Clawing at a puddle. (Closed)

[Corvus MacCallum]

Rain... there were many, many ways to describe it and each of the people in this little travelling group were expressing them, some under their breath, others out loud... some strangely in a hushed whisper, carrying that comment with other thoughts. Bryson, a rather stout warrior type of... well warrior was striding through the elements at the side of a heavily sodden wagon, a simple two horse-power propelled conveyance of transportation, upon his shoulder rested Nagash a two headed axe he had been using since his earliest days in the group.

On the opposite side marched his older brother Thurguile, despite his far more muscular physique his choice of violence was the crossbow although in this kind of weather his rather fancy leather quiver was doing nothing more than weighing him down, rain water finding its way inside and rusting up those iron bolts. Both trudged through the mire of a path, this was a rather blasted land-scape, a river running on the left side of this voyage and it often cut into the path they walked, stone bridges offering the only truly stable ground in this horrible weather... yes rain... as was said, many names for it and not all pleasant, such as this one...

"Its pissing down..."

The words came out alongside a harsh growl, the beastial noises rising from deep in the Highlanders throat, a throat that was currently not quite as free as it used to be. Indeed the monster hunter Corvus was shackled in steel chains, a collar of the same metal around his neck, his gauntlet and buckler removed to fit on two cold metal wristlets, his feet also were chained but only to the wagon itself. He was sitting at the back of the wagon, tail slowly drifting about behind him, keeping the eyes of two rather upset and very scared Kitsune kids occupied. Staring out to that storm he saw the whole horizon lit up by streaks of iradescent flashes from above... then came that rumbling sound, like a powerful beast letting loose in a fierce blood-lust.

"I'm... I'm..."

Only the other two non-humans made out what that little kit was trying to say, her voice so high pitched from fear as she cuddled up close to her brother, they two were chained though only by the feet, he had met these two at a crowded market... said they were trying to find their mom when these bastards turned up. There were just far too many people to draw his sword and that crossbow toting git had a bead on the kids, he had no choice but to lower his weapon and let them be taken.

"I-I-Its okay Chiyo... mommy will be here soon"

Corvus chuckled slightly at that, it wasn't because he thought that was some naive notion, he loved that kids strength and trust.

"Good lad, you keep thinking that and you'll be rewarded"

He flashed a smirk to the kits and then offered up his single tail, tickling lightly at the little girls nose, her giggling suddenly silenced by a hoarse voice barking out from the front.

"You filth will keep your noise down... servants of our lord should not have to be tained by those utterances"

Growling loudly the Highlander narrowed his eyes and let one fly, a right gob of saliva smacking against the canvas protecting the 'deacon' as he called himself on the other side, both riders up front displayed clearly by the deacons glowing scepter, whatever it did these kids had been greatly upset by it though he himself hadn't felt a thing. Below that canvas flap was his equipment, the copper buckler... his useless gauntlet and of course beneath them, that gigantic iron blade... he had been thinking hard about the purpose he was using that for, was it noble enough?... today he had been reaching towards a yes.

Giving a light pat to the kits heads with his overfluffed tail, feeling them grip for it just out of need for comfort he closed his eyes. It felt good to have those sodden hair-spikes brush along his eye-lids and nose... that very nose working at the moment, he wanted to memorize the scents of these ten hunters of demi-humans, for if these kids were hurt, they would not escape... revenge seemed like a bad idea at times, but never when it came to protecting the innocent.

Up front the Deacon Argyle was enjoying his chance to let loose with the usual rhetoric these devoted saps liked to spout.

"For our Lord gave us not tails, nor fangs of beasts... we are the highest and just, they are flawed copies that are not deserving of our holy light and grace of the lord... but while our lord is merciful he has beseeched us to end their sordid lives, purely out of compassion... it is not fair to let them live a life of envy don't you think so brother?"

Whatever answer came didn't reach Cors ears, he wasn't paying attention... the wagon was slowing and he could only see the distorted shape of that axe-wielder through the canvas of the wagons side... the other eight must be up ahead clearing the road or getting some other transport out of the way for their holy mission.

Patience... gotta do this right

All bunnies approved

[Reiko]

Doji would trudge through the rain forever if that’s what it took to save her children. She saw the whole seen with a crowed between her when the cult rushed in and took the kits with another furry warrior. The vixen would have done anything if she could she would even have treated the bystanders as her enemy for being in the way but that wouldn’t change the coarse of the bolt. No she had to stay still and find a time when action wouldn’t kill either Chiyo or Ryo.

So that left Ki following a caravan her feet making squishy sounds with every step, her feet darkened with mud that would partially wash away when exposed to the rain. It was miserable and yet Ki didn’t care how soaked her kimono got or how muddy her tails were. There were two things on her mind, getting the twins out safely and making any foolish enough to get in her way to pay.

Heck Ki had many thoughts about charging the caravan her self or circling ahead and waiting for them to come. But that was too risky; they could kill her children, best to be quiet. Ki thought to sneak closer, she had to be more careful of her sound, at least they were louder and the vixen was pretty light on her feet. No matter, Doji had to keep the evil men in view and find her children. The rain would be a blessing so her scent wouldn’t frighten any of the horses that led the wagon.

“I’m going to kill them, they’re going to rot in the tide pools for what they’re even thinking of doing to my children.” Ki almost notched an arrow into Seikyu and kill one of the guards right then but she stopped herself. “It won’t matter what happens to them as long as I get them out safe.” Ki took some deep breaths and continued on word. The Onitachi tucked in Ki’s obi pulsed with the vixen’s heart. Some one was going to pay.

[Justice]

Despite the less-than-ideal weather conditions, Uriel was in high spirits; he’d accomplished his mission with absolutely no casualties. Of course, the mutants would be slaughtered by his current companions, but that was no business of his. He’d be long gone before the executions began.

The deacon had been earnestly spouting off his religious psychobabble for hours, but only recently had he begun involving the battlepriest in his monologue. “Of course,” he responds simply, his attention on the road before him. Currently, he was seated beside the aforementioned deacon, the reigns of the caravan held loosely in his hands.

A scout wearily trudges towards the caravan, his gaze cast down upon the muddy earth. After a few seconds, Uriel brings the caravan to an abrupt halt, his eyes wide with shock.

“By the light! What’s happened to you, soldier?” Uriel inquires, tossing the reigns into the deacon’s lap before hopping down from his position on the cart, his war hammer held tightly in his left hand.

“Sir… the road is flooded about a fourth of a mile ahead. There’s… it’s horrible…” the man utters out through blood-spattered lips, his entire form quivering with fright. “…Jonas, he went into the water to investigate how deep it was and… and… there was so much blood!”

Uriel guides the man to the cart, allowing the hunter to take his own spot beside the deacon. Gravely, he addresses the nearby brothers.

“It seems the water-dwelling creatures in this region are more vicious than we were told. Stay out of the water,” Uriel instructs sternly. “The road ahead is blocked, so we may need to cut our own path through the barrens,” he continued, easing his weapon up to rest on his shoulder. “Now, move!” he instructs.

[Fenris]

Well this is uncomfortable...

Whoever designed these bridges should've known to build in more accomodating hiding spaces on their undersides. As it was, Fihrinn was contorted in any number of odd ways to stay unseen and keep from slipping into the swollen river below.

He'd been there a while. The caravan would pass over soon.

Hold on, Cor.

To their credit, the cultists had done their job well in the marketplace. He'd been unable to intervene without endangering both his friend and the kitsune kits. Out here, however, with stealth and surprise in his favor, he was in his element.

Granted, the bridge had been a small stroke of luck. Its boarding was shabby and old, with numerous gaps and holes perfect for slipping through. But there was nothing wrong with taking advantage of a little luck, now and then. As long as he didn't get dependent on it--

A soft but sharp yelp mingled with the patter of the rain. Fihrinn looked down to find a rather rambunctious carnivorous fish attached to the tip of his tail. He glared and lashed the appendage, hurling the fish with a soft crunch into the rocky bank before it plopped back into the current. He sighed.

Today was not the best of days.

[Corvus MacCallum]

Despite the shaken Genim 'the blood spattered' it seemed the hunting party didn't take Uriels words to heart, or at the least did not acknowledge them, however wise. They had travelled this path many times and were prepared for the dangers, many things dwelled in these mires, not just in the water. This was shown on Crandor, he was as close to a beast as these people would allow, like some great flesh ogre he was a giant of seven foot in height, his biceps almost reaching the other hunters chests in thickness, clutched in his grip was a warhammer to dwarf the priests. The heavily tanned and leather skinned man had been braving the elements entirely shirtless, even his feet were bare smashing great holes in the mud from his weight. Upon his back however was the writings of of what this place could offer, huge claws from the Findran Blood-fiend, a twisted being created by magic and bore a resemblence to a grey-hound but as large as a horse and able to stand upright, its paws exchanged for four foot long blades of bone and its maw was flaccid and toothless, like flaps of skin until it came time to feed, pouncing upon its foe and forcing their form into their mouth like a snake... a few minutes later the corpