A Test of Mettle (Open/Verdant Cross Recruiting)

[Yorick]

Yorick sat quietly in the pub, her armor on and her weapons freshly polished. She had posted an advertisement after accepting a lucrative but difficult contract to kill a troop of Bonewalkers that had arisen to control an abandoned Ostian town. The land nearby was more productive than most of the barren Ostian countryside, and there were minerals in the surrounding hills, so the farmers and peasants wanted to reclaim the land and town from the undead inhabitants. Yorick could not take on a whole troop of Walkers, no matter how thick her armor, and Bruce wouldn't be able to serve as the trump card either. He was only one man, after all.

The advertisement stated: "Seeking Capable Fighters to Assist in the Destruction of a Bonewalker Occupation Force. Contact Yorick of the Verdant Cross at the Bent Leg Pub."

So far, none had shown up. Yorick was not discouraged, however - recruitment took time, and fighters would no doubt soon roll in. Until then, she had settled for drinking ale with Bruce. The heavyweight General was on her third mug, but showed no signs of impairment. It was a miracle her liver still worked at all after all the scrapes she'd been through, and the floods of drink that had followed them.

The lithe mage was much more reserved, still sipping his first mug. He was standing near the table, alternating between stretches and short drinks as he kept his muscles warm.

"Bruce, sit the hell down. You're making me nervous, with all that bending and twisting. One of these times you're likely to pop a leg out or something, and then we'll be in a real bad way. Seriously, man, cool it."

The mage chuckled, punching the air in a quick one-two and then jumping up to deliver a high kick.

"Relax, Rick, there's no need for concern. I am just exercising, staying free and nimble. One must always be ready for the opponent, wherever they may appear."

Yorick rolled her eyes and took another long drink. The guy was always moving. He could never just sit still and drink. Had to be stretching and punching and kicking like some sort of Nabatan martial artist. The guy looked kind of Nabatan, actually, what with the darkish skin and black hair, but he wasn't all 'hurr durr the land is alive and the sky talks to me' like most Nabatans. Thank hell for that.

[Deleted]

Why am I even here again?

It was a good question. All of Venford's previous experiences around the Ostian area had been rather...perilous, to say the least. Frankly he'd have been fine with not seeing any part of it again for a few years at least. That said it still bordered Lycia and Etruria, and Venford did frequent both nations. There was good work in Lycia, good inns and entertainment in Etruria. For all of their questionable politics the latter nation was flourishing.

Ultimately, though, while simply crossing back over the border was why Venford and Prince were in the area it was certainly not why he lingered. No. He had the misfortune of seeing an advert for a job, and Venford could always use the coin. It was to his dismay and slight irritance that the job involved dealing with "Bonewalkers". Those were the skeletal kind of monsters, the ones that wielded weapons like living beings yet were not but bone and twisted magic.

It sounded dangerous...but that only meant it would pay well. Still, Venford was not usually THAT motivated by money. Even as he stared at the advert he felt as though something else compelled him to take the job. He could not quite put his finger on why exactly that was, but he sighed and simply nodded his head, turning around to gaze at his winged steed.

"Prince...we'll be back at it again it seems." There looked to be no suitable stables and, by this point, Venford didn't really care who he startled by riding through the town on Prince's back. He mounted the griff and had him trot through the town. He was to seek out the "Verdant Cross" at the Bent Leg Pub. Venford figured the Cross were some sort of mercenary guild, but they weren't confident with their own numbers to take on the job.

Could he blame them?

He arrived soon enough to an average looking tavern. That was actually quite impressive, given how most if not all of Ostia was in an overall state of ruin since the Etrurian attack. Time was mending some of the wounds, he'd seen that himself, but the monsters only made things more difficult. Nobody could really dedicate time to rebuilding it all for themselves.

Venford dismounted Prince and forced a smile towards the griffon. No sense heading in there all doom and gloom, right? He strode forward and opened the door, looking around the tavern's interior.

"Excuse me? I'm here looking for the Verdant Cross, about that ad they posted."

