• Graded • O Icarus of the fearless flight.

[Nauta F'mos Geey]

53 Ymiden 717

To the Aukari, Blood Metal was more of a status symbol than anything else. The best use of it he had been taught was to improve the armour of his superiors back in Sirothelle as, not only did the Blood Metal reinforce the armour, it also made a distinctive colour for it as earned by those who achieved the higher ranks. As F'mos was no longer a servant of Sirothelle and therefore no longer held to its standards, there was nothing to stop him from collecting the county of Blood Metal dust which had surfaced in Etzos for his own purposes.

He had been collecting the dust over the trials since its discovery whenever he had the opportunity. As the trials went longer and more people collected the dust for themselves, it was soon running scarce and the Aukari found he had to venture further away from the city just to get a worthwhile amount for his efforts. On this trip he had brought his tent and followed the river in hopes to reach a reserve of the valuable dust. The first trial he could barely fill half a bag despite his efforts. The second trial saw a little increase of the amount he was able to obtain. The third?

It was the Jackpot!

Even if he was now in an unfamiliar part of the wilds, F'mos was too exhilarated to care and he could just follow the river back to Etzos anyway. He spent the rest of his time in the water, waist deep in it as he greedily separated the dust from the sand and rocks and dumped them into his bag. He knew the only reason he could collect the dust this way was that it was long enough since the river's water level rose. All things considered, he was quite fortunate, not only for the bounty of dust he chanced upon in the river but also that he found it at a time the river was no longer strong enough to sweep him away.

With the scython as his only companion he had brought with him on this little expedition, being swept away from the waters would mean he was lost even if the cat would try to help him. All in all, the scython would only lose its meal ticket while its owner would have lost his life. Even now it lazily sat at the foot of a tree not even worried about any of the hazards of the wild. F'mos should be worried too, but he had confidence that his cat would detect any which came close to him although that confidence was fast waning because of its own attitude.

A break of work. Half a break of rest. Another break of work. One break of rest and organizing his haul of dust. Again, another break of work collecting the dust followed by lunch for him and his cat. F'mos expected this to continue for the rest of the trial and with it, finally call his expedition a success and make the trip back to Etzos the next morning. That was not in the cards for him however as the serenity of his surroundings was broken very obviously by something... unnatural...

F'mos could have ignored the disturbance and continued with his work or return to Etzos but the bounty of dust he found filled him with confidence. The appearance of the Blood Metal dust, a mineral he knew was native to his volcanic homeland was unnatural enough which meant it something had to have brought it to Etzori lands. He may very well lose out if he chose not to investigate the disturbance as it may be the source of the dust he had been working so hard to collect. It could even be in a form much easier for him to bring with him back to Etzos and with less work!

Believing that he had nothing else to lose as he could just run away if the disturbance ended up something too much for him to handle, the Aukari quickly put on the armour he had removed so he could better navigate the waters and then on his scython, headed towards the disturbance. His poor riding skills however would make sure it would take a little longer than he wanted, unless he wanted to reach his destination weakened, sickened and unwhole.

[Noth]

The twilight hybrid had a particular appreciation for certain metals as well; platinum, gold, silver, and bronze, and he regarded them with rapt attention often missing in discussion over other metallic substances. In fact, the only reason that he had determined to leave his home for the trial had been to investigate a potential source of revenue that had been scouted quietly leaving the city the night before. The glimmering moonlight had shone brightly down upon the skulking party, and crimson eyes had scouted them from afar, determining immediately by their admittedly distant demeanor that they were planning troublesome affairs.

It took only half a break when morning arose to alert the small gang of soldiers that he had recruited to his cause, and in mere moments they had prepared themselves to hunt down the gang, each of them bringing their tools of the trade; swords, daggers, a hammer. Noth himself equipped his hauberk, and donned his helmet and greaves, ready for the prospect of warring should it arise, and it was indeed likely to arise. He slung his longbow over his shoulder, and prepared a portion of arrows for use, and then attached his adamantite mace at his side. His companions lacked armor, and Ears lacked a weapon entirely, so he was granted use of a hand-axe which had been lying about the cave.

