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Post by Richter Abend on Nov 11, 2011 19:39:38 GMT -6
"Pissant ," cursed Richter as the grey cloaked scoundrel started coughing them right into the hands of three more armed thugs, thugs who were quickly getting on his nerves. The Ilian would have liked to get out of this hideout without chopping off too many more heads, but whatever. This had already turned into a bloodbath anyways.
The rebel commander brandished his axe, preparing for a fight, but before he could do much more than look scary, Wyatt came barreling past Richter, causing the the pink haired man to stumble to the side, and charged, again, headfirst into a bunch of angry men. No time to assess the situation. Was this kid all right in the head?
Stepping towards the door, Richter managed to get to the portal in time to see Wyatt and the other three men rolling around in a dog pile as their cowardly "guide" was tossed to the side like a bloodied rag doll. Then, Wyatt leaped off of the mound of men, only to jump back into the fray, slamming his maul down as he did. The top two men rolling out of the way, metal head came slamming down on top of the unlucky thug stuck at the bottom of the pile.
But the two other men were quick to rebound, and before Wyatt had managed to lifted his weapon up off the ground, the spearman and the axeman had readied their weapons, preparing to attack the younger mauler. Richter wasn't about to let that happen, so, like a flash of pink, he shot out the doorway, and leaping off the top of the steps, landed in front of the spearman. The thug, surprised by the large man landing in front of him, attempted to step back in order to get a good strike in, but was too slow. Before he had a chance to attack, the Ilian had already managed to lodge his axe in the man's gut with a backhanded chop.
"I'm not here to cover your ass, Wyatt," growled Richter, ripping the axe out of his would be opponent and spattering the man's lifeblood upon the cobblestone.
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Wyatt
Hero
The Volcano
How can someone win if winning means that someone loses?
Posts: 463
Etruria Fame: 2
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Post by Wyatt on Nov 11, 2011 19:59:55 GMT -6
"You're doing a damn fine job of it anyway!" Wyatt shouted over his shoulder, wearing a dumb grin. Sure this was dangerous, and currently very violent, but this was the first bit of life he'd had in a week! He was so excited to be...out...?
Wyatt suddenly paused, ignoring the last foe who was clearly terrified for his life. Wyatt looked to the sky, at the sun hanging there high above them. Had it always been that bright? That warm? He sighed contently as he let the warmth wash over him, and then looked to the last remaining man. With a whistle, he placed his hammer on his back. "Well, I think I'm done here. You can go home or whatever." He said to the last man, and then walked over to Hoff, nudging him with his foot. The terrified man took this brief opportunity and ran away from the store house at a speed that would make a Bernese Charger jealous.
"Hey. You still alive? I don't think the big scary guy's too pleased with you. Might wanna get going before he wants to break you in two." He spoke to Hoff, nudging him with his foot again. He then turned to Richter, seeming to finally calm down slightly.
"Sorry, battle high. It's been just me for way too long, got a little caught up in the moment. No harm, no foul though, right?" He paused for a moment, rubbing his left arm with a grimace. "Erg...maybe I spoke too soon. Must have pulled something at some point. Gonna need to stop using that for a bit." He growled. Using axes one handed wasn't easy, but with his left arm in as much pain as he noticed now, using two wasn't going to be an option.
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Post by Richter Abend on Nov 11, 2011 20:47:58 GMT -6
The Ilian merely grunted as he flicked a bit of lower intestine off of his arm. The redhead was good in a fight, but if he wasn't careful, he was going to get himself killed. He already took a spear to the chest.
"Hopefully you won't have to," Richter said, taking in the surroundings. They were in some sort of back alley, which meant they probably had a couple of minutes to plan their way out of the city, but that was the thing: they were still in the city. The rebel commander turned around, examining the building behind them. From the side, he couldn't tell what the structure's supposed function was. This auxiliary door was awfully non-descript, with little more than the steps to signify it should even be there, and the he could see no signs or symbols of any significant sort. Judging by that and the fact that the place had been full of shifty looking men and what had looked to be looted items, Richter deduced that it was probably a thieves guild of some sort. But why had it had a secret passage to the Etrurian military barracks?
