Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Jun 14, 2017 10:19:10 GMT -6
Once all three of the waylaid adventurers were bound, the bandits swept the site of any loose possessions and supplies and relieved the trio of any belongings they carried. Before long, Vargus Thragg, mounted on a black horse with light barding, had led his band of unsavory fellows on their way, with Selunae, Ito and, Dawson at the back, trailed by two sword-wielding bandits. The shaman was bleeding, how had the huntress not noticed it before? Had he been hit by the arrow after all? She was silenced before she could question him, the tip of a bandit sword pressing menacingly into her back. So, this was how it was. Stripped of all they carried and deprived even of conversation. The minutes felt like eternity, and the morning seemed to never end. Becoming members of Vargas’ crew felt much more akin to becoming prisoners than anything else. Time did pass, however, as the group trudged on. The gray morning passed, though instead of the fog evaporating into a sunny day, dark rainclouds loomed and thunder rumbled in the distance. If anything could make this day more miserable, this would be it. By afternoon the rain had set upon them, indiscriminately drenching bandit and prisoner alike. It was during this inclement weather that a strange man appeared. It was always odd to see a mage traveling alone. There he was though, strolling along seemingly oblivious to the group of bandits. It was difficult to tell from the back with the rabble of brigands in the way, but the mage was a slender and somewhat delicate male of near thirty years of age. He was garbed in a hooded robe of a deep hue of blue, with black trim outlined in brilliant gold. Despite the atrocious traveling conditions, the mage seemed in good spirits, strange indeed when encountering bandits upon the road. “Hold friend,” Vargas calmly addressed the mage with a firm and even tone, “My colleagues and I are on patrol to keep this road safe for travelers like yourself. If you’re to continue about your way, you’ll need to pay the traveler’s tax for our services.”
“Ah, the traveler’s tax you say? I am certain no such ordinance has been decreed for the roads of Bern, and if I dare say so, your subordinates bear no semblance to any branch of Bernese military.” The mage retained his cheery demeanor, coming off as somewhat smug. “Yes, well, as you may already know, we’ve been a bit short on manpower for quite some time. We have to fill the gaps in our ranks with mercenaries on occasion and they don’t come cheap. If you refuse to pay the tax I’ll have no other choice but to arrest you.” Vargas was showing a little irritation in his tone, but the mage still seemed to cheerfully disregard the warning. Meanwhile, as the bandit followers moved in closer to support their leader, another unseen figure crept in from behind. A young blonde woman close to Ito and Dawson in age, clad in green lacquered leather armor approached, sword in hand. Only one bandit remained behind to guard the three prisoners, the rest of the bandits moving in on the traveling mage. The rain muffling the sound of her footsteps, she was easily able to clamp her hand over the brigand’s mouth, running him through with her sword from behind. Easing the dying brigand to the ground, she quickly moved on to Ito, giving him a silent warning to not be noisy as she cut the ropes that bound him. She did the same with Selunae, and then Dawson as well. Back up front, the mage was in a stalemate of sorts with Vargas. “..and you can’t extract blood from a stone, regardless of your need to imburse your ‘mercenaries.’ It’s inconceivable that you persist when you know I am unable to comply.” The well-spoken mage could see in his peripheral vision that the prisoners had been released. His need to stall was drawing to a close. They had been tracking these bandits for two days now and there was no need for the prisoners to remain entangled in the midst of the coming conflict, bound as they were. “I’ll have no choice but to haul you in then. Nothing personal, understand?” The paladin bandit unsheathed his sword, pointing the tip of the blade at the uncooperative mage. “Now, come along. Nice and easy. I’d rather not use this if it’s unnecessary.”The mage scoffed. “You wish to restrain me? I think not.” Raising his right hand to the sky, the rain in the immediate area around him became suspended in place, creating an eerie effect that filled the bandits backing Vargas with doubt and fear. Slowly the raindrops began to crystalize into ice, forming countless tiny shards that still held their position. At the sight of this, even Vargas began to feel a little uncertain of what he was dealing with here. Before the mage or the bandit leader could act though, a wyvern soared over the heads of the bandits. A tall muscular man landed to the side of the mage, wearing a customized red suit of Bernese armor. He stepped forward, stroking his thick black beard with his left hand and wielding an axe in his right. “Vargas Thragg.. You won’t escape me this time.”( Battle Theme)
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Ito
Myrmidon
But it's only me, and I walk alone.
Posts: 82
Affinity: Anima
Profile: -Link-
OoC Alias: Killtec
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Post by Ito on Jun 15, 2017 7:57:50 GMT -6
So this is how it ends... Ito wanted to cry out in his torment, the lament of his life only being added to. He felt terrible; any chance the girl Lunie had to live a real life was gone now, as the trio was dragged along behind the banditry. He blamed himself for it all, for everything that went wrong for Lunie since the time he first met her. He could've scared off the bandits instead of killing them, he could've pushed her out of the way of Dawson's second attack instead of fighting the last bandit, he could've negotiated her way to safety and gone with Vargas alone with Dawson... right?