[Yorick]

"Excuse me? I'm here looking for the Verdant Cross, about that ad they posted."

That was the only sound that could have roused Yorick from her seat, and rouse her it did. In a slow, deliberate motion, she slammed her hands upon the table and rose, turning in full armor to look at the newcomer. It was a man, red hair, looked like the average mercenary type. Hopefully tough, but she'd see about that soon enough. The General was an imposing sight, with her heavy plate covering her entire body in a layer of tough steel, and her helmet boxing her face into the T-shaped hole cut out in the front.

The helmet came off, and Yorick set it without looking on the table, stepping forward to meet the man. Her silver axe shone on her hip, and the lances on her back were sharpened and deadly looking.

"My name is Yorick. I am one of two leaders of the Verdant Cross. This is Bruce. He is a mage and martial artist, and not one of two leaders of the Verdant Cross. You are the first to arrive, save the few men the clients will be fielding to help us. Please sit, have a drink, and discuss your strengths and weaknesses in combat. To help you, we will both detail our own.

First, however, is the task at hand. Until I am sure we have the full group, I will avoid going into too much detail to spare my own breath, but here is a summary. We are to take back a town that has been abandoned and now inhabited by Bonewalkers. Apparently, there is a sizable population there, clattering about. The men and women who have hired us want their town back, undoubtedly since the land around it has a minuscule bit of value. That value would make these villagers Ostian royalty, in all practicality.

So we need to rout them. Every last one. Estimates are unclear, but there is definitely a lot.

At this point, we have no aerial support, so that is one area of concern. I can provide a first line of defense for ground troops, acting as a defensive wall. My strength is not finesse or complicated maneuvers, but rather force and overwhelming might. I have an axe, crafted of silver alloy, which has proven extremely powerful in combatting the fiends of all forms. I will lead the charge, literally and metaphorically, but am easily swarmed and am not the fastest, given my armor."

Yorick paused and took a drink.

"I am Bruce. I am a mage, master of the ancient art of Elemental Punching. While Yorick soaks up hits, I tend to move around, hitting quickly where I am not expected, and then backing up so that my armored friend can take all the beating. Her armor barely gets scratched, so I figure it's better than letting myself become all sliced to ribbons."

Now the ball was in the red-haired man's court.

[Deleted]

Yorick, the woman named in the flyer Venford had read, introduced herself and her comrade. She herself was well armored, while the other man looked to be a touch...interesting. Hm. Venford smiled and took a seat, as Yorick offered, but his good cheer was a touch hollow. It was hard for him to loosen up when it came to monsters and undead. He supposed he'd just seen too much already.

Too many close calls.

"Well met Yorick. I'm Venford Aelfgar." Venford threw his introduction in there before Yorick began to break down what the plan, so far at least, for the job was. She made it sound so simple, but to Venford it sounded horrifying. The entire village needed to be cleared out. That was...a big job. No doubt the pay would be large, but it would be no easy feat. They'd want a small army for such a risky mission.

Yorick seemed confident in how sturdy she and her armor well, and Venford was fairly receptive as to why that was. Around that moment the server came, and Venford ordered a mug of ale. As the server walked away Yorick touched upon the combat elements they did not yet have, but that she would likely. One of which being aerial support.

"I can help cover aerial support. I ride a griffon, winged beast from an island far off the mainland's shores." Venford stated bluntly. Normally he played around more when mentioning Prince to a newcomer for the first time, at least if he felt comfortable around them. Not today though. He'd rather just get that shock and awe or whatever over with. He did not mess around on missions with monsters anymore.

"More fliers would probably help. Make things safer. But Prince is fast and fierce. Divebomb tactics work pretty well. He's not quite as durable as a wyvern or anything, all feathers and flesh rather than scales. I'm still not the most confident flier on him either. I can manage, but I could be better."

Venford's drink arrived, and he took a quick sip before giving a smile towards the mage. "Also, it's nice to meet you too Bruce."