In order to clarify, the Ilian made his way over to the downed thief whom had so graciously guided them out of the building, and, grabbing his hood, dragged him to his feet. "Talk, scum," he snarled. The man might not know much, but Richter'd pull whatever information he could out of him. "What was that whole operation back there? Why was there a passage leading straight into the barracks dungeon?"
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Hoff
Thief
[M:0]
You can get much farther with a kind word and a sword than you can with a kind word alone.
Posts: 79
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Post by Hoff on Nov 11, 2011 21:53:38 GMT -6
As they moved up the steps it occurred to Hoff that things like this always seem to turn out moderately bad for him. Sure he didn't get killed right away, but still, he was hoping for a slightly cleaner approach than getting dragged back inside. He barely had time to look up only to see the men in-front crashing back down. The guy holding him tried to brace himself, without nearly enough time, Hoff felt his grip weaken as the man ahead slammed into him.
As they fell he heard the sickening thud of his captor's head hitting the cobblestone. Hoff was lighter than the others and thus got thrown further. He was still seeing lights when there was another loud crash and more sounds of fighting. Finally getting his vision back he saw the crushed man on the ground, large blood splatter underneath him.
"Hey. You still alive? I don't think the big scary guy's too pleased with you. Might wanna get going before he wants to break you in two."
He looked around trying to push himself from the ground; lucky the last man was running away. At least big axes were great at scaring people, not just cleaving them in half. He grunted looking back just in time to see the pink haired man coming for him and, for his third time today, he was dragged around like some rag doll. He was starting to get used to it. "Talk, scum,"
"Dungeon?" he stared back "I don't know about any operation, or their operation." He pulled trying to wiggle himself free. "I was there asking questions. People like them know things." then he added "When there were alive people in there."
"I just got here and picked up word about this place." then trying to even his voice he continued "In bad parts of town, you can find hideouts, thats why they are on the outskirts. I don't know anything about a dungeon though". He had no proof, and couldn't think of anything he could show to confirm his story. Still he decided to throw in his own opinions. "Ill tell you that scum doesn't fight like that, or that long."
He stared back at the man. This is how things usually ended for him, but he wasn't going to waste any more time bartering for his life.
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Wyatt
Hero
The Volcano
How can someone win if winning means that someone loses?
Posts: 463
Etruria Fame: 2
Sacae Fame: -1
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Post by Wyatt on Nov 11, 2011 22:06:10 GMT -6
Wyatt watched the exchange go back and forth, before a realization hit him.
"Hey. We didn't exactly close the path behind us. If your friend didn't stop them, then they could be coming up on our asses right now, and we did get slowed down by our own brawl. I think it might be a good idea to use the head start we have to get the hell out of here."
Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, he was aware of just how bad of a situation they were in. They'd just caused a jail break, in the middle of what he had to assume was an Etrurian prison. There were only so many places they could be, and Wyatt had a feeling that this guy was no ordinary criminal. He was strong, that was for sure, but Wyatt knew next to nothing about him, save his name.
"I'm just saying, from how you fight I'd guess you were a pretty important prisoner. Aren't they going to come looking for you, or even worse, seal off the town?" He mentioned, moving his arms for dramatic effect. "I'm all for saving the questions for when we aren't joining the guy whose ribs are in his jaw." He said, gesturing back to the house.
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Post by Richter Abend on Nov 13, 2011 18:49:43 GMT -6
"Good point," muttered Richter, his gaze drifting downwards in thought. Unless that mysterious man had managed to defeat both of the guards, which the Ilian strongly suspected he had judging by the skill with which he had been fighting, and escaped completely unseen, closing the hidden stone door behind him, there was a strong chance Etrurian soldiers would be coming out of that door in a matter of minutes.
