[Playthings] (Narrated Open RP)

[@sylverdubs]

Fangs stooped low enough for Kat to easily step into his cupped hands, apparently fully confident in the ability of the other two that they would keep the construct's attention elsewhere. As soon as felt her weight, he heaved up, attempting to launch Kat onto the construct.

Kat had a different plan in mind though and despite the mighty shove, she managed to hook her hand around a spiky pauldron. The strength of the shove nearly tore her arm out of her socket but Kat had good reflexes and she held on. There was a moment of awkward fumbling as she swung up and over Fang's spiked head, narrowly avoiding getting skewered. Both feet landed on his upper back, one hand still holding on and braced on a pauldron. The construct had her back to her, trying ineffectually to smite Kieg. There was only one thing left for Kat to do.

She used the argonian's back as a springboard. Bending her legs she pushed off of Fangs, soaring through the air.

The argonian stumbled forward, not expecting that and landed on his face, his large maul skittering away on the ground... 

[𝐊𝐀𝐓 ᴀᴋᴀ 𝓡𝓮𝓭 𝓥𝓲𝓹𝓮𝓻]

"f***ker might zap me!" she cried, as she spun around on the Argonian's back.

Kat grunted sharply. She knew she'd be feeling her shoulder later. No time to worry about it now, though.

"JUST GO HOOMAN!" he snarled back in a loud, impatient tone, wrestling with his confusion and frustration.

"FINE!"

"f***k me", she muttered, knowing Fangs was right. Now wasn't the time to second guess.

She didn't notice the fact Fangs went sprawling. She was too busy admiring how much air she got on her own, using him as a springboard, timing it with Shari's lightening attack, hoping it would buy her a few extra seconds... just in case it did have the ability to zot her once she got on it.

The woman skittered briefly upon landing, her boots hitting the metal surface hard and sliding a bit, legs bending. Was hard to make a delicate landing on a moving metal surface, after all. As her foot slipped, however, it soon gained a secure purchase. Her thigh muscles tensed and flexed as her left hand curled and gripped around another point.

She made it to its back. With a few movements, she made it up to its shoulders, laughing like a mad woman. This was actually fun.

From her vantage point, she glimpsed the others, only then not seeing Fangs.

Where the f***k did he go? she wondered with growing irritation. "FANGS!"

Grunting again, she pulled her dagger out with her right hand, seeing if she could drive it into its neck, or any sensitive points nearby.

[Kieg]

((Got a lot going on, will get back to this as soon as I can!))

[Kieg]

Shari's electrical storm envelops the construct's lower body, crackling up along it's legs as far as it's segmented waist. It is hard to discern the effects of the discharge in a creature not of flesh and blood, but for the moment the construct's advance towards Kieg is halted as its legs remain fixed to the floor, seemingly beyond its power to move.

The machine twists and reaches backward, grabbing unsuccessfully at Viper as she finds purchase on it's back and shoulders, but the golem's articulation is not sufficient and it merely grasps at the air as Viper looks for a vulnerable gap in it's armor. In the space of a second she finds one; a delicate-looking cluster of thin cables and pulleys, visible in a gap between the armored plates where the construct's armored shoulders meet with it's back. The space is just wide enough that a well-timed and well-placed blade could probably snick through a number of the thin cables, and hopefully wreak some havoc with the machine's functioning.

Suddenly, a dreadfully familiar voice screeches from the entrance of the chamber. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE??"

Archmagister Verranatis Krexx stands in the doorway, gripping his staff in fury. His thin, unpleasant face is twisted up in anger and incredulity.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE??" He shouts again. "THE KEY IS MINE!! THIS QUEST IS MINE!!! GET AWAY!!"

A number of figures that stand behind the archmage; A pair of male Altmer, warriors by the armor and weapons they carry. From what is visible beneath their helms, they have the look of twins. A Redguard woman with a bow stands a few feet back from them and a Khajiit crouches further back, blades in hand.