[Orcleous]

Orlceous was late, well late is not the right way to describe it. Late would imply that he had a fixed time and he was not their at the time specified. It was more like Orcleous was being fashionable. Yorick told him to show up, but she did not say exactly win. It was probably a mishap from a long days hard work, or Orcleous might have unconsciously drowned it out. The latter was probably the more true statement. Anyway, Orcleous was not their when Yorick first started to recruit people, but the Champion had arrived now. Only a few feet from the Inn they were stationed at Orcleous looked around He expected to see a line of hardy men looking for a good fight. Instead Orcleous saw no line and a few of early morning drunks pushing their way either into the tavern or out.

"Well it is a job in Osita", spoke Orcleous as he thought back onto the place. Orcleous had visited Ostia several times in his life span. Each time he went, death was close by. The last time he went to that region he meet a horrifying abomination that took the souls of men and mad them its slave. Ironically enough Orcleous was looking forward to seeing the creature again. He had a score to settle with the beast. So far it had won the last two dual they had, but Orcleous managed to keep his head each time. This time Orcleous had plans to come out on top and to do so Orcleous had a new weapon. Instinctively the champion reached down and touched the hilt of his sword. He could feel the divine power radiating though the blade. "Not yet Luxcalibur", spoke Orlcoeus as he put thoughts of the madness out of his mind.

With a loud boom Orcleous pushed open the door to the tavern. The champion was truly showing off as the door slammed into a nearby table with great force. If people were doing something else inside of the inn other than looking at the door, they would be looking at it now as Orcleous arrived on the scene. The Champions skin was as dark as bark, his hair a ball of puffed up blacken wool, his eyes fearsome and strong, and his face protected by a gorgeous handlebar mustache. To add fuel to the fire the Champion was wearing crimson armor, that matched the color of fresh blood. On his back was the largest warhammer that any man in the tavern had ever seen. Hanging from his left hip was a divine sword that hummed with a faint glow of light. On the side of his leg was a dagger and in his right hand was a steel lance which he was currently using as a walking stick.

"Yo", shouted Orcleous as he marched over toward Yorick. His armor was as half as thick as hers, but that only meant that he was faster. His arms however seemed a little bigger, but you could always chalk that up to the light and the large weapon he had on his back. As Orcleous arrived at the table he saw two faces he knew and a new face he did not. Considering the man's location Orcleous figured he was probably some new recruit who thought he could make a difference in the world. From time to time you can get those kind of people. Shoot Orlcoeus thought that way when he fist started, but alas life is hard and common blood is the great curse.

"Oh so you must be a new recruit", spoke Orcleous as he looked at the redheaded man. A mischievous smile crossed his face for a moment. The champion had the idea of trying to scare the man with thte greatest horrors of his life tale, but in the end he figured it was a bad idea and simply let it go. Orcleous was going to ask about the job specs on this new monster clearing job, but one look at the recruitment paper and Orcleous realized he did not have too. Instead he brabbed up one of the papers and took a seat on a bench.

"Black Blood special", spoke Orlcoeus. His words caught the bartender off guard, but the man knew what he was talking about. He had to reach deep down on the back end of the bar to pull out the bottle, but there it was. Black Blood Special, drink at your own risk, that was Orclcous favorite part of the bottle. Pouring a glass of the black liqueur Orcleous handed the barkeep three gold coins and then began to pour the shot onto the ground. "To victory and success", he spoke. His actions and words battled man, but made perfect sense to the warrior from Bern.

[Yorick]

"Well met Yorick. I'm Venford Aelfgar."

Her first impression of the man was not quite spectacular, given that she'd hoped for people who were...older? No, that wasn't it. More experienced? She had no way of knowing how experienced he was. She supposed he just seemed green for some reason. That opinion quickly changed when he shared his particular fighting style.

"I can help cover aerial support. I ride a griffon, winged beast from an island far off the mainland's shores. More fliers would probably help. Make things safer. But Prince is fast and fierce. Divebomb tactics work pretty well. He's not quite as durable as a wyvern or anything, all feathers and flesh rather than scales. I'm still not the most confident flier on him either. I can manage, but I could be better."

