Not So Saintly (TRUTH, Plot Thread 2.6)

[Nathan]

Off in the distance were many large objects, and on closer observation, they seemed to be great mountains of vegetation pulling themselves closer by using their roots that stabbed into the ground before heaving the mountain forward towards the group.

Behind them was an amazing darkness that blocked out the skies – they were hundreds of thousands of birds following the mountains of vegetation. It was simply a stunning thing to see, never before had Allorum witnessed such a event...

And it was all moving right towards the group.

[Monthu]

Monthu had deliberately been trying to avoid the group. None of them really seemed to be the kinds of people that he could really get along with, and thus he didn't fancy trying, not to mention that for the most part they didn't seem all too fond of him either. Either way, he had been scouting around in the trees with two of the Lunar Knights... The ninja-y one and the one who kind of had all the social skills of a rock. Pausing upon hearing a rumbling, he dropped his monocular down -not that he needed to- in order to get a better look at the moving mountains. He called out to the group.

"Um... Guys..?" He called out. "That doesn't normally happen here... Does it..? Because I mean, I'm pretty new here, but even for this place... That seems weird..." He pointed across to the giant behemoths.

[vincent]

Vincent didn't need to be told twice, The Other wanted him to attack. And so he did.

He charged at the king, slashing for his chest area. Like a champ

[The Other]

As the fiery blade struck, it's hot steel hissing against the cleaved matter that made up the Other's chest, the Other responded with a hiss of pain that escaped his mouth. He bent down in surprise, his body wincing back from the magic hidden in Vincent's blade as he stared at the wound.

Yet both his reaction and his pain were short lived, the black fleshy wound seemed to come alive, stretching out like a sentient goo that sought to become whole once more. In a moment the gash was gone, and the Other, having been silent for the brief moment raised slowly, his neck twisting up till he could stare into Vincent's eyes with a look of gleeful insanity.

And with that a rumbling low chuckle escaped. It was slow, deliberate yet tinted with a sense of surprise. "You really did it, didn't you?" He raised up, his smile only vanishing to form the words before his chuckling resumed. Oblivious to the ongoings around them the Other had eyes only for Vincent as his laughter rose in intensity. He clapped a hand around his eyes, reeled back and cried. "I can't believe it took this long! Someone finally did it!" Then with a radical mood swing his laughter ceased and he wore a deathly serious expression on his face, gazing at the Ignisian captain like it would kill him if he stared hard enough.

"It's. About. Damn. Time."

And then, as if nothing had happened at all, the Other's mouth shut and his eyes softened, turning to a look of confusion. His head tilted left and right as if looking for something before he turned to Vincent and asked, "Do you hear that? What, you must hear it right? It's sounds so small, like... little tiny voices screaming. Tell me you hear it, uh, what was your name again mortal?"

[vincent]

Vincent wasn't sure what he was supposed to expect from this thing, The Other erupted into laughter and seemed to forget that he was just sliced at with a hot blade. It was confusing and at the same time Vincent kept on his guard, assuming this had to be some kind of a distraction from the black figure.

"My name isn't important," Vincent growled as he moved back in and thrust his sword again at the beastly thing, viciously slashing again at him, "settle this and move on, now!"

[glitters]

Jasmine tensed up as she watched her father initially take his first swing at The Other as the monstrous king had so invited him to, after seeing the things The Other had done so far on their travels she feared greatly that Vincent would take a swing and The Other would bust his head open with one blow. After watching The Other humiliate him further instead and trivialize her father's efforts to legitimately attack him, she started to feel not better, but a little irritated.

"Really, now! Stop, both of you!" she called out to them, fighting the urge to look back at Andy with pleading eyes to try to convince him to step in and do something. If she had to she'd step in herself and put them both straight, that's what!

Above she heard Monthu, the guy she'd long since thought was actually gone seeing as how she'd never really seen him (what kind of guy actually stayed in the trees that long?), her eyes trying to search out what it was he pointed at. Seeing the sight what really did appear to be 'moving mountains', she turned to Andy instead now.

"...Mountains don't move," she said firmly, "we check it out or...?"

She didn't want to suggest running away, for several reasons that weren't just because she was trying to look a lot braver than she was. It was a strange thing that...

Screw it.

Jasmine bounded down the river towards the walking mountains, if anything to at least get a better look.


"Andy, let's go!" she shouted, not entirely confident in what she was doing but putting on her best "I know what I'm doing" performance she could. If it looked hostile enough, magic could get them out of it...right?

[Andy Jammer]

Andy turned his attention to Jasmine calling out to him again, he ran over to her and as he got closer the rumbling beneath his feet got louder and more constant. When he passed through the vegetation of the small oasis he saw before his eyes something that hadn't surprised him since he first arrived in Allorum.

