pants and shoes are all on fire, and I dive into the sand, rolling, to put them out.
“Damn it …!” I curse back at the figure who now emerges from the flaming establishment, accompanied by her followers. “You’ve pissed me off, bitch!”
![[Image: godenel_baronsig.png]](http://omniverse-rpg.com/images/godenel_baronsig.png)