Game thread

[Genisisect]

Waterdeep, the city of Splendour, looks a lot less splendid from the backstreets of the southern districts. Silence abounded in the streets, this frustrated the figure perched carefully on a rooftop. She was expecting her mark to be out by now, one of the gang leaders and his closest men should, according to her contact be visiting the exact house she was currently atop. By her eye, the night was only a sixth past, there was plenty of time left for the deed.
...
Meridia had a wonderful view from her perch of an event completely unexpected. Somewhere above the merchants district to the north, a looming object suddenly materialized. This perplexed Meridia greatly, as she had never in all her days seen such an item, what came next she knew too well. From the city a hail of spell of every description fell, and the city beneath it burned. The city matched the description of that which appeared over Anouroch just a short while ago, it seems the Shades are beginning to advance their agenda. The streets below where now beginning to bustle with life and activity, as civilians began to wake and react to this terrible sight. The shade city slowly floated towards the city centre.
In the street below Meridia saw a familiar face, he had arrived, and not a minuet late. Leaping from the rooftop, she bore down upon her mark leading with a wicked blade, no one would notice an extra corpse, not after a night like this. She melded into the crowd slowly making her way towards her target.
...
Some time had passed and now she was in the burning merchant’s district, the shade city hovering directly over head. She had stowed some equipment here which she proceeded to collect, and then returned to examine the sky. No light of any form could be seen, the starts and moon were masked in murk, probably of the design of the shades. The city was almost directly above her now, and seemed to be destroying the docks. They probably had shock troops near the main gates too, these Shades seemed to want to be thorough in there destruction of the city. Making her way back to the city centre she rejoined the crowds, blending into its panicked form. Only she knew that this city would not be her tomb.

[KnifeytheWanderer]

"Pirate wench, pirate wench, a merry lass was she, threw all o' those scurvy dogs straight into the sea!' Akmenos sung as he kicked his bedroom door. It swung in and he waltzed across the threshold, throwing himself on the bed and laughing. He turned a smile to Amarillis, who sat calmly at a desk by the window, running a whetting stone over a small dagger.

"There'll be quite the crowd tonight," Akmenos said, propping his head up with a hand. "No doubt they'll be there 'til the early hours of morning. Drunk and dancing foolishly until the night is dead and gone."

"Then I suppose I will be needed," Amarillis looked up from his dagger, a grin on his face. "Since you are the King of 'Drunk and Dancing Foolishly', love." Akmenos pushed himself up off the bed and pouted, feigned sadness on his face as he approached the desk and took a bottle of red wine from its surface. Plucking out the cork, he slid onto the desk and drank deeply.

"Only a king?" Akmenos sighed. "And here I thought I was a god. You wound my pride, good sir!"

"You are God of my Heart," Amarillis answered simply, placing down the whet stone. Akmenos, half-way through another gulp of his wine, spluttered and laughed. He placed the bottle to the side and wiped his chin. Amarillis looked up at him, his grin maddeningly satisfied.

"That line was so horrendous I feel I might be sick," Akmenos blanched.

"Ten gold pieces says 'that line' sets your heart thundering," Amarillis chuckled.

Akmenos snorted, but reached into a pouch on his belt and retrieved ten gold pieces nonetheless, placing the coins on the table before pushing himself off. Amarillis chuckled as he gathered them up and slid them into his pocket, standing as he did so.

For a moment Akmenos simply looked at Amarillis, taking in the features of the man he loved. A face that showed as many signs of mixed heritage as his own, pale blue skin and pointed ears, and wavy hair that shone silver in the lantern light. Features broad and sharp, and bright eyes filled with mirth. Then he took the other into his arms and held him.

'I would endure all the horrors I have faced hundred times over for you, my love,' he thought, before pulling away. Amarillis raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, merely kissed his cheek before walking over to the door.

"Well, the night is still young, yet you have been busy all day," he said. "An hour's rest before you join me? For a night at the Dusk would be incomplete without you."

"An hour of rest, and no more," Akmenos nodded, dropping backwards onto the bed. As Amarillis turned to walk out of the room, he let out a loud laugh. "But dear?"

Amarillis glanced back over his shoulder to see Akmenos holding out his hand, ten gold pieces sitting neatly on his palm.

"Watch your pockets," Akmenos smiled. "You never know what sort of creatures tonight will bring, after all."

Amarillis rolled his eyes, but nodded all the same. With a final wave he exited, closing the door behind him. Still grinning, Akmenos placed the gold pieces on the small set of drawers beside the bed. He laid his head down against the pilllows, watching the shadows formed by the lantern dance against the walls as his eyes fell shut. The sounds from downstairs filtered up even to this third floor room, and he smiled at it. Then, for a brief moment, he rested.

---

Akmenos sat up with a start, the sounds of screams tearing him from his light slumber. He flung himself from the bed and rushed over to the small window, peering out into the darkness.

