The Furry Forums
Creative Arts and Media => Roleplay => Serious RP => Topic started by: Xavier Akafur on September 27, 2015, 10:01:42 AM
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Laina absently spun the chamber of her carbine, checking to make sure each of the six cylinders were loaded. With some trepidation she dismounted the small carriage herself and a small band of mercenaries had hired to take them this far. It hadn't been easy finding the man that would ride to the border of the Plaguelands, but they had done it. Now their only way out of this deadly situation would soon be leaving, and that thought was making her stomach twist ever so slightly.
"Is everyone ready?" She asked, more as a way to break the tense quiet that had settled over the area than to sate her curiosity. The marten's voice was a meek thing against the eerie quiet. At least she wasn't going it alone, but joining with a group of unknowns was not much better. Each of them was being offered enough money to not work another day in their life, provided they managed to complete the job, and that was the only thing keeping her feet planted to the ground.
Deftly the marten flicked open each pocket on her ammo belt, her quick fingers doing a brush-check of the bullets held within each. Not nearly enough. Luckily Karad'Gor had been a tinkers wet dream prior to the Storm. They were sure to find supplies along the way, so long as the bandits and raiders hadn't beaten them to it. The pockets on her belt were re-fastened and she took a step forward, her boot sinking ever so slightly into the soft ground as she did so. Her expression darkened further as she was reminded of the other danger of this place, the land itself was as apt to swallow you as any monster. Her fingers brushed the handle of her shotgun and then the solid comfort of her knife before she swung the heavy carbine rifle over her back, the messily scratched letters of "JERRY" glinting along the barrel in the grayish light. She had heard that inside the plague-lands, the black clouds overhead made it so that even on the brightest of days it was never more than a twilight of gray and brown. This was going to be a long journey.
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Indeed.
It only took one look at the coyote to imagine that he hated long journeys, or short journeys by the size of the pot belly trying to spill out between his vest and gun belt.
It wasn't always that way, thought Kaz as he exited the cart, stepping lightly onto the road to roll the kinks out of his shoulders and stretch his legs. No matter how much padding he put onto his tail end the bumpy ride here would always be hard on any person to travel here.
As Kaz adjusts his gun and ammo belts he peers into the distance. He had been hired for his 'experience' in the plauge lands. As a field guide...which was somewhat true...but it had been so long ago Kaz wondered how much the land had changed.
It was as if he were staring at the bad lands for the first time again.
"Aye. Im ready ifin you lot are." The plump coyote gave a toothy grin, "I dont suppose any of yous know where we are going from here. Are we meetin anyone else here?"
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When the carriage first arrived, Nihlus had been moderately optimistic. The archaeologist had proven he would have been more than capable of affording several fleets of the ground craft on top of paying them if he so desired, thus the possibility of one actually being able to hold him comfortably was exciting. He had never ridden inside of something so enclosed! In fact, the closest he had ever managed was clinging to the outer hulls of a train as it sped through various landscapes; albeit only after learning he was not properly proportioned to ride in it, much to the dismay of the conductor and several riders. However, when the transport came trundling up the hill to where he waited, the disappointment that radiated from him was palpable. If he even dared to try and fit inside of the diminutive thing, he was fairly certain it would have collapsed in on itself.
Thus he rode on thermals and purely powered flight, soaring far above the carriages below that contained the rest of the mercenaries. In truth it likely turned out better that the archaeologist had been unable--or simply unwilling--to purchase such a thing just for him, as he did not once consider touching down to greet the rest as they were added into the group. Indeed, he merely watched as they mingled and chattered between one another briefly before boarding and continuing on their pre-recorded path, leaving it to appear as though Nihlus was doing his best to ignore them completely. What point would there have been if he was just going to remain quietly on the sidelines, supposedly judging them for some perceived malice that never occurred? No, it was best that no special preparations had been made in his case.
Banking to the left, he saw that the carriage that followed under his shadow had begun to slow before coming to a complete stop. As he finished his turn and angled his wings for descent, he noted the appearance of a marten and coyote as they disembarked. A slight frown marred the corners of his scaled muzzle as he continued to descend, now gliding a couple dozen feet above the swampy ground. Once low enough, Nihlus reared back with his wings and beat them strong enough to kick up loose mud and brackish water in the direction they had just been coming from. First his feet touched the muck, liquid and detritus squelching between his toes. Then came his forelegs which sank into the loamy terrain, a disgruntled snort escaping his maw as some of it splattered against his luminescent, dark purple scales.
Shaking the mud from his body, it was then he noted the distinct chill of these lands. Pulling his wings in tight against his body, near invisible slits within his wings released trapped heat that immediately overtook the frigid air surrounding him. Feeling slightly more content, he craned his head around and peered at the yote once he realized he had begun speaking. Listening closely, Nihlus realized it was a question he could have easily answered. He even came close to doing so, jaw working and muzzle even opening for the briefest of moments. However, he seemed to immediately think otherwise of this course of action and instead turned away, vision seemingly coming to rest on the path that lay before them. He was certain there were a few who numbered among them that bore the same knowledge he did, so he may as well let them speak instead.
After all, his place in this group was to scout ahead, report his findings to their cartographer and aid in any skirmishes they managed to find their way into. It was not to mingle among people he knew little about and was near certain knew nothing of the information he sought. None of them had the look of a budding astronomer or even cosmologist, dousing those flaming hopes with a single glance.
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Staring out across the vast twilit plains of Karad'Gor through a grimy cabin window Kat couldn't help but feel a sense of growing trepidation. She had found herself riding along in the cab for most of the journey, aiding the driver in running the engine, isolated from the others on the train. It pained her only slightly to admit that she had preferred it that way. Kat breathed a deep sigh and gave one last longing glance over the polished brass control levers and dials of the cabin before turning to the door.
Inside the cabin it had been warm and relatively comfortable, if you didn't mind the heat and noise of an engine in motion, but outside the cold morning air hit like needles on bare skin. Kat scrunched up her nose against the fetid damp smell carried on the wind as she pulled her thick bomber jacket in closer. For a moment she simply stood up on the footplate of the engine, looking down at where the others had already dismounted and stood loosely around here and there talking amongst themselves. It shouldn't have come as a surprise, but Kat still felt a momentary pang of uncertainty at already being an outsider amongst a whole group of strangers. She turned back to the engine and placed one gloved palm flat against its rising steel side, as though seeing off a close friend. With eyes closed her mind melded into the metal until all she could think of or feel was the warmth of the boiler, steam pressure building up, idle pistons eagre to push with immense strength. She let it all wash over her, the intoxicating excitement found in being a great metallic beast of burden, flanks sweating with condensation from the damp air and loosing clouds of white steam and smoke with each deep breath.
She withdrew her hand and returned to the moment as though with a sharp snap, a small sigh escaping her lips. Kat finally turned away from the engine and climbed down, trudging through the swampy mire underfoot over to an unlikely pairing of a large coyote and lean pine marten who, if not the leaders of this motley group, at least seemed to be the most vocal.
"Well, you're meeting me here for one..." Kat replied to the coyote's open question mid-stride as she approached, though she almost immediately regretted it and gritted her teeth when she felt a number of eyes from the band of mercenaries turn at the sound of a new voice. The attention was mercifully short lived however when the great dragon-like creature who had been accompanying them from the journey's start landed not many feet away, sending up a great spray of marsh water and muck. Her only hint of surprise as Kat shot a glance across at the beast was in the flinch of her short bob tail before she turned back to the gunslinging 'yote and marten with a cautious glance.
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The marten glanced up at the sky as the rest of the group gathered around. The carriage they had rode in on already began to turn away and trundle back the way they had come from, and the Marten shook her head slightly. "I thought we would have more but... well, it seems we arrived late as is. Anyone who was supposed to be here should be here." She replied, looking around at the small group, and not looking terribly impressed.
Her expression did register some confusion on the part of the unusual flyer that had landed just a moment before, but she kept her thoughts to herself. She was told they would have a scout, but she had assumed that meant some sort of avian. This creature was new to her.
"I'm Ayllaina Tripenka, but for the sake of brevity just call me Laina." She said, seemingly addressing the group as a whole. "I'm just here for fire support, and I get paid by the head so don't go doing anything stupid, alright?" She asked, looking genuinely concerned, though if it was for her paycheck or their well-being was anyone's guess.
"Talk and walk." She chimed, moving to the front of the group and beginning to make her way across the mushy ground, towards the epicenter of the dark clouds looming overhead. "We'll need to find some shelter before nightfall." It was already chilly, and she doubted the sunless swamps of Karad'Gor would prove to be any more hospitable.
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"Well hello ladies and...what ever you are." Kaz says to the beasts and the avianThe coyote's bow would have been more gracefull had his stomach not fallen to his hips. "Call me anything, just don't call me late for supper...or stupid..or a jackwagon."
As he trots forward with the group he continues, "My name's Kaz. I guess you could say Im here for fire support as well. I've had some experience in the area as well, admittedly a while ago. But don't worry, we will keep you lot from getting robbed by bandits, getting eaten by monsters, or disembowled by vicious creatures."
The coyote carries a back pack over one should as he walks. Ah it felt good to be in the field again. The sunneless sky, the acrid smell of the swamp. The sting of insects seaking to feast on his flesh. Can't imagine why he ever left!
He begins to whistle most noisily as he continues following the grouo.
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Nihlus' cast a quick glance at each of the members of the mercenary band, noting that it was far more diminutive than he had been led to believe. For a venture such as this, he suspected there would have been at least half a dozen, each one covering an important facet of the process that lay before them. Instead they were a motley group of four, none of them looking remotely prepared for the mire ahead; especially the lynx, who already appeared to be chilled even when bedecked in thick winter garments and fur. By comparison he would have thought the less appropriately dressed would have felt such a deep chill as well. Although as he continued to watch, her discomfort appeared to stem from more than what a fetid bog had to offer.
Turning away for a moments breath, he saw that the coyote and marten had set a plodding course. Cautiously following, his pace was turned painfully sluggish as he was forced to meticulously calculate the placement of each talon'd hand, so as not to overstep any invisible boundaries. Or literally walk over either of the stunted creatures that had decided it was their place to lead the party. Why did they have to be carried on such tiny legs?
Nose wrinkling at the thought, he decided to make better use of his time and concentration by extending one of his dual wings. The limb gracefully arched over the lynx he currently walked alongside of and curled at the tips, surrounding her within a curtain of warmth. It was not beyond him to share such a primal comfort, regardless of the circumstance he may have found himself in.
"Natavathi," he said in response to the coyote. His eye, which appeared similarly to a massive, oval gem, faded from its neutral teal and transitioned to a royal purple. "As for introductions, I am called Nihlus. I will provide scouted routes and enemy encampments for our cartographer, as well as aerial harassment when possible." He bowed his head towards the thick leather band strapped across his chest, where several unusually spherical grenades jingled softly with the movement. Each of them appeared to bear more similarities to a rounded bird cage than an explosive, what appeared to be two glass bulbs held still in the center by bronze housing and upward angled tines.
