InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "kiss me i'm contagious"

allura_dawnstar (allura_dawnstar) wrote in ampfe,
@ 2014-04-23 23:10:00

Allura, Crusader of the Zakharem faith, crouched down upon the desert sands. The sand was red, and churned like butter. A battle, no, a slaughter had taken place here. Remnants of once living beings scattered the field of red. Around them the wind billowed, blowing sand in every which direction.

Beneath her plate armor, the blonde woman sweated profusely. It caused her to feel as dirty and grimy as a street begger, and the sand that was somehow finding it's way through the cracks of her armor did not help how she felt at all. Whatever had happened here, there were trails of blood leading away from here.

"Shall we follow?" she looked up and asked, smirking behind her helm, for it was a rhetorical question. Of course they would follow.

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captain_ahayla
2014-04-24 06:30 am UTC (link)

Ahayla closed her eyes for a moment, letting Allura do what she was doing in the sand. It wasn't hard to want to rest when the scorching sun was beating down on them, and they had to wear plate armor and carry large weapons and heavy shields...the bigger they were, the harder they hit apparently, and theirs seem to be larger than necessary. She was thinking of trading her mace in for a sword instead!

When she was asked a question, she opened her eyes to gaze down at her mentor. Ultimately, it was up to Allura, since she was the one leading them, but Ahayla simply nodded. It was better than not answering the question, and it felt like she had an option and opinion.

Waiting for Allura to get up, she shifted her shield slightlym her mace bumping against it.

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allura_dawnstar
2014-04-24 06:38 am UTC (link)

Allura rose, her head turning sharply at the sound of metal on metal.

"Do try to remain as quiet as possible. Sound carries in the desert."

They had no idea what was out there. This could have been the work of men...or demons. Starting out, Allura followed the trail of blood fearlessly. The further she went, the harder it became to track the trail. The blowing wind was obscuring and covering the trail as time passed.

"We must make haste."

Starting into a jog, she tried to get as far as possible before the trail blew away. Eventually the trail was completely gone, but that didn't seem to matter. Far in the distance was a desert oasis. Whether real or mirage, they would soon find out. They could do with water as well.

"Our destination looms."

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captain_ahayla
2014-04-24 06:46 am UTC (link)

Whoops.

Following Allura, Ahayla would have to put something to keep her mace from hitting her shield. Or find a small shield.

Jogging after the blonde, she was pink in the face and sweating even more when they saw an oasis ahead. Water would definitely do her good! Keeping up with the blonde, despite Allura have longer legs (Ahayla was quicker anyway), Ahayla was more than eager to take some of her armor off in favor of cooling down.

"It seems desolate." She commented, a little breathy. It looked like heaven, but in a bleak way...was something wrong with it?

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allura_dawnstar
2014-04-24 06:53 am UTC (link)

Slowing down, Allura was less interested in the refreshment water might provide than what danger might lurk there. Her eyes scanned for bandits or demons, whatever foulness had drawn blood earlier. Not letting her weariness show, she strode onward. There was only one small shack, dilapidated and run down. All color had been bleached from the wooden boards by the sun.

Pointing at the entrance to the shack near the oasis, the wooden porch was stained red with blood. Long since dried in the desert heat, but a sure sign that this was the lair of whatever stalked this desert. A pitiful wooden door secured the entrance, and once the crusader reached it, she tested it with a nudge from her shield.

"Locked. Would you like the honors, young one?"

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captain_ahayla
2014-04-24 07:01 am UTC (link)

Letting Allura take the lead, Ahayla knew it would be a good time to draw her shield. Especially since they did not know what might be lurking nearby...

Would the water be good for then? Blood on the porch sometimes meant bodies in the water...

Nodding to Allura once more, for she clearly was a more quiet one, Ahayla readied her mace and shield, kicking the door in with her boot easily. The door's lock pretty much shattered with the force, the poor wooden boards splintering.

With shield already protecting her, she was ready for something to attack!

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allura_dawnstar
2014-04-24 07:08 am UTC (link)

Taking a step back and to the side, Allura gave her apprentice room to work. The door soon didn't qualify as such, the sun dried wood brittle and suffering from dry rot. Nothing immediately leaped out at them, so the crusader swept inside. There was only one room, dominated by a large table in the middle. A rickety chair sat in one corner, while a fireplace made of mud or sand bricks lined the far wall. The table was stained red and had bones on it, their source unidentifiable.

"Be on guard," she cautioned softly.

Her mace and shield ready, Allura stalked through the one room shack. There was no sign of the inhabitant, and no other way out. Leaning to her right side, she peered under the table.

"Help me move this table...there appears to be a drainage grate underneath."

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captain_ahayla
2014-04-24 07:16 am UTC (link)

Exploring the room, small as it was, her gaze was ever kept on guarding their backs. It would be easier to do, since Allura was figuring out the point of this mess in the room.

Setting her items down, because she would need to use more force then her older sister, and Allura would be able to protect her if something happened, Ahayla went into apprentice work mode. Huffing slightly, she gripped the edge of the table and pushed, sliding it off the grate.

"Is it just for the blood?" She asked softly, the smell from it making her gag slightly as she took a step or two back.

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allura_dawnstar
2014-04-24 07:27 am UTC (link)

Putting her shield and mace away, Allura gripped her side of the table. The wood of the table was heavier and of better quality than the rest of the shack. Exerting herself to move the table with Ahayla's help, a large metal grate was finally revealed. All the blood from the table that spilled onto the floor ran into it.

"It is large enough for a man or woman to pass through...and it is the only other way out. Either the resident of the shack is out...or they are down."

She looked down at her shorter apprentice. She appeared to be affected by the smell...

"You may remain here and wait for the resident to return. I am going to stick myself in that hole."

With that said, she bent over and grasped the grate. Hauling it off, she dragged it aside. Unfortunately it made a loud, long scraping sound. Only darkness loomed below...but there certainly was a man sized passage descending, but to where?

"Justice must be done."

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captain_ahayla
2014-04-24 07:37 am UTC (link)

Helping Allura down, she made sure the blonde had what she needed. The only problem. How was her shield supposed to fight down? The whole was man-sized, not crusader sized.

"Agreed." The brunette agreed, nodding. She wanted to pull her helmet off, but Ahayla knew better than to do that. Her helmet had come in handy a couple of times before!

She would retrieve her shield and sword when said she was clear in the passage.

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allura_dawnstar
2014-04-24 07:42 am UTC (link)

Having no trouble getting down the passage, the sides were very slippery. Allura didn't dwell on why that was. She fell a ways, landing hard on a hard surface. Drawing flail and shield, she called upon her faith to light the way. They were in a rough hewn stone tunnel, and it led in only one direction...away from the oasis.

"Come down if you are coming. Are you coming, Ahayla?"

Sparing a look upward, the blomde than focused on what lay ahead. Taking a few steps in that direction, the stone floor was stained crimson as well. The trail continued.

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	captain_ahayla 2014-04-24 07:51 am UTC (link)
	Was she not supposed to wait for whoever to return? Deciding it mighg be better to follow, she did so, grimacing as the shocks of ground impact shot through hed shins. Drawing mace and shield, she followed Allura. She didnt like where this was going. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

allura_dawnstar
2014-04-24 08:03 am UTC (link)

Hearing the impact behind her, Allura stopped to look back. It was her apprentice, and not whoever they were tracking. Turning forward again, she started down the tunnel. It went for quite a ways, how far exactly she didn't know. She heard the voices before she saw the light. The voices of men...and women.

The light ahead grew stronger until the tunnel widened and spilled open...upon an ornate ding hall. Richly dressed nobles were being waited upon by servants. The servants were carrying platters of food from a grill and kitchen on the right side of the dining hall. Closed, tall double doors led to some other way into the dining hall, she assumed. At first confused to find a normal sight down here, when she paid closer attention to what was being served, she spied a child's head on a platter, the boy's eyes replaced by boiled eggs and lips peeled back to reveal a mouth full of boiled intestines.

"We have found the beast, and it is us," she murmured before raising her flail. "You know what to do. The unholy murderers must die," she told Ahayla.

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	captain_ahayla 2014-04-24 04:48 pm UTC (link)
	Ahayla managed to keep from gagging this time, but her eyes did water slightly. The child! With the words said, Ahayla grabbed her mace and readied her shield. These people would pay for the murder they had done. Waiting for her mentor to lead the charge, Ahayla fortified herself and prepared for what was to come. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

allura_dawnstar
2014-04-25 05:22 am UTC (link)

"Cover the main door. That is where they shall flee to. Let none escape justice."

Brandishing her flail, Allura screamed her battlecry and hurried into battle. The cannibalistic nobles stopped their feast, evidently shocked at the appearance of an armed and armored stranger. The form of the servants shifted as they dropped what they were doing. Turning into serpentine demons with humanoid upper halves and a long snake tail for their lower halves, they brandished tridents.

The very Human nobles screamed and ran for the closed double doors to escape. Swinging her flail, allura smashed the head of one demon, then let loose a blast of lightning from the heavens that burnt alive three more. The demons were totally fixed upon her, as she hoped. Her apprentice could handle a riot of pampered nobles, she was certain.

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captain_ahayla
2014-04-27 11:12 am UTC (link)

Allura was right, they did try to flee towards the doors, and to that Ahayla could only bash some with her shield and send them flying towards the rest of the nobles, knocking them to the ground.

She was also right that Ahayla could handle them.

It wasn't a pretty sight, Ahayla was bludgeoning them to death. She was definitely getting a sword... this was taking too long for one, and secondly, Ahayla was not liking the feeling or look of having to do so.

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allura_dawnstar
2014-04-28 08:03 am UTC (link)

Swinging her flail and blocking blows with her shield, Allura used all the holy wrath at her command to dispose of the foul demons polluting the world. Even when her limbs burned with exhaustion, she did not stop until she was splattered and surrounded by demon blood. No demons remained except as corpses.

Taking a few deep breaths, the blonde turned her head to check on her apprentice. She did not move to intrude on Ahayla's battle, but allowed the younger woman to finish the fight herself. While she waited, she took note of the burning braziers that shed light on the dining hall.

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captain_ahayla
2014-04-29 10:05 am UTC (link)

When the final noble fell, Ahayla heaved a deep breath. The air was heavy with the scent of blood, but the task had been completed. Putting her shield and mace back, Ahayla wiped her face with her bracer, only smearing more blood on her cheek.

Closing her eyes, she had to recenter herself before she even approached her mentor.

"What is it?" She asked quietly, looking up at the tall blonde. Allura knew more about the stuff they were doing than she did.

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allura_dawnstar
2014-04-29 09:01 pm UTC (link)

Studying the hall they found themselves in, the braziers kept sticking in her mind. A plan formed there, as crazy as it seemed. But it felt as if it was the right thing to do for those who had been murdered by the cannibalistic nobles.

"We cannot hope to bury the innocent dead...but we can cremate them. We shall use the braziers to set fire to the hall, then return to the hovel above the end of the tunnel."

Moving about the hall, Allura gathered anything easily combustible and placed it over the remains of the...banquet. Grabbing a brazier, she threw it onto the dining table. She repeated this for the kitchen tables, knowing that soon the wood paneled walls would help turn the hall into a inferno.

"Let us leave before the smoke chokes us."

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	captain_ahayla 2014-05-02 05:38 am UTC (link)
	Ahayla helped with the task of finding fuel for the fire. It wasnt a difficult task, amd when completed, they left promptly. Thankfully. She had not felt uneasy about such a task in a long time. That they would go to such lengths to harm children is disgusting. Emerging above ground again, she knew they would have to burn the run down hovel down as well. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

allura_dawnstar
2014-05-02 06:06 am UTC (link)

The tunnel was already filling with smoke by the time they reached the end of it. Giving the shorter Ahayla a boost up to the drainage shoot. It was harder getting up than done the drain, as it's walls were slippery and slimy. Up above, black smoke poured out of the drain, as if chasing after the two women vengefully.

"Gather the remains of the door. Pile it against a wall," Allura told her apprentice before coughing.

Maybe the smell of the smoke would cover the smell of the drain on them? Going to the fireplace, she piled the firewood nearby in the hearth. Lighting the fire, she got it good and hot before grabbing another piece of wood and letting one end catch fire.

"Are you ready?"

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captain_ahayla
2014-05-10 08:55 pm UTC (link)

Ahayla heaved herself up, closing her eyes as she shook off the tears that were stung out of her from the black smoke. "Okay." She nodded, getting to her feet. Coughing a couple of times, she started piling everything she could move to the wall as per Allura's request.

"Yes." Opening the door for their exit, she waited for her mentor to come as well. Looking out, she didn't want to think about what they had just seen and encountered. It was horrific. But it was their work.

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allura_dawnstar
2014-05-11 06:34 am UTC (link)

Hardened by the many horros she had witnessed as a Crusader, Allura had already put the terrible crime they encountered behind her. Crossing the shack, she held the burning log to the pile of dry wood Ahayla had made by the wall. Once the pile had caught fire, she dropped the log and turned away.

"Let us leave this vile place to burn."

Passing her sister, she exited the smoke filled shack. Coughing as her smoke filled lungs protested the hot and dry but clean air of outside, the bright light stung her eyes. she had become unaccustomed to the light and fresh air after their ordeal underground. Even with the fire raging behind them, inside had felt less hot than outside beneath the unrelenting sun.

"Let us refill our canteens and make our way back towards the city."

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captain_ahayla
2014-05-12 09:30 am UTC (link)

Easily folliwing Allura's lead, Ahayla wasn't going to protest her sister's suggestions. No way. Leaving the place was definitely the first thing on her mind.

Following Allura to the nearest source of drinkable, uncontaminated water, she refilled her canteen. How long would it take for them to trek to the city where she could bathe and they could rest..

"Are we required to do aything when we get to the city?" Ahayla planned to sleep....

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allura_dawnstar
2014-05-12 09:48 am UTC (link)

The oasis was right there, so they didn't have far to go. Allura checked it for signs of contamination or demonic corruption first. There was no sign of either, so she dumped out the remaining warm water from her canteen and refilled it with the crisp, cool water of the oasis.

"We just discovered a cannibalistic cult amongst the nobility of the city that has ties to demons and you have to ask that?"

The blonde gave her apprentice a disbelieving look.

"We shall be busier than ever investigating. The duty of a Crusader never stops. This is all the rest we shall have."

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captain_ahayla
2014-05-12 07:05 pm UTC (link)

Ahayla nodded. She knew that was likely to be the answer since Allura was always the business type when it came to making sure their work is done.

Nodding, she closed her eyes and refilled her container, then splashed her face with the water to cool herself down.

"And where will we begin?" She asked, looking to Allura. It was a broad aspect to think about, she was already trying to figure out where the best place to start will be.