Richter released the man he held in his grasp. The thief knew nothing, or at least, nothing of import, and frankly the rebel commander was tired of interrogating him and getting such useless answers.
"Get out of here, if you know what's good for you," said Richter, turning his chin up at the grey cloaked wastrel. He then turned his attention to Wyatt. "If we can trust a word this man says, then we're supposedly on the outskirts of town," observed Richter, recalling what the thief had said. "And judging by what I saw flying in here, this city isn't all that big, so getting out unseen shouldn't be a problem." The Ilian shook his head. "The problem will be once we get out of town. We have to make sure we don't get seen once there are no buildings to duck behind. Even I'm not going to be much help against a host of archers and wyvern riders."
Richter nodded towards his redheaded companion before taking a step towards the alley exit. "Think you can handle that?"
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Wyatt
Hero
The Volcano
How can someone win if winning means that someone loses?
Posts: 463
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Sacae Fame: -1
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Post by Wyatt on Nov 13, 2011 19:09:40 GMT -6
Wyatt considered Richter's words. It was true, if this place was looking for him, it would be very difficult to slip away unless they found some kind of terrain to hide in. A forest, mountain, cave...the last one he was vehemently against. In fact he'd rather try and fight the army then go into another cave. But if they got a head start...they might be able to ditch them.
Wyatt moved forward with Richter, and peered out the alley. The massive gates were still in sight. A wooden wall, they must have been in some kind of military base or town. The gates were, fortunately, open. Seems like a trading caravan was coming into the city. The gate guards were away from their posts, surveying the wagons. And then, off to the side by the gate, there were three horses tethered. Wyatt spied this and got an idea.
"Hey...how's about this? We use the convoy as a distraction, grab ourselves some horses, and as soon as we get far enough away, ditch them before the pursuit team can catch up. I mean, it's Etruria, they don't have a large contingent of Wyverns or Pegasi. They can follow the horses, and we'll slip away. By the time they figure out that we're not with the horses, we'll be well clear. We can make a break to the east, towards Ilia."
It seemed a solid plan to him, but it was also likely he'd overlooked something. He wasn't a strategist after all.
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Post by Richter Abend on Nov 14, 2011 17:00:51 GMT -6
Richer's brow furrowed as Wyatt spoke. It all seemed like a solid plan, but the Ilian had his reservations. The news of both his escape, and the massive explosion his new companion had caused in the dungeon should have easily reached the guard gate by now, and Richter knew how Etrurians worked. The gates should be locked down, soldiers should be scrambling about the city streets, and no one should be coming in or out. It had been full when they had escaped Delfia.
But these guards were just going about their business, professional and orderly. It was eerily odd, especially considering the caliber of political prisoner that had just escaped their hold. The capture had been so important that the Herald was coming to visit, but these men didn't even look-
Oh no.
The rebel commander put out his hand, keeping Wyatt back. "We're not going out this gate," stated Richter, worry lacing his voice. The Herald was here early. Why was he here early? Did he anticipate an escape? The Ilian knew the Herald first hand. The man always had all the angles covered. It wouldn't be hard to imagine him planning something like this, just in case Richter did manage to break out.
"We need to find another way out, and fast," said the pink haired man, turning to Wyatt. "This city is going to be surrounded in minutes."
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Wyatt
Hero
The Volcano
How can someone win if winning means that someone loses?
Posts: 463
Etruria Fame: 2
Sacae Fame: -1
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Post by Wyatt on Nov 15, 2011 16:00:08 GMT -6
"What?!" Wyatt remarked in surprise, trying to keep his voice low. Surrounded in minutes? That wasn't going to be good...
Richter seemed to know something, and Wyatt was wracking his mind for a possible solution to this problem. "Well, all I can see are two options." He said, pausing for a moment.
"They haven't seen me yet. So I can attempt to distract them, claiming I saw you attack some people back in that house. While they waste time searching you could escape, and then I could slip away later."