No, I couldn't have. To think so would just be a waste of time, distracting me from what's going on around us. The morning's fog left an eerie gloom upon the group, which the coming rain further carried and intensified. Why was rain always there to make you more sad than you already were? It's always at funerals, outside of hospitals, and even there whe- What was that? Ito tensed up, thinking he heard the sound of a sword going through a man. It was a sound he was all too familiar with creating, and hearing it behind him put him on edge. It was then that he realized the mage ahead was there, and that the majority of the bandits were there watching him chat with Vargas. To Ito, that meant two things were happening. One, his companions were being picked off silently while the main group was distracted, or two, someone was there to save them!
The myrmidon's second guess was the correct one, fortunately, as a young woman came from behind and cut his bonds. Ito obeyed her command to stay silent, and as she freed Lunie and Dawson, Ito removed the sheath from his belt and set it down next to their fallen captor. As quietly as he could, Ito removed the sword and sheath from the dead bandit, then gently grabbed Lunie by the arm and pulled her into the trees. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a large bearded man approach Vargas and say something, but he paid no mind to it and instead looked to Lunie.
"I think that some sort of battle or skirmish is going to happen, and any minute now. Do you want to stick around and watch it, maybe even fight the bandits too, or do you want to run, and get yourself to safety?"
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Dawson
Shaman
Posts: 65
Affinity: Wind
Profile: Dawson
OoC Alias: Fargus
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Post by Dawson on Jun 16, 2017 8:14:58 GMT -6
Dawson continued to hang his head low as he walked with the rest of the group. Heh...how pathetic, what I escaped from I ended up coming back at me in the form of bandits.. he thought. He continued to breath heavily as his wound continued to stain his clothing with blood. It felt like he was back with Draco again...
That was when he noticed what appeared to be a commotion up ahead, which caused him to lift his head slightly. He then noticed the rain around him. He recognized it as likely being from a mage that had access to the tome Fimbulvetr. It was one of the anima tomes that he learned about while in Dracos "service". Unlike Volcanon, which Bee seemed to prefer that specialized in the power of fire, Fimbulvetr had access to use water and ice to do what the spell castor wanted them to do, which in this case was...
That's when he noticed that this was not a coincidence that they were stopped! They were being rescued, but by whom? Dawson didn't recognize the mage from being part of the Illian resistance, so who were they? He then saw the swordswoman who cut his bonds, which looked that she cut the others too. He only remained silent so as to avoid giving her away. He saw Ito and the young archer escape behind a tree. He was still defenseless without his satchel, but he was certain he could still cast some spells since he memorized his Flux tome in his spare time. But he knew that if he fought them now, it would end up being a disaster. So he quietly walked away from the group toward another tree, so as to get away from the bandits without causing attention to Ito or the young archer. Whatever happens at this point, he knew that he would need to act, whether it's to escape, or stay and fight to protect the young archer.
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Jun 17, 2017 10:25:24 GMT -6
With a quick flick of the wrist, the suspended ice scattered forward, the crystalline raindrops not of sufficient substance to be more than a nuisance to the gathering bandits, but the presence of the dragon knight was more than enough to make up for the mage revealing his bluff. The disenchanted foes shifted uncomfortably at the new arrival, clearly not eager to tangle with the menacing axe held at the warrior’s side
“Ah, so.. You are here. You seem to still hold quite a high opinion of yourself, Rod. It’d be a shame if someone put you back in your place today.” Vargas Thragg seemed to have regained whatever confidence had been shaken by the mage’s display, every bit ready to take on the bearded challenger that had landed in front of him.
“Someone, as in you?” Roddrick Jacksel laughed boldly, his booming voice casting further uncertainty into the underlings of his target. “Before or after you try running back to the hole you crawled out of?”
With a taunting scoff, the paladin spat his challenge at the wyvern rider. “Ha! Think you can back those words up without that.. lizard of yours?”
“Heh, if all you’re gonna do is talk, then Chase here is your man. I prefer to do my talking with this!” the Dragon Knight spun the axe in his right hand and raised it towards Vargas. “Let’s see if that sword of yours is for decoration or not!”
Vargas sneered, trying not to let Roddrick get under his skin. He was confident that a single charge from his steed, Belphegor, would be enough to rout his foe. He intended to prove it, to himself, to his men, and more importantly to the cocky dragon knight.
With a glance between the archers, Vargas, and Roddrick, Chase felt it imperative to fall back to a more defensible position in the trees alongside the road. Staying in the open would be suicide. Roddrick’s arrival had certainly prevented the swordsmen and axemen from overtaking the mage, but the archers still wanted a piece of him. Thankfully his experience with wind magic afforded him enough of a buffer of pressure to deflect arrows if he maintained strong focus. It wasn’t something he could rely on for extensive use, but it was enough to get himself to safety behind a tree where he could rest long enough to strike back.
Vargas, ready for his own strike, drew his reins to the side, leading Belphegor to turn and soon gallop a distance away. The resulting taunt from the lizard-tamer brought a wry smile to his lips.
“Running already, Vargas?! I’d hoped you had at least little fight in you!” the disappointment in Roddrick’s voice was plain enough, after all he hadn’t spent the time tracking these bandits and planning the ambush just for the sight of his prey fleeing.
The paladin brought his horse about, facing down Roddrick with his sword held to the side. “Oh, I believe you were saying something about your axe doing your talking for you? Let’s see what it has to say.. about this!”