"What the hell are those things?" he said aloud, looking at them with an awestruck wonder. He turned his head to Jasmine, "You ever seen these before?"

[glitters]

Jasmine kept her eyes on the approaching giants, shaking her head and giving Andy a shrug as she searched her brain on everything she knew on...uh...walking plants and mountains.

"I've no clue. I don't know," she said quickly, trying not to panic, "are they hostile or are they just minding their own business and we're in the way?"

She wasn't sure and she wasn't going to take any chances, then. Her hands reached out and with a quick incantation she formed a barrier between the moving mass creeping closer to them and the group that was divided in their attention. In Jasmine's hands she readied a fireball, an almost too-fitting choice to fight creatures from Alberisato just in case!

[Nathan]

The large plant-mountains didn't seem to take notice to the group... however, the hundreds and hundreds of people riding them DID see them. The next couple moments probably felt like something of a blur, when everyone became aware of the group the hundreds of people swarmed out at them.

Thankfully, Jasmine's barrier kept them from rushing right into the group but it didn't stop them from completely surrounding it. The people were yelling out and slamming their weapons against the barrier as more and more people seemed to surround them.

"It's the demon-savior's soldiers!" One called, his eyes firmly set on the Other, "They're all scouts!"

[Dios Sarvo]

As Andy flippantly ignored the Lord of Shadows, Dios could only scoff and chuckle in sequence, taking a slight bit of enjoyment at his partner's frustration with the red-haired youth. The shadow bared over Andy, regardless of whether the youth was paying even a remnant of attention to the figure, and whispered gently into his ear.

"Such disrespect to those who speak wise shall surely usher a quickened demise. You'd do well brazen "leader" to speak loud and true, lest you convince valued allies to think ill of you."

Drawing back to Dios' side, he turned to his emerald-haired cohort, his cracked white feature against his blackened torso showing well that the shade had little patience left for this venture.

"I've allowed for your game and such a waste it has been. With my recompense paid, it is time we begin. My sight reaches far and in Unda it shows that our allies lay their sight upon our real foes. The Empire draws nigh, and we should too, so make haste, depart, and make your strides true," the Lord of Shadows spoke, ushering Dios' away from his personal squabbles. Pulling his hands from his pocket for an exaggerated shrug, Dios could only shake his head before maneuvering towards the shade present within Jasmine's barrier and slowly seeping into it.

"Fair enough. I suppose this makes us all squared up...for now," Dios uttered acquiescently to the shade before turning his attention to the others present to give one last goodbye, as only Dios could. "Try not to let yourselves get killed, especially under the *snicker* "leadership" of ol' redhead here. Later kiddies," he uttered before his form sunk into the shadows and out of sight.

[The Other]

"Your right, it isn't important." The Other sniped back to the copper-skinned captain as he threw his hand out in front of the thrust, letting the blade skewer his palm. He winced, much less measurable than the first blow as he not caught unaware this time.

"Ahh, now don't go rushing things, mortal. I admire your bravery, or insanity...it doesn't really matter which drove you to attack me. Yet you should learn not to push your luck." His injured hand closed slowly, seeking to clutch Vincent's relatively small sword arm within his grasp. "Now, where was I? Oh yes, those...screams."

As the last syllable oozed almost sensually from his maw the sounds of the advancing constructs and their inhabitants fell to the sound of the ground tearing up from under the feet of Vincent's men. Thick black spires of death tore up and into the unsuspecting soldiers, stabbing randomly into those unfortunate enough to be caught. The ones that died instantly were the lucky ones, as the rest were pulled up off their feet and left suspended, screaming in pain.

"So," The Other snarled as he leaned in close to Vincent, extending not a care for the humans that encroached outside Jasmine's barrier. "Do you hear them now?"

[Fillion "Fateseeker" Avalure]

While many of the armed riders atop the plants took an aggressive stance against the group of suspicious wanderers below, a scruffy looking vagrant stirred awake, licking his parched lips as he opened his eyes. "Whuzzat? You guys get some food? I'm hungry as a hound." Stretching out and scratching himself unabashedly, he stumbled forward to see what all the commotion was about. "Come on come on, I've been on this damn thing for a week and I'm getting tired of berries. What'd you guys catch?" Catching an eyeful of the strangers below he took a handful of his beard in hand and rubbed it as he looked with curiousity.

Well well, looks like the fates have at last given me a reward for my patience. Waaaaay better than a little scrap of meat. Strolling up to one of the warriors he poked him in side, causing the man to shriek in surprise. "Hey, what's up?"

"Get back civilian, we've just captured some dangerous prisoners. One of them looks to be a demon from Duo himself, but they're being protected by some powerful magic. Our weapons can't even touch it. O-oh my god!" The man stumbled back as the Ignisian soldiers died to the dark spires, his eyes wide with terror. Fillion gasped too, but while fear took him he couldn't help but feel the thrilling rush of discovery pull him closer.