Griffon, huh? Those were the lion-bird things from the new island everyone was losing their pants over. She personally didn't see much enjoyment in tramping around some jungle, but hey, that's why she was here killing monsters and not charting out the wilderness. Leave that to people not inside a metal shell that baked in the sun. So he was a flier, and one who fought using brutal, quick strikes. Perfect. The 'Walkers weren't too durable, but they loved to swarm, so it was best to either be pretty protected or pretty fast. She was the former, and Venford was the latter. Bruce was support.

"That's a heartening explanation. If you say you're fast and fierce, I'm all for it. Hit them hard and get the hell out before they can poke you full of holes. Good strategy. Never seen one of those Griffons before neither, so that'll be another thing to add to the list. I think you'll be a good fit for the team, Venford. Welcome aboard."

"Also, it's nice to meet you too Bruce."

The mage gave a bow to the Griffon Rider.

"Likewise, my good man. You've alleviated much of the burden on Yorick. We have ground support coming soon, and the town has agreed to field some soldiers and men at arms to bolster our numbers, but an ally who can move over the battlefield at speed is a most invaluable addition. I'm not too sure that more fliers can be procured, but we will see if any other mercenaries take up the call to arms."

The door to the tavern slammed open, and a few people jumped as it clattered against a door. Yorick merely took another drink, indifferent to the commotion, and Bruce sighed. Orcleous was always a fan of the spotlight, and he knew how to make entrances.

"Yo!"

Without looking up, she called out to the Champion, pointing to a chair and tossing a flyer on the table.

"Grab a drink, grab a chair, check the specs. So far we've got Venford the Griffon Rider working the skies and the town folks giving us numbers. You and I have physical duty, and Bruce will take care of roasting people from behind us. Doesn't look too bad, now that we're starting to fill the holes, but I'd like to hold out for a bit and see if we can get any other people on board before we set off. I won't refuse any help, especially since it's a big job. No point in making it ridiculously hard."

The Champion did a common ritual for luck, pouring a strong drink on the ground as a toast. Yorick preferred to drink hers, but to each man his own. She wasn't about to tell him how to live his life. Capable men had her respect. Weaklings did not.

"So it looks to me like we're going to want to be systematic about how we approach this. There's not a whole lot around the town, so if we come in from one side and push hard, we can sweep them over and bunch them together. If we had plenty of men, I might suggest encircling the whole town and making a killing pit, but we don't have an army. I guess really, we have to hit them hard and make sure that every bit of ground we take we keep. No concessions, or they'll flank us. And trust me, Bonewalkers aren't as easy prey as Revenants. The blasted skeletons work together and actually have some semblance of tactics."

[Deleted]

This Yorick seemed to take this job rather seriously, and it was a great relief to Venford. He hadn't been at all prepared during his last monster encounter, and he chalked that up to his own lack luster leadership. Everything ended up...fine, but there had been far too many close calls to his liking. Ugh. Venford took another drink. He'd be careful not to wind up smashed, but he needed a little something to forget that whole mission. He just about lost his head to a Mauthe Doog that day if not for Prince.

Yorick didn't have many questions about Prince, which while a bit surprising to Venford was ultimately another relief. Meant he didn't have to go on explaining about them or Vinland. The rider was beginning to relax and act more like his usual self as Yorick and Bruce continued to explain their strategy. For the most part it made sense to him. "Thanks for having me. It's just nice to hear that you're all taking this rather seriously. I've seen some mercenaries just shrug off monster jobs, like they're even less of a threat than brigands."

Right as Venford finished a heavily armed with the look of a warrior entered the pub. Another member of this guild? Or perhaps an independent who has just worked with them before. He called out to Venford, figuring he ought to be a new recruit. Venford decided to smile and nod his head. "For this job at least, yeah. Name's Venford."

And then man ordered a rather strong drink...only to pour it on the ground. It was just a shot, not like it soaked the floor or anything like that, but the action still left Venford a touch perplexed. He'd never seen anyone do that before.

Still, he turned his attention back to Yorick and Bruce, where he was forewarned about the nature of bonewalkers. "I've never encountered bone-walkers before, but I've heard the tales. They work together and even use weapons, but if they're just armored bones I doubt they can keep up with Prince. I'll make sure to make good use of his speed."