Keeping his wing comfortably outstretched, the crest of feathers set to either side of his skull and behind his horns folded as soon as the coyote began whistling. In this moment he wished they could cover the slits on the outer plating of his head, the asymmetrical holes amplifying the sounds closest to him; no matter how obnoxious they were. Then again, the melody the 'yote created was less discordant than he had expected. He cocked his head ever so slightly as he listened and walked.
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Not being with the hired mercenaries, nor wishing to intrude upon Kaz or Laina again, Kat found herself walking just a little behind the two at front and separated from the rest of the group by the draconic creature. Strangely she did not feel in the slightest bit threatened by him, or her - Kat pondered, despite the fact it towered over her, a veritable living wall of dusky scales and muscle. Maybe it was something in the way the creature stepped so gingerly around them, or the calming colour of that large gem set into it's head. It was only when the creature extended one great wing over her that Kat snapped out of her thoughts and looked up into that unreadable crystalline face.
"Thanks." Kat muttered the single word, barely loud enough for even the draconic creature to hear. But as they continued to walk she no longer hugged the bomber jacket to her sides, whether due to the extra warmth or a vague sense of considerate inclusion. She couldn't help feel curious therefore when the creature introduced himself as Nihlus, and even more so at the mention of his species. "Natavathi..." Kat repeated the word under her breath and for a while she muttered as they walked, brow furrowed and long lynx ears lying flat back against her head when Kaz took up a whistled melody.
Eventually Kat spoke up again, slow and faltering at first but eventually louder as she recited in a sing-song voice that mingled with Kaz's whistles and echoed through the misty silence of the marshes...
"Of the Natavathi my old man spoke
But I knew no such name, nor did other folk
Like dragons of yore! He cried again
Those great flying beasts, an ancient bane
Yet unlike they! the old man said,
From crystal eyes their star has fled!
Away from home, above sunless tree
That forgotten name, Oh Natavathi..."
Kat glanced up at Nihlus as her voice faded again, now laced with curiosity as she said. "That's who you are isn't it? The line about crystal eyes, it makes sense now! I thought..." She looked down again, briefly catching Laina or Kaz's eye, and muttered sheepishly. "Excuse me, I admit I am unsure as to the meaning of all the words, It was from an old text. My intention was not to insult... But I've never heard of your kind visiting these lands, not at least in any time that I would remember."
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Drake got there much earlier then expected. he had nothing better to do and he wanted to get his feet wet of the plague lands to see what kind of terrain he would face. of course he has heard the stories who hasn't but for some reason he was always interested in them. he wanted to know what exactly made the lush land turn to a land of cursed. but with the time he has already been there it felt like there was a feeling of dread that literally made up the air. he was laying on a branch in a molted tree off the ground watching the ominous clouds pass trying to spot figures in the lumps. oddly enough it looked like the souls of the damned stared back at him, how comforting.
after some time he saw a rabbit in the clouds along with some movement in the corner of his eyes. he turned his head to see a large multi winged creature land a distance away. must be the party that he was supposed to be with. he jumped down his shoes squelching in the mud and jogged over hoping to intercept the group before they got too far, because he kinda was the most important person for the mission.
at this point he caught up with the group actually getting further ahead than he hoped so he simply waved to show he wasn't a bandit and leaned up against a nearby dead tree waiting till they got to him.
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"A strange little rhyme." Came the voice of the Marten up front, tinged with amusement. She plodded along, the coyote nearly even with her and her eyes focused on the terrain. Only occasionally did she look up from where she was going, concerned with losing a boot to the mire if she stepped in the wrong place. She was not terribly concerned with attackers this far out... not yet at least, so it came as some surprise when she looked up in time to see a man hop down from a decrepit old tree and start moving in their direction.
Laina brought the butt of her carbine up against her shoulder and crouched slightly, almost putting a bead on the stranger ahead of them until he waved. She let out a sigh and stood back up, though she kept the carbine in hand just in case. "I suppose that guy is one of ours as well?" She asked, though did not really expect an answer. It seemed as if most of the people here had gotten about as much information as she had. It was certainly an oversight, and a big one, not knowing how many people were supposed to be joining them.
When they were still several dozen paces away the marten made a motion with her rifle. "Who are you and What are you here for?" She inquired, fully intending to put a bullet in the raccoon if he gave any answer that didn't align with what they were expecting. The lands ahead were rife with bandits and the like, there was no reason to extend anything but mistrust to those outside of the proven group.
The cool wind ruffled her shoulder-length hair slightly as she stood there, her expression impassive.
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The coyotes whistling pauses only when he replies to tje conversation, "Your a what now of the wbat what, nihl...nihal...ah heck with it. I'm just going to call you Niles. Sound good? Good."
Kaz would have got a good laugh at the feline singing along with his humming. It was nice to know that these were people he could get along with.
Then the raccoon appeared. His paw starts to go for his gun but after examining the raccoon for a moment he relaxed. Far be it from Kaz to claim himself an expert on the swamps; the groups he ran with were prefured the fringes of the swamps, close enough to easily dissapear into the swamp with how going too deep to actually dissapear...forever. It took a special breed of person to not only willingly come to the swamps but live there surviving as a bandit.
He remembered what it was like to live on just the edges of the swamps and this raccoon didn't fit the build. His clothes were still intact for one, and he was clean...er than a person trudging around in the swamps would be.
Of course he could easily be any other form of thief, scoundral or just a crazy person out for a stroll. Kaz himself set up a few ambushes like that...sendining in a person to pretend to be in need of help and lead them into a trap.
But Kaz was in a good mood and really would rather not in the mood for breaking in a new limit to see how fast someone got shot upon his entering the area...again.
Then, after several moments of quiet introspection the yote realizes that the world has kept going while he thought about this. He even missed exactly what the marten said! Oh well no one started shooting yet so that was a good sign.
"Hate to interupt the sea chanty darlin, but I need to ask...if we get into trouble how well can you both handle yourselves?" He contjnues to smile as he whispers to the party members behind him.
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Barely able to pick up the lynx's response, he would have thought his action out of place if he had not seen the comfort she derived from the gesture. A barely restrained grin snuck its way onto his muzzle, pleased with the outcome and appreciative of the fact she had not immediately balked at his actions. Yet as quickly as it had formed, his diminutive smirk began to crease into a subtle frown, occurring right as the feline had begun softly singing. Distracted in this moment, he nearly tumbled forward when his body tried to resume its normal clip, though his brain had been quick to remind that he had been taking such small steps for a reason.
Paying closer attention to what was going on before him, he cocked his head towards the woman beside him just as she began to speak again. "I did not think we were a known quantity," he murmured. Keeping his voice low so that only she may hear his reply, the gem faded yet again and took on a dark jade, bright bands of luminescent green striations breaking apart the monotone color. "I take no insult. Instead, I wish to know something. Where was this old text? Who had written it and how did you come across it?"
When the 'yote and marten stopped in their tracks, he paid them little mind for the time being. His interest had been fully captured by the exchange, a burning desire to understand swelling in his breast. He knew well that his species had been incredibly insular for centuries, yet their lore spoke of a time when they had mingled among the people. When they had supposedly lost their magic and ability to live among the stars. Did this book, or document, whatever form it came in--was it from that time period? Written shortly thereafter? His talons curled in the muck as he considered the possibilities. Such an obvious thing existing without the rest of the Natavathi's awareness; when had they become so lost among themselves?
Kaz suddenly raising his voice completely broke his spiraling thoughts, only now realizing he had given him the moniker Niles and that the two were assessing a threat that stood several meters away. Instead of wasting his energy on snapping at the coyote for giving him what he considered a rather distasteful nickname, he saved his breath and instead answered the question he posed. "These grenades I carry deliver a small blast of electrical energy, meant to incapacitate or stun small groups. Beyond that, I can hold my own." Changing once more, his eye became a soft, warning orange. "If the cloud line is deemed safe, I can take wing; though I do not understand these plague lands well enough to form that decision on my own."
Lifting his head ever so slightly, he watched the raccoon's movements closely. While Nihlus certainly hoped they would not already see blood shed this early in their journey, he was more than willing to protect their small party; regardless of the fact he knew virtually nothing about them.
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Drake kept his eyes on the clouds and found the rabbit again when the group aproched calling to him. He peeled himself off of the tree to stand upright and quickly glanced to the group. "Hello there! Fine weather we're having today!" He chuckled slightly as if he was funny. "I'm part of a expedition to map out this swap so uhm... what was his name again?" he tapped his head with his right hand trying to knock loose the information out a few times but it wasn't helping. "Ah i forget... but i know he wanted to set up a rail through this beautiful terrain. So I'm guessing you're the rest of the group?"
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Kat dropped her gaze down to her feet as they walked, long tufted ears laying back timidly at the feeling of everyone's eyes on her. "It was just something I remembered, life is full of strange little things like that." She mumbled in response to the marten, already regretting having spoken up, and shoved her gloved hands deep into the pockets of her jacket.
It was only when Nihlus spoke again that Kat glanced up, her ears following suit and flicking to catch his murmured question with typical lynx-like expressiveness. "I... I don't remember." She faltered, then spoke again although not in the same low tone Nihlus used. "Or more precisely, I know where I came across one such copy of that text." She continued as though spurred on by her own words which now tripped off her tongue with ease. "One I read from a young age, though I am afraid it was in no ancient bestiary or historical documents, merely a paragraph in a book of rhymes and stories. 'The Traveller's Tales of Brim the Bard' I believe it was called."
At that Kat laughed, a hearty chuckle so unlike her normally quiet demeanour. She smiled an apologetic half-smile to Nihlus. "It pains me to tell you that our history of your people has been reduced to just that, a fairy tale told to children on a stormy night..." But as she stared into his great gem eye, her own bright amber eyes reflected in its shifting colours, her brow furrowed again. "...There's only one other time I remember coming across it though, in the great college library where I studied. It spirals as far under the ground as it towers above, like the inside of a conch shell." She spoke with a familiar longing for the place. "One time I set to exploring those lower depths and found a chamber like a domed tower-room. Unlike most of the others it held just one book, bound to its lectern by a chain. There was only that poem printed inside the cover, but there was something different about it, and the pages were like nothing i'd ever seen. Sort of thick and transparent-like, holding black... discs... of... " Kat trailed off, pink nose wrinkling as she scrunched her muzzle in deep concentration, then breathed an exasperated sigh. "I can't remember, it's like my memory of that place is hung with thick fog. I do not do well with walking and talking, but I promise to tell you more if it comes to me Nihlus."
It was only then she noticed the events unfolding at the head of the group. Kat was not wholy interested as Laiana seemed to be handling the situation, though her ears perked up when the newcomer mentioned he was here to map out the railroad. She glanced distractedly at the coyote when he whispered to them and tapped a finger against her mechanical bow, currently folded and stowed at the belt around her waist, with a deep-set expression that read 'I can take care of myself.'
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[Furious rage, the site has now deleted my post TWICE. So much re-writing!!]