Well now, you did reward me greatly. Tell me what you would have me do. He palmed an old battered coin from a small pouch on his belt, rolling it across his fingers once before he held it to rest over his thumb. Heads, I talk. Tails, I wait. With a flick of his digit the coin sprang skyward, twirling several times before he snatched it from the air, pressed it against the back of his palm and peeked. "Well, this ought to be good." Feeling just a hint of disappointment he snatched the coin back up, crossed his arms and held back, waiting as directed till something happened.

[vincent]

Vincent's eyes widened, his peripherals giving him enough of a view to know he'd lost just about all of his squad quite suddenly, the screaming The Other spoke of filling the air as sharp as the spires that tore through the soldiers' flesh. Where he wasn't rattled to know these mens' lives were lost, his composure for The Other's actions definitely was.

"Oh that is it, you son of a bitch!" he snarled, both hands gripping his sword as the fire-coated blade fiercely (or at least attempted to) burned at The Other's flesh. With all of his might and a lot more focusing all of his energies on his now-dubbed nemesis Vincent ripped his sword from the beast's hand and swung again, a wave of fire tearing itself from the blade and charging into The Other with Vincent following as quickly as the fire dispersed to land him with a series of blows. Those of his own men who weren't dead and able to move yet had the first challenge of calming their own nerves seeing the horrific sting in front of them and knowing they'd narrowly avoided that, their next was getting the balls to either join in with their Captain in attacking the thing or daring to tell their Captain "screw this, we're out of here." In the heat of the moment, it was in varying ways hard to tell what could be worse.

Three men stood hesitating when Vincent barked at them, "Get the hell in here!" One chose quite the opposite and ran and the other two charged in on command only because 'the other one's doing it', positioning themselves on either side of The Other to attack with a spitting of fire magic and blades themselves.

[glitters]

As the hostile people swarmed the barrier she'd put up, Jasmine couldn't help but thank her own intuition for making the call that she did. She had a very shocked if not hurtful look on her as the people called out false accusations about them all being scouts for evil, and if that weren't already hard enough trying to diffuse the situation calmly Dios's final comments before abandoning them snapped Jasmine's last thread of patience for good.

"Shut up!" she shouted behind her, basically at nothing at all, though desperately hoping that somewhere he heard it, the big jerk. It was one thing for him to harass Andy this whole adventure through--he even made some scary points of his own that Jasmine couldn't shake and that was already hard enough to handle for the young girl--now it spoke way more to Jasmine against Dios when they were clearly being attacked by this large grouping of people and he disappears instead of helping. Maybe he had a good reason, maybe he didn't, right now wasn't the time for petty anything, though!

"H-hold on, now!" she turned back to the people in front of the barrier in a desperate attempt to explain themselves, "we're not..."

Then the blood-curdling screams happened, for a moment shocking Jasmine as she first assumed someone managed to somehow magic their way in through her barrier. Her gaze turned to her father and the area and her own eyes widened in terror seeing their own allies needlessly die in front of them.

"Andy!" she shrieked, her attention being constantly pulled from those trying to get into the barrier to presumably kill them, and to the bloody fight going on in the barrier with them. She couldn't be everywhere at once, she couldn't even properly gauge what was most important right now with her father (a given note of importance despite his endless list of issues) being the next in line to be impaled by The Other and the mob thinking they were the evil ones. And they probably looked pretty evil right now.

[The Other]

"Ahhh, hahahaha, insanity it is then!" The Other chuckled madly as Vincent's blade tore through his hand, leaving it carved from palm to webbing and glowing slightly amber from the heat of his sword.

"Oh have I missed this. Well, not this mind you, "He said as he gestured towards his shredded hand "but I think you get the drift!" As the wave of fire rushed towards him the Other tried to step aside only to realize that he seemed to be stuck in place. Oh, right... It was all he could do to remember that he was grounded by the tendrils that he had thrust into the ground and through Vincent's men before he was bathed in flames.

"AHHHHHHH! Oh gods it hurts it hurts! Damn you! Damn youuuuuuu!" The Other screamed in agony, his body shaking left and right frantically. The flames continued to lick at him, and as Vincent advanced with blade at the ready he brought up his massive arms to endure the blows, each one leaving a noticeable gash. "Oh damn you you miserable man! Damn you...you idiot." The pain in his voice vanished in an instant, replaced by a tone palpable with ire. Drawing his head up he threw his arms out at the captain, following up with a thrusting of his chest, a gesture that would have been pointless had it not been for the slew of tendrils that burst out from it. Each one lunged out for the man, seeking to ensnare whatever body part they could get their undulating form on. At the same time the Other's arms had morphed into a set of long terrible claws, their wide reach cutting a swath through the air and towards Vincent's men.