He glanced around the area, looking worried. "Or we could try a head on assault. Insane to be sure, but if they think so too, then it might work well."
He looked to Richter, deferring to his judgment. "I don't suppose you have any backup you can call in, eh?" He'd intended it as a bit of dark humor, but he had no idea it might be true.
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Post by Clair Feldsky on Nov 15, 2011 21:31:31 GMT -6
Branches scraped and scratched at her, grabbing at the Clair's blond hair and white armor. She pushed them aside in annoyance as she approached the edge of the forest they were in. Careful to use the brush to hide her, she looked out over the long field between where she was, and the town in front of her.
It was one of several potential targets in the area that she could hit before taking herself, and her strike team on a mad dash for the border. Once they crossed into Sacae, they'd still need to be wary. Neither could they afford to slow down until they were sure that the pursuit had given up, but they'd have a decent chance here.
Back to picking targets. This one was the largest in the area, while another was a supply hub, and a third seemed to be little more than a wagon making facility converted into a war factory of sorts. There was more to it than that information though.... This place was large enough to have a prison, and some of the locals were talking about the wyverns they'd seen landing here several days ago.... This was the place to hit.
Her pegasus further back in the woods, Clair continued to scan. There was a wooden palisade surrounding the place, with a few towers for watchers, and the place was surrounded on all sides by a large grassy field. They were far enough away that she couldn't make out much more than that, except that there seemed to be a large caravan of some kind entering through the gates.
"The large building towards the center has a landing pad on top of it." The Falcoknight crossed her arms. Over her chest as she considered what she could see. "Before we can do anything, we need to secure a fast exit, which means scouring the countryside for horses, or slipping inside and stealing some."
"I hope you all can can ride," She tossed back over her shoulder, a devilish grin on her lips. "because, if you can't, you're going to have to learn fast."
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Post by Richter Abend on Nov 16, 2011 0:58:57 GMT -6
"Normally I would, but..." the commander started before shaking his head. It would have been nice to have a dragon or two come busting in through the walls and carry them off to safety, but unfortunately, they were on their own right now. Made Richter wish they had just gone down that hole Wyatt had busted into the jail through. But there were more pressing matters at hand than the pink haired warrior's regrets.
"I'm not going to let you run in there just to get killed," Richter decided. "You might have that fancy exploding axe, but that's not going to get you far against a contingent of the best trained men in Etruria. They'd either riddle us with arrows or roast us like pigs in less than a minute. But that doesn't leave us with many options."
The Ilian began to rub his beard in harried contemplation as he heard a clank from behind him. Like a pink bolt of lightning, he whirled around, brandishing his axe, to see nothing else but an Etrurian soldier standing there, holding a sword drenched in blood. But he was alone. Wait, this was...
"You guys leave a bit too many bodies for my taste," spoke the armored man. "Don't worry, though. I managed to close up the passage before any more guards arrived. Should buy us a couple of minutes before they find it.
Richter lowered his axe. The man had only helped them so far, but he couldn't help but feel wary of this mysterious armored figure. "I won't ask what you had to do with those thieves," said Richter, getting to the point. "But I assume you have an escape plan?" The mysterious soldier shook his head. "I did," he said, his voice cool and in control. His visored gaze turned towards Wyatt. "But your new friend caused a bit more trouble than I had accounted for. There are guards swarming the sewers I had planned to use. The man's head turned back towards Richter. "They must have had issues with it before."
"So what do we do?" barked Richter, clearly getting frustrated with the situation. The man just shook his helmeted head. "Calm down," he sad reassuringly, though his use of the Ilian's name bother the pink haired commander. "Those thieves had tunnels all over this city. There's one leading into one of the guard towers. We'll use that. Then, once we're inside, we can plan our next move from there. Any questions?"
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Wyatt
Hero
The Volcano
How can someone win if winning means that someone loses?