Laina's carbine remained leveled at the raccoon for a long moment before it slowly lowered. "Fair enough." She replied, though the gun did not leave her paws. She came back up to her full height, which was not terribly impressive, and glanced over her shoulder to monitor the reactions of the rest of their group. Kaz and Nihlus seemed relatively alert, the Natavathi's strange eye having even changed to an ominous orange color. She smiled slightly at that, thinking him to be quite an amusing creature. The lynx, however, had kept a relatively relaxed stance. The marten's brow furrowed slightly and just the hint of a frown curled her lip. That girl was either really good or really oblivious.
She turned around in time to see the newcomer approaching, and held out her paw to stop him from getting too near to her. "For now stay up here with Kaz. Your pistol won't be much use from a range." She advised, looking at the weapon on his hip. "With two front guards I can move to the back, where my rifle will be more effective if we run into trouble." She looked him over. "And maybe next time meet us at the road. Shimmying up trees is suspicious, and also tactically a bad idea." Her look was slightly pitying as she regarded the coon. She gave the two a slight nod, giving Kaz a pointed look before walking back to join Katt and Nihlus at the rear.
Plus now I can keep an eye on you. She added silently as she watched the raccoon settle into the marching order. He may have known of their expedition but that did not automatically make her trust him. She was still wearing a slight frown when her gaze turned to meet that of Katt and then further Nihlus. She seemed to realize she was frowning a moment too late, and flashed a nervous smile at the two before her gaze moved to the ground awkwardly. How did one act around a Natavathi?
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Zachary chuckled at the alertness that the marten had. Very unnecessary at this point. If she continued to show hostility towards him she was obviously not paying attention to thier surroundings, the whole group wouldn't actually from the looks of it. "Oh you're going to pick on me climbing up a tree out of all things? I didn't want to lay in the mud you know." He then sighed and started walking forward with his hands in his pockets.
He then glanced over to the man named Kaz and quickly looked him over noting his shotgun and pot belly. He chuckled while saying. "Women am i right?"
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(Sweet Farore, I can only imagine how frustrating that was. D : )
"Bound to a lectern by a chain," he murmured. Although the lynx had long since spoken, he could not help repeating what she said under breath. Why would someone purposefully make it near impossible to remove a simple tome? Why hide it within a place of learning, yet keep it contained so far below their hallowed halls, in the ancient bowels of a ruin? The longer he considered it, the more frustrated he became; especially when she made mention of strange black discs and an unusual inability to recall what she had seen. Was there a pool of magic contained inside of that room, forcing anyone who entered to forget what they learned moments after leaving? Or was it just the pressure of time that led to her being unable to remember it clearly while under duress?
Processing this information and his own thoughts on the matter, it took him a moment to realize the marten had taken up the end of their group. While he had certainly been paying close attention to the exchange between her and the strange raccoon, his mind had begun to wander once the newcomer was safely within mauling distance. Something he was beginning to regret as he grew increasingly uncomfortable. Retracting his wing from above the lynx with an apologetic glance and quick bow, Nihlus fell out of step and in turn lined himself up to the left of Laina. Carefully maintaining several meters between them so as not to accidentally knock her to the marshy ground, he stalked forward while nearly resting on the rear outskirts of their party.
Getting back into a moderately comfortable rhythm, his eye turned completely black as he angled his head toward her. "Cartographer or no, he will present more danger to this party than necessary if he maintains such displays." He kept his voice low so only the marten and lynx may hear his words. "What action do you intend if this comes to pass?"
His question was not meant to be a veiled threat. It came from a place of curiosity, wondering what sort of leader the woman would present herself to be. Would she risk carrying on with the raccoon due to his importance, even if he continued to endanger them? Would she send him back, out of the plague lands? Or foolishly banish him to wander these dangerous plains, so that he may no longer be a present issue?
As he thought, he carefully maintained a vaguely neutral expression, the corners of his muzzle creasing into the ghost of a scowl. "I must also ask. Would you find a higher vantage point preferable?" He nodded to her relatively short stature, noting that she was barely able to peer over the shoulders of the lynx, let alone the portly coyote and rail-thin 'coon. "I am no mount. However, it may make it easier for you to maintain such a distance while keeping an eye on them and the horizon."
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(( Gosh, that sounds frickin' annoying Xavier > < ))
As Laina dropped back beside them Kat returned her an uneasy smile, catching -if only for a moment- the hint of a frown curling the marten's lip. She fought the urge to furrow her brow likewise, struggling to figure out if Laina's frustration was solely aimed at their newcomer or something she had done. Kat sighed and returned to trudging alongside the group, barely even noticing when Nihlus extracted his wing from around her. People were so much more difficult than machines sometimes, though she pondered how surprisingly refreshing and easy it had been talking to the Natavathi.
Speaking of Nihlus Kat glanced over her shoulder as he stalked beside Laina, catching his low words of discontent. She couldn't help but agree, though she also felt such a conversation was not really meant for her, and so taking the opportunity she pushed her pace to catch up with Kaz and the raccoon up front.
With a moment to herself, halfway between the two paired members of their group, Kat allowed a frown to flit across her expression. She reached for the familiar weight of the long-handled hammer slung across her back as she walked, gloved fingers hesitating for a moment over the compound bow holstered at her hip. Maybe Laina thought she was lazy or inattentive... Maybe she was right, Nihlus' conversation had taken her attention almost entirely away from unfolding events. But even without a weapon in her hand she could have jammed the firing mechanism of the raccoon's pistol from afar, or shattered his bullets into smithereens mid-air even as he fired them! ...Could she though?... Kat frowned at the hammer she held in her paws, feeling her power ebb and flow through its finely-smithed head of Meteor Steel, gleaming pale in the twilight of the swamp. She was no battle-mage, but she knew at least in theory how to pull off such feats.
The young lynx huffed another deep sigh and finally caught up with Kaz, her boots sinking deep into the thick mud with each jogging step as she slowed to a normal walking pace again alongside him. Kat looked across from the portly coyote to the 'coon, taking her first proper look at the both of them. Her short thick tail flicked impatiently as she pretended not to hear his comment about women, though a frown furrowed her brow for a moment. Curiosity seemed to finally win over her as she spoke up. "Excuse me, I'm not sure I caught your name..." Her amber eyes glinted as she caught the racoon's attention and continued, "You said you were hired as a cartographer for this expedition?"
-
Kaz only smiles to the conversation around him, mostly becuse he immidietly tuned the conversation out when it became appearent that it was not going to be about him. As the cat and raccoon both slide up next to him.
"I just realized that I didn't catch yer name either. Let me introduce ya to the gang. The one with the wings is Niles, this here is...uh..."he peers the pudgy feline up and down. "Tinker! Yeah, that sounds about right. I havn't come up with a name for the others yet, but call me Kaz!" Kaz rubs his chin as he walks, "You said your job is to read the map? I will call you Bullseye then...on account of what will happen to you if you get us lost." The coyote playfully points his paw at the raccoon and pulls the trigger.
"I kid, I kid. Mostly. I'll call you Jinx instead." The yote makes no attempt to justify his odd name for the Raccoon only to keep walking with a smug expression and reply, "So where exactly are we headin first?" He asks loud enough for all to hear.
-
Ayllaina's eyes remained averted from the natavathi even as he spoke, but the subtle movements of her tail and the slight tilt of her head indicated she was listening. She adjusted her grip on her rifle, carefully dropping the weapon over her shoulder to make it easier to carry. It did not seem as though they would be in immediate need of their weapons.
"I'm not the leader, or at least I wasn't told as much." She replied, her voice distant and quiet. "I'm hoping that won't be a problem, though. I doubt our employers would hire anyone that would cause problems... this trip would become suicidal."
There was a pause in the conversation, during which she had changed the angle of her walk to give her some sight between those walking in front of them. She was just beginning to start walking on her toes when Nihlus posed his second question, causing her to pause and look over at him. The Marten's eyes were startlingly wide when she did so, the man's question catching her entirely off-guard.
"I, well..." She stammered, looking away for a moment, and subconsciously taking a few steps away from everyone as well. She did not expect such an offer from the creature, his attitude thus far had bespoken a pride and an aloofness that had made her assume he would detest being sat upon like a horse. It was a moment before she spoke again.
"Probably." Was all she added, though she did correct her course so that she was walking with the group once more, not wanting to step into any quagmires. "Would that compromise your ability to fly if we need you to? Also with all the gear and guns I'm not going to be very light."
-
"This trip already had the makings of a suicide run based solely on where these tracks must be laid," he said. He then chuckled softly. "Leader or not, it would be best to have a plan of action rather than be caught by surprise. You did say your payment was based off the head." As soon as he mentioned this, the thought of decapitating one of the party members if they proved to be an issue entered his mind. The man funding this expedition had not been entirely clear on how intact they needed to remain.
Laughing under breath, his lips pulled into a tight smirk as he watched the marten and listened to her next response. The way she stumbled over her words as she spoke was both endearing and amusing, reminding him of his second eldest sister. When she had been coming into her own, pushing the boundaries and questioning everything with her sibling, she had started out similarly before turning into a force of nature. No one these days would dare to even think she had once been anything remotely close to meek when she was younger. "It would not inhibit my ability to fly if it were required, though I would need to leave my pack with one of these three." He nodded toward those who walked ahead. "That said, I am willing to put aside my distaste for being ridden to heighten the chances of this groups continued survival."
Turning away, his muzzle twisted and revealed rows of sharp teeth in one quick movement. "I may know nothing of those who constitute this party, but I will not put vanity before their protection."
-
Zachary chuckled at the coyote's seemingly random nickname. "I already have a nickname. Maybe I'll share it if you deserve it. Just call me Zachary or Zach. As for the cartographer question, yes. I also have many other skills for use on adventures like these." He then lifted his left arm and pulled up his sleeve exposing switchblade to his allies he brought his other hand to the fine piece of machinery and fiddled around with a few cogs. "And gear too."
-
Kat wrinkled her nose and pulled her thick jacket self-consciously close around herself as she felt the coyote's eyes glancing her up and down. Her scowl quickly turned to a bemused smirk however as Kaz listed off his nicknames, the stout coyote's whole body practically shaking as he laughed along. Kat glanced across at the 'yote, pausing incredulously at his wide brimmed cowboy hat and white-furred gut, bare to the swamp air beneath his open vest. So far their merry band really was turning out to be a bunch of odd characters.
"My name is Katyusha by the way, or just Kat for short..." She huffed when Kaz had finished. There was a slightly exasperated tinge to her voice, but after a moment Kat glanced his way again with a sheepish grin, lynx bobtail flicking in amusement as she muttered. "Though, judging by your nicknames, I suppose I should count myself lucky you didn't lengthen mine to Tinker-Bell or something. I'll have to repay the favour and come up with a suitable one for you..."
Still smirking, Kat glanced briefly over her shoulder at Nihlus and Laina. The pair had been talking in an undertone the whole time, away from the group. A slight frown returned to furrow her brow as she looked up briefly at Zachary's answer, watching as he flourished the hidden weapon from under a sleeve. Kat didn't find herself overly impressed with the switchblade. Being a metalmancer you tended to see a lot of fine machinery and mechanisms, and besides she had always thought such things to be the overly flashy weapon of choice amongst spoilt young nobles in the capital city.