Archmagister Krexx points towards you with his staff. "Destroy them!" he command his companions, "and get me my key."

[꧁ 𝓢𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓲'𝓐𝓭𝓾𝓷𝓮 ꧂]

Shari had barely any time to feel proud at being able to help with the construct, before Krexx appeared shouting behind her.

Yelping, she spun around, wide-eyed at the sight of him, and his new friends. She stood like a deer caught in the headlights for a moment, the man's second screech snapping her out of it.

"N-No Sir! P-Please STAY BACK!" her eyes swept over him, and his company, pleadingly.

"LADY!" she called out as loud as she could, voice ringing with high alarm.

Fixing her attention back on Krexx and his friends, she planted her feet, facing them squarely, hoping the arch mage would be of some help holding them back.

Clenching her jaw, she slammed her staff hilt down, and a large portion of the floor between them erupted with giant ice shards, the air about them instantly chilling - which would cause anyone trying to go through it to become cold enough to be slowed down for a short time.

[𝐊𝐀𝐓 ᴀᴋᴀ 𝓡𝓮𝓭 𝓥𝓲𝓹𝓮𝓻]

Kat had been basking in her own brilliance, at finding a location that would likely take down the construct and net them the key, when she heard the yell, which caused her well aimed strike to skitter off to the side, missing the mark. It left her scrambling to regain purchase.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE??"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE??" He shouts again. "THE KEY IS MINE!! THIS QUEST IS MINE!!! GET AWAY!!"

Archmagister Krexx pointed toward the others with his staff. "Destroy them!" he commanded to his companions, "and get me my key."

"Oh fer f***ks sakes." Kat seethed to herself, balking in disbelief. This couldn't be happening. Just when she was about to win the day, HE had to show up. Her eyes narrowed. And he brought friends.

Scanning the number of extra people that were now approaching, she glanced about for her own companions. Shari was trying to help, but would only likely buy them a couple of minutes. Kieg was still occasionally in view below, yet she still didn't know where the lizard was.

No matter.

"NORD! We got f***king company! Head toward our new friends. We want them to dance too, so piss the construct off, then FALL BACK, make sure it attacks them instead!" She knew, even as amazing as she was, there was no way she and the others could handle the new bunch of idiots AND the construct at the same time, so she would use use the machine against them. For now, anyway.

"FANGS!" she still didn't know where he was, but was betting he could at least hear her. "Don't engage the construct, keep an eye on the new sh*ts that are here, and attack THEM when an opportunity presents itself!"

'Their' mage would have to deal with Krexx- or she hoped he would, anyway. She guessed they were both as equally useless in this place at the moment anyway.

She had the best seat in the house to watch the fun. Petting the construct affectionately, she murmured, "Kill the f***kers."

[@sylverdubs]

Bares-The-Fangs loved fighting. More than anything else. Life, in his mind, was long periods of boring waiting between exhilarating fights.

Finally he had a chance to crack some skulls. He hefted his spiked mace and strode forward, confidently. He watched the archer carefully. She was the more dangerous because she would stand back and attack with her bow. He knew the khajiit would try to go around and strike from the flank but that involved being slow. He wouldn't worry about that one for now. What he really hoped, was to charge the mage but he was a weakling. As all magic-users were.

The snake-woman had a plan. He was more than willing to let her take the lead. There were plenty to smash.

He roared a challenge to the altmer. Puny elves in their metal shells. He moved around Shari and her ice shards and moved to block the elves from advancing.

((Fangs is VERY primed for a fight. If any of the bad guys even dares to step forward, he'll run them down, swinging powerfully and wide with his maul to crush his foes. It's not in any way defensive. He might take a hit from that, putting all his odds in dealing massive damage.))

[Kieg]

Kieg nods in answer to Viper's instructions, realizing a moment later that she probably couldn't see him do that. "Okay!!" he answers breathlessly instead, changing direction and backpedaling towards the entrance where Krexx and the newcomers were gathered. Gratifyingly, despite everything he still has the construct's attention.