As they prepared themselves for their departure in the cave; gathering supplies, and food for the trip, the twilight hybrid explained why he had gathered them.

“Last night, I took notice of a series of shadowy figures who left the city. There is a good chance that they are criminals, and given their sneaking demeanor, that they have something of value with them, or that they are going to retrieve it from a stash. Either way, we shall be following them until they lead us to their treasure, and then doing what we do best.”
He explained to them, accepting their silent nods and grunts as approval for his plan.

They left the cave soon afterwards, leaving Vern alone in defense of it as they traveled to the place where Noth had first spotted the sneaking persons. As expected, they had long since vanished from the area, but, after some searching and investigating done between the hybrid; who possessed the most hunting skills of the party, and Ears; who was a natural investigator at heart given his adept sensory abilities, they were able to locate a series of tracks which led them in the right direction.

And so they marched. Trudging through forest and plains, stomping through bristles and harsh foliage, and snapping sticks and branches as they mushed onwards towards their destination. Once the tracks had been located, they were easy enough to follow, and the hybrid questioned why they hadn’t thought it prudent to hide their destination better if they had spent such great efforts leaving the city unseen. The answer seemed to be that they obviously believed that they had escaped unseen, and that there would be no reason for anyone to pursue them based upon tracks alone, and in truth, if they had not been quite as suspicious when the hybrid had laid eyes upon them, then they would have been left alone to their vices.

Soon, the group found themselves near the river, and it seemed likely that the tracks would vanish entirely, but instead they kept themselves to only one side of the banks, and the mud always present in such wet areas made it even easier to locate the tracks of their chosen prey. They continued onwards until Ears quite suddenly made a gruff cough, and tapped the front-most members of the group on the shoulders, yanking them rather roughly to a stop.

“Voices up ahead, through that treeline… some sort of animal over there too.”
He pointed towards two places respectively, each one hidden by forest and trees from sight. Still, from what the hybrid had observed and heard about the mutant man, he was incredibly unlikely to be incorrect, and so the group ground to a halt, looking to the hybrid for direction. In truth, he hadn’t expected to run into the group quite so quickly, especially since they had an entire night’s gain over them, but perhaps they had been slowed by needing to scour the forest for signs of their pillaged treasure, and it had slowed them dramatically.

“Leave our supplies here. Take only our weapons with us. We will circle around and try to determine whether or not they have discovered their cache. If not, then we will simply remain hidden. If they do, then we will attack.”
Thane stared off into the distance where Ears had pointed, slowly and gradually beginning to nod as he recognized the appeal of leaving their non-combatant supplies here. He raised a finger, and promptly jarred a thumb in the direction of Ears.

“He stays, guards the supplies.”
The mutant seemed rather hopeful of the prospect of avoiding the upcoming bloody conflict. Noth understood why Thane wanted to leave Ears behind; because Ears was not a very combative person, and he would simply slow the remainder of the group down if he was bogged down in battle. However, he was also incredibly useful for properly examining the enemy, and that was an advantage that could not be wasted in a place where sensory perceptions could determine the fate of lives.

Still, as leader, Noth knew that he had to make concessions. Thane had a point, and he would not simply bark it down because it was not his own.

“He comes to listen to what they are saying, but once we decide to attack, he returns to guard the supplies.”
It would leave their camping equipment alone for a short while, but in truth, it was incredibly unlikely that it would be stolen or rummaged through by anyone or anything.

Thane blinked several times, and the nodded his ascent, putting a hand on Ear’s shoulder and gently dragging him forward to lead the group to their destination.

Little effort was expended in locating the small group of cloaked figures; Ears abilities making it far easier than it might have been, but the group still took steps towards ensuring that they would remain unseen and hidden in the brush. Admittedly, some of the crew were better at sneaking than others. Slip was relatively lightweight, and so she was almost naturally quiet, and Ears himself had spent the better portion of his life a paranoid wreck, and that definitely lent itself to his ability. Oxy and Thane on the other hand were either too large to sneak properly, or were used to confidently striding into places.