She stared at the raccoon for a moment, noticing for the first time how surprisingly well dressed he was beneath that knee-length coat, and replied. "Well it's good to have you with us Zach."
Kat smiled at that, almost apologetically, but the frown that creased her brow grew deeper and she chewed her lip worriedly. The fact that their employer had hired two cartographers was not entirely beyond imagination. She had yet to see Zach's actual skill at the art of map-making, so far he had only mentioned reading them, and that old archaeologist had seemed barmy enough to make such a mistake... Or was it even a mistake? She sighed and tightened her grip on the meteor-steel hammer in her paws, this expedition was getting stranger by the minute.
-
The coyote smiled as his team mates introduced themselves. This seemed like a good bunch, with a low chance of them stabbing the party in the back later on. Or at the very least not quite as high a chance as he had of doing the same...
"We'eell its fun chattin with ya all but we can shoot the bull later. Right now we have work to do." Adjusting his belt over his ample waist Kaz begins to trot forward. "Unless my ears decieve me I think I heard Niles thar graceously offer to scout the skies. He can keep an eye out for dangers from afar, I'll scout ahead for dangers near by. You two keep close to the sharp shooting marten and try not to distract her too much her job. I'll let you figure out amongst yourselves what exactly your duties will be on this trip." Kaz rubs his chin as he walks, realizing he may have over stepped some kind of boundries, ordering them about like that. Old habbits died hard he guessed.
Didn't stop him from not appologizing for it.
"Ok, keep an ear open for my lovely voice. If there is danger ahead I'll give you a signal." The coyote nods once, then before saying exactly what that signal will be he steps off to the side and into the bushes. He simply vanishes from sight, as if the swamp swollowed him whole.
-
Laina was in the middle of sizing up the four legged creature beside her to see if there was indeed anywhere she could sit on him safely. Her ears picked out the change in tone of the conversation up front and her eyes shifted that was in time to see Kaz split off and disappear into the foliage. Her expression quickly became puzzled and she slowed her walk, looking around. Wasn't he their lead scout? Maybe there was some danger up ahead he wished to examine without the group, because they sure as hell could not hope to walk through this swampy region without some sort of guidance.
She looked over at Nihlus briefly, then back towards the rest of the group. "Yeah I think I'll take you up on that...." She replied, though for ulterior reasons. The first of which being if Nihlus stepped into a bog he was large enough he could probably simply take a step backwards and be fine, where as the smaller marten would probably doom herself to be sucked into the muck. She did not have a lot of experience with Karad'Gor, but she had heard the stories. She imagined they all had.
Without waiting for a reply, she swung her rifle around to her back and jumped up onto his foreleg, scampering up and onto his back quickly. She briefly stood up on his shoulders and looked towards where Kaz had run off to, only catching the faintest glance of something that was not the same green-brown color as the rest of the forest before it vanished. Even from her vantage point she couldn't see him. She was about to sit down when she spotted another splotch of color, but off to their left.
"Hang on..." She said, though not loudly, likely not enough to get the other's attention. She reached for her bag before remembering she hadn't brought any time of magnifier with her. "Shit." She muttered. She had not considered she might have a walking vantage point where a scope would actually come in handy.
"Guys! Something on our left about fifty meters ahead." She called up to the rest of the group, before sliding down to sit on the natavathi's back. She pulled her gun from her back and held it at the ready, pointing it down and to the side. "If I have to shoot from up here it's going to be very, very loud." She warned.
-
Zachary nodded and chuckled to Katyusha. "Thank you Katyusha. I'm sure this will be a pleasant andventure." He then pulled his sleeve back over switchblade, satisfied with it's condition.
Then Kaz disappeared into the bush blurting out his plan as he did so. Zachary would have objected against the the plan stuttering out a. "Wa-wait a second?!" Much too late. he then sighed putting the palm of his hand to his eyes muttering quietly as he did so which Kat could hear. "Why do i always get paired up with someone who never decides to talk to the group as a whole... and actually plan things out..."
He would have spent more time wallowing in his past but then the sniper spoke about the danger ahead and he perked right up, now he can show what he can do... well some of it anyway. He looked around for a vantage point and found another tree to climb up. He veered slightly off course from his current walking to get to the base of the tree and activated hid grappling hook pulling out a little cable to toss it up the tree and latch it to a firm looking branch and making his mark. Giving a tug to make sure it was actually firm he nodded and activated the winch pulling himself up to the branch and climbing up onto it with much practice. Unhooking his grappling hook as he got there. once he got up he pulled out his binoculars teasing the marten as he did so. "Man a sniper without magnification we'd better call the bandits to us so you can get a shot." He then chuckled and looked to the camp with the binoculars over his eyes.
-
A fleeting look of troubled surprise passed across Kat's normally calm expression when Kaz stumped off into the swamp, quickly disappearing amongst the twisting undergrowth. She chewed at her lip and a deep frown knotted her brows. It was only through her surprise at his sudden orders that she hadn't called after him. The old 'yote seemed capable enough... Though this was of little consolation as Kat glanced around at their bleak surroundings, the weak grey light of the swamp cast everything in murky shadow.
That was when she heard Laina's call. Kat turned on the spot to look back at the rest of their group, spotting the lithe marten after a second, not where she had expected her to be at ground height; but perched atop the cresting shoulders of the Natavathi. While this in itself was also a surprise she pushed the thought quickly out of the forefront of her mind, drawing her compound bow and notching an arrow in one swift motion.
"Which way is it moving, towards us?" Kat called back to Laina in a hushed tone, casting her gaze across the distance between them with a sudden sinking feeling. She cursed the fact the group had become so separated, their lookout calls and shouting back and forth was hardly what she would call stealthy... Kat let her aim slide slowly over the dense undergrowth either side of the winding path, bright gold eyes glinting in the half light, and readied her arrow with a slight creak from the taught bowstring and cam-pulley systems at each end of the bow arms. "Calm Kati... It's no different to being out hunting... No different at all." The lynx bit her lower lip hard, forcing each breath deep and slow as she muttered under her shaking breath.
-
Nihlus briefly trembled when the marten slid down to rest at the base of his neck, the sensation distinctly unpleasant as fabric scraped across skin and scales. He had half the mind to scold the little creature, but he was the one who had offered this assistance. It was not her fault if she was unaware, even if he still did not wish to admit it. Craning his head back towards her, he was about to mention a thought that occurred to him when she suddenly whispered about an encroaching threat.
Normally he would have tensed in preparation. Yet given the circumstances, he purposefully made sure his muscles remained relaxed and his head lowered out of Laina's view. It would do her no good if the group she was scoping was blocked by his massive head. Of course, this did not keep him from mentally scolding Zach when he called down to them from a new perch in yet another tree or the twice damned 'yote when he left shortly before this probable enemy was spotted. The new suspicions he was beginning to harbor would remain unvoiced.
"I am to assume your shot would be ruined if attempted during active flight?" His teeth flashed in the gray light of the bog.
-
And where was Kaz in all of this mess, after causing so much confusion and ditching the party in their moment of need?
Doing his job and scouting ahead.
The pudgy yote moves quickly with experience through the swamp. His fur and clothing make him blend in with natural efficiency. To a point at least.
In retrospect he should have stopped to go over his instructions more clearly he realized. This is not his usual band of mery bandits but city people. People who may or may not he ready for the dangers ahead.
"Nah. They are smart people. They'll be fine." He says to himself as he presses deeper into the jungle...
-
Laina frowned when she saw the new guy climb right back up into a tree, and had half a mind to just shoot him out of it when he mocked her. Some people just didn't comprehend that the weapon she was carrying would put a hole in them big enough to look through. She just made a face at him, and not a very pretty one, before ignoring him. She wasn't sure what good he would do in a tree, it's not like they could hide Nihlus in a shrub.
"I'm not sure but it seemed like it might be stationary. Hard to tell." She responded to Kat, before looking down at the back of the natavathi's head.
"Difficult, but not.... ruined per se." She responded, and looks at her perch to see how well she could keep a hold of him with her legs if she had to use both hands to steady Jerry. "Very difficult." She amended, realizing the true hazards of attempting such a feat. Not only would she have to hold on to a flying creature she'd never ridden with just her legs, but she would have to avoid clipping him with her shots as well... and who knows how steady she could keep a gun in midair. "My guess would be an effective range of about fifty yards at best, anything further and I can't guarantee I could even get a bead on it if we were moving around."
She stared hard at the foliage in that direction, moving her head from side to side slowly, but the color she saw did not re-appear. She let out a slow breathe and looked around briefly, her gaze soon returning towards the direction of the possible threat. "Okay, if we keep quiet we can try to-" She began in a low voice, but pulled her rifle up to her shoulder mid-sentence.
Nihlus wouldn't have any warning before the distinctive mechanical clicking of a gear sounded, followed by a thundering boom. The revolving chamber of the carbine flared to life with a flash of orange flames that licked out around edges of the metal, at almost the same instant the muzzle flashed, black smoke and fire blasting from the front end of the barrel. The round ripped off into the foliage, and there was a shrill shriek of pain. The sound was echoed out of the treeline, a cacophonous wailing that preceded the dark, hunched forms that emerged swiftly from the tree-line.
A couple gunshots sounded as well and Laina instinctively lowered herself against Nihlus's back, flashes coming out of the murky darkness. The creatures that emerged looked almost normal, except their rodent-like faces were twisted into horrible expressions of rage and bloodlust. The rat-men that filtered out of the trees were largely unarmed, or armed with primitive metal blades and hatchets held together with strips of old cloth. A few of them must have found firearms, but those remained hidden in the trees, as several of the group would hear the sound of bullets whizzing past their heads.
Jerry roared to life again, filling the air with more smoke and fire, the smell of gunpowder filling the air around Nihlus and herself. The heavy caliber round caught one of the charging rodents in the upper shoulder near the neck, spraying the ground with blood and fur as the creature tumbled to the ground.
-
Zachary quickly spotted out the rats just before the chaos broke loose. The first resounding blast coming from the long shooter's rifle seeing the after affect on the unsuspecting victim splattering his nearby friend before the rest jumped out of the bush. He would have cheered for the beautiful shot if they didn't immediately tried to return fire causing the proud raccoon to fall backwards into the mud below. He didn't waste time getting back up as he gasped for air briefly from the fall that knocked the wind that was in him. As he did so he tossed his binoculars into his bag and called out after the second shot. "There's maybe about fifteen maybe more! Keep on your toes!"
With that out of the way he needed to focus on keeping the nearby party safe. He pulled his revolver from the holster and charged into the oncoming enemies blasting one of the rats that was attempting to flank the trio as he did so. It wasn't dead but the bullet that logged itself into the torso of his target definitely did not agree with him causing the rat to shriek in pain as it recoiled away from the Direction it was hit. he then turned his attention to the front line and he threw his left fist towards another rat man. But last seccond before the fist made contact the blade from switch blade emerged from his sleeve stabbing through the rat man's neck swiftly cleaving the blade straight down slicing through the remainder of the neck as he aimed the revolver again straight ahead shooting another rat man in the stomach. He surely hoped his back was covered or this would end quickly for him.