Its metal head turns in his direction followed by the rest of it. With Shari's magic diverted to the ice the electricity binding its movement subsides and the machine trundles forward toward the new fight unfolding.

"N-No Sir! P-Please STAY BACK!"

Krexx sneers at the elf's words, and at the ice spines growing from the floor, but holds up a hand. "Out of all of them you were the most tolerable, shockingly enough. Release your spell and stand to the side and I promise you won't be harm-" The arch-mage's eyes flare as he catches sight of the green-robed Guardian Mage standing close by.

"YOU!!" The man screeches in fury. "Of COURSE, I should have known." Baring his teeth the archmage raises his hands, and blue-black bolts of arcane power gather in them, somehow brilliant and blinding despite their dark hues, flecked with motes of green and purple.

"Verranatis!" The Guardian Mage calls back, raising his own hands in response. "Please! Don't do this. You can't, it's not right. Go back to what you were before! It's all you need to-"

"SILENCE!!" Krexx's voice, amplified by magic, booms throughout the chamber. His hands clench and a volley of magic streaks towards the Guardian mage. The barrage is repelled instantly by some kind of invisible ward that surrounds his green-garbed opponent. The Guardian mage raises his hands reluctantly in reply and soon the two are locked in arcane conflict, flinging powerful and unknown spells at one another.

"I'll deal with this one!" Krexx snaps to his underlings. "Kill the rest and get me my key. Spare the elf unless she continues to intervene."

The two Altmer nod and move forward, beginning to pick their way carefully through the growing ice field. It seems that both of them are already focused on Fangs'. One wields a brilliantly shining sword and shield; the other twin blades.

Nearby toe Krexx the Redguard raises her bow and sends a pair of arrows towards Kieg, one passing close enough to his ear to make him flinch and duck down. Putting a hand to her mouth, the woman whistles and a huge bear appears from the darkness of the tunnel, roaring before it too charges forward into the ice barrier, breath frosting as it goes.

The Khajiit.. Is already nowhere to be seen.

((
All Krexx's underlings are expendable, feel free to do whatever to them. They're experienced and so can put up a bit of a fight, but individually they aren't a match for anyone really. You can attack and/or try to debilitate Krexx if you want, but his defenses are very powerful at the moment, so please leave the results of that up to me for the time being.
Viper its till in a good position to do her debilitating attack on the construct, which will either severely damage or entirely incapacitate it, at your discretion.
))

[𝐊𝐀𝐓 ᴀᴋᴀ 𝓡𝓮𝓭 𝓥𝓲𝓹𝓮𝓻]

Kat frowned and tensed as she did her best to count the enemies below. Wasn't one missing?

Where the f-

As the mages started going at it she balked. "Hey... HEY!" she screamed toward the both of them, "I THOUGHT YE COULDN"T USE MAGIC LIKE THAT IN HERE! Tis the whole reason WE be here!"

Her eyes then swiveled to Shari, and narrowed. Shari turned her head and looked back toward Kat, nodding once.

Lip twitching, Kat then muttered as she tensed. That other Nightblade was around somewhere. She wasn't sure how it apparently disappeared entirely- she couldn't even do that, so it had to be around somewhere, hiding behind something.

Since she, herself, knew how to sneak around, she knew the best places that she would use. That's where she looked, blade turning in her hand, so that if she was suddenly attacked, she'd have a lovely surprise for the attacker.

[꧁ 𝓢𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓲'𝓐𝓭𝓾𝓷𝓮 ꧂]

Shari steps back a few paces, still looking heavily regretful that any of this was even happening.

After hearing from Kat, she heaved a sigh and nodded ruefully.

She was to play back up only, and to stay closer to Kieg and Fangs. This was good news for her, she preferred mending wounds over creating them anyway.

Carefully, yet quickly, she ran closer to them, taking care to stay out of construct range.

[@sylverdubs]

Fangs learned to fight in the swamps and in the dark alleys of the world. There was never any real honor to be had. It was kill or be killed and whatever means you could use to win a fight was worth thinking about.