Eyes peered forth from the brush, carefully examining the figures who appeared to have found themselves in a small clearing. Most of their features were obscured by their outfits, but there were still subtle traces of physicality to them that identified differing aspects, all of which were not terribly useful to the crew, and which were quickly ignored. Instead, focus was placed more heavily upon the knives worn across their sides. There were five of them in total, with only one of them having removed his cloak. They stood in a circle around some manner of abnormal object splayed out across the ground.

It wasn't until the unhooded man decided to kick the object gently in the ribs that Noth realized they were interacting with a body.

A recognizable one at that.

[Nauta F'mos Geey]

At some point the Aukari had decided he had ridden on his mount long enough, if the sickness he felt was any accurate indication of the state he was in. He left the scython a little away from the edge of the clearing as he had no idea no idea what he might find. As he was out in the wild, the most likely danger he should encounter would be some sort of beast but as far as he knew, no beast had ever made that sort of a sound. The only other possibilities he could think of would be some mutants in hiding or a monster given the proximity of Etzos to the Fields.

Either could just as easily give him problems even if he had Kavelza around to assist him which made any form of confrontation out of the question. Fortunately, F'mos had a tendency to not rush into a clash and had other options available to him if his goal was to find any opportunity to exploit should the chance present itself. Alone, the Aukari advanced on his own to where the natural foliage bordered the clearing. Not a beast, not a mutant and not even a monster; just a group of cloaked figures out in the wilderness for some reason which probably made them the most dangerous thing he could have encountered.

And also, the most suspicious thing he could have encountered.

It was at that point F'mos had to make a decision. To approach or to get out. Without a reason to commit to either, at least, not without any more information, the Aukari decided to get more information for an informed decision. The most foolish thing he could do in accordance with that decision was to simply go up to them. The former guard who was trained to look out for the dangers of urban living did not miss the telltale gleam of blades which reflected the light of Saun. Within a few thrills, F'mos took to the skies. The best method in his opinion to fulfil his objectives; to gather information and to stay away from the danger the cloaked figures currently posed.

But even as the 'best' of ideas, the Aukari failed to realize the sight of a bat in the sky before dark might be a weird thing to spot. He was too occupied with his own plan which had been effective so far. It was to be a fly-by he decided because if he stuck to one spot, he would be too obvious. F'mos had climbed to the top of one tree before he transformed, before he lifted himself to a greater height. From his previous experiences he knew it would be a harder flight as he would be at the mercy of the wind currents but, it would still be much easier than the weird noise he kept hearing interfering with his flight. Damned bats. As if the trees were not a big threat to him already with his smaller build which would hurt should he run into one of them.

It was questionable if luck was on his side as the wind resisted him a little as it blew from his side and forced him to press on harder in order to not get off course. This effort which took most of his attention almost made him forget the purpose of his flight but in the end, he was able to catch a glimpse of the group. While they were all in their dreary cloaks, there was one F'mos identified as the leader or so he believed, as all the other cloaks seemed to take their orders from him. That was not the most telling however. Despite their cloaks, The Aukari could tell there was something... odd with the leader.

Only when F'mos spotted the object, actually person being kicked, was he able to at least make a guess about the groups strange leader. While they did not share the same unique qualities, both had their own mismash of characteristics borrowed from other beasts. It was not a long shot for F'mos to assume like the infamous Padfoot, the other was also a becomer. Perhaps it was some sort of a cult and they had a falling out which probably explained why Mal did not stir despite being kicked. That said, it was regrettable that F'mos had to let this opportunity go. There was no chance he would be able to get the corpse from the group despite the rich mutagens it might hold being the source of the numerous Freakshows in Etzos.

A quick round over the group to get even more information which the Aukari would have been unable to obtain had he left his observations to those he had solely in the trees, including any other hidden weapons, armor and unique characteristics of the group, F'mos rode the air currents back to the trees. It was a bit of a way from where he started off, but he had no problem with walking the long way back. He was already tired and to continue his flight to return would tax him too much.