Posts: 463
Etruria Fame: 2
Sacae Fame: -1
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Post by Wyatt on Nov 16, 2011 5:44:28 GMT -6
Wyatt half grinned at Richter saying he wouldn't let him go die. It seemed he had judged Mr. Pink's personality quite well. He wasn't a bad guy at all, underneath the surface at least
And then the other guy showed up. An ally, eh? We;;, the worst he could do was lead them into a trap, and that wasn't exactly any worse off then they were before. This was a time for taking risks, and to see just what they could make out of this mess.
"I am going to say I am against more tunnels. But I am also against getting filled with arrows, so let's take our unknown allies help." He glanced to the newcomer. "After all, if you'd wanted us dead, this sure was an odd way to do it."
The thought struck his head, perhaps he wanted to betray them to someone outside Etruria. That would require them to escape and then be captured. Possible, but didn't matter. So long as escape was everyones priority, he could work with that.
"It's on you then. Any objections?" He asked to Richter.
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Post by Cefia on Nov 16, 2011 16:45:50 GMT -6
Cefia didn't like the idea of going on horse, she preferred a ship anytime! Looks like there wasn't any choice to begin with. She already survived the trip so far. In the very least, she no longer had to complain about the cold although it wasn't as warm as she liked in the Western Isles. Clair helped her out of the snow mess and she felt obliged to aid her in whatever quest she was up to. It didn't matter the reason (most of the time) anyways.
"Aye, aye commander!" she nodded, although she only read about riding horses, it didn't mean she was capable of it. In the very least, she hoped she doesn't fall off and get dragged by the horse. At the very best she hoped that she was skilled enough to cling on long enough for the ride. Her hand instinctively went to her axe for comfort, it helped calm her enough. She took out her monocle to get a better view to prepare herself.
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Post by Richter Abend on Nov 17, 2011 22:10:21 GMT -6
The Ilian glanced at Wyatt, then glanced at the armored man, before nodding to them both. The large man could be leading them right into a trap, but so far, Richter had no reason to distrust him. "No objections from me," said the commander. "But can I at least get your name before I follow you to god knows where?" The soldier shook his head. "Not just yet," said the man, slowly shaking his head. "But I'll make sure to tell you when we get out." Richter felt like he could sense a grin on the larger man's face, but with that helmet on his head, it was impossible to tell. The man then gestured for the others to follow him, before heading back towards the thieves's den.
Upon the entering the thieves den, Richter closed the door behind the three of them as he watched the armored soldier pat down a wooden wall. He was probably checking for a secret panel or something of the like. Then, there was a click as the man's hand slid into a section of the wall, allowing him to pull back the wooden paneling. Yup, secret panel. It exposed yet another cobblestone tunnel, which the faux-Etrurian soldier motioned for Wyatt and Richter to follow him into, before disappearing into the darkness of the passage. Richter tilted his head towards Wyatt.
"Well, we better follow him," said Richter, making a motion towards the tunnel. "I don't see any better alternative, because if I did, I'd be taking it." This soldier was being helpful, but seeing how his past few days had gone, Richter didn't trust this man further than he could throw him, and seeing the considerable amount of armor he was wearing, that wouldn't be far.
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Wyatt
Hero
The Volcano
How can someone win if winning means that someone loses?
Posts: 463
Etruria Fame: 2
Sacae Fame: -1
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Post by Wyatt on Nov 17, 2011 22:51:04 GMT -6
Wyatt nodded to Richter as this newcomer lead them to another secret passage. "I'll watch the rear. If he tries something...well I always was curious if my axes could break that kind of armor." He said with a chuckle. Advancing through the tunnel was slightly difficult moving backwards, and more then a few times he smacked his head on the relatively low ceiling. The pains of being tall. But still, he was watching the rear. As dark as the tunnel was, if anyone found the entrance, he'd know instantly.
It seemed like they had been moving for quite some time when he backed into Richter. They'd stopped?
"Why'd you guys stop?" He asked quietly, unsure if they needed to be quiet.
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