-
So loud and sudden was the explosive bark of Laina's carbine that Kat flinched, her aim wavering as she flicked her sensitive lynx ears flat back against the painful ringing sound. Heavens knew what it was like for Nihlus, right at the epicentre, but there was no time for such thoughts as in that brief moment the rat creatures poured out of the undergrowth like a tide of mangy grey and brown fur. Kat loosed her first arrow, its whistling lost beneath the surrounding bangs and crack of firearms that ripped through the still swamp air. But the shot found its mark as it thudded into the nearest charging creature and brought it down with a pitiful squealing. No time to celebrate, Kat leaped aside as the creature crashed into the mud beside her.
Notch another arrow.. draw... release... Her second shot skittered off into the air over the shoulder of one of the ratmen as Kat aimed for the swirling mass of creatures that Zach had launched himself into. Notch, draw release... Another rat fell, gurgling hot blood with a shaft pierced through its throat. But the crazed animals kept coming, leaping from the undergrowth, churning through the slick grey mud in a veritable swarm that seemed to flow around and between the members of the group. With terrifying speed Kat found herself cut off from Nihlus and Laina by a wall of the snarling creatures, all closing in as Zachary kept fighting headlong into the group nearest him.
Kat swore loudly then, after a moments hesitation, started to pull off the long gloves she wore; revealing a golden gleam of fur up to her forearms hidden beneath. With a snarl she drew the long-handled hammer from across her back, polished meteor steel gleaming as she swung it round into two hands.
The slavering creatures circled for a moment, seemingly wary of this unusual prey. It was the largest of them that eventually made the first move, pouncing forward it aimed to skewer her there and then with a long spike of rusted iron. Kat bared her teeth as she barely twisted in time to face the rat and it's spike slashed painfully across her thigh. But it was already over for the creature. As Kat brought the meteor hammer up in one swift motion and connected squarely with the rat's chest she let a stream of raw uncontrolled Metalmancy pour through her paws and into that strike. In an instant the hammer glowed like molten steel, flashing from red through orange to angry white-hot and with a thundering clap the plague rat was eviscerated, practically torn apart by the concussive shockwave that erupted through its chest. Kat reeled backwards from the expenditure of the blow. Her arms felt heavy and her chest heaved with ragged breaths as she bared her teeth and gripped the weapon in her gleaming paws. Steaming hot rat blood spilled across the ankle deep mud around her like an oil slick, but to her dismay the sickening smell of it only seemed to whip the others into an even greater frenzy.
-
Far enough ahead to be usefull to the party as a scout but to far to be immidietly usefull in the battle Kaz hummed to himself as he navigated the swamp land, plotting ojt obsticals and poking his head down holes that might contain deadly coyote eating monsters.
TNT. That's what he needed for this trip. It would be so usefull for reasons no sane person would consider. Saddly after the necessities of food, drink and lodging the coyote didn't have the funds for such items.
Kaz guessed he would have to just survive on his coyote-ly charms and wits.
Stopping by a puddle of clear water Kaz peers into his reflection. With a sad sigh he clutches either side of his stomach. "Well, hopefully my wits will make up for my lack of charm..."
Then came the gun shot. Even before the next one came Kaz was already rolling forward behind tbe nearest cover with his pistol drawn. He scanned the horrizon for enemies but saw none. "Easy yote. Twas just the party firin in the distance."
There was a short pause.
"@#$!"
Leaping out of his cover the coyote began to book it back to the others. "Five minutes. Five Light forsaken minutes and they are already in a fire fight. That has got to be a record. So help me if they all die I'm going to shoot them!"
Little did the yote know that he was heading more towards the rats than his own party...
-
Nihlus' stance faltered when the first shot rang directly in his ears, forelegs nearly buckling beneath him as it reverberated bone. For a moment he thought he was going to vomit as his head rattled, but the effect thankfully wore off quickly enough to allow him to retain some sense of stability and awareness of what was going on around them. However, for future protection against this dangerous wave of sound, his feathers folded inward. Able to both muffle and protect his sensitive hearing, he lifted his head to watch as one of their companions foolishly began wading through the onslaught of rodents into their center. The same one who had made the tactical mistake of climbing a dead tree both before they had arrived and soon after.
If it were his choice, he would have leapt onto the man and ended his threat to the party. Fortunately it was not up to his personal tastes, but slaughtering some of these frothing rats... He could certainly handle that. With a brief warning provided to the woman riding on his back, he lowered his body to the ground before literally bounding into the fray of flesh, saliva and blood. With this great jump, he crushed one of the smaller and unaware beasts beneath his claws, but immediately moved beyond them. Indeed he was making his way towards Zach, quickly snapping out with his jaws and gripping one of the rodents 'round their entire neck.
Close enough to the man to provide a buffer against the continued onslaught, he used the full force of his jaw strength to eliminate the one that had been wriggling in his muzzle. Snarling, he threw the now-limp body in a random direction and moved into the path of the rushing monstrosities. While he could only provide a buffer against the armed monsters for so long, especially when he considered the danger Laina was under while perched on him, he was not going to let this bleeding idiot get himself butchered in their very first combat situation.
-
Laina felt the creature beneath her tense, and she dropped the bead she had on the next creature in favor of hanging on tightly to Nihlus. Good thing, too, because a she bounded towards the battle it was all she could do not to be flung off of her perch on his back. It would not have been too difficult if she hadn't had to try and keep hold of her rifle as well, the heavy weapon sure to fall clattering into the mud if she let it go now. Given that it was her only viable offense against this many creatures, she clung to it as desperately as she clung to her seat.
When nihlus finally came to a stop she sat up a little bit, surveying where they had ended up. She cursed loudly when she saw that they were nearly in the middle of the swarming creatures. "Shiiiiiit..." Jerry came back up, aimed loosely at the creatures running towards them. "BOOM BOOM BOOM.....BOOM." The shots almost sounded like echoes of each other as she rapidly fired into the crowd, taking down a rat with two of the three initial shots. The fourth was paused long enough for her to take aim on a marksman she had spotted in the foliage, and while she could not tell if she had hit her mark, she saw the rat drop into the weeds. Hopefully he hadn't just been ducking.
She lowered herself down against Nihlus's back once more, hoping he was somehow bulletproof as her volley of gunfire was sure to attract attention. She fumbled at the bullets on the belt across her chest, the smoke-filled air around her lingering with the lack of breeze. The gun barrel was still smoking as she flipped out the cylinder, dropping the spent casings down into the muck and starting to reload the carbine a bullet at a time. She mentally checked the shotgun-pistol at her hip, but realized from this vantage point she may not need it. The marten was especially careful where she was moving and holding her weapon, making sure not to burn the nativathi out of carelessness.
-
Zachary kept up his assault on the mass of plauge rats. And with Kat's help it gave him that moment to study his surrounding opponents. Who's more likely to attack first, who would be the bigger threat, and who had the biggest weapons. All this happened as he gave a gut loosening slash to a rat man and a decapitation to another. Once he did so he fired a shot towards one of the bigger rat men aimed for his chest. The revolver cracked as nihlus jumped closer to him, the bullet hitting it's mark... mostly. It hit the stomach instead. But nonetheless he snapped his revolvers aim to another target and fired another shot. The rat man fell and he saw Kat in her predicament he decided to return the favor and quickly fired another shot aimed at the rat men circling hrr. This shot hit one of thier shoulders but he had no time to worry about it now because the rat men sprung to attack once more making Zachary quickly leap out of the way his sword catching the enemy on his way out. Sure it wasn't lethal but it caused him to reel back trying to avoid it. Zachary didn't give the rat time to balance and quickly followed up with his grappling hook swinging his arm wide so the cable snared him loosely and tugged hard making the rat fall over with the revolver aimed to the head quickly blasting his brains out as the cable retracted quickly. He needed to assist Kat by getting closer. But the wall of rats between them was causing a bit of a problem.
-
"Five minutes." Kaz growls unhappily as he plants his tail behind the cover of a log. "Five bleedin minutes. And already they started a war. With out me no less!" The yote peers cautiousoy over the log. "Well...that's more rats than I have fingers to count."
He draws a pistol in each paw. Each pistol has been modified to carry 7 shots. That's 14 bullets against x number of enemeies. "Now if I were any kind of gentle yote I would be abliged to rush out there like a mad man, firing, hooting and holoring and get myself shot for my trouble. If I was a smart yote then I would just stay here and try to pick them off with a pair of pistols...until they circle back and stab me with their...spears? Well ok then."
The coyote's narreration pauses as he considers these options. Eventually he begins to smile, toothy grin splitting his muzzle ear to ear.
"But thankfully they hired a crazy pyromaniac with self destructive tendencies." The yote couphs once to clear his throat. Taking a deep breath he leaps to his feetm cacckling like a mad man as he fires two quick shots towards the rats. "We got em surrounded now boys! Move in for the kill!"
The coyote takes off to his right pausing behind a different tree to fire two more shots with the same pistol. "Move in! Send in the marines! Take no prisoners!" He shouts as loud as he can before moving down to another set of cover. He dashes back and forth in the tree oine, repeating the process of shouting and firing quick shots, trying to keep himself hidden when he can.
Making the rats believe there were more enemies out in the woods was, at best, a long shot. At worst a few rats might be drawn away from the party. That was fine with Kaz. He could lose them easy enough...he hoped.
"We are having rat stew tonight!" He says while firing the last of his bullets. Like the rest of his shots they go wild and strike nothing but the earth, narrowly missing a few rats...and even some times his own party members.
"Blazes I hope this works." He says quietly while reloading one pistol at a time.
-
Kat felt a brief sense of relief as the others waded into the combat too, lessening the number of rat-men that stood between them rapidly. Her relief was short-lived however as the slavering creatures just kept coming. With each swing of her meteor hammer and accompanying thunder clap of power Kat could feel the strength sapping from her limbs until she felt ready to collapse, arms leaden and every muscle in her body flaring with pain.
The number of the swarming creatures did seem to be thinning however, helped of course by the powerful blows and bone-cracking jaws of Nihlus as he waded into the crowd. And she wasn't sure if it was just confusion of her senses, but at the height of the fighting Kat could swear there seemed to be other shouts from the bushes, not the rat creatures, and even more bullets whizzing overhead. All she knew for sure was that in the ensuing confusion a gap in the snarling creatures presented itself, and so with one last push she spent the last of her strength into forcing her way through to her companions.
For a moment the creatures closed around her, grasping and swinging with their crude weapons. Then with a final shoulder-barging slam she was through. Kat stumbled alongside the rest of the group, breathing heavily and knee deep in blood and mud. She stood and readied herself again, clouds of hot steam hissing off the unnaturally golden fur of her paws matched the smoke that wreathed the still red-hot hammer. A white hot pain seared through her thigh and she bared her teeth against it with a deep growl. "Oh, now I'm really pissed off..."