[Orcleous]

Orcleous took the paper from Yorick and began to study it. He had heard about the job beforehand, but now it was in front of him. Orcleous had a lot of things he needed to sit down and make sure where correct. From what he heard the job was simply clearing out bonewalkers, but form what Orlceous could see this mission was a lot more complex. This town, on the outskirts of lycia no less, was filled with monsters. The majority of them may be bonewalkers, but you can never be too sure with monsters. If there was one thing that orlcoeus leaned though his travels it was to expect the unexpected. Any number of beast could be inside of these homes, which they also need to clear out door to door. This mission was not going to be a simple walk in and kill a few bad guys.

"Hmm", spoke Orcleous as he began to wrap his mind around the mission. The champion was already coming up with ideas on how to deal with this threat. If their forces were not ordered to take the town Orcleous would have simply suggested that they burn the entire thing down. It would be a lot easier to control the fire than to pull this one off. They were going to have to hit it from one side and march though to the next, or better yet split their team and have one group lure out the bulk of the enemy and the other clear out the town. Orcleous and Yorick were going to have to have a long discussion about tactics. Still that was a topic a few hours from now. Orcleous needed to aid in recruitment and making their new recruit feel welcome.

"Right let me give you a quick introduction", spoke Orcloeus as he turned toward the Griffin rider. my name is Orlcoeus. I have been fighting beast and monsters for the past two years. I have as much experience fighting the monsters as any Lycian guard veteran." Orcleous paused for a moment to change the subject of the conversation. "On the therms of Bonewalkers", spoke Orcleous as he began to focus more on Yorick. "They are far from your common rabble. If we are going to take this mission in earnest we are going to have to come up with a really good plan. I have dealt with the little devils on many occasions and I can tell you they come in may shape and sizes. I have faced bonewalkers twice my height and some that have played dead in order to get a strike at your back. The houses are going to have to be cleared floor by floor and the streets swept clean of bones. Not to mention we should keep a open mind about what we will face in the town. Monsters have a tendency to travel in packs. I will bet my last rusty gold coin that their are more than old dusty bones posses by dark magic in that town."

OCC: Sorry it took so long guys. I was going to post earlier, but my internet cut off right as I clicked post. I lost my work and after that I lost my post mojo.

[Yorick]

"Thanks for having me. It's just nice to hear that you're all taking this rather seriously. I've seen some mercenaries just shrug off monster jobs, like they're even less of a threat than brigands."

Yorick nodded. Very true. Foolish pride had gotten many a merc killed in the monster-hunting line of work. It was a damned idiot who thought that all you had to do was charge in and hack them up. Hell, they were often tougher jobs than killing trained soldiers. Monsters were a whole new arena, and they required a whole new style of combat to match. Tactics would be required if they wanted to emerge alive. Speaking of tactics, it was time to clue in Venford on exactly how Bonewalkers worked.

"I've never encountered bone-walkers before, but I've heard the tales. They work together and even use weapons, but if they're just armored bones I doubt they can keep up with Prince. I'll make sure to make good use of his speed."

Orcleous picked up the task for her, explaining to the Griffon Rider the many dangers that they faced with respect to the job. Bonewalkers were individually dangerous, as the Champ was quick to point out, but Yorick knew that their real strength lied in their ability to work together and their versatility.

"OK, here's my preliminary plan. We'll have the men we can gather from the village fall in behind us, and we'll come to the town from the south. There's two gates, one in the north and one in the south, and from my understanding and experience, Bonewalkers thankfully lack the brainpower to open gates or operate any sort of complex systems. So if we open the south gate and enter from there, we can be assured that they won't be coming from behind us.