This decision as it turned out was a fortuitous one as the weird sound found a few other figures in the trees he would have missed had he not transformed. He took a quick look towards its direction to find the familiar figure of the one winged Avriel and his crew. While the Aukari knew anything which involved them would not be too good, it was a case of choosing the devil he knew and, one he had profited off from before. He landed a little behind them and transformed back. Ears was the first to hear his approach and set the rest of the crew's attention to the newcomer.

"Fancy seeing you lot here" F'mos said in feigned surprise before he made his offer to the rest of the group. He would share whatever information he had learned during his flight and, might even help them in their obvious criminal plans against the cloaks if provided a weapon. All the Aukari wanted in return was the corpse of Mal for more experiments which may profit the entire group present; as it had the trials prior during Parren's contest.

[Noth]

The group of bandits came to a halt at the edge of the forest, continuing to observe the small gang of cloaked and hooded figures as they surrounded what was almost certainly a familiar corpse. It didn’t appear in quite the same shape that it had previously, but it was undoubtedly still the creature he had seen long ago in the woods, the same creature which had torn through an entire patrol of Etzori soldiers with reckless abandon, and suffered naught but unsubstantial wounds for its efforts. The hybrid considered the implications of the corpse, and immediately began to question what sort of monster or entity was capable of killing him without itself dying in the process.

No matter, it seemed quite probable to him that they could return the body of the monster to the authorities and be rewarded handsomely for having removed its threatening presence from the field, especially given the savagery of its last attack. Of course, it could be that the group of hooded figures before them; wrapped in their garments as though they were unholy cultists, were attempting to do something similar. Still, that particular idea didn’t entirely match up with their observed behavior, because it seemed unlikely that a group of people would take such efforts to remain stealthy and then suddenly abandon any pretense of their skulking for the sake of turning in a body to the proper authorities.

He caught the presence of a slight movement in the air, and his crimson eyes focused upon it for an instant before determining that it was simply a small bird or perhaps a bat. It would be somewhat odd for it to be the latter given the time of trial, but it was not altogether unheard of for a roosting animal to suddenly abandon its post due to nearby movement. Altogether, the creature was ignored as it swooped over and around the procession of the hooded figures. The Avriel nodded his acquiescence to Ears for him to leave, and with a thankful sigh of relief, the mutant promptly disappeared back towards whence they had come, intending to guard their luggage and simultaneously avoid any actual threats to his safety in the process. It was a shame that he was such a poor combatant, because otherwise he would have made an excellent bodyguard given his almost unnatural abilities to detect nearby movement and noises that others would almost certainly never had perceived.

The non-combatant had nearly begun his trek in earnest when he suddenly turned upon his heel, and motioned towards the back woods, pointing in earnest towards them. The group almost in its entirety to face the potential threat, though Slip kept her attention directed forward at the opposing force in case they suddenly moved or attempted to assault them. Noth observed as the potential threat shifted from its hidden place into view, taking the form of a man, and a recognizable one at that. The Aukari who had assisted them in their heist of Parren spoke, and the hybrid promptly instructed him to be silent, raising a finger to his lips to quell any further conversation. Thankfully, the group in the field seemed pre-occupied with lifting the corpse of the fallen, all of them moving around in a circle and trying different angles, occasionally glancing off into the woods perpendicular to them and apparently discussing how they would be removing the corpse from its place.

Noth moved close to the Aukari, beckoning him to speak once more, albeit only a whispered tone. He had not expected the presence of the chemist upon the field, but he was not altogether opposed to the idea of working with him once more for the sake of mutual benefit. Admittedly, his first instinct was to betray the man, and take his loot for himself, but such behavior would set a bad precedent for both those in his retinue, and any future interactions that he had with specialists, and Noth certainly did not desire to shoot himself in the proverbial foot by shuddering his door to mercenaries of the sort of Nauta.

The Aukari to his credit was rather useful in his speaking, defining the position and features of the opposing force before them in enough detail that the hybrid was capable of formulating a proper plan. There was mention of a rather deformed looking soul among the cloaked figures, and when the hybrid looked specifically for such features, he found them upon one of the five, although it was difficult to discern properly with the cloth garment he wore covering most of his face. It seemed quite likely to Noth that he was the leader of their group, which meant that he would be a priority target to eliminate.

With an almost casualness about him, the hybrid drew forth his longbow, and notched an arrow upon it, testing the taut string with a flick of his finger to ensure that it was at the same quality as he had left it. He promptly began to take aim of the disfigured experiment, measuring out angles and range almost sub-consciously, and adjusting for the presence of the wind in the air.

“I do not want the body, but I will be taking the thing’s head, and the items of all those who fall.” He mutedly whispered to the Aukari beside him, he spoke in a command, not a question nor an offer, as though his will would be done, and there would be no bartering otherwise.

“Do try to make yourself useful.” He smiled mirthlessly to the fellow, drawing the string back, and sending an arrow hurtling through the air, and directly into the back of the deformed abomination’s knee, dropping him to a prone position, and causing the body they had just picked up to fall backwards onto a pair of the cultists.

There was no need to shout attack other than to alert the enemy to their exact presence. Instead, the hybrid simply notched another arrow as his retinue: Oxy, Thane, and Slip, sprinted free from the briars and bushes of the outlining woods, battle pulsing in their hearts.

[Nauta F'mos Geey]

It would only take a scream should his gambit with the Crow fail and, have the other group alerted and set upon them just as they had with Padfoot- a scream F'mos had at ready on his lips. Fortunately it did not come to that and their brief negotiations ended up fruitful for the Aukari. Taken with the declaration that the items of the fallen would go to him, no doubt the Avriel was after the bounty on Padfoot as well and a large one at that! An inevitability for someone who caused Etzos enough troubles with his mutants and public attacks on the city's so-called "hero" over the seasons. The bounty would have been something F'mos should have been after as well if not for the one thing the alchemist held was in true value. The magic and mutagenic rich body of Padfoot of course.

The alchemist had ideas of the possibilities ever since he was aware of the Padfoot potential but doubted he would ever have the opportunity to get the true source, until now. The arrangement was great, at least with how F'mos interpreted it as no doubt with the information he had given Noth, he already made himself useful. If nothing else, the Aukari may just help in the battle for appearances so he could justify his own claim to the corpse however he knew; his ownself joining the battle would be nothing but a liability to the rest of the group. He was unfamiliar with them and their methods therefore any act by him might very well end up tripping the group up. He could have tried to discuss things with the rest of the group, but, before he could the group's brutal leader had already initiated his attack on his own.

"Whelp."

If Noth had expected F'mos to rush into the battle like the rest of his crew, the Avriel had poorly judged the Aukari's capabilities. Evidently the Avriel also failed to pay attention to the fact that the Aukari had no weapon- as hinted when F'mos pointed out he would help with the group's plans had he been provided with a weapon. As his offer had not been taken up, the Aukari instead slinked off into the foilage while the Crow's gang rushed out of it. Buffered from the rest with his concealment, he headed back towards the direction he came from- where he had last left his mount and made the signal for it to come to him. With no desire to waste any time, he continued onwards anyway until the moment he met up with it.

With his own armor shifted into the colours of Etzos' famous Black Guard, F'mos rode out to meet with the battle among the miscreants and more importantly he was now armed. It was a good thing too as for whatever reason it was, one of the robed figures were also headed towards him in what looks to be an attempt to abandon his own allies. The Aukari pulled out his rapier to try and dissuade the man's advance but instead, the man picked up speed. The thrill it took for F'mos to register what had happened after the energetic yell for the now bear to get close to him.

Unfortunately for Mr .Bear, F'mos had already faced a bear earlier in that very season with another of Etzos' famous winged personalities. While he was unable to take advantage of the same tactic he had used then, he was a lot more confident to face another such a beast. A quick kick into his scython's side and he had his own beast reared up to attack. The big bear which opposed them made an easier target for the scython to dig its claws into its flesh. As a stationary target, even the F'mos who avoided physical confrontations in preference to methods which would not put him at such a risk could hit and his rapier was thrust into the bear once... twice... thrice... right until the blood seeped over the scython's claws and the mount lost its purchase.

Though at that point there was no reason to remain any longer as the bear itself slumped onto the ground from the many blows the Aukari was able to make as it was held into place. As he watched Noth's own group still in their own fight, he decided to try his own ruse. With himself and his mount positioned with the bear in between the pair and the fray, his loud yell would bring attention to just one thing...

"YOU SHITTY CRIMINALS KEEP THOSE SCUMBAGS HERE UNTIL OTHERS COME, OR YOU'LL WISH THEY KILL YOU!!!"

Before the Aukari made a show of wiping the blood on his rapier on the bear's fur. That said, he and the the criminals knew better that there was no one else coming to assist them. Hell, even with F'mos and his scython around, there was no real member of the Blackguard on the scene. Of course, the cult which took down Padfoot did not know that and his trick rested on whether or not they would take the time to think the situation through, or just flee.

[Noth]

One did not need to be necessarily stealthy to take an opponent by surprise. People typically became so focused upon whatever task was at hand, that they forgot that there was always a potential for danger, especially when they were wandering in the woods. That was particularly true of those few who seldom ventured out into the wilds, and who instead chose to live happy and safe lives within the sheltered walls of a city, where they could be guarded from any of the terrible and malignant things that stalked the outskirts of civilization. That was likely the case with a majority of those gathered together in the slight circle surrounding the body, but the hybrid could tell that at least a couple of them had been watching for danger, though apparently not with enough effort to have detected their small party of raiders; likely they were simply on the watch for a large group of Black Guard.

The ambush had worked exactly as expected, with the sneaking figures being shocked into action. The pair which had been crushed by the body now struggled to free themselves from the hulking mass of fallen Padfoot, and the remainder of those standing twisted about to face their encroaching foes, ready to contend with them for the corpse. It seemed so strange to the hybrid that they would be so invested in the body, because it could certainly not offer them anything terribly great… unless they knew some esoteric hint of knowledge that he did not. Perhaps they were aware of some grand ritual which would allow them to resurrect the amalgamation, or maybe they had plans of giving it the gift of unlife so that it might serve as a shock soldier in whatever shadowy cult they had founded. Fantastical thoughts of that variant flickered to mind as the hybrid withdrew another arrow from his quiver, and promptly sent it directly into a foe’s elbow, shattering it and forcing him to drop the dagger he had drawn a moment prior.

Thane and Slip immediately pounced upon the opportunity, blades gleaming in the sunlight as they hacked and slashed away at the surprisingly nimble fellow who twisted and curved so as to avoid the steel armaments. Finally, Thane slashed outwards and promptly changed direction, driving his pommel painfully into the fellow’s cloaked sternum which caused him to hunch over somewhat and wheeze as the air was driven from his lungs. Slip leapt onto his back, appearing as some malicious imp as she drove her knife several times into his back, riding him to the ground and splattering crimson upon her implement of death and upon the green grass below. The twilight hybrid knew that neither of the two were quite combatants on his level, or on the level of someone who had spent their lives at war, but when they paired together, the sibling bond they shared made them a force not to be trifled with, and it had spelled death for more than one opponent.

Four hostiles remained, though one was still sprawled upon the ground, his body twitching with unnatural energy as he yanked the offending arrow out of his flesh and cast it aside as though it were a piddling inconvenience. The fact that he had done so without even uttering more than a slight cry of pain convinced the hybrid that he held a commanding position upon the field, and was certainly a robust and formidable foe. The hybrid notched another arrow, preparing to send it hurtling into the man and hopefully end whatever threat he contributed towards the group, but an instant later the hybrid was interrupted as one of the cultists who had been trapped underneath the corpse from earlier slammed into his side, knocking his aim astray and sending his bow hurtling to the ground.

