Caravan Hunting [Open]

[Wei]

Worde, the land of the hunters and of vast forest. The region of late has become infested with monsters and beast. Chaos rains supreme and person travel has all but shriveled up. Now people were forced to travel in groups and thus why Wei was moving with a caravan. He had business in Worde that needed to be tended to. As a result he had to travel thought the area. However it was not safe to go it alone in either day or night. The caravan system was the way the people of Lycia responded to the coming threat. They were stronger together than they were apart.


"So how much father till we reach the village", spoke Wei to another youth who was around his age. The young man had light purple hair and carried a spear on his back. If Wei had to guess the young man was probably a recruit. From what he remembered the young man was a apprentice to the leader of the caravan, Dalton. Dalton was a former gaurdsmen and if you had to place him into a class of warrior it would be a soldier. His silver spear gave testament to his experience in this kind of work.

"Probably another day or two", spoke the young man as he walked beside the passenger cart. His eyes often darted from the road and onto the back of the wagon. Inside was his little sister sleeping the journey away, and of course his mother who was busy sewing up some of his ripped clothing.

The entire caravan itself had been moving for five days. Already they had been attacked by two dozen of zombies during the first two days of the trip. So far everything had been quite and that very fact seemed to placed everyone on edge. They could feel that another attack was coming, but they did not know when. The only one who seemed to be completely unaffected was Wei. It was neither experience or bravado that kept the young man calm, but blissful ignorance to the seriousness of there situation.

"Man this trip is taking forever", spoke Wei as he placed his hands behind his head. The young journeyman looked on with a sleepy look at the ever winding road.

[Sergeo]

"At least the trip hasn't been uneventful. I hate when I have to sit still for to long." Sergeo spoke openly to the child in the cart with him.

Lycia wasn't in his original plan to when he was looking for work back in Erurita, but when someone crosses the borders of there country looking for able bodied mercenaries to protect passenger carts, plans can quickly change if the gold is good enough. That's how Sergeo got to get this particular job. It was something more worthy of his talents that having to spend another day cleaning up the stables for another farmer in need of a extra pair of hands. Compared to that, this was heaven. Which was sort of ironic considering the corpses of the dead had been the things attacking the passenger caravans since the trip to Worde started. Sergeo smiled a bit at the thought of what this could mean for him. A place infested with monsters like this is bound to have work everywhere for him. He then looked down at his boots, the things he had been wearing since his start as a mercenary, was covered in the stains of so many different muds that he was certain the the boots where a lighter tan when he originally bought them.

But the need to buy new boots would have to wait until after his duties to this caravan was done. His eyes looked at the lavender haired recruit that the boy just talked to and his little sister, then back at the red haired boy and his surroundings. No one else in this cart seemed to be traveling with the boy and he seemed to radiate an aura of arrogance around him. Like he had something to prove. "You traveling alone kid?" he said probing the red haired youth.

[Deleted]

Appius sat on the edge of the cart, his iron sword still sheathed at his waist as to not cause any worry or alarm among the caravan's passengers. He had been hired alongside Sergeo at an incredibly cheap rate. Though many doubted his skill, he would suffice, as cannon fodder has its uses as well. But in honesty, Appius was still growing used to this system of currency in Elibe. Sure, he had lived in Elibe all his life, but coming from the tribal sands of the Nabata Desert had made Appius less and less aware of the inner country's workings. In this case, Appius has been so used to bartering that he isn't even sure what to charge for his services.

Regardless, he would see this job through to the end, as he must eventually engross enough currency to forge a killing edge like that of his mother's. While the scimitar he bore now functioned adequately, there was no harm in wanting to grow better.

Appius was not normally the quiet type, but as the caravan rattled along he stayed silent and ever vigilant so that no bonewalkers nor revenants may sneak up behind them. He had heard enough about these undead to have him rather anxious over any encounters that the party may have with them, so to be wary was somewhat of a virtue, especially in this case. He listened in on Sergeo, Wil, and all the other passengers but had gathered nothing significant; now deciding to speak. "Endurance is a virtue. I suggest you utilize it," he replied in regards to Sergeo's comment on sitting still.

[Wei]

"Well first off drop the kid", spoke Wei. The young man always took offense to being called a kid. He was a man dang it. He may be young, but he puts his pants on by himself and he pays his own bills. It was not the first time somebody had treated him like a toddler and Wei was sure that it was not going to be the last. It was his own personal curse. If only his puberty had kicked in a bit earlier. Maybe he might have a beard by now and could avoid the problem all together.

"Yes I am traveling alone thought", spoke Wei as his hands slipped down toward his twin axes. "I am a journeyman you see. In my family there is a tradition that once you turn the age of fifteen you leave home and go see the world. So once I reached the age of manhood I left home to go try my axes at the world. i have been traveling all across Lycia. I have seen a few of the beast in my time so far", spoke Wei.

Pausing for a moment Wei looked at the dark skinned bald man. It was the first time he had ever seen anyone of his skin tone. He had heard about people like him, but he had never seen. "So you are you from the desert", spoke Wei?

As the young lad began to chat with the two guardsmen the leader of the caravan kept a vigilant eye on the road. He did not like the silence. It was far too quite. Eventually the man noticed something in the woods and then gave out a command for the entire caravan to stop. "Battle stations", he shouted as he pulled on the reigns of is horse. Soldiers began to move immediately jumping out of wagons and pulling themselves away from idol conversation.

"What in the world is going on", spoke Wei as he drew his iron axe from his belt and jumped out of the caravan. He was not hired as a guardsmen per say, but Wei was still going to fight. Suddenly from the woods darted out a black hound that was just as talls as Wei, but twice as thick. The beast moved with fearsome speed slamming its body into the unexpected journeyman knocking him off his feat and leaping to take a bite out of one of the horses. The creatures assault however came to a quick end as a knight stepped forward and blocked its lunge with his massive shield.

"Mauthe Doog", shouted one of the guards as Wei began to recover. More movement could be seen in the woods as the pack of fiends began to surround the caravan.

[Deleted]

As the other escorts sprang into action, so did Appius, hopping from the wagon and unto the dirt road alongside Wei. He turned to see the massive... whatever sort of hell spawned mongrel this was. Why, he had seen adolescents that tall, but a simple dog? There was no way. Appius had grown used to the abundance of scorpions, lizards, and beetles of Nabata but no animal such as this had crossed him before. And even if it had, his mother would have been the one dealing with it, so if this creature had any tricks up its furry sleeves he knew he'd be done for. But as long as it was just a simple, albeit large, rabid dog he would probably be able to take it.

Appius drew forth his iron scimitar as the mongrel came barreling into Wei, going to strike it himself before the dog ran headlong into a knight's metallic shield, the armor resonating with a satisfying 'gong.' Appius still focused his eyes on the mongrel, sword in hand, as he reached down to help up Wei. "Come now, sadeeq," he told the boy, though without shifting much of his attention from the threat at hand.

(Of course, place my post into effect after Sergeo's. Sorry.)

[Sergeo]

((Its all good Appius.))

Just as expected with any coming of age man, the boy didn't like being referred to as "Kid". He was also quick to correct Sergeo on this, eager to explain how this was meant to be passing into manhood through family tradition. Perhaps his family came from a long lineage of warriors, but what was more likely his family had no real understanding how dangerous the world outside of the house could really be. "Your family has a weird idea of showing you how the world works." he said aware that his own upbringing was less than orthodox, the fires made as a result of a successfully pillaged caravan coming to the fore front of his mind.

Appius, one of the other hired hands to guard the caravan, had also chimed in to the conversation. He seemed like a stick in the mud, even compared to the very straightforward Sergeo, remarking about his lack of patience when it came for long periods of rest. "A lack of stimulation can even cause the mo-" Sergeo was cut off by an order from the caravan leaders outside. It looks like it was time for the mercenaries to earn their keep once again. With tomb in hand, the mage jumped out of the cart ready for battle with more of the undead. "Mauthe Doog" one of the caravan guard shouted out as figures in the forest began to circle around the caravan. The creatures looked like big wolves with prominent mangy tufts of fur around their necks, but their organization means that they are smarting then any other rabid beast. Sergeo open up his tomb and pointed his free arm out at the circling crowd of monsters as glowing orange sigil manifested in front of his open hand. "Stick together and backs to each other or your going to be meal for the beasts!" Sergeo yelled out. A burning orb of flame then shout out of glowing sigil and into the crowd of Mauthe Doog with hopes of turning one of them into a yelping, burning warning to there kin.

[Wei]

As Wei began to pick himself up off the ground another beast rushed from the woods. Its fangs at the ready as it charged past the other guards and moved to attack the young warrior. With a swift chump the beast grabbed hold of Wei's boots. With its powerful jaws it locked his leg tightly in its grasp. "Let me go", screamed Wei as he began to struggle. The beast however had no intentions of trying to consume its prey there. With its powerful legs it began to kick off the ground dragging the boy away from the caravan. It did not take a master wizard to guess what was going to happen next. If Wei could not find a way to free himself he was going to be dragged into the woods and ripped apart by the beast.

Powered by adrenaline and fear for his life Wei reached into the hoop on his left pocket and pulled out his iron axe. With the force of a man close to death Wei tossed the iron object toward the creatures eye. The axe head slammed into the beast eye flat side first. However the impact alone from the action caused the creature to release its grip and for a moment Wei was free.

"Damn beast", shouted Wei as he quickly pulled himself up. As his food touched the ground he felt a sharp pain. The monster teeth had gotten though his boot, but that was a problem for later. Adrenaline had quickly blocked the pain out as the beast turned around and made a rush toward Wei. The boy swiftly drew his second axe, the brave one, and took a swing at the beast. The blade missed, as the creature was far faster than Wei. However the attack itself made the monster change its course and as a result Wei was able to avoid being knocked over. Still however the creature kept its focus on the boy.

[Deleted]

Appius had watched as Wei was dragged off by the monstrous dog, only to be released upon bashing at the side of the creature's head. While Appius was concerned for the boy's well-being, he could not ignore the ever-looming threat of the pack that had begun to surround the caravan. Though seeing that Sergeo had banded together some of the guard to fend off those from the side of the forest opposite to where Wei had been dragged, Appius decided to lend his aid to the adolescent.

Appius turned to the large dog which had its sights set on Wei, taking note of the other wolves which lie in wait just past the border of trees which surrounded the caravan and himself. Appius had never seen such intelligence among dogs. Perhaps they were some form of undead hybrid; they must be. There was no way any animal could have such predatory skill and smarts. But then again, he had little experience with the fauna of Elibe aside from the average buck and doe. Regardless of the creatures' odd tactical ability, Appius would need to act fast if he hoped to aid Wei. The man bashed the broad side of his scimitar against the iron boss of his wooden buckler, creating a panging sound like a cook clashing two cooking pots together that would likely draw the mongrel's attention. "Hey! Why not try another with twice the meat, eh?" Appius knew he'd likely regret having to face the dog if his distraction worked, but it was worth it to give Wei a chance at retreat.

Shortly after shouting out towards the wolf, Appius would advance on the mongrel at a brisk pace. The creature turned to face Appius, baring its teeth, but almost immediately afterwards the desert-born man was in range to strike. He thrust forth his shield, meeting the calcium of the dog's teeth with the iron of his shield's boss, chipping multiple of its fangs which suffered from the impact. The creature reered its head back to its right, letting out a yelp at having its mouth damaged. Leaving it no time to recover, Appius moved his shield out to the left so that he might slip his sword alongside and stab the beast's ribs. But the creature was much too competent to allow some human to strike it twice in succession, leaping back from Appius and lowering itself further to the ground in preparation to lunge, growling.

[Sergeo]

A flurry of fireballs continued to rain from Sergeo's glowing sigil, but it seemed that the numbers were ultimately unaffected by mages burning offence. For every one Mauthe Doog the mage made burst into flames, another one seemed to pop out of the under brush waiting to take the place of his fallen comrade. Were these beasts intelligent enough to know about hiding there numbers? Or were the zombies earlier in the just a test of sorts. Hypothesis' about the enemy would have to wait, as Sergeo noticed that Wei and Appius were missing in the caravans formation. "Hold the formation! I need to find our missing men!" he barked out, closing his tomb and running around to the other side of the wagon train.

Sure enough, Appius and Wei were there on the other side of the caravan, but with a significantly reduced amount of defense.
Wei had been moved away from the caravan for some reason while Appius seemed to be antagonizing the beasts into focusing the attention on him with some success. The mage once again opened his tomb to ready an attack, this time a glowing green sigil announcing the element of his to the warriors on the field. "Get back to the carts kid! Stopping and gawking is going to get you some fangs in your throat!" the mage ordered at the kid with the axes. "Appius! Brace yourself!" as he point the green sigil towards the injured Mauthe Doog. A unrelenting blast of wind out of the magical circle with the unrelenting force of a country side twister, like a pocket size hurricane had suddenly appeared to blow the Mauthe Doog out of sight.

[Wei]

"I am not a kid", shouted Wei! His pride had been insulted yet again. The mage had called out to his tall dark skin friend and then let lose a bolt of magic. The wind swirled forward and picked the dog off the ground and threw it into a distant tree. The sound of bone cracking and the whimper of a howl told Wei of the fate of the beast. The boy however did not have time to think on that. From the bushes rushed two more of the beast. They made a straight line between Wei and his two comrades. With fangs at the ready they moved to attack both the mercenary and the mage. As Wei moved to assist her heard a sound come from behind. The boy turned to see one of the hell hounds come out the bush. Fangs dripping with black saliva and its crimson eyes focusing on him and him alone.

"Come and get some", shouted Wei as he took two steps back. It was not fear that made him step backwards, but fear did fill his heart. Wei had to be sure that his back was to something solid. If he was facing the woods he knew he would be a dead man. The boy slammed the head of both of his weapons together and waited for the beast to come. On cue the monster dashed forward outside of the woods. Its fangs at the ready as it lunged forward toward Wei.

Quickly Wei jumped to the side dodging the great beast initial attack. He moved to strike with both of his axes. However the beast was far to quick. It jumped back and dodged the blow and then rammed its body into Wei. Toppling the boy over the wolf moved to mount him and finish the job. However Wei was not going to let his life end her. Swinging his brave axe Wei slashed forward and cut the nose of the beast. The blow had hit a nerve and caused the monster to back off. Wei quickly rolled on the ground and recovered. However he was a bit short on breath. The beast had knocked the wind out of him and his actions before were running on the last bit of oxygen he had in his body. Wei had to pause to catch his breath and in doing so he allowed the beast to recover and strike back out at him.

[Deleted]

Appius was nearly knocked off of his feet as the gale of wind blew past him, flinging the mongrel into the forest from whence it came and landing with a satisfying crack of bone. His cuirass, although relatively light in comparison to some, aided Appius in staying rooted to the dirt as the winds swept by. While he would have turned and thanked Sergeo for his aid, there was no time for celebration of the effort, as yet another pair of beasts appeared from the tree line.They showed no concern for their fallen brethren, but all the same intent on putting a swift end to the two mercenaries.

Appius lowered himself into a short right guard, his buckler risen in his left hand and Appius' scimitar's pommel at his abdomen within his right. The hound growled at the mercenary before lunging out at him, to Appius' right side. While the beasts' tactics were rather calculated, he observed, they attacked just as savagely as any other wolf or pack dog. Appius, much like before, swung out his shield in retaliation. Its metal boss cracked against the attacker's snout, knocking the hell hound from the air and sending it to the dirt. Taking advantage of the dog's vulnerable yet brief state upon the ground, Appius turned, putting his left foot first to swing down unto the beast's ribcage. However, as demonstrated previously, the creature was much too swift; scrambling from its place upon the dirt and rising to face Appius once more only a few feet away. While Appius considered the thing dull for falling victim to the same move as its comrade, he recognized that its physical ability was no laughing matter.

The mercenary did not draw his sword upwards from its place upon the ground. But as the dog leapt forth at Appius, leaving the ground, he went to swing upwards with the concave edge of his scimitar, likely stabbing the curved blade's tip into the beast's breast to fell it.

[Wei]

With the furry of fire and she speed of the wind the fearsome dog rushed ack in to strike at the journeyman. its fangs leaped out and snapped at Wei's arm. Its great maw threatened to rip the boy's arm clean off. Wei, just recovering from the previous blows, was sift on his feet. he was starting to get how he was suppose to be fighting these beast, or fighting in general. He had been fighting for quite a wile now, always the underdog. Wei understood what how to fight when your at a disadvantage. Almost everyone he ever battled with so far has been stronger, faster, and wiser than him. Only with his wiles has Wei stand the test of time and only his wiles could Wei survive this fight. As the beast leaped though the air to strike with its fangs, so did Wei. The boy had blacked his right foot onto the back of one of the caravan's wheels. With a great kick Wei jumped forward up the length of the caravan. The beast unable to turn in mid air slammed straight into the wooden wagon. It's face hammered by the sturdy structure, thought it did rock it a bit.

Now is the time to attack, thought Wei to himself as he came from the wagon. He had tossed himself up with a kick and avoided the beast now gravity demanded that he come back down and Wei came back with a vengeance. The boy's twin axe's slashed into the back of the creature. The blows, thought powered by Wei's weight, were hampered due to the creatures tough hide. Two small crimson lines appeared on the beast back, but that was not where the true damage lined. The hide protected the beast from the slash, but it could no protect it from the blunt force of Wei's attack. The creature stumbled a bit and Wei rushed in to attack again. A foolish move, but at this point Wei was desperate and only foolishness would win the day.

[Deleted]

Appius' scimitar, to his dismay, skimmed across the dog's hide as if the sword he held was some mere termite-ridden branch. Though his piercing blow would have impaled any ordinary dog, the Nabattan man was perplexed as his iron seemed to merely scratch the dog's underbelly. Admittedly, the blade dragging across its underside had left the hound with a ghastly wound, but it was still able to move with such an injury.

The mongrel tackled Appius to the ground, savagely trying to tear at his neck. Yet the mercenary was swift, grappling onto the dog's throat so that it could not attack his own. Loosing his hand from the scimitar which he had originally used to strike the monster, Appius reached out to his right in hopes of finding anything that he could use as a weapon. And it would seem that the mercenary's luck had not run out, because from the ground he drew a jagged stone roughly the size of his own fist. Swinging the rock with all the might he could muster, Appius clobbered the stone into the side of his attacker's head, a satisfying crunch eminating from the beast's cranium.

But Appius had little time for celebration, as here was no telling whether the dog was truly dead or not. Regardless, it seemed to be downed for at least a short while, and he would need to get away. Grabbing the hilt of his saber which lay beneath the dog's body, Appius looked back towards Wei who was locked in his own struggle. After all, he was hired to protect the caravan, not commit genocide upon the forest's predators. He still held he bloodied, jagged stone in the arm which also bore his shield, hoping that using this tool in conjunction with his own weapon he would be able to defend more effectively.

[Wei]

Wei began to hack at the beast with everything he had. His arms had become a blur as his brave axe lead the way. Respiration had pressed him forward and rear fueled his rage. However his desperation was not enough. As fearsome as Wei's assault was the beast was just far tougher. It's hide was thick and its dark nature made most weapons ineffective. When you add in Wei's armature level of skill the battle was almost doomed from the start. The beast, no longer stunned from Wei's initial assult, charged forward knocking the journeyman over onto his back. However Wei was both desperate and learning. As Wei fell over he rolled off his back and recovered. The action saved his life as the creature came back around with a charge. With a great leap the creature lunged forward with it's jaw outstretched aiming to take a chunk out of Wei's shoulder. Quickly rolling to his right side Wei dodged the attack.

"Crap" whispered Wei as his heart began to pound. He could feel death's scythe close to him now. The blade was practically around his neck. However a smile crossed his face as he stared at the beast as it prepared its next pass. It was dangerous battle, but Wei was starting to enjoy himself. He always wanted to prove his worth as a fighter and finally he was getting his chance. It was dangerous there was no doubt, but no risk no reward.

"No Risk, no reward" murmured Wei as the dog rushed in for another attack. The young man had gained a idea. Once again the beast had thrown it self at the boy. However this time it took blood. With a fearsome chump and a bone crushing chomp the beast had latched onto Wei's left arm. It's fearsome maw clenched on the flesh as it began to taste blood. The reaper pulled back on his scyth ready to claim his soul, but it was not Wei he was going to claim, but the hell hound itself.

As the creature tighten its bite on Wei's arm the boy tighten his grip on its fur. His left arm secured the beast side as Wei swung with his brave axe. The creature's hide was far to tough for him to cut through, but its eye was not. With the furry of tempus Wei slammed his brave axe into the left eye of the beast. The mighty groan that left the monster's mouth caught the rest of its friends off guard. Bam! Wei delivered another blow and the creature's eye was destroyed. It attempted to let go of Wei and flee, but the boy's left arm , despite being damaged, held on for dear life. Bam! Then came another and then another as Wei's axe began to dig into the creatures flesh. Wei struck at the beast repeatedly even after it stopped moving. Wei only stopped when his arm grew to tired to swing again, Wei had won. He had slain a beast, but it might have cost him his arm.

[Deleted]

Appius, seeing Wei put an end to the life of one of the vicious dogs, lowered the stone within his shield hand which he had intended to hurl. Well, that was two of them down then. Appius looked back towards the mongrel which he had struck, hoping that it might still be lying there on the ground. Luckily enough, it seemed to still be unconscious for now. Even from where he stood, Appius could tell that the thing would have quite the headache once it woke. To think animals with such coarse hide existed in the first place. Nonetheless, it would seem that blunt weapons were their true weakness. Juat like a knight covered in platemail, they would need to be bashed with a mace and not hacked at with a sword or axe. Yet Appius bore no club nor cane, so the stone in his grasp would have to do. How humourous was it that he, clad in such armor, could be forced to result to these primitive methods? But who was he to complain? It worked, didn't it? After all, as long as it is practical, it is ideal.

Now acknowledging Wei's wounds, Appius treaded towards the boy at a jogging pace, still with sword and shield in hand, as he repeatedly glanced over his shoulder as if just looking at the treeline would deter the beasts which poured theough it like river water through a sieve. Not to say that Appius had seen a true river in a region like Nabata. As the dark-skinned man drew within Wei's immediate vicinity, now mere feet away, he came to a stop. "Can you still walk?" Appius knew the boy's arm was the most apparent issue, but his arm mattered little if they were unable to flee. Seeing what a struggle it had been for himself to fell a single creature, Appius believed it best to retreat rather than try and rout the enemy.