When noon finally comes, Silas wakes from his bed and stretches for a moment. The sun was high in the sky and it meant that it all wasn't a dream, that he hadn't died, and that he was still alive. The others were slowly assembling altogether as well, a ragtag group of survivors that were picking over the bones of this now desolate town. There wasn't much left that wasn't destroyed by the siege of the undead.
In one of the ruined homes, the glimmer of a blade caught Silas's eyes. Attached to a gnawed off hand was a sword of sturdy, if simple, quality. The weapon felt well-balanced in his hand, easy to swing and easy to use. The owner no longer needed it, after all, and a sheath nearby made it easy for him to strap it to his hip. A few changes of clothing, nothing in the way of being fancy or boasting of a station he did not have. Silas didn't care much for the luxuries of life; breathing was its own reward.
What was a strange sight was in the mayor's home however, a body that looked beaten rather than mauled. A safe was installed in the wall, a set of locksmithing tools still within it. It must've been the robber's poor luck to have been caught and beaten to death, maybe the mayor's people thought him one of the undead. Their protection had failed though; a wall shoved in by the sheer number of bodies. The number of corpses around the place showed there was a battle though, a protracted one at that.
"They almost made it like us. Poor fools." Silas thought to himself as he knelt at the safe to finish the work the thief had begun. It took some time but the safe door eventually swung open soundlessly, revealing nothing but a leather pouch filled with glistening sand. "It looks like...diamonds?" Silas experience with such rare jewels was limited; he only saw them in his imprisonment in the world of the faeries. What was there purpose being ground up like this? It didn't matter, as he put it away into his pocket and left the ruined manor to meet the others.
They were a sad caravan, making their way along the paths away from Goatshead towards someplace where the living weren't being devoured. There was finally a place to find shelter but instead of safety, there was only more death. Blood covered the ground and the broken remains of an encampment were all that remained.
"We're still too close." Silas murmured, looking back at the others. "We have to keep moving, faster preferably, unless you want the dead to drag you back home." He passed by Bester, giving him and Anna a nod as he did so. "Make sure she and your growing little one don't slow us down. I ain't coming back for you two if you slow me down."
Silas volunteers to take the last watch and suggests they have four watches in total; the clockwork doesn't need to sleep but the more eyes, the better.
"There are eleven of us total. Anna is carrying a little one so she gets to sleep the night. Two sets of five in the night, about an hour and a half to two hours per shift. Dickswizzle, you're with me before dawn."
Unless someone else wanted to argue about it, the human quickly settled himself onto the ground and did his best to fall asleep. Nightmares of undead, hunting horns, and giggling laughter haunted him throughout the night.
Silas and Dickwizzle were just beginning to wake everyone up now that the sun was rising in the East. Throughout the night, he did his best to not bother the goblin and not be bothered in turn. Hund was pleasant company, the mechanical dog only seemed to speak when it needed to.
Silas was just finishing taking a piss off near the woods when howl of a terrible beast is heard and the sounds of something rapidly approaching distracts him.
"Are you f!$#ing kidding me." Silas growls to no one in particular, sorting himself before grabbing his sword and shield by his side.
Hund immediately channels the power that Mok had installed into him, growing claws on his front limbs.
Baros sees the charging creature and shouts a warning, "Look out! We've got company!" Baros readies himself to charge the beast once it closes in on them (about five meters).
Perception:
Rusko was obviously not used to seeing/hearing with his new faunish ears and eyes, as he completely missed the approach of the hideous creature.
Spinning the solid wooden staff he appropriated from the ruined town, he struck out at the creature as it passed...
Grommok grabs his staff and, after saying a few mystical words, the weapon gives off a light glow.
"Ok, I am ready for whatever it is!"
Attack:
Damage:
The Creature Charges, and Baros meets it, driving his spear into the beasts hide, drawing blood as it passes, and getting a retaliatory swipe of viscously curved talons And Baros manages to sidestep the swipe, and the beast charges on
It arrives at Rusco, horns lowered as it arrives, tring to drive them into the Not!Faun's chest and it impacts hard, setting off Rusco's strike, and Bruising ribs. .
But Grommok joins and brings the magic weapon down upon the creature, the natural magic burning the unnatural thing. It snarls in rage as the party surround it.
Baros dodges out of the way of the beast's strike. As it rushed passed him Baros spun and thrust his spear at the creature once more.
Slow for Mok as well
Once again, the Halfling's spear draws blood from the Czart, and it howls terribly. Now surrounded by 3 competent warriors, the creature seems anxious.
The Czart swirls in fury, lashing out with claws toward the hateful natural magic, and it's wielder. and it's claws dig deep, tearing into his abdomen as it turns it's jaws to Baros. and the canny halfling manages to evade.
Silas moves in quickly now to strike at the bizarre and terrifying creature, his blade looking to dig into flesh. As it rips around at Baros, he swings in an upwards arc hoping to catch it in the belly.
