A Hero's Resolve (Phoenix City Chronicles)

The member 'Cellus' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd20' : 10

By the time Tal had finished his morning kata, the woman he wanted to see most had left the beach, her mind twisted by a dark presence.



"Ah, ready to greet the day I am!," Tal smiled to the rising sun and wiped the sweat from his brow.

As he exited the woods and headed down the path to town, Tal immediately wheeled around to face the beach, eyes narrowing.

'This dark presence, I have felt before...'

~~~~~~~

Back in town, Cellus had made her way toward the pub. Just outside, Knuckles and Burk faced each other in a fighting stance, a competitive but friendly grin on their faces, as a small crowd gathered around.



"This won't be like holding your liquor," Burk drew his sword, holding the blunt end toward his comrade, "Here you actually have to have some skill."



"Oh don't worry, I can take anything you can throw," Knuckles put up his dukes.

Cellus moved to the front of the crowd, looking between the two men with the same malicious grin that was totally unlike her former self, 'Let the boys have their fun, this will be easier when they are tired..." she thought and let out a small giggle.

The two fighters took a running start at each other, and the sparring match began!

As fist met blade, a lesser man would have been torn in two, or at least knocked out, by Burk's impressive strength, but Knuckles actually managed to grapple the blunt end of the blade in his bare hands and catch himself by his feet, slowing the grasslander's momentum to a standstill.



"Not bad!," Burk laughed, "But can you block... THIS?!"

Jumping back, he thrust his mighty blade into the ground, sending a crack hurtling toward Knuckles which knocked him off-balance.



"Lucky shot!," Knuckles picked himself up with a scoff, but Burk was already on the attack, swatting the young man with his sword like a bat to a ball, sending him skidding across the ground.

Twitching as he recovered from the harsh landing, Knuckles rose only into a crouch, his breathing hard.

"Giving up already?," Burk walked over, sword in one hand, and a confident smile on his face.

"Just... GETTING WARMED UP!," Knuckles grinned almost viciously, leaping like a tiger into the air, where he seemed to almost hover in slow motion as he came down, fist pulled back, and let it go in a direct swing that connected right between Burk's eyes, knocking the dazed grasslander out cold.

"I still got it!," he rubbed his fist with a cocky grin.

~~~~~~~
Luck Roll (NPC Battle)
Rolling d100: result = 11

1-50 = Knuckles wins
51-100 = Burk wins
~~~~~~~

The member 'Narrator' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd100' : 11

Cellus clapped slowly as she stepped out of the crowd, "Nice job, Knuckles," she said with a sultry smile, a flirtacious swing in her hips. "I had my money on you the entire time," she said softly, lifting a hand to walk her fingers up the fighter's chest.

"Yeah, well, when you're good you're good," Knuckles boasted, "So where's Tal? I figured when he went outta town and you went after that you guys'd be meeting up."

Cellus did her best to hide the stormy anger the flashed across her face at the mention of Tal's name, "Oh, I must have missed him at some point or another, what a pity," she breathed, moving closer and closer to Knuckles.

"Uh, Cellus, you feeling okay?," Knuckles asked with a puzzled expression as she seemed to throw herself right at him.

"I feel fine, Knucles, but..." Cellus paused for a moment, forming her plan. She knew she had to get Knuckles away from the group, and was pretty she new how. A look of panic came over her face, "It's Kaylea, s-she collasped, and-and I don't know whats wrong!" she cried, "Quick, you have to help me!" she said. grabbing him by the arm and trying to drag him away.

"Oh no, I shouldn't have left her!," Knuckles cried with panic evident in his voice, following hastily after Cellus, "Is she breathing?! You see any blood?!"

Cellus dragged Knuckles down an empty alleyway before stopping in her tracks. She turned slowly, the malicious grin returning, "No... but you will," she said, her voice no longer her own, but that of Jacen's! At that a smothering black smoke poured out of her mouth, enveloping the unsuspecting fighter.

~~~~~~~
Mysterious Person executes Possession on Knuckles (Combines with Enhance Magic)
~ Rolling Magic check; result = 11
~ ~ 11 + Magic 24 + Enhance Magic 4 = 39 total
~~~~~~~

The member 'Cellus' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd20' : 11

As the mist surrounded him, Knuckles tried to fight it off like he would any other opponent, swinging desperately to bat it away, "Get off me!"

Falling to the ground, Knuckles tensed every muscle as he tried to fight off the evil influence, mouth wide open in a silent cry of protest, eyes wide with terror as the surrounding eyelids turned a darkened color.

"I won't... give up!," Knuckles vowed through gritted teeth, the last of his resistance struggling with all its might, "I... won't... ehehehe... hahahahaha!"



Rising to his feet, 'Knuckles' brushed himself off, turning to look at Cellus with a Jacen-like smile, "Well that was short-lived. They're almost making this too easy."

~~~~~~~
Knuckles resists Possession
~ Rolling Resistance check; result = 20
~ ~ 20 + Resistance 8 = 28 total (failed)

Cellus becomes Pawn via Evil Seed
~~~~~~~

The member 'Narrator' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd20' : 20

Cellus let out a cackle of glee at her master's success, "Shall we see if our large friend has rejoined the land of the living, Master?" she murmured, a sultry smile creeping across her face.

"Do let's!," Jacen cackled with Knuckles' voice, looking to the pub with a suddenly serious expression, "Once Burk has been converted, we'll have to hurry to meet Mr. Kadorin before he finds us. It seems that..."

Glaring down at a bracelet on Knuckles' wrist, Jacen continued, "This item works as some sort of thought communicator. The bastard has already guessed my plan and is on his way. Pity... I would have liked to convert the others as well, but there will be time for that once he's been disposed of."

"However, there is time for one more thing before we go," he smirked, unable to resist having a little fun with his pawn. With a few gestures of his hands, he made a tight leather suit appear out of thin air, falling into Cellus' arms, "Do show me what you'll look like standing at the forefront of my army."

"Gladly," Cellus purred, slowly slipping off her dress right in front of Jacen with no shame. She took her time putting on her new attire, letting her master enjoy the show. "Like what you see, Master?" she asked when she was done, tredding her dress into the dirt as she spun around to give him the full view.

Strutting up to the shapely grasslander, Jacen cupped her buttocks in his now very large hands, looking down at her as if she were a fancy weapon in need of admiring, "I like. Now, do be a dear and make sure Mr. Kadorin gets his rest while I bring Burk up to speed. After all, we'll want him wide awake for the show!"

Cellus let out a gleeful giggle, standingon tip-toe to share a passionate kiss with her master, "Of course, Master, though how much rest he's going to get is debatable," she said over her shoulder as she left the alley, a seductive swing in her hips.

Tal could see the town just up the hill from the path he was walking when a figure on that path caught his attention, "Cellus! Not safe here, it is! Gather the others, we must, to combat a deadly threat."

Cellus flashed Tal a flirtatious smile as she drew closer, that seductive swing still in her hips, "What's the matter, hun? Did something happen?" she asked softly.

"Cellus... new clothes, you have!," Tal noted with an impressed grin as she embraced him, instinctively holding her in turn, but his expression grew serious in an instant at her question, "A dark cloud, over this town hangs. An old enemy long thought vanquished."

"Hun, I don't sense anything wrong with the town, you worry to much..." Cellus murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck, and without warning, capturing his mouth in a passionate kiss. At that moment, she brought her fingers into a pinscer motion on the back of her fellow grasslander's neck, letting him fall in a heap to the ground, "You need to learn how to relax, dear."

Tal fell with a shocked expression to the ground, but this was only the beginning of his torment...