The twilight hybrid immediately questioned how the woman; for it became clear that she was female, had managed to creep around towards him, and quickly found the answer in the fact that he did not possess an ally upon his left side. Oxy was busy swinging his mighty hammer down at one of the cultists, and Thane and Slip were busy attempting to deal with the enemy commander who had arisen from his perch, apparently unwounded by the missile which had pierced his flesh. A distant figure very nearly had made it to the forest, his cloak fluttering heavily in the wind as fleet-footed steps brought him closer to freedom. Mid-way into his run, the cultist suddenly flickered and transformed, his form becoming that of a large black bear which continued its charge directly towards safety. The reason for its transformation became suddenly clear, and the hybrid managed a quick side-long glance to see whether or not it had been slain by the Aukari who had somehow traversed the battlefield when he wasn’t looking for him.

That minor distraction was costly, because it allowed his current opponent to batter him once more, possessing a strength that was not at all what he had expected from someone so waifish in appearance. He was hurtled backwards into a nearby tree, wincing as the blunt force drove against his armor and planted itself deep in his body, but he refused to be stunned by the effect, quickly juking to the side as another blow came forth and shattered away a section of the tree’s bark. A distant cry from the Aukari distracted his foe for a precious moment as she suddenly looked into the nearby woods, apparently expecting an enemy to jam its knife into her back as she had seen done to her ally.

She seemed unarmed, but the Prince picked up on the slight knife-like points jutting forth from her fingernails like miniature daggers. It was growing steadily clearer that they were locked into battle with a squadron of Becomers, and the fact that they were faring so well against the animalistic warriors spoke both of the effects of their ambush, as well as the relative lack of combat training in their opponents. They were very clearly not warriors, and had not at all been prepared for the prospect of battle.

He took his advantage, wielding his mace and swinging it down rapidly at her. As expected, she nimbly skidded to the side, avoiding the blow entirely and promptly returned to her senses, darting forward and slashing at his head. Wicked claws lashed across steel, causing it to shriek uncomfortably as she vainly attempted to pierce through the hard metal. A grasping hand lashed out, taking hold of her outstretched arm and twisting it roughly to remove it, and she reacted just as an animal might, yelling angrily and twisting and slamming her weight against him. He refused to yield his grasp upon her, and so they both tumbled backwards until his back was pressed back into the tree. He continued twisting, suddenly yanking roughly on the limb to spin her about, and bring his mace down on her back with a harsh crack of force, enough to drop her to her knees with a cry.

She cast a glance to her side, observing as her leader twisted shape once more until he had become a large bird and promptly taken to the skies in flight from the group. It seemed that he had managed to commit some damage against the Avriel’s forces, however, and he could see Thane holding tightly the form of Slip who Noth hoped had only been wounded in the struggle, and not been killed.

Righteous anger flooded through his veins at the prospect, rage making its way to his being and blazing out of his crimson eyes. The woman before him grasped at something upon her neck, and began to shift in the same manner as the man had, but the Prince of Eternal Mercies would not allow a retreat so readily from his opponents. A gauntleted hand grasped onto the back of her neck, roughly latching on like a parasite to its prey. Wings jutted out from her back, and she prepared to take flight, her form shrinking miraculously to match her chosen creature. She was probably only a foot long at the end, flapping her black wings angrily to escape, appearing just like a bat. He could see desperation in her eyes even in her animalistic state, and he gazed down into them with the same mercy that he had granted to all his enemies.

The gauntlet tightened on the back of the bat’s neck, and a second hand covered over her head, gripping it. There was a loud shrieking noise, a harsh pop, and the echoes of silence took over once more. Unbothered entirely by his actions, the twilight hybrid cast away the body clasped in one hand, and the head clasped in his other to the side just like so much trash.

Victory had been attained… but with one of the foe escaping, no one could truly tell what the effects of their raid would be upon the group. No matter, they would take what they desired from the corpses, and grant the leftovers to the strange workings of the Aukari alchemist.

Who knew... perhaps even Padfoot's head had some worth to it.

[Nauta F'mos Geey]

He had thought to at least rally the rest of his allies with his cry if not scare the hostiles off but it seemed to have the opposite effect. Noth somehow or another was smacked about, by a woman no less! Though that fact would only be apparent to F'mos once he examined the corpses, his immediate concern at the time was the possibility of the Avriel being slain in the battle. It was not a terrible prospect mind you despite the profitable arrangements the Aukari had with the criminal but should he fall, how was the alchemist going to secure his negotiated prize?

That outcome as far as F'mos was concerned, was not one he could allow to happen!

The distance between him and Noth was significant and not one he could close in on fast enough even on his frenzied feline mount but nevertheless, he had to try. His scython seemed faster than normal as its rider gave out a bewildered cry of enthusiasm and a sharp heel to its side and while he F'mos was unsure of the reason why, he had no arguments that it was effective on the hellcat. Not only the scython it seemed, but also the woman as she looked towards him in anticipation of another surprise attack. While he had been unable to get close enough to strike in time, F'mos was satisfied that he at least gave Noth the opening he needed to strike back.

Even though the Avriel was now able to fight back, F'mos did not stop his charge and continued on. If he reached on time he would be able to help in the fight against the woman as well and if not, he would be at least close enough to the battle to choose some other target which an ally had difficulty with. It was the tumble however and not any side getting the upper hand in that scrap which made his charge useless as F'mos went right past the pair- unable to make a turn as the scython went too fast and he had to slow it down before he could do anything else which cost him precious thrills.

And with that, the battle was over. As he rejoined the group, he asked about what had happened because he had not expected any bears or bats- bats other than him that is. F'mos had decided it was a good victory and started to address Noth on the spoils along with whatever else they might have learned when suddenly, one of the should have been corpses stirred. It was not the woman Noth had fought as it was some other hooded figure which Noth's underlings were able to beat but all the same, with a hand to the neck and a cry, the hood started to shift with wounds being healed into a feline form akin to the Aukari's own mount before it immediately rushed into the forest. Too fast for F'mos to even react.

Not one, but two though that had the same result. "We gonna haul these things back or what?" he asked, before he checked the inhuman Becomers for any other promising prize the day had for him although as far as the alchemist was concerned, none would beat the source of Padfoot's Freakshows.

[Kali'rial]

Nauta

Overview

I love how casual Nauta is about the whole battle, right up till that second to last post where he’s like “RAAAAWWRRRR!!!!”. Nice writing all over!

Points

XP: 15/15 (Not for magic)

Fame/Loot/Injuries/Overstepping

Blood Metal Dust - 2 Ingots worth,+ 5 Fame for ‘tavern worthy fight story material’

Knowledge

Skill Knowledge:
Endurance: Rest in between work to increase productivity
Mount: Lack of skill can leave a rider in bad shape
Intelligence: Aerial reconnaisance can get you closer
Stealth: No one looks up
Mount: A scython's claws can hold an enemy for a killing blow
Blades: Pincushion a stationary enemy
Becoming: Unleash the beast!
Becoming: Where man can borrow the qualities of beast
Becoming: Renews the body if given the chance

Noth

Overview

Dark dark birdy. I love how intricately you write, and more to the point...bat head ripping offing. Omg. This was wonderfully gross lol.

Points

XP: 15/15 (Not for magic)

Fame/Loot/Injuries/Overstepping

18 gold nels, some pocket lint and a button. Four standard iron daggers. Padfoot's Head. + 5 Fame for ‘tavern worthy fight story material’

Knowledge

Skill Knowledge:
Stealth: Keeping Far Behind an Enemy Party
Stealth: Use Foliage to Hide Numbers
Ranged: Providing Covering Fire
Ranged: Works well with Stealth for Early Hits
Ranged: Excellent for Disabling Enemies
Unarmed: Holding On and Never Letting Go
Unarmed: Yanking a Bat's Head Off
Unarmed: Claws Do Not Beat Steel

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