Rusko seeks some revenge on the strange creature...
Grunting in pain, Grommok swings his enchanted staff at the beast in hopes of returning the favour.
Attack:
Damage:
Hund rushes forward towards th creature, slashing at it with his newly grown claws.
You could not say if it was Silas' axe opening the thing's belly, Rusco's spear skewering it, or Grommok's spellwood cracking its bones, but the Czart goes down/ you turn, to see the others have retreated away from you, Gelda and Connor in the back, axe and hammer out.
you are walking further, when you hear a voice in the near distance, and see a group of men on the road. Armed men.
Your money or your lives, travelers!
Silas is walking near the front; the fight with the bizarre beast went decently well enough. Mok got a bad bite on him though. As they traveled down along the worn paths between one town and another, a voice called out for them to give up their gold or to give up their lives.
"F#$~ing bandits..." Silas murmured, a hand going to his sword's hilt. His eyes studied the area around them though, trying to pick out how many there were and if anymore were hiding in the foliage around them. He had traveled in the woods along commonly used paths before, evading bounty hunters and other well-to-do's as he fled from his home and crime. His instincts had to be sharp if he was going to survive.
"Killing us over a few copper pennies and a can of beets, seems like a strange hill to die on, but if you insist I will help you die on it. But as we are fleeing a horde of undead monsters that destroyed the town we were in and also killed another bandit camp up the road from here I would truly encourage you men to follow suit." The short halfling says hoisting his spear from his shoulder. His usual strategy when travelling was to avoid bandits but with a group this large that was nearly impossible.
These bandits are armed, but most of their weapons and armour is s%$@, except the guy talking. There's him and 4 lackeys. You can all but hear their thoughts, performing the imprecise calculus of banditry. You and Baros are armed and dangerous, no doubt, but what of Mok, is that a walking stick, or a whoopass stick? What in the heck is Hund? Is Connor a harmless grampa, or is he a veteran made of scrap iron and shoe leather? The dwarves? The Faun? The Goblin? The scrawny kid? They could have you all over a barrel, or they could be badly outnumbered, and they just don't know which it is yet. Convince them you're not worth the pain, and they'll run.
"Like my little friend here said..." Silas said, drawing just a bit of steel to get their attention. "...Goatsthorne is gone. A horde of undead took everyone there and then some. You could be next if you don't start fleeing like we are."
"I know what you're thinking; are we worth the trouble? We aren't. You in the front, you got some nice things that I'll gladly pull off your corpse. The rest though? I'll leave to scavengers. Now piss off or do something." A strong front was needed and Silas was had dealt with worse than just some bandit f%$~s on the road.
Hund hangs back, slowly preparing his assault on the bandits. The tactical negotiations is not something he thinks about, instead focusing on comparing and eyeing them; what would be the best position to attack from. Is there a viable retreat option? How will they flee when it comes time? Where would the reinforcements most likely be hidden. He calls upon his time fighting in ty war to help him answer these questions.
The bandit leader stares at you, eyes hard, then the metal dog starts glowing and growing claws, the Dwarf and Old man reach for weapons, the Halfling starts Making overt threats. They might win, but youd kill a few of them. maybe him. he blinks.
I dunno, Blake. The doggie looks like it wants to eat me. on the the guys in the back says
Yeah, I saw a guy get in a fight with an angry halfling a few years back, in a bar in Set. Normal guy's knives are naturally at the Gut level... The Halfling got somewhere a lot worse. another says And I seen orcs fight. One woulda got me if I hadn't had me Book of the One in my jacket that day.
Okay, a deal, traveler. 5 pennies buys you passage. The leader says, shutting up his underlings
HUIVD knows a few things. The best cover is 50 yards behind and to the right, a copse of trees and a dip in the landscape, which would provide cover. These guys are pretty clearly camping in the woods nearby, so They'll flee there. If they had allies, you'd think they would step out behind travelers, to stop them running. or have them hiding at the treeline with bows in case someone puts up a fight
The landscape is changing slightly as you go up into the hills. The trees are smaller here, and you see more evidence of bandits, their abandoned camps and the occasional lone traveler on the side of the road, stripped of anything you could sell.
You pass another bandit remnant. an inn, not too unlike the Goathorne (part rest stop, part trading post), looted and burned. Nothing of value remains.
As the sun goes down, you pass over the highest point on the road. looking down at the road ahead, there is a fork in the road, splitting it north or south. You'll reach it by the next day
Camp is chilly this night, and those on watch are glad to have a fire, maybe keeping it higher than is advisable. An aurora splashes over the sky for a short time, running north to south out of Alfheim.
Cold fog engulfs the road here, and the day starts miserably. The lack of civilization is starting to grate on your companions, Bester, Anna and Dickswizzle especially, who are young enough that this is all but the worst thing to happen to them.
The fog has turned to bitterly cold rain. All but HUIVD are shivering and soaked. camp tonight Needs to be under cover, else you might all take ill.
You reach the fork as the sun is getting low. there are two roads before you. On goes north, a quieter area near the borders of Alfheim, or you could go South, towards the schemes and slavers of the 9 cities. Which way will you go?
Baros charges ferociously at the bandit, "You mistook my warning for a negotiation"
Silas sighs for a moment and looks at the halfling, recognizing the growing anger and rage in his eyes. It seemed like peace was not going to be an option. As the halfling charges forward, so too does Silas aiming for one of the lesser armored men on the side. Lowering their numbers would be paramount, even a thug with a rusty knife could end your life if you weren't careful and they were lucky. He comes in with weapon and shield in hand, slicing up and across hoping to catch the fool in the neck.
Once the others start on the attack, Hund lunges forward.
With his staff still enchanted, Mok swings at the nearest bandit.
Attack:
Damage:
Rusko had tried to be inconspicuous during the 'negotiations' but was not surprised when hostilities broke out.
If he can he squares off against a brigand who is wielding a wooden weapons such as himself...
Baros's Spear is caught on the Bandit leader's shield, and he snarls Pup before retaliating in kind But his swing is telegraphed, and Baros effortlessly sidesteps it.
The Bandit who Silas struck at ducks back and away from the blow. That's My head! he shouts, kicking up at the fork of Silas' legs. , but it was a cheap shot against a cheap-shotter, and his shin collides with the haft of Silas' Axe before it can make contact with his unmentionables.
Two more Bandits, the two in the back, decide to flee from the stabby halfling and the glowy metal dog, legging it towards the woods. the last one decides to Take a shot at Baros, however, swinging around a sword so dull and battered it might as well be a club. , and just manages to get him as he dodges the leader's blow, and takes
HUIVD darts forward, and his claws dig deep into the Bandit leader's leg, drawing scarlet blood.
Grommok swings at a bandit, but that one is canny, and his shield catches the spellwood.
Rusco thrusts his into Silas' Bandit, drawing a yelp of pain and bloodying the weapon.
"You never should've come here..." Silas growls as he moves away from the man's strike, grinning wickedly as Rusko's staff catches him squarely in side. The staff hits hard, knocking the man unbalanced. Silas moves to capitalize on the strike, spinning to the side of the man and aiming to thrust the sword in deep through the makeshift armor and into the meaty guts of the man.
The man sees the trick coming though and spins on his heel, putting his rusty weapon in the way of the dangerous thrust.
Hund swipes at the leader, his claws digging in. He felt back to normal with these claws, but they weren't as deadly as back in the war.
Baros retaliates against the bandit stabbing viciously at him. "Surrender now before it's too late."
Rusko keep his thought to himself, letting his staff do the talking....
Grommok once again strikes at the bandit with his enchanted staff.
Attack:
Damage:
Rusco's staff finds more ribs and the bandit almost doubles over, but stands strong, and swings back but Rusco dances away from his weapon.
Grommok's spellwood almost knocks the bandit from his feet, but he too rallies, and strikes back , blunt sword slamming into the priests fram, inflicting
The Bandit leader manages to catch HUIVD's attack on his shield, and Parry Baros, and he decides that foremost among his enemies is the dog, and swings at HUIVD , striking hard enough to deform HUIVD's carapace
"Don't you dare ignore me, you f%+*ing pissant!" Silas growls as the bandit continues to fight against Rusco. As Rusco steps back, making the bandit overreach with his weapon, Silas tries to strike at his vulnerable back.
Hund growls at the leader as it dodges his attacks. He continues to swipe at him, knowing his claws will find their purchase soon.
Baros's strike lands but not very hard.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Silas would move terribly at first, feeling himself go off-balanced before he would twist again on his feet. The turn added momentum to his movement, the blow coming in faster than he or the bandit expected.
Surprised that the bandit withstood his vicious attack, Grommok swings at him again, hoping to down the brigand for good!
Attack:
Damage:
Of the party assailing the leader, only Baros manages to hit, as the Bandit blocks HUIVD, and laughs off Silas' attempt at braggadocio. nad he responds by ignoring the Human, and instead focusing on the short f%@! who just stabbed him, if not especially badly. and fails to land.
The bandit assailing Rusko presses his attack. but the canny Faun/Changeling dances out of reach of his blade
and the bandit grommok is trying to fight dodges and tries to counter , and the orc feels the balde in all its blunt, rusted glory
Silas growls at being ignored, focusing his anger into his swordplay as he strikes again and again at the bandit leader's defenses, looking for an opening to deal a vicious strike.
Baros has slightly more success on his next strike catching the bandit leader in the knee.
Snarling in pain, Mok swings again at the bandit with his staff.
Attack:
Damage: