Sweeping Darkness (IC) - Open

[Darkmoon]

The open fields stretch onwards for hours, desolate. Although the villagers had given warning that there were dangerous creatures out in the landscape, none could be seen. Those in the group that thought about it could have surmised that either the creatures were afraid of a band of adventurers this large, or that maybe they were nocturnal creatures.

The more pessimistic simply assumed that the creatures hadn't noticed the group yet.

By about mid day, the horizon revealed the decaying remnants of a decently-large town -- one of many presumed ghost towns that scatter the countryside.

[Ghostwish]

Malcurth stopped for a moment as they approached the town, eying it with concern.. "That is a fairly large settlement to be just abandoned like that.. In my years of adventuring, this usually signals a plague or oncoming army of some sort.." He says, and looks back at the rest of the group.. "Is this part of our destination?" He asks..

He does more than look at the town, however.. He tries to see if his sensitive snout can detect anything unusual coming from the town..

[familyghost]

"No it's not..." Aeo said as he looked at the abandoned town.  "It was a point of interest though."  Aeo turned to Tarson.  "Looks like we get to investigate a ghost town anyway."

He was still wary of Mal keeping the demonic power secret, but he decided he really couldn't hold a grudge; after all if anyone in the group knew he was descended from they might not have been willing to give him a chance at all.  He decided to hang back to the rear where Armita usually hung out, he was getting bored up front and the boy amused him, especially when Aeo got him to freak out.

"So Armi..." Aeo smiled, the next part he whispered to Armita.  "...What's your plan of attack on wooing Ms. Aire?" Aeo decided to bring up the old conversation that had gotten a good chuckle earlier.

[Lushin]

Tarson survade the town then looked back at the group.
"Well who wants to go see the spooky town?"
He looked around then back at the group, eyeing everyone in the group.
"The way I figure it, we either all go in and check the town out or we send a small group into it scout the place out. What do you all think?"

[Azlan]

The elf sighted the nearest building off the small scope on her rifle, "I am curious, but things do frequently hide in buildings and the area could be a wonderful ambush point." 

[techmaster-glitch]

   DFX looks to Tarson. "I recommend we avoid the town entirely. There is no quality it possesses that will aid us in completing our objective. Attempting to investigate will only waste time that could be better utilized proceeding to our target."
   He paused for a moment. "However, if we must move through the town, I recommend dispatching my bother ahead of us. He has the highest likelyhood of surviving any possible ambush that could be awaiting us."
   Tank rumbled up behind DFX. "What makes you think I'll do that, brother?"
   DFX didn't even look behind him. "It is uncomplicated. You will traverse the town in a linear path. Should there be any obstacle impeding your progress, you may demolish it. Should you be assaulted, you may obliterate your assailants. You derive pleasure from these activities. You are exceedingly resitant to a majority forms of attack. Therefore, you are best suited for this task."
   "I hate that you know me so well."

[Lushin]

Tarson looked at DFX after he spoke.
"You have a point there"
Tarson then looked at Aire.
"Do we have to go in there or is what we're after on the other side?"

[Azlan]

The elf shrugged as she answered Tarson's question, "the most direct route is directly through town, but we can go all the way around the town.  That will take longer of course." 

[Ghostwish]

The incubus remained quiet for a moment, silently regarding the town before he turned back to the others.. "I will follow Tank in.." He announces flatly. "We should not go around, for if danger lurks within this town, it opens us to an attack from behind, and we should not split up, but if we must, no one should be unaccompanied.." He says simply, walking back to the group.. "So I shall follow our big metal friend in."

One of these days, that cat is gonna learn to hide his age. One of these days.

[Omega]

"I don't think attacking her directly is a very smart thing" Armita answered to Aeo's question with child's honesty and sincerity. "She seems more than able to carry her in combat and that add weapon that she wields tells from destructive power, probably based on light magic. Because she uses light magic, I could neglect it by my dark magic, probably even jam the device with a right spell such as 'Hallowed Shadow' or 'Umbra et Incognitos', then again, if she would have the initiative, her spells would probably be equally dreadful to me as their effect and medium..." The boy blushed as he realized the true meaning of Aeo's question. Even if he's face was still covered by dirt, the bright red was all but visible on his face. He quickly turned away from the thiefling and tried to grasp the matter of what to do with the abandoned town.

[Lushin]

Tarson seemed to stretches out abit and then looked back at the group.
"Right then. Mel, Tank you two are with me. We're gonna go pay alitte visit to this town. Maybe there will be something in there we could use. The rest of you wait here and keep an eye out for anything. We'll try to send a signal when it's safe"
Tarson starts to approach the town.

[Darkmoon]

The town is quite deserted. Old building site along a dusty, partially over-grown street. Some of the biggest buildings (the old inn included) had given to age and the elements and had collapsed upon themselves.

Barely a sound travels through the town. The place smells and feels dead.

[Ghostwish]

Malcurth swept his eyes over the town, and sniffed carefully at the air, before huffing lightly.. "Dare I say it? It is quiet. Too quiet." He says, looking about again. "And it is so still.. Where are the scavengers? The squatters and the stragglers? Where are the wild animals?" He asks. "This is all very, very wrong.."

But then, something tickles his nose.. "Wait.." He says, and then promptly points towards the north end of town. "There.. something.. is alive. That is all I can tell from this range.."

[Lushin]

Tarson looked around the town then in the direction Mal had pointed.
"We where told there wasn't much in the way of life around here"
Tarson looked at Mal and Tank then in the direction. It was clear he was thinking.
"Ok I'm gonna head north. You two wait about 30 seconds and then head in that direction. I'm gonna scout ahead and see what I can find. I figure 30 seconds will give me a good enough time to find out what it may be"
Tarson took off heading north. It was clear he was trying to be stealthy.

[techmaster-glitch]

   Tank stood next to Malcurth, but he was not exactly 'still'. His giant metal hands kept tightening on the shaft of his greathammer, and he was swaying to and fro, very slowly, and in tiny increments. He said nothing, but it was still all to obvious to Mal that he clearly wanted to all-out charge and rumble with something, if Tarson was indeed going to find anything. Who knew a construct could actually have an anxious tic?

[Ghostwish]

The anxious movements of Tank were not lost to Malcurth, who's tail was irritability twitching back and forth. "What did I say about wandering off alone?" He muttered angerly, briefly pacing back and forth in front of Tank, before looking up at the massive construct.. "How long do you think we should give him? Five minutes? Ten minutes?" He asled, peering off in the direction Tarson had left in.. "Enough, I say we should follow him now." He announced, and began following after Tarson..

[e_voyager]

Enigma watched the rest of the group with detached interested. it was odd how this things fell apart if there was no strong leadership and while Tarson was definitely a decent leader he also clearly didn't want the job. yet enigma like the others knew that with out a leader they would suffer diminished chance for survival. it was funny the way sapient being were much like herd animals. sheep if you were.

the image of sheep wondering lost with out a strong ram or header  seemed to dominated Enigma's thoughts as he wondered about these things. it also made him absentmindedly remember that he was getting hungry

[familyghost]

Aeo sat down not long after Tarson left with Tank and Malcurth.  He wasn't to worried about Tarson or the new guy since they had Tank with them and anything stupid enough to attack would likely not live to regret it.  Instead he was more focused on how boring it became after they split up.

"So who want's to hear a campfire story?" Aeo said with a bored yawn.

[e_voyager]

I'll listen" said enigma making a note to carry more recording equipment when he traveled who knew this story might hod some interesting legends or clues as to what was coming.

[Azlan]

Aire continued to keep watch, scanning the area with her weapon and keeping a low-level presence sense up.  She had heard the discussion between Armita and Aeo, but serious situations had crept up and now was not the time for her to play.

[Lushin]

Tarson stoud in the road hopeing Tank and Mal where coming. He saw them coming up the street and waved to them. Once they got close he put a finger over his mouth to signal them to be quiet. Well as quiet as Tank could be. Once they got close he whispered.
"Thanks for joining the party. Mal that life force you felt is a dieing giant wolf in that building *points to the jail* It's trap in a bunch of spider webs and looks like the back half of it has been eaten or something. We may be able to skirt around it and get everyone through the town if we stay to the south. But *looks at both Tank and Mal* that would be the boring way to do it. Who wants to see what's in that building?"

[Ghostwish]

Malcurth grins,  bring up one of his paws, and causing a small flame to dance about his fingers with a flicker of his will.. "On a normal day, spiders do not like fire. I say we should investigate." He says, and then appears thoughtful for a moment.. "Do you think we should bring the others along? The more the merrier, but we might lose our element of surprise."

[Omega]

Armita sat down, took his spellbook and started turning the pages, clearly looking for something. Two corws landed on his shoulders to follow his searching.

[Lushin]

Tarson got a evil smile on his face.
"Let's see we got fire and electricity and it that doesn't work Tank can just smash them with his hammer"
Tarson then looked up at Tank.
What do you say big guy, wanna go in and see what ya can smash or just destroy the building and see what happens? Or do do you think we could get the others?"

[familyghost]

"Aw come on..." Aeo pouted lightly as everyone but Enigma seemed to ignore him.  "Well fine then... your loss it's great story."  Aeo smiled as he sat his pack on the ground and used it as a small pillow.  "Wake me when they get back... or when a huge monster comes crashing after us."

[techmaster-glitch]

   Tank did not move for a moment after Tarson's inquiry of 'go in building and smash, or smash building'. However, it was a very short moment, then a feeling of happy maliciousness seemed to emanate from the living construct.
   He spoke only two words. "Get. Down."
   Without further ado, he adjusted his grip on the greathammer, took a stance, and swung the thing in a wide horizontal arc to the left.
   Half the wall they were standing at of the wooden building simply disintegrated from the action. Tank then swung his hammer to the left, upward-diagonally, and a good chunk of the roof vanished in a shower of splinters.
   It now looked as if a section of the building simply had a bite taken out of it by a giant, and Tank had his greathammer in a position behind his back where, if he saw anything move, he could bring it down in an overhead vertical pound. If not, then he could continue his merry destruction.


   DFX didn't even look up as the first sound of something being demolished reached the group from the town. "Judging by this cacophony," He said in his monotonous voice, "I would conclude that my brother has discovered an obstacle worthy of his attention."

[Lushin]

Tarson jumped clear as Tank started swinging at the building. Tarson move towards whatever open was still standing. He readied a charge to his arm incase anything climbed out of the buidling. He also spoke to Mal without looking at him.
"Get something ready. Looks like we're the clean up crew"

[Ghostwish]

Malcurth cringed, and ducked out of the way of Tank's instant can of carnage (just add sledgehammer), and then promptly watched as the house got an extreme makeover. "Well, I suppose the quickest way to find out if there are hornets in a hornet nest would be much the same as that method right there, lovingly displayed by our construct friend."

"Best get the bug repellent out then, I suppose.." The incubus says as he raises his palm in front of him and towards the house as his paw becomes enveloped in flickering flames.. He was prepared to throw a line of fire first, and resort to the more explosive fireballs second.. He merely thought it would be a good idea NOT to torch the entire city.

[Darkmoon]

With everyone focused on the house, they weren't prepared when a giant spider-like-creature lplowed into Malcurth from behind.

[Ghostwish]

You know, if you weren't concealing your nature, you could have easily seen that coming..

Shutup.

Just a thought.

Now, with Snowfur knocked prone on his front by the ambush, and rolling over to find a pair of very large arachnid teeth not too far from his bodily persona, he did what any sensible, level-headed sorcerer would do in his situation..

He lit up a massive gout of flame right in its face before scrambling to his feet and away from the probably not very happy spider. (At least not with him.)