So he ran, in a straight line. Let the elves pick their way across the ice, he didn't care! He started spinning his spiked maul, the heavy weapon making a wooshing sound that increased in momentum. He was spinning it over his head but this was merely a distraction. Ignoring the ice that tore at his scales, he bellowed a war cry that rang throughout the chamber and suddenly swept his giant weapon very low and very fast.

Shield wielders often concentrated on protecting their torsos. To lower it to protect their legs would put them in an awkward position. He aimed to sweep the legs out from under the shield bearer and bring his weapon back up and then down onto his stupid elven face. He needed that one gone quickly and was aiming for just that result. After that, he might toy with the other one, for a bit...

[Kieg]

((going on a trip starting tomorrow and going thru next week, but I'll get on this as soon as I get back!))

[Kieg]

The shield-bearing Altmer has barely enough time to shout half a warning before Fangs’ enormous maul smashes solidly into his legs just below the waist. Armor crumples and the unfortunate mer’s feet fly up over his head as he is knocked into an ungainly cartwheel than ends with his helmeted head crashing into the ice-covered floor. The elf’s sword and shield clatter out of his grasp and he fetches up amidst the ice shards, stunned. Beside him, his twin shouts and turns towards Fangs, flourishing his blades before charging towards the hulking Argonian, unleashing a complex pattern of strikes towards his chest.

The Guardian Mage’s head turns in response to Viper’s shout. “I thought we couldn’t effect anything here, but I guess we can try to hurt each other!!” He shouts back, arms still outstretched, with arcane power flaring at his hands. It seems as though for the moment he has switched to mostly defensive spells, intent on weathering Krexx’s assault. In the next moment though his eyes widen and he lets out a yelp of alarm as one of the Redguard archer’s shots slices the air an inch from the side of his head.

Kieg dutifully continues trailing the construct towards the entrance of the chamber when a loud growl sounds behind him. He turns his head in time to see the archer’s bear companion rearing up, and scrunches down with a grimace as its massive paws batter his armored back. “Really..?” He grunts, rattled. “…Why me??” Spinning, he slashes at the bear’s midsection, and does his best to dodge the construct’s next electrically charged fist, still working his way towards the group at the entrance.

From her perch on the construct, Viper keeps her eyes sharp for any sign of the stealthy Khajiit. And before long, she spots one; a hint of motion the corner of her vision that betrays the position of the night blade a half-moment before he leaps towards the construct, bounding athletically off it’s outstretched forearm to get the height needed to strike at her.

[𝐊𝐀𝐓 ᴀᴋᴀ 𝓡𝓮𝓭 𝓥𝓲𝓹𝓮𝓻]

She knew where the Khajiit was, and was planning things carefully, simply acting like she didn't notice a thing of the stealthy advancement. In truth, she could almost see every step he would take, basing it on, of course, what she herself would do.

“I thought we couldn’t affect anything here, but I guess we can try to hurt each other!!”

While she yelled to the mage, she deftly reangled the dagger in her hand, while looking in their general direction. "SO!? Then stop TRYING, and ACTUALLY huRRRT-" her lips peeled back from her teeth in a snarl, and there was a brief pause as she quickly targeted the Khajiit, throwing her dagger at the last moment, just when he thought he had her unaware. She wasn't trying to aim for any small area. Moving on an unsteady construct, with few areas to actually hang onto it, she knew she only had to hit him- anywhere- and that would likely be enough to cause him to fall. "- the mother f***ker!"

[@sylverdubs]

Fangs took a step back. Not because the other altmer was any real threat but to give himself some room to maneuver.

His maul came back from his swing, moving down then suddenly up in front of the sword-wielding altmer. It forced the elf to either stand his ground and get his spiked maul as it moved up or step back. If he didn’t step back, Fangs’ weapon would continue up then suddenly slam down on the fallen altmer’s face.
It would leave him exposed but Fangs knew that the altmer’s swords would need some power to cut through his natural scales.