-
Loath to leave her seat of relative safety on top of the natavathi's back, Laina hesitated after she finished reloading her gun. Her paw spun the chamber and flicked it back into place deftly, the metal issuing a soft click amidst the chaos of shouting and gunfire. It was quite a feat just to stay atop Nihlus, his giant frame swatting aside rats like they were little more than insects. Most of them flew away so broken and mangled that they likely drowned in the mud of the swamp. Still, his ravaging attacks did little to help the marten on his back, and Laina knew she had to dismount if she wanted to take any further offensive action beyond a few pot shots in the moments he held still... which were not many.
So, hoisting Jerry above her shoulders she rolled to the side on Nihlus away from the oncoming horde. She came down hard into the mud, easily sinking to her knees from the impact. The lithe female struggled to free herself from the mire, her ears picking up the sound of shouting and gunfire from another area of the bushes, a bullet sinking into the mud right next to her leg and splattering flecks of the brown much across her face. That little reminder of her own mortality made her struggle like mad to get out of the mud, eventually pulling a leg free. Several of the rodents had tried to get at her, but Nihlus posed too big of a threat to simply run around him.
Ayllaina paused in her struggling to level her rifle at the treeline, firing a single round in that direction when she saw the muted flash of metal. The bullet splintered a tree trunk between her and Kaz, but did not manage to actually hit the coyote. Oblivious to the fact that her comrade was the one in the trees she assumed that would hold this new attacked at bay long enough for her to free her other leg. The rodents had a different idea, two of them finally managing to skirt the massive reach of the natavathi and come at her, swords drawn. The marten's instinctive combat reflexes warned her just before they reached her, and she whirled around as best she could, firing a string of three bullets the moment she confirmed there was indeed a threat. Jerry wasn't suited to close range combat, but a bullet is a bullet. The second bullet of the three caught one of the rat-men high in the thigh, not a fatal wound surely but it slowed the thing down as it angrily gibbered whatever language they were speaking at the sniper. Then the first rat was inside the range of her barrel and she was forced to maneuver her gun in the way of a rusty and wickedly twisted blade as it angled for her hip, trying to cut her where she had difficulty defending herself. The blade struck the metal with a dull pinging noise, leaving a shallow scratch line.
-
Zachary kept up his flurry stabbing a rat in it's head as it followed Kat to the party. He had to keep his combat awareness up now so he wouldn't slash at his allies. Well one was easy to keep track of and that was Nihlust. He was the most distinguished from the whole mass being the only quadruped in the mass. He took a quick glance around then saw the sniper jump down. She was pretty easy to spot to with her finer clothes. He also got a look at Kat noticing her literal golden fur. Well at this rate he was the most bland of the group.
He'd chop a few more plauge rats down before seeing the two that snuck around trying to get at the sniper. He was too late to stop the damage she received but he could stop any further damage. He let the cable draw out and use the grapple at the end as a mace knocking the rat man that was on her back with a powerful blow to it's chest. That should give her some room to counter and get out. If not Nihlust would take care of them.
But he needed to lay off as much heat he could off of of Kat or she won't make it. He fired a shot after the swing to knock the rat man back past Kat into a rat man that tried to get behind her.
-
The best laid plans, thinks the coyote as his plan backfires in a very literal way. He lets loose a frightened yelp as the tree rocks from the bullet pounding its side. He slips on the wet grass and falls onto his back.
"Who's side are you on!" Kaz shouts. Just then a rat dressed in only a loin cloth and body paint land in the ditch to his right. Brandishing his spear at the coyote he goes to run the bandit through his fat belly. "Blazes!" in a moment Kaz is on his feet pulling the triggers for both his revolvers.
/click/
/click/
Right...he still needed to reload from his little failed attempted drawing attention away from the party.
Well that's why he carries a shot gun. The weapon has more than enough stopping power to take down a measly rat! Throwing his revolver at the on coming rat he pegs him in the face with it, cause his opponant to faulter just long enough to draw his shot gun single pawed and blow him away.
The rats eyes light up with fear as he reconizes that his end is upon him.
/\BOOM/\
And the buck shot rakes the tree next to the rat, completely missing its target. The sting of his wrist being wounded from pulling a manuver so foolish is nothing compared to the bitter sting of missing with a shot gun at 10 feet.
"Aw come on!" Kaz shouts. In the next moment the rat recovers his wits and thrusts forward with his spear, aiming to impale the coyote.
-
Kat gritted her teeth against the pain that burned white-hot across her thigh with each new step she took. The leg of her normally grey pants was stained red and blood pooled over the top of her boot. But the pain was only really in the background, like wolves circling an injured deer. So Kat pushed on and with a feral roar she brought her hammer up again in a swing that caught one of the rat-men circling Laina a heavy blow, shattering its jaw. The creature stumbled and fell, bright red tongue gurgling uselessly from its bloodied mess of a mouth.
Standing shakily in the midst of the fighting Kat breathed through her bared teeth. She barely even noticed Zachary blast down another creature circling behind her anymore, or Laina still struggling desperately against the other two rat-men. Past intense waves of pain and clashing of steel there was only one thing Kat could see or hear through the undergrowth... Kaz, the jovial and portly coyote who she had barely met hours ago, however he had got there.. Under the rushing point of a spear that seemed destined to be lodged in his chest.
Kat's expression twisted into a pained snarl as she saw the scene unfold with a sudden sense of clarity. She reached out one paw, fighting against the leaden weight of her tired arms. There was no time for any fancy metalmancy, and even if she had thought to try Kat wasn't sure she had the strength anymore. Instead she did the only thing she could and poured everything she had at the metal head of the spear in one last desperate burst. Her paws became wreathed in bright golden light even as the rat man plunged the spear forward, it seemed like it was too late...
Then the spear shattered with a deafening screech. Tiny fragments of metal showered the ground around the coyote and the rat creature as Kat's legs finally buckled beneath her and she slipped into the suffocating darkness of unconsciousness.
-
Laina heard more than saw the bullets still spraying around them and the grappling hook take out the rat behind her, struggling as she was with the single rat-man aiming wild swings at her head and torso. Its first attack foiled it went into a frenzy, trying to cut her down with nothing but persistence and strength. There was no finesse to the attacks, which was probably the only thing that saved the marten from being hacked to pieces. Jerry was taking a beating from being used as a shield, but the gun was made of a tougher metal than whatever the rat was wielding, and the damage was superficial.
Nihlus was still rampaging through the group to her right, having town most of them to bloody pieces. She had no idea how he was still standing, being such a big target meant he had to have taken several shots at the minimum, but maybe his hide was tougher than she thought. A massive paw came down on the rat that Zach has knocked over, simply crushing it to a paste. With the sniper off his back and the horde significantly thinned, he took to the sky with a powerful leap, landing some hundred yards into the treeline amid a chorus of screaming rat marksmen.
Ayllaina maneuvered her carbine around for another block, but this time made sure that it was angled perfectly for her next trick. Just before the rat's weapon hit her gun she pulled the trigger, the open chamber spouting fire at the rat's face from the perfectly angled barrel. The bullet flew harmlessly out into the swamp, but the rat threw its hands up as the flames and smoke scorched its face and burned its lungs. She quickly dropped a hand to her waist and pulled her shotgun, lunging forward. She pulled the trigger just as the hit the limit of her reach, the weapon going off just inches from the thing's chest. It was dead in nearly an instant as a hole the size of a fist was punched through its heart.
The marten didn't even pause as she tossed the spent gun to the side and worked her leg up out of the mud. With a slurping pop she came free, luckily still with her boot, and she came up in a roll, leveling her rifle towards anything that might be behind her.... only to find that there was in fact nothing there. Kat lay slumped in the mud, and Zach was battling the last pair of rats some few feet from her.
With an exhausted sigh she put a bullet in one of the two rats fighting Zach, dropping it dead. Looking down the sights gave her another view, however, for directly past the two stood Kaz and another Rat... holding a pole? She pulled the trigger again, aiming at the rat's head, but the carbine just clicked lamely, out of ammunition.
-
Zachary had to block one of the two rat men attacks and he went to shoot the seccond while he could but the sniper quickly stopped him by shooting the intended target. So Zachary jumped back anticipating the rat man he blocked would try to kick or throw him off which good for him, he was right. As soon as Zachary was on the ground again he'd swiftly aim to the now charging plauge rat and fired off on more shot. The plauge rat took the bullet to his chest and fell, not dead but in severe pain and bleeding into to mud.
Zachary sighed in relief that that ordeal was over, for now at least. There was definitely going to be more challenges down the road and he's definitely going to need to be on his toes more so then previously. But this adventure would be his story to tell, and other affiliated parties.
Quickly surveying the remaining members in the area, noting Kat passed out and the sniper aiming at something. He returned the blade back to his sleeve and walked over to Kat to check she was ok, quickly noting the injury. Too bad he didn't decide to bring his first aid kit. At least staunching the blood flow would be good for now until they find something to clean the wound. Zachary took a arm out of his coat sleeve and tore the forearm section of the shirt on his left side, Not like he needed it anyway, using the sleeve bit as a makeshift bandage tightly tying in over top the wound to slow the blood flow. With the condition of the rat's weapons no doubt it was likely infected but again getting out of this area would be better.
-
Don't panic. Thought the coyote. It's just a sharp pointy spear coming to run through your fleshy organs and vitals. There was however very little time to feel anything, panic or otherwise. As if by instinct Kaz swings his gun upward to deflect the spear away from impaling him.
It wouldn't be too hard really to move forward, over power the rat and finish this. Just like he has done before through a life time of violence and banditry. No problem.
And then the rat's spear head explodes...
Both rat and yote are pelted by fragments of metal, enough so they are both forced onto the ground by the blast. Kaz's ears ring violently. Struggling to get up he lets out a gasp of pain from the various small shards peppering his hide.
The rat is no worse off. He blinks once or twice, looking at the broken shaft in paw, trying to fathom what just happened. Spears dont just...explode do they? Maybe that is the consiquences for buying a second hand spear!
As the rat contemplates this Kaz is on his feet lunging for the rat. With a defiant squeak the rat drops the broken spear shaft, drawing a wicked serrated bone knife from behind his back.
Both battlers are quickly lost behind a pair of bushes. Occasionally a knife will be seen over the bushes, a desperate paw keeping it at bay as its attacker struggles to plunge it into his enemies heart. The sound of gasping rustling and struggling is prevailent until...
"AAAAAAAEEEEEEIIIIII!" The ear peircing shriek fills the air and the sounds of struggling stop. There is a rustling noise as the rat steps free from the bushes. He stands still for a long moment, wavering on his feet before collapsing onto face first into the ground. His own knife is plunged deep into his back like a flag post.
Paws bloody, both literal and metephorical, Kaz appears shortly there after. He takes a look at the battle before him. A true scene of carnage.
"The heck?!" He shouts to all.
-
The world was bright white, so bright in fact that Kat couldn't make out anything through the barrage of light... She squinted and tried to hold up a hand against the brightness, but that didn't seem to make a difference and her arm felt as heavy as lead. Her ears were filled with a high pitched ringing and muffled sounds, like voices in a different room... The others, what had happened to the others? Last she'd seen they were fighting, tooth and nail, and then...!