The dragon knight grinned silently in response, relishing the challenge, and swung his axe back and forth in an X pattern as a warm-up, finishing with a sharp whistle as his foe spurred the horse in a charge. From the corner of Vargas’ eyes, he caught the glimpse of the dark grey wyvern on a rapid collision course with him. This was the flier’s ploy then. The paladin gritted his teeth, having let his guard down foolishly.
“Archers! Take that overgrown lizard out of the sky!” he shouted, raising his longsword in a hopeless attempt to ground the wyvern himself. With the archers focused on Chase, none of them could get an arrow lined up on it in time, and the collision launched the paladin from his steed, denting his armor and leaving him rolling across the dirt of the road path. The wyvern had screeched as well before disappearing across the roadside foliage. It would seem it hadn’t come out of the encounter uninjured either. The distraction had also given Chase a reprieve from the archers, enough for him to lodge a large icicle spear into one of them at least. He was tiring though, the sustained wind burst had drained him quite a bit. There were still six more archers to worry about, but if the close range fighters pressed him as well, he’d be finished. He needed Faidri.
Faidri, however, was at the rear of bandit pack with the trio of would-be bandits. If she charged recklessly, she’d certainly become a pincushion herself. She gave each of the three a quick glance over, quickly noticing that Ito was already armed.
“Sure hope you’re good with that blade, because we’re going to have to cut through these guys to get to my friend up ahead.” The woman had a rather stern calmness to her that contrasted the consternation of the huntress that still seemed out of sorts. Selunae wasn’t sure what to do at all. Ito had asked her for guidance, though. Well, perhaps not guidance. The myrmidon seemed ready to cut and run at her bidding though. It didn’t seem right though, not with others risking their lives for them.
“I-I think we should he-help.. I gotta g-get my st-stuff back though. You got a sword and D-Dawson’s got his magic, but I don’t g-guess I can really do anything at all to help now.” Selunae’s voice was shaky, and her body trembled slightly from fear, but she knew if she didn’t remain in danger here, Ito would leave too. There was also the blood, Dawson was still losing blood. It didn’t seem as bad as before, but it continued to become increasingly dangerous as time passed. Without aid, it was doubtful the shaman would survive long enough to reach safety. That was her guess anyway. As to why he was even bleeding, she hadn’t seen him become wounded and he had not explained his injury at all. How long had it gone unnoticed? “..And Dawson, you’re hurt pretty bad there. What happened?” She finally decided to ask outright. As she did though, an arrow whizzed by her face. It was close enough that Selunae felt the air stir against her cheek from its velocity, and the suddenness of it caused her to tense and lose her balance. The huntress flopped gracelessly to the ground on her rear, the grunt that escaped her lips even less graceful. They had been spotted, a very problematic development indeed.
The offending bandit had unfortunately moved close enough for Faidri to reach him before he could perpetuate a second attack, the small buckler on the mercenary’s left arm flying into the witless archer and smashing him in the face. A sharp but quickly muffled cry escaped his lips. Not satisfied with simply breaking his nose, she followed up with a quick thrust to the man’s gut and pushed his body off her blade with a kick from the bottom of her boot. Another archer’s arrow pierced the air, this one directed at her. With another swing of the buckler, it was swatted to the side but her advance was halted. Several of the bandits closer to the rear were now becoming aware of the disturbance, and the situation would turn deadly in the blink of an eye if no one took action.
Meanwhile, Vargas and Roddrick had clashed blades. The wavy blade of the flamberge was locked in a cleft in the middle of Roddrick’s axe blade. Vargas, being decidedly weaker in terms of brute strength, spun away from the intended path of the axe and relented to the momentum of Roddrick’s power. The instant lack of resistance as the wyvern rider had committed to overpowering the paladin’s stance threw him off balance, but as Vargas brought his sword around in a backhanded spin to turn his evasive maneuver into a counter attack, Roddrick twisted his torso away, causing the sword to harmlessly impact the shaft of the lance on his back.
Roddrick thrust himself forward with a shoulder charge, forcing Vargas back a couple steps, the paladin’s armor mitigating any actual harm. Dodging to the left, the villain caught a grazing blow across the edge of his chest plate, axe blade tearing through the armor as the dragon knight took advantage with a followup swing. It wasn’t a deep enough blow to rend flesh, the satisfaction of the sight of blood being denied. The courtesy was returned with a horizontal swing of the bandit’s sword, too quick for Roddrick to draw back from. The resulting strike from Vargas’ blade also gouged into armor, leaving a thin cut in the emboss of what seemed to resemble the image of the roaring head of a bear on the torso of the Bernese plate mail.
“I guess you aren’t without some skill, after all. Perhaps it is time I took you a little seriously.” Roddrick slid the axe into a holster on his belt, eyes locked on his opponent. He hadn’t expected to be pushed into switching weapons, but as he unhooked the lance from harness on his back, his grin grew wider. He’d measured the extent of Vargas’ skill and it would be over soon.
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Ito
Myrmidon
But it's only me, and I walk alone.
Posts: 82
Affinity: Anima
Profile: -Link-
OoC Alias: Killtec
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Post by Ito on Jun 18, 2017 10:22:29 GMT -6
One, two, three... Ito peeked around the edge of his cover, counting the remaining number of bandits. seven, eight... Eleven? Gaaahh. I can't do that on my own. Sure there's other people here, and with Vargas distracted the number's only ten, but six of those are archers. How am I going to get close enough? Ito listened as the woman spoke, but before he could respond to her Lunie requested that they stay and help.