I would say open both gates and rout them out into the hills, but the people need to work the surrounding land. So we'll have to confine them within the town walls and kill them all meticulously. As Orcleous said, door to door. We'll spread out and work our way as a long line, moving from south to north and ensuring no Bonewalkers get through our line to come from behind. If we can keep an unbroken front, eventually we can clear each east-west street, home by home, and work our way northward. It'll be time-consuming, but it's the safest plan, in my opinion. We can form groups to take each house, if it looks like they want to play hide and seek. Otherwise, if they come out to play, we can form up like troops in a battle and kill them as they break upon our defensive lines.

I doubt it'll be the latter, though. Any questions? Otherwise, we should be heading out."

[Deleted]

Ven just decided to listen for now. He wasn't sure how much he had to offer on his own in terms of ideas or strategy, so he figured we have to just listen to these veterans. So he took another drink and focused on what Orcleous was saying. The man seemed to have a fair bit of experience with bonewalkers. They came in all shapes and sizes and would stoop to any means necessary to survive.

“That's good advice. I'll keep an eye out for their tricks, if I can.” It wouldn't be as difficult for Venford himself to evade the tricks they'd use, since he'd have aerial superiority over the enemy...he hoped. The commander, Yorick, began to speak up again, and Venford to her now as well. Trickery and teamwork, so bonewalkers' strengths were the same as a particular dangerous bandit clan. The largest difference would be what manner of trickery and the strength of an individual bonewalker stacked up against a human. Likely in favour of the bonewalker by a long-shot.

“So we're going to be clearing them out in groups, steadily sweeping through the town until we're certain that we're rid of them, then?” Venford nodded in approval. The plan worked well enough, he supposed, but he did have one minor concern. “That's all fine, makes sense really, but I'm not so sure how I play into that. We're expecting them to hide in the homes? I can't exactly take Prince inside of a house. Doesn't do well in small spaces.”

The mercenary was reminded of the time not long ago, against that armoured demon in that collapsed fort. He had brushed with death a few too many times to his liking, but of them all that had to be the most frightening.

[Orcleous]

So there goes the plan, thought Orceous to himself as Yorick laid out there battle stratagem. Some of his advice was molded in, but Orcleous really did not like the idea. Villagers were never good back up. They are more opted to running away in pure terror than to stand firm and have your back. Still it was a million times better than what he came up with. Grouping up and hitting them till they die is not much of a war stratagem. In all honesty orcleous would rather burn the town down. It was the easier route. However they needed the town and thous such a plan was not a option. Still that did not make the job much easier. House to house tactics meant a lot of fighting and a lot of movement. Urban warfare was a true challenge. There are so many places to hid and so many corners to get stab from behind. Orcleous was happy he had ungraded his armor in recent years, but that really meant little against monsters.

Even though Orcleous was a hunderead percent on the plan it did not bother him too much. He understood why they designed it and for their opitons it was the best choice. However there was something that nawed on him much more. Yorick had assumed that Bonewalkers would not be smart enough to activate any of the machinery. That one, was what bothered him. Bonewalkers were known for their intelligence and planning abilities. Orcleous would bet his last golden coin that they would use the gates in the upcoming battle. Never underestimate your enemy, still there was nothing they could actually do about it, so Orcleous kept it to himself. Instead he began to focus on the new recruit who was talking about his prince or something. It was probably his mount to be honest and if Orcleous had to guess it was a, Wyvern. That sounds about right the way he described it's size.

"Don't worry about your mount", spoke Orlcoeus. No one is planning on trying to get a giant scaled lizard into a building. Your focus would probably be on the enemy troop movement and giving warning is stuff turned bad. Your ability to fly means you can swoop down and attack any group outside their homes on the fly. You can also see the battlefiled from above. If he was a army of bonewalkers heading our way you should be able to give off a sign and warn us. The house to house work", spoke Orcleous as he drew Luxcalibur from his belt. The Champion really like to simply look at the thing. The blade began to shine with a golden glow, not yet full illuminating, but still bright enough to catch your eye. "Me and Lux can handle the grunt work. You just make sure we don't get stabbed in the back while we are doing it." Orcleous felt the weight on his back get heavier. Xigshaw was wining again. The epic warhammer needed to learn to play nice with others, but Orcleous was going to leave that for another time. "Oh year, don't for get Xigshaw", he added.