Kat sat up with a groan, blinking desperately as her vision came swimming back into blurry focus. Someone was treating her she realised, for as she sat up they pushed her back down and there was a painful pressure around her thigh... It barely masked the dull throbbing pain in her leg which felt like a snarling wolf circling, though the pain still felt numb and detached.
"I'm alive... I'm ok..." She muttered, though her voice sounded unsure even to her own ears. Kat looked up, slightly surprised to see it was Zachary leaning over her, and a little way away was Laina. Well she was glad to know they had survived at least. Gritting her teeth against the pain Kat slowly pushed herself up on one arm again in time to see Kaz burst out of the undergrowth. Just like the rest of them the portly 'coon looked rather worse for wares... But also importantly, alive...
-
"Shit!" The marten hissed, reloading a single shot as quickly as she could and pulling the rifle up for bear once more. She had lost where the pair went, however, and by the time she found them again in the brush they were in a tussle and she could not get a shot. She almost fired her single round at the rat that emerged from the bush, but eased up on the taut trigger when he fell over dead, and then fully lowered the weapon when Kaz came stumbling out of the weeds.
The mercenary was silent as she surveyed the scene around her, rat bodies strewn about the field. The vicious creatures hadn't even attempted a retreat, and had been slaughtered to the last. No doubt that hinted something about their intelligence, or perhaps their desperation. Either way, Laina was glad that the pack of rat-men had not been better armed. If they ran into another group like that, she wasn't quite sure they would make it through.
With an air of exhaustion she pulled herself back up to her feet, hanging her rifle at a low angle in the crook of her arm, and looked to the north to where Nihlus had flown off. She no longer heard and screams or gunfire, but neither did she see any sings of the Natavathi returning. Her face registered concern for a long moment before she turned to regard Zach and Kat, who sat only a dozen paces or so to the south of her. "Is anyone seriously injured?" She inquired, and the usual snarky edge to her voice had faded to a gentle sort of worry. The marten realized now that this trip was not like anything she had dealt with before. They had faced death and they were still on the border of the province, not a day into what was likely to be a week long journey. They would need to rely on each other to survive this job. "Nihlus is missing, somewhere north of us. If we can move we need to go try and find him, he could need our help." She added, started to reload Jerry with more than just the single round she had added.
-
Zach lightly chuckled when he heard Kat say she was alive. He then heard Laina asked if anyone one was seriously injured. "Well Kat here has a pretty serious cut on her leg. I've pretty much stopped the bleeding but there is still the risk infection. As for me i'm still sore from my fall earlier but besides that I'm fine." He then gave the bandage a tug and said to the whole group with a idea. "Actually does anyone have some strong alcohol?" If one of them did he could soak the bandage with it or pour dome of it on the wound and it could help with most of the infection. It's not perfect but it's better than nothing. As for nihlus he wasn't worried about him. He was a crystalline dragon from what he has seen, not like weak or common weapons could injure him.
-
Leaned over a corpse, the canine's ears twitched at the sounds of shots fired off in the distance. The noise was enough to disturb his meal – some bandits that had been mowed down by a few of his “brethren” days ago. Something was amiss. Something big, he assumed by the amount of gunfire that he could hear piercing the almost eerie lull. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary for things to go awry given where he was, though now Jude tilted his head to sniff the air. Gunshots at the very least meant food. Food and whatever else was left behind in the victor's wake – more things to scavenge so far as he was concerned! His nose quivered inquisitively at its peak, picking up various scents – more notably rat and gunpowder. He gave a sneeze, shaking his head. Something was different. There were other things here aside from the usual suspects. Something aside from the rats and rancid magic that loomed over the area with such an imposing shadow.
Curious as to what this was, the creature took to all fours and began to wander toward the flashing lights and loud noises until something large swooped overhead. He dropped flat to the ground, peering over his shoulder. That was definitely something new. Very slowly, he began to lift up. It didn't take him long to spot the suspects, all gathered around one another... Around bodies. So much dead flesh! He continued to rise from four legs to two, still sniffing at the air to get a better handle on the situation until he noticed the marten, fumbling with a gun. Rather than rush at her or any of the party, he stood where he was, dropping his muzzle to get a better look at them.
-
With a snarl Kat pushed herself up onto one arm, her fingers sinking into the thick mire they had churned up during the fighting. The pain in her leg was bearable, though only just, and her once grey travelling clothes were stained deep red down her leg. Fresh blood had pooled into her boot and Kat wrinkled her nose at the stench. "I'll be the judge of how serious my wound is..." She muttered with a grimace, trying to push past Zachary and stand on her own two feet.
Almost immediately the pain flared again, like a line of white hot fire diagonally across the width of her thick thigh, and she collapsed heavily back into the mud. "Fine... Argh, just fine." The lynx hissed between her teeth, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. For a moment she just lay there, large tufted ears flicking as she soaked in all the sounds of the swamp around them. She could hear the few members of their group coming together, and one strange new sound stalking close by... But the pain was just too much for her to concentrate, and as Zach tugged on the bandage Kat gave another growl of pain, opening her eyes to glare pointedly at him.
-
The coyote grits his teeth. "Five minutes. I'm not gone longer than five bleedin minutes..." he shakes his head. To his marten companion Kaz says, "You go after Niles. I'll hang back here and watch over our..." the carnage of the battlefeild, very aware that not a single one of the enemies fell to his paws. Somehow the term civilian just doesnt seem to apply anymore. "Companions. Once the cat is patched up we will move into that tree line." he points to the north.
"I'll find us a spot to hole up in. But we really, really should put some distance between us and this mess, less they have freinds coming back to help...or their stence attracts something worse..."
Eyes focused on the wounded feline the coyote has yet to see the new creatures arival... "Anything I can do to help? She...she is going to be alright...right?"
-
Laina just nodded her agreement as she finished reloading the carbine. "Aye, fair enough. I won't be gone long.... he can't be hard to find." She replied, casting the lynx a look of mild concern before she stood up and kicked some of the mud off of her boot... somewhat pointlessly, as the muck was halfway up her leg. "Keep an eye....out...." She added, trailing off as she looked up to where she was about to be heading to find the green-furred canine looking back at her. Her expression registered immediate surprise and confusion, the scene too strange for her to react quickly, but soon enough she had her gun held at the ready, if not aimed directly at the creature.
Ayllaina has some minor experience with monsters, but this creature seemed more like the undead she had heard about... even from this distance parts of it were clearly rotting. The marten gave a low hissing noise to catch everyone else's attention. "Psst. What the hell is that?" She asked no one in particular. There was an edge of fear or concern in her voice, it was difficult to tell which, really. However, it was clear that the decaying appearance of this creature was unnerving the marksman significantly more than the plague rats had. Half-feral rat men were one thing, undead monstrosities were entirely another, and something the sniper was entirely unfamiliar with. "Should I shoot it?" He questioned, though the tip of her rifle was visible quivering, the female's face pulled into a barely disguised grimace. It had not advanced towards them yet, and appeared to be more curious than hostile.... but for all she knew it may not have the ability to make any other expression. The canine's face could just be frozen like that, the muscles rotted away beneath the skin. She shuddered visibly at the thought.
"I...I think I should shoot it..." She amended, raising Jerry up a bit further.
-
Drake heard Kaz's concern and quickly looked over his shoulder to face him. "If i could get some alcohol on this cut she should be." He then heard the marten's hiss and turned to face what she was looking at. Seeing the green rotting canine. Which to be honest gave him a sick feeling to his stomach. But was it from disgust or shock of the sight he couldn't tell. After choking down on... something he decided to speak up to the creature. "Uhm... hello there."
-
The creature hardly reacted with the barrel pointed at him, not beyond his ear flicking absently, intently listening to their conversation. Had he been within reach, he would have touched the barrel of the gun, perhaps slowly redirected it to the ground, provided he didn't get a hole blown in him from doing such, but alas at his distance he merely tilted his head inquisitively – and then again in the opposite direction when the raccoon spoke at him. It was certainly another first; most others, bandits included, would rather shoot first and ask later – something that resulted in a few of his mismatched parts. Slowly, he raised one of his heavy paws and gave a wave at the raccoon before he deviated his attention to the martin, or more specifically, the barrel aimed at him. He didn't speak, rather, his tongue lolled out of his mouth bringing along with it a few maggots that squirmed in the strings of drool that dripped from his mouth. Finally, he spoke, voice low and gruff, almost mockingly at the female, “Should you?”
-
Kat glanced from Zach to Kaz, clenching her teeth against the pain. She muttered darkly under her breath in reply, "You'd need something strong to stand a chance of actually disinfecting the wound..." After a moment she looked back and sighed, "I've got alcohol, in my pack..."
It was then that the decomposing creature stood up in plain view. At first Kat couldn't help but share Laina's feelings of revulsion and she was suddenly made very acutely aware of the smell of fresh blood around her. She had never seen a creature such as this in all her life, the tales of the undead and ghouls had seemed so childish and far away in the capital. But as it remained standing there, cautious and almost curious, in a rotting blank-expressioned sort of way, she felt her fear ebb away...
For now at least the creature didnt seem too aggressive, and she was hardly able to aid her companions in a fight anyway. So with one eye on the unfolding exchange Kat extracted a large metal hip-flask from one of the many pockets on her pack... the drink inside had an eye-watering smell of strong alcohol, followed by a more subtle aroma of sweet fruit. Zach had of course turned to deal with the creature alongside Laina, leaving Kat to glance at the portly coyote out of the corners of her amber eyes. This was no time to be ashamed and so, after a brief pause, the young lynx held out the flask at arm's length to Kaz, "Seems a waste... But if you can lend a paw to help this should do the job..."
-
Kaz admittedly reacts poorly when faced with a zombie appearing out of the wood work. His motto as an ex bandit was shoot first, shoot some more, shoot anything that survived the previous shooting and then shoot it again after its been shot.
A bit extreme but its kept the pudgy bandit alive this long.
Thankfully the coyote has yet to reload his weapons having discharged them all with out hitting a single target. A fact that he hopes is glossed over by his team mates.
"Bleedin heck what is that thing!" Kaz shouts. Frantically trying to reload his pistol.
-
The marten just wrinkled her nose further when the canine spoke, her finger tightening on the trigger instinctively, though not enough to trigger the weapon to fire. There was a moment's pause, during the silence of which Kaz shouted, and Laina heard him fumble with one of his pistols. There was another tense moment, before she cracked a smile and lowered her gun slightly. Despite the danger of the situation, the absurdity of the coyote's outrage almost made her laugh. She couldn't hold back the initial chuckle, but attempted to hold her weapon steady.
"Mister rotting, gross thing...." She called out, unconcerned with the creature's sensibilities to be sure. "...I won't shoot you, just stay over there." She finished, lowering her gun. As repulsive as the creature was, it had made no hostile action towards them, nor did it seem particularly concerned with the group as a whole. "You can talk so you're not one of the mindless, flesh-eating monsters." Though that did not discredit him from being a thoughtful flesh-eating monster, something that did not escape her train of thought.
She didn't take her eyes off of him, but she relaxed slightly and stood up from her crouch. "Care to tell us what you're doing?"
-
Zachary(i keep screwing up the name...) would raise a eyebrow seeing the rotting canine wave to him before the other team members began to take charge of the situation. He'd scratch his neck and turn back to Kat to clean up the wound. "Alright well since everyone else is keeping that thing busy let's clean that wound." He said quietly to not distract the exchange. He'd hold out his hand to receive the alcohol as he said. "By the way why do you have alcohol?"
-
Jude paused a moment to listen to the martin. Her words were received with a slight scowl. “Wandering.” He started, glancing around them, more specifically, eying the carnage that surrounded them. “Scavenging.” For the most part, he obeyed, not really moving from his spot, though he seemed less than pleased about it as he squatted down with a huff. The canine licked his lips hungrily, not seeming much interested in the living parties so much as everything that littered the ground. “You?” he questioned. “Aside from shooting up everything, that is?”
While at first his speech seemed crude, it got better the more he continued... As if he'd been stranded without it for so long, it was almost forgotten. He reached a paw out to touch one of the bodies before them, eyes now falling to the martin and her group, expectant for answers.
-
(Proving Im still alive with a post! Not sure if its my turn or not but...anyway.)
The pot bellied coyote growls as he begins to reload his weapons, first one pistol then the next, keeping a warry eye on their new undead friend all the while still able to quip, "Why wouldn't she have whisky on her?" he askes in honesty. Stepping forward towards their marten leader Kaz says, "If you want to go looking for our wayward friend I can watch over the party." and loot corpses to his greedy hearts content he thinks but does not say.
"Also, be carefull. They have some kind of exploding spear thrower...took a face full of one and barely survived!"
-
(I'm also possibly still alive! > < Meant to post soon after Mortis but was delayed until now, hey ho... )
Kat grimaced and shot Zachary a darkening amber-eyed glare in response to his question. "I'm no saint..." she replied sharply, though a slight grin teased at the corners of her lips when she heard Kaz's quip, "... a drink provides some respite, even for me." After that she gave a half-hearted shrug and stretched out her injured leg for Zachary to clean the wound, returning to watch Laina and the others deal with the rotting canine creature. It seemed to be speaking now, which on the whole she considered to be something of an improvement.
"Oh, yes that uhm... exploding spear thing..." Kat muttered in reply to the last comment Kaz had made, visibly wincing worriedly. The stocky lynx's tufted ears lay sheepishly flat back against her dark hair as she continued in a voice laced with awkwardness, "I may have had a slight part in that..."
-
After a pause Ayllaina finally broke eye contact with the undead canine, checking over her shoulder to see that Kaz had an eye on him as well. She looked back at the scavenger briefly, then sighed and shouldered her gun. "We should stick together, given that we don't know if any of those rodents are still lurking around the area." Though she figured Nihlus would have returned by this point if he was able. It did not bode well. "Once we get Kat on her feet we'll swing north for about a quarter mile, and hopefully find him." She didn't feel the need to voice the alternative outcome.
The marten's hair was in a tussle and she spent a moment combing her fingers through it, pushing it out of her face and eyes. The sniper was clearly flustered, presumably by the battle, the undead creature before them, or the possible loss of a comrade so early in the trip. it was difficult to tell. She checked her shotgun quickly, making sure it was loaded, then tucked it deftly back into her belt.
"To answer your question we are scouting a route for a potential railway to be built through here." She replied, examining the scratches along the barrel of her gun. "Speaking of which, I did not bring enough bullets." She added to her group. "Nothing in the job description implied we would be fighting small scale wars with the natives." They were supposed to be scouting a route. Presumably if they found one a much larger group with many more guns would come and plow a path through. "So maybe a little more sneaking is in order...?" She did not fancy the idea of being reduced to drawing a knife or picking up one of these shoddy junkheaps the vermin were using for weaponry. They were just as likely to explode in your face from the look of them.
"Kaz, see if you can find anything useful on these rats? Any ammunition that looks serviceable, food, supplies."
-
Zachary would pause briefly before speaking as if pondering Kat's statement. He would nod then realize that the marten was speaking to the group as a whole. He would nod once then turn back to Kat finally awnsering once he heard the marten said for him to finish the patch. "That's true." He would then take the flask and lay the cloth he was using as a bandage over the cut then say. "Tell me when it hurts." He would then begin to dribble the alcohol carefully onto the cut through the bandage. Not wanting to waste any of it was the main train of thought so he could bandage others later.
-
"I'm going to go out on a limb and say that unless you like rat stew, we aint going to be finding anything eatable here." Kaz casts a glance upon the horde of rats slain around them, shuddering at the thought of what they considered food.
But search he did, putting his experience as a bandit to good use. That is, finding anything thqt looked shiny and expensive or usefull.
Anything that would give him the excuse to stay away from their charming new friend. The yote didnt survive a rat attack just to end up in the stomach of a zombie...
-
Kat glanced up as the marten spoke to the group and their newcomer as a whole. The lynx's tufted ears flicked down sheepishly at the mention of her injury, replying in a half-hearted voice that stung her pride as much as the cut on her leg, "Sorry about this... I'll get back on my feet as soon as I can-" She was cut off as she winced in pain. Zachary was soaking her wound with alcohol and it felt almost as bad as when the rat-creature had opened it with his blade, like a line of white-hot fire across her thick thigh. Kat nodded, blinking back tears as she gritted her teeth.
-
Jude gave another snort, mostly at the martin's statement. “Even if you'd brought enough, it wouldn't be enough.” He grabbed the body he'd been touching by the neck and dragged it closer to him, sniffing it idly. “All sorts of things are out here, none of them are friendly.” He tilted his head, looking back up to her with glowing green eyes. “Rats are the least of your worries.” With that, he dug a claw into the rat's eye socket and fished out the eye, sticking it in his mouth to chew thoughtfully.
-
Laina looked away well before the undead canine managed to get the eye into his mouth, but she still almost seemed to turn green beneath her fur when the sound of his chewing reached her ears. She pulled her ears against her skull and stared at the ground in obvious disgust for a long moment, fighting down the urge to vomit. After a time she seemed to steel herself, though her eyes didn't move back in that direction. "You seem to know a lot about the area." She stated, though the way she spoke it almost sounded like an accusation. She looked at the rest of their group when she spoke, her eyes lifting slightly. "We could use a guide."
----
Some time later, the group pushed their way through the edge of a clearing, the Marten near the front as they passed into the open space. It was only a couple hundred yards from the earlier battlefield, and several of the trees had been knocked over. In fact, the torn ground, the shredded foliage, and the severed limbs of plague rats littering the ground made it pretty clear that this was where Nihlus had been. Been being the key word, as there was still no sign of the dragon-like creature. Laina looked around in frustration, her eyes briefly meeting those of thier newest, and least alive member of the group. Her lips tightened, but she knew they did not have the time or resources to hunt down their missing member. No doubt his help would be useful, but for all they knew he was dead and swallowed by the swamp.
"We'll have to keep moving." She said, though it was as much to reassure herself than to inform anyone else.
-
After dribbling the alcohol over the wound Zachary would tie down the cloth tightly so the blood wouldn't leak out. Sure it may leave the toes a little numb in the long run but it was better then bleeding out. He would then help Kat back up whether she liked it or not and help her walk until the wound healed enough so it wouldn't easily tear open again. As for bringing the walking corpse with them he could care less.
---
As they walked towards the battlefield that the winged companion Zachary would simply begin to map out whatever he could with his papers. They were still mostly clean but a few of the top sheets would have been soiled a little because of the first tumble he had. He also managed to fit enough time in to clean his coat off significantly compared to the layer of mud it had before.
When they did reach the battle zone he would look around at the strewn bodies and simply shrug. Oh well this is a place of death so it didn't surprise him to lose a ally. Though he was hoping it would have been later.
-
"Ten minutes in and we may already have our first causualty." The fat coyote shook his head, "Heck of a first day if you ask me."
Then remembering his present company he adds swiftly, "But you never know, he might just be fine and dandy...somewhere."
The yote cringes as he adjusts the bag over his shoulder. The rats had nor been a good source of supplies. Most only carried their spears and loin cloths. Period. There was little ammunition to be had and what ever food the rats had with them was skeptical at best.
Their spears made good walking sticks as Kaz was finding out. The other supplies gathered were nnothing compared with what they brought with them.
Sliding up to Liana Kaz whispers, "So...any idea why the rat men picked a fight with us? And...is it wise to be letting our less than living friend here guide us? Not that I dont trust him to lead us to lead us into a trap its just...I dont trust him to lead. Zombies aint exactly known for brains ye know..."
-
“And I could use some food. Direction.” Jude replied, “Win win.” He continued to feast on the rat, unbothered by anyone watching, only moving when it was clear that the group was done scavenging. After all, he had just been appointed their guide.
--
It was clear once they'd reached the opening that something had gone down. What, the canine couldn't know. He had only just joined the group, but judging from the martin's reaction, it was nothing good for them. Jude gave a nod at the martin again when she mentioned moving on. “It's probably the best thing you can do. Standing around...” he paused as if searching for the words, “Only makes you a target.” Again, he shook his head, almost in disbelief that he was doing exactly what he was.
-
Laina's mouth turned into a contemplative sort of frown as Kaz leaned in to speak with her, not bothering to tear her gaze from searching the nearby trees for a few seconds. She did, eventually, and her gaze when it met the coyote's was less than cheerful. "He seems fairly straightforward, possibly for the reason you just stated." She managed a slight, sarcastic smirk. "He's here to steer us away from any unknown danger, not necessarily to determine our course. That would be your job." She reminded him, poking him in the chest gently with a thin, clawed digit.
"As for why the rats attacked us, I think that's pretty clear. Food can't be easy to find here, and we have working weapons." She explained. "I would venture to guess they may also just attack anything that they think they can kill before it kills them." The marten shrugged.
She motioned for him to continue moving, trusting the chubby gunslinger with their heading. Her gaze shifted towards Zach and Kat briefly, checking in on them and how they were handling the situation, before moving to the undead canine, having heard him speak up earlier. "A target is exactly what we do not want to be right now. Jude, was it? Can you follow Kaz and make sure he doesn't run into anything avoidable?"
-
The coyote bristles, fur on end. Yes, make the zombie hating bandit work with the zombie. Brilliant! Then again, it seems like there was no shortage of things wanting to eat him here so what did it matter if Kaz ended up in the belly of something living or something undead?
"Fine. I'll try to follow the course they want us to take but be warned, we are already deeper into this land than I ever dared to go. There is no telling what will be waiting for us down the road."
Taking the lead Kaz gestures the zombie to follow, "Alright, just...follow along and try not to get yerself in trouble, m'kay?"
-
Zachary would be calm dispite the situation. He'd jot down a few more notes for the map and approach the sniper once Kaz was gone. Considering he doesn't even know her name yet a little conversation wouldn't hurt. Still keeping the in progress map out he would say. "So sniper we haven't formally met yet, with me being late to the party and all, I'm Zachary."