When Ito first spoke, he addressed the huntress, who he saw had nearly been shot. "I don't like the number of archers, it might not go well for us. I'll stay, though. You stick to cover until I can find your things, and even after that keep your head down. Don't get shot." Ito then turned to face the woman, who's sword-and-shield style seemed to be that of the average mercenary. "Good has varied meanings everywhere I've gone, so I can't really answer that. I can promise that I'll do my best, however." Concluding his thoughts, Ito drew the sword in his hands from it's scabbard. It was a longsword, and while the handle was longer than the hand-and-a-half of his previous bastard sword, the blade's size and shape was close to the same. Ito gave a final look to Lunie, then charged from cover to hide behind another tree, leading the few bandit's focus away from his original position and more importantly, away from Lunie and Dawson.
If I go out today, it'll be on my own terms. Ito sat for a few moments, waiting as he heard a bandit approaching. He assumed there were tense archers with his cover in their sights, and that the one approaching was wielding a sword or axe. So, he quickly flashed the blade out to the left of his tree, and upon pulling it back in at least one arrow flew by. The other bandit had come upon him, however, and was indeed wielding an axe.
Coming down at Ito with an overhead strike, Ito didn't have much choice other than to deflect it to his left, raising his sword above his head to angle it that way. This brigand was a lot more forceful than Ito would've guessed, and parrying the blow shifted Ito's stance. His cape caught the breeze, briefly leaving the tree's cover and catching several arrows in the process. Ito quickly swung his sword back at his opponent in a upward, diagonal slash to his right, catching the brigand's left arm along the bicep. Before the brigand could retaliate, though, Ito followed his sword slash through with a left-hand punch directly to the brigand's nose, causing the underling to stumble back for a moment, dazed. Ito then continued his advance, kicking the momentarily stunned bandit in the stomach as hard as he could.
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Dawson
Shaman
Posts: 65
Affinity: Wind
Profile: Dawson
OoC Alias: Fargus
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Post by Dawson on Jun 18, 2017 19:30:35 GMT -6
Dawson crouched down as all hell broke loose around the group. He was correct about someone rescuing him, but who? It didn't matter, he had only one goal right now: get him, Ito, and the young archer out of there alive! He lifted his hand from his wound, which now had a coat of his own blood on it. Just then after Ito asked the young archer to stay safe, she then proceeded to ask him how he got his wound. He was about to answer when an arrow whizzed right past them. No good, I've got to help take down those archers, and fast! he thought. "It...was from one of those bandits...they stabbed me earlier, but...I'll be fine" he said. To be honest, he was partly lying, he wasn't very much fine, the blood loss slowed greatly from before, but if he can't find his satchel with the other vulnerary and fast... He shook his head, he'd hate to think of what'll happen.
Dawson observed the situation that was at hand. Some of the action was near the front, but it seems that some of the attention was focused back on them, especially in particular, the Mercenary that rescued them. One of the archers drew back his bow and was about to fire. Dawson quickly attempted to run up to the archer and rose his hand slightly. "I don't think so!" he said as he sent out dark energy at the unsuspecting archer. It hit the bowman in the chest and sent him on the ground, but it caught the attention of two of the bandit axe wielders, whom were now rushing right at him. Dawson held his hands beside him and let out a strange energy around him. [Daunt Used]
The two axemen along with the archer that now got up shakily stood their ground as the energy hit them. This should buy us some time Dawson thought as he sent flying another dark energy at the archer, making him fall again, lifeless this time.
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Jun 23, 2017 9:51:33 GMT -6
While everyone else was busy trying to survive this hellish encounter, Selunae’s eyes were fixated on the bow dropped by the bandit archer slain by Faidri and the quiver of arrows on his waist. She was the sole member of the two trios that was actually looking for a way to die. Not that she wished to perish, but that impulsive glint in her eyes that the others were too preoccupied to see spelled out what could only be interpreted as a hunger for death not unlikely to be her own. She was fairly certain she could arm herself to assist in the battle if she was quick, and while the bandit bowmen were busy hoping for a lucky shot to land on Ito she committed to it. The prominent bandits in her line of sight were out of sorts for some reason, and this was the best opportunity she counted on finding. Heart pounding, the huntress flew like a lioness on the chase(ding!) with the singular goal in her mind. Ito’s warning to stay put was already forgotten.
Faidri had rolled her eyes at Ito’s response, it had been a few words too many for her preference. It reminded her too much of Chase, even if the swordsman wasn’t beating her over the head with an extensive vocabulary at every turn. As long as the myrmidon didn’t put her own survival in jeopardy, she could take whatever else happened in stride. It was a bonus though that the shaman was proficient enough in his spellcasting to continue to be a threat without the tome in his hand. Knowing that she wasn’t fighting alone was a huge weight off of her shoulders. As the two axe wielders recovered from whatever Dawson had exuded, seemed to be some an unseen aura of dread, one of them brandished a strange axe menacingly at the shaman. It was a different alloy than anything the mercenary was familiar with. Had she known the nature of Black Wolf’s regal axe, she would have prioritized him over the other ruffian that boldly charged her.
The bandit, a tall and lanky man with mutton chops, closed in on Faidri but stopped just short as she lashed out with a backhanded horizontal slash. Avoiding harm completely, the bandit retaliated with a downward slash, bringing the axe down with a two handed swing. With no other recourse but the small shield strapped to her wrist, she flung her left arm up against the force of the blade, hoping to deflect it to the side. Instead, metal met metal with a muted clang that could only mean that the shield had succumbed to the force of the blow. The axe head tore through the shield, almost rending it in twain. Faidri gasped harshly at the impact. It had come close to breaking her arm. It hadn’t stopped too far shy of chopping through it either. Blood gushed from the resulting wound and the swordswoman found herself backing away slowly, drawing her wounded arm against her. That didn’t seem to be a good idea either as after a few steps her other arm was grazed by an arrow that very well could have been fatal. She couldn’t afford to be distracted here, especially with this wound. “Damnit! I don’t know if I can handle this guy now!”
Chase was similarly pinned down still. He was well covered by three archers and any attempt to move resulted in an arrow. At this rate, if they didn’t extinguish their arrow supply soon, one of the swordsmen would be able to overtake his position. This left only one option, risking his mana reserve on blind fired spell casting. It wasn’t an attractive option, but the sounds of combat beyond the archers was not promising aid’s arrival in a timely manner. Now, the matter of what to cast. Ice was at the forefront of the mage’s thoughts but even with his excellent grasp of water and ice, the strain it put on him made it a less practical choice. Fire could be ideal, but that would mean digging the trinity tome out of his satchel. Fire magic was always such a bother. With the rain still coming down, it wouldn’t even be worth the effort. Lightning could work, but of all the spells at his disposal, it would be the riskiest. Wind was Chase’s crutch spell. Relatively easy, so long he kept it short and sweet.
The real issue was that he would be, in essence, casting the spell towards himself. It was an unwieldy maneuver in the best of circumstances, but doing so under duress magnified the chances of things going awry. After all, nothing could be more humiliating than catching your own spell in the face. It was when he was preparing to cast that he heard the sharp scream of a young girl. Faidri? No, her voice was deeper than this. That meant..
The huntress had sprinted in a dash to the fallen archer. Faidri’s eyes widened at the sight of the reckless girl, but in her wounded state could do nothing to prevent it. No sooner had Selunae wrapped her fingers around the bow, the presumed dead archer grasped her ankle. That was when she had screamed and also kicked the everloving crap out of the bandit with her free leg. Before anything else could happen though, an arrow sank into her chest. The huntress fell sprawling backwards, letting out a terrible shriek of pain. She gasped in shock from the agony, and panic set in immediately. She wanted to cry for help, but she couldn’t find the words. Lacking the strength to stand, she struggled just to lean forward enough to confirm that her injury was as serious as she feared. The sight of her blood left her feeling faint, much more from the psychological trauma than actual blood loss. Collapsing onto her back again, Selunae wept profusely, feeling cold and alone as if Ito and Dawson were leagues away. Was this the end? Is this how she was going to die?
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Ito
Myrmidon
But it's only me, and I walk alone.
Posts: 82
Affinity: Anima
Profile: -Link-
OoC Alias: Killtec
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Post by Ito on Jun 27, 2017 22:52:08 GMT -6
The brigand stumbled back, taking the full force of Ito's kick in the stomach. As he tried to stand straight from a swing of his own at Ito, the Lycian Myrmidon swung the pommel of his sword around, catching the brigand with a right hook of sorts. Utilizing every advantage he had in the moment, Ito completed the follow-through of his pommel strike and gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, swinging from his left to his right in a horizontal slash, meeting a retaliatory strike from the brigand that prevented any decapitation. The two combatants stepped back from each other, each gauging his enemy and waiting for an opening.
Is it just me, or are these brigands getting consistently better? Or... maybe I'm getting worse? It was probably best for him to avoid thinking like that, so he cut the train of thought short and instead focused back to the present. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the mercenary girl had been injured... and was that bandit using Black Wolf's axe? Dawson seemed to be doing fine too, stunning the bandits around him and buying himself some time. But where was Lunie, and why hadn't she listened to him? In this moment of distracted observance, the brigand Ito currently faced charged him, axe raised high for a vertical strike. The myrmidon caught on quickly to the movement though, easily sidestepping the attack and sending the brigand tumbling off balance as his axe connected with the dirt and pulled him forward. Ito took advantage of this opportunity and gripped the blade of his sword with his left hand, halfswording for a more accurate thrust to the brigand's back.
Ito pulled his blade from the lifeless and/or maimed brigand (he hadn't cared to check), then picked up on the realization of what exactly pierced the air of the battlefield with a shriek. He watched from his cover as Lunie fell to the ground, a bandit's arrow protruding from her chest. Whoever had fired the shot was nearly dead centre, and Ito had to give some credit for that, but he needed to get to her and as such had to be careful. It seemed the others were drawing fire away from him, with Dawson even going so far as to execute one of the archers while the mercenary girl nearly took an arrow herself.