'Nine Hells...' Akmenos gasped. Dark eyes took in the havoc outside, the glow of burning buildings and corpses. Screaming people ran through the streets, cries of terror and pleas for mercy filling the night sky along with smoke and the sight of the hovering Shade City. No stars could be seen, and the moon appeared to have fled the sky, drowning everything aside the flames in darkness.

The sound of shouting and wood splintering drew Akmenos away from the window. "Amarillis!" Heart hammering he rushed from his room, his daggers still equipped as he had not removed them to rest. His feet slammed against the stairs as he descended to the first floor. The tavern was mostly empty, aside from a terrified elf trying to hide behind the bar's bench. The door was gone, and several large holes now decorated the front wall.

"D-demon!" The elf cried out. Akmenos ignored them, instead rushing out the door into the streets beyond. His eyes surveyed the chaos beyond, sickness rising within him. Dead bodies were strewn across the ground, hacked limbs in pools of blood. Several corpses were burnt, charred flesh, while others had their stomachs slit open. It mattered not their gender or race. Children lay dead beside adults. Those that lived either shrieked in agony, or wept in the darkness, trying to hide as the elf in the inn did.

"Amarillis!" Akmenos shouted, his voice fighting to be heard over the wails. He rushed further into the street, spotting the bodies of several patrons of the Dusk. The sound of metal clanging drew his attention into the adjacent road. More dead littered the stones and dirt, but it was not that drew his attention.

Amarillis stood against a single shade, pushing back his sword with nothing more than the dagger he'd sharpened earlier. Both panic and relief warred inside him; panic due to the battle before him, and the madness that raged around them, and relief that Amarillis still lived. He took a few steps forward then froze, eyes catching sight of another shade in the darkness. With an outstretched hand it sent out a blast of eldritch energy, foul yet arcane.

"Amarillis!" Akmenos shrieked. "Move!"

Amarillis forced back the shade's sword and turned, catching Akmenos's eyes. At that moment the blast hit, eldritch energy blasting through Amarillis's chest. Gore flew everywhere, blood cascading from the gaping wound. The bright green of his eyes faded as red trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Then Amarillis fell to the ground, as lifeless as the rest of the forms littering the streets of Waterdeep.

Akmenos felt the world slow down, as if everything had simply ceased to be except himself, and Amarillis. 'Amarillis. My Amarillis. Amarillis Amarillis Amarillis dead dead dead dead and they killed him dead and they killed him they killed my Amarillis they killed my Amarillis kill them all kill them all KILL THEM ALL!"

The world sped up again as Akmenos's blood boiled, demonic voices in his head screeching as his eyes took in the two beings before him. Two Shades, two murders, two corpses soon-to-be. Without a care for his health he flung himself at the one wielding the sword, still off balance from Amarillis's final shove. His legs wrapped around the shade's form as he dug his daggers into its throat, before tearing both to the side. The shade gurgled pathetically as blood streamed from the gash.

As it fell, Akmenos pushed off it, daggers falling from his hands as he leapt onto the warlock shade. He let out an unearthly shriek, mingling his bardic powers with his demonic rage. The shade backed away, fear clear in her eyes, but Akmenos cared not.

'Killed Amarillis killed Amarillis KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER!"

Once more he wrapped his leg around the torso of a shade, ripping her throat apart with his clawed fingers and teeth. The shade screamed in pain, hands pushing against Akmenos. She flung him backwards, but Akmenos recovered quickly, tumbling before lunging forward once more, hand reaching out and taking hold of one his his fallen weapons. Then, with another shriek he plunged it into her stomach, even as his teeth embedded themselves in her throat once more.

For a while, she writhed beneath him. Only when she fell limp against the ground did he cease his attack, mouth and hands and clothes decorated with her blood. He looked down at her corpse for only a moment before turning away and walking over to Amarillis's body.

it was an awful sight, chest blasted open and covered in blood. Hair tangled and matted, eyes empty of any signs of life. So full of life, so full of love. Dead.

Akmenos let out a wail, before falling to his knees beside the body. Tears fell from his eyes, heart burning in his chest at the sight of Amarillis's empty one. His joy, his love, his life, all amassed into one being. And he was dead.

He rose. He would return for Amarillis later. For now, he had one duty. He ran out, down the streets slaughtering any Shade that came near him, screaming his songs and dancing with his daggers. He killed a Shade attempting to slaughter a young woman, a dwarf, several others. He ran closer to the city centre, not caring if the Waterdeep officials were alarmed by his tiefling form, the blood on his face.

Among the many people his eyes caught sight of a moon elf, her face appearing calm and devoid of any emotions, any fear. He did not know how his eyes found her, amongst the crowds of people and shades and battle. Perhaps it was the stoicism in the face of so much chaos. But as he dug his daggers into another shade, howling his mad rage, he found he could not care.

So long as she killed the shades, she would be no enemy of his tonight.