Using this momentary lapse in oppressive fire, Ito sprinted from his cover to Lunie's side, passing by the bandits closing in upon Dawson and Faidri without offering any assistance for now. Keeping his head down to avoid any stray shots, he picked up the huntress, cradling her in his left arm while brandishing his sword with his right, stepping back as quickly as he could to cover. "Don't worry Lunie, I'll get you out of here alive. You'll be okay, just stay with me. I promise."
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Dawson
Shaman
Posts: 65
Affinity: Wind
Profile: Dawson
OoC Alias: Fargus
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Post by Dawson on Jun 28, 2017 22:41:37 GMT -6
Dawson turned as he spotted one of the bandits raise their axe to swing down upon Dawson. Dawson could only glare at the bandit as the bandit kept on rushing at Dawson. That's when Dawson recognized the axe that was being wielded! That's Black Wolf's Regal Axe! This is going to be a tough fight indeed, but unlike Black Wolf, I don't think this guy knows how to use it properly. Must have saw it in my satchel and though it was a pretty new weapon to brandish... Dawson stood his ground as he observed the situation once more. He saw Ito run somewhere, but to where? That's when he looked quickly and saw the young archer...with an arrow stuck in her chest! Great....this isn't going to go well. We now have one fighter down, and Ito needs to protect her! Dawson thought.
He turned his attention back to the bandit as he swung the Regal axe down only for Dawson to roll to the left and prepare a dark energy blast at the bandit. The bandit took the blast to the chest, sending him flying to his back on the ground, but he quickly got up with the regal axe held in his hand. Dawson looked around at the remaining bandits. The leader clearly looked like he was distracted with the newcomers that came to rescue him, but the female Mercenary that freed them looked to be wounded herself! I need to keep the attention of these archers on me. Ito can't handle them while protecting our own archer, and the Mercenary looks like she's greatly wounded- He then had to pause as he placed his hand on his own wound. Granted, his looks nothing compared to the young archer or Mercenarys wound, but it still needed to be treated!
That's when he spotted his satchel hanging off the waist of one of the archers, whom looked distracted, getting ready to nock an arrow on his bow. Dawson rose his hand and sent a Dark energy blast in the direction of the archer before he got the chance to fire at Ito. He then turned as he saw the Regal Axe wielding bandit get ready to charge again as the archer turned, but taking the blast to his shoulder. He rose his bow and pointed it at Dawson. With dark energy being formed in his hands, Dawson could only glare at his enemies that he faced against. Don't let her die Ito...I'm doing my best to keep these guys distracted, but I can't keep them off of you for long, so whatever you do, don't die! he thought. "Time to show you what my dark magic can do!" Dawson said, daring the bandit and archer to attack.
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Jun 29, 2017 11:24:24 GMT -6
As if oblivious to the others Roddrick charged forward, spinning his lance overhead as he approached, ushering his advance with a guttural battlecry. As the wyvernless dragon knight pressed the attack, the horseless paladin altered his stance in preparation, taking a step back with his right leg and switching to a two-handed grip. They both made their respective moves at the same time, Vargas throwing his weight forward into a diagonal sidestep to avoid the impending downward strike. Roddrick, noting the shift in weight distribution, swung the lance in a feint and used the momentum to bring the lance back into stance. Turning on the ball of his foot, he pulled his polearm into a mighty sweep into where he anticipated the blade of Vargas to slice through the air. As the paladin’s intended counter clashed with the spear, the impact jarred it loose of his left hand and nearly disarmed him completely to his surprise.
This time Thragg was the one left open, and Roddrick thrust forward into his chest. The paladin couldn’t move quick enough to avoid the blow, instead his effort led to the lance glancing off slightly before piercing through. A moderate gash was left behind, from the side of the sternum to the shoulder, with most of the damage being done to armor. Roddrick locked eyes with the freshly-wounded man, a cocky grin daring him wordlessly to make a move. Vargas wasn’t a very proud man, but he had no intent of being shown up in front of his men. As such, he retaliated swiftly with a upward swing of his sword, using the force of Roddrick’s block to position his blade for a riposte. However, Roddrick flourished downward and was able to deflect the blade before it struck.
“You pretentious brute, you really think you have me cornered don’t you?” The paladin turned his head and spit in the dirt. “Well, come on then. I can’t wait to put this sword in your arrogant gut!”
Faidri, now forced to stand her ground alone due to Selunae’s blunder, edged sideways toward Dawson. As it was now, if she stepped back to avoid a blow from that axe, an equally lethal arrow would likely find her. With no way to repel an incoming strike from that bandit axe, she would need space to move. Gods, where were the cav’s? They were supposed to charge in at the signal! Even the wyvern was smart enough to move on the signal, why hadn’t ‘they’? If they’d charged the flank on the signal, this battle would not have taken such a lousy turn. The axeman was tracing her movements, taking every inch her withdrawal conceded to him. A rage was boiling in the mercenary. Her costly early swing, the complete lack of coordination amidst the prisoners she freed, the mysterious absence of the two horsemen that should have broken the ranks of these damned archers, and the brazen advance of Lanky Muttonchops here, they were really making her blood boil. The emboldened bandit pressed for a second attack in response to the lack of Faidri’s own, leading with another downward strike. The woman’s eyes narrowed and stepped swiftly to her left, leaning inward favoring that direction as well. Without wasting the moment, she channeled her rage into an attack, thrusting her blade into the man’s chest. The resulting cut glanced askew across the bandit’s ribcage but before the man could even draw back in pain, she nimbly raised the blade to the her left and swung it back across his abdomen ferociously. This time the edge dug deeper and the bandit doubled over, yelling in agony, the axe slipping harmlessly from his grip. [Faidri: Adept Used]
Meanwhile, Chase had decided to push his luck. Rather than merely casting his spell blindly for suppression, he opted to take the risk of stepping aside to aim an attack. Certainly the commotion had drawn attention off of him. It had. When he was poised for the attack only one of the archers was even facing his direction. Perfect. Thrusting his hand outward as if making a palm strike, he unleashed a broad gust of wind into the furthest archer from him. He seemed to be the most immediate threat to the Faidri and the liberated trio, among the bowmen at least. As the burst of air traveled, it compressed rapidly until finally it burst concussively upon his target. The bandit archer stumbled forward, causing the nocked arrow to wildly fly into the sky where it would doubtlessly cause no harm. The mage was correct to worry about the two swordsmen, however, as from the corner of his eye he barely caught the emergence of one in his peripheral vision. Attempting to leap back, he was caught across his arm in a sudden lunge of the man’s blade. Drawing back and clutching his arm with a whimper, Chase poured his energy into casting another spell, lightning crackling and running along his right arm. The blade flashed through the air again, though the spellcaster was able to avoid it readily enough this time and he rewarded the swordsman’s effort with a discharge of lightning arcing from the mage’s fingertips to the bandit’s throat, a discordant gurgling scream punctuating the results.
“Quite shocking, yes?” Unfortunately, the spell was not terribly potent, causing much more pain than actual damage to the bandit myrmidon. The swordsman was still every bit the threat he had been before, or would be once he recovered.
Lunie was in tears, trembling. She was gonna die, she was sure of it. It hurt to breathe, a situation compounded by panicked hyperventilating, and the increased agony only reinforced the conclusion she had leapt to. Before she realized it she was in Ito’s arms, though it didn’t calm her much. Her hands grasped at the myrmidon as if she were going to slip from his arms. It wasn’t so unlikely, she was fading rather quickly as poorly as she was handling the trauma. She could still hear arrows zipping through the air around her, furthering her panicked state. “I-it h-h-hurts..! P-please h-help m-me..! I’m s-s-so s-scared..! P-please..!”
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Ito
Myrmidon
But it's only me, and I walk alone.
Posts: 82
Affinity: Anima
Profile: -Link-
OoC Alias: Killtec
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Post by Ito on Jul 2, 2017 10:43:37 GMT -6
Ito's eyes grew wide as his adrenaline began to kick in. The trip back towards cover gave him time to look around, to see all of what was going on. The bearded man seemed to be doing well against Vargas, the Mage was beginning to push against the banditry, and the swordswoman that had freed them was taking care of herself, for now. Dawson was doing a phenomenal job of distracting for Ito, though there were still three archers concentrated on Ito, along with another swordsman somewhere.
Lunie seemed to be fading, her panic spreading slightly to Ito as he realized this was the first time he'd been on an actual battlefield, rather than just a small encounter where he made a few kills and went on his way. It was nerve wracking, honestly, and should any observer look closely, they would see it in his eyes. He knew he didn't have the luxury of panic, however, so he carried on his retreat. It was then that an arrow struck him, firmly impacting in his right thigh. Ito's step wavered as he felt it, the muscles in his leg reacting to the arrow's impact. Lunie spoke to him then. She was afraid, he could see it, and despite his own pain he looked her in the eyes and replied. "Don't worry, Lunie. I've got you now. You will be okay. I know it hurts, but it'll be alright. I'll keep you safe." His next statement, though directed to the huntress, was more to comfort himself than her. "There's nothing to be afraid of now."
Ito, now limping slightly, was hit by another arrow. This time to his right arm, in the gap between his pauldron and rerebrace. His arm tensed reflexively and he gasped sharply in the pain. Just keep going, Ito. You're almost there. I'm almost there. I can make it. I have to make it. Ito was only a few steps from cover now. The safety and shelter of the tree line was only moments away as he continued on, limping ahead and gritting his teeth through the pain. Just one more step...!
Another arrow struck him, just a few inches apart from the first to hit him. He cried out in pain, dropping to a knee as another arrow flew past him, missing by just a little. "Come on, Ito. Almost there. Don't... stop... now..." The myrmidon tried to stand, but the pain in his right leg was too great to do it without something to place his weight on. The adrenaline rush he'd felt before resurfaced and without thinking he pressed the tip of his sword into the ground, using to prop himself up. Standing, he took another step forward, the last, shaky step needed to get Lunie to safety. As he set her down he staggered back, was hit in his left side by another arrow, and fell to the ground, landing on his back. The fall knocked the wind out of him, and while he tried to recover, all he could do way lay there and look up.
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Dawson
Shaman
Posts: 65
Affinity: Wind
Profile: Dawson
OoC Alias: Fargus
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Post by Dawson on Jul 7, 2017 14:41:06 GMT -6
Dawson glared at the axeman whom charged right at him, holding Black Wolfs Regal axe above his head. The bandit swung it down only for Dawson to quickly roll out of the way. He quickly got up only to suddenly feel a sharp pain on his shoulder. Hes been struck by the archer! Damn, this is going to sting when this is all over Dawson thought as he could only remove the arrow from his shoulder. He rose his hand and launched dark energy at the archer in retaliation, hitting him in the chest.
The bandit then charged again at Dawson, swinging the Regal Axe wildly. Dawson turned around and launched another dark energy blast at the bandit, which only dissipated as it hit the Regal Axe. To make matters worse, the archer that Dawson hit got back up and already nocked another arrow on his bow! Dawson was breathing heavily as sweat dripped from his head. "I must...keep them away...from Ito and...the archer! Dawson said. He looked at the archer, then back at the bandit. He rolled out of the way as the archer fired again, but this time hitting the bandit in the chest instead! Jeez...how ironic, what happened to me yesterday trying to rescue the archer now happened today Dawson thought. The bandit tore out the arrow and screamed at the archer in combination of rage and pain.
Dawson gathered up more dark energy and held it up. "Time to...finish this!" he said as he released it at the bandit. It hit him in the back as he fell down, not getting back up this time. Dawson then focused his attention back on the other archer. The archer quickly fired another arrow only for it to go above his head!
Dawson looked back at Ito and saw another archer on him. He fired another dark energy at the archer there only for it to hit the ground beside him. The archer however turned around and focused on Dawson. Thats right...keep your eyes on me...I will not let either of them die today! Dawson thought.
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Jul 10, 2017 9:44:16 GMT -6
A concern wormed its way up from Roddrick’s subconscious. Something seemed wrong, not between him and Thragg, but elsewhere on the battlefield. Of course! Keldia and Grover were missing! He’d been so caught up in his duel with Vargas that he’d failed to miss their absence. Hadn’t they heard the signal? Allowing just a moment of distraction to check on his comrades, he was immediately alarmed to see Chase retreating from a myrmidon and a mercenary, one of which had already wounded him. Faidri was pretty badly wounded as well and the prisoners she had freed were either downed or worse for wear. To make matters worse – he whirled the lance to swat away an arrow – the archers were beginning to target him now.
Vargas didn’t let him get away with diverting his attention, taking an attack of opportunity with that flamberge of his. Narrowly avoiding the blade with a quick step that left him briefly off balance, the dragon knight was instead struck with an arrow that punctured through his armor into his left arm. Luckily it didn’t make it far and the wound wasn’t serious. It set him off though. He couldn’t afford to drag things out with the paladin anymore. With a guttural battle cry that sounded like an attempt at an animal roar, Roddrick poured his strength into a single strike, adrenaline surging into his arms as he spun his lance overhead and drove the bladed spear downward into that flamberge. The impact was colossal, and Vargas stumbled away backwards and the sword was knocked from his hands, flying beyond him a decent distance. [Roddrick: Smite Used]
Rather than finishing the bandit leader off, the rider whistled again as he had at the start of this fight, but louder this time. The most immediate effect was that the two swordsmen turned their attention to him instead of the ailing Chase, to the relief of the struggling mage. Roddrick tapped the lance against his shoulder cockily, offering challenge for both of them to come at him together. The myrm’ and merc both gave the other a sidelong glance and nod in agreement before taking the grizzled rider on. Both launched a vertical slash against the older man, and he caught both blades on either end of the shaft of his lance, able to hold both blade back but only just. It was enough for Chase to launch a blade of wind into the myrmidon, which in turn left the merc to be overpowered. Adding insult to injury, Roddrick spun the blunt end of the lance into his face. The blow broke the bandit’s nose, the man raising his shield arm up to his face as he staggered away from his attacker. With ease, the veteran twisted the lance again, spinning it the other direction to catch the off balance myrmidon in the side of the head. The lights went out, sword hitting the dirt and bandit slumping unconsciously over it.
A fierce cacophony of battle cries and hooves arrived discordantly on the scene to the relief of those to the rear of the battlefield, though Faidri really wanted to rip those cavaliers off of their horses for taking so damned long to join in. The remaining archers scattered as the two mounted warriors charged in with such bluster it made them seem larger than life. Nearby, the extent of his injuries was finally bringing Dawson out of his adrenaline high, the shaman dropping to a kneel and struggling to remain conscious as blood loss took its toll. Everyone was fading, Faidri dropping against a tree to rest as well. It seemed that the battle was over, for better or for worse. The bandits that still lived dispersed in every direction, those that didn’t were scattered along the roadside as a grim reminder of the events that nearly claimed the lives of the trio of adventurers and those that rescued them.
Vargas Thragg, having mounted his horse after reclaiming his sword, fled with only a grunt of dismay at the results of the battle, black horse galloping at a speed the cavaliers couldn’t hope to match even if they had taken pursuit. In the end, everyone’s possessions could either be found on bandit corpses or had been dropped in the scramble to escape. Dawson’s satchel had actually been swung as a melee weapon at Grover and dropped by the archer that carried it, so even it was recovered. The last thing Selunae remembered though before fainting, more from panic than injury, was the menacing figure of Roddrick Jacksel standing over her and Ito. It was of little consequence though, just made it easier to carry her. Soon enough, everyone was treated to vulneraries and escorted to a safe location to finish recovering. Eventually everyone would go their separate way, but that is a story for a different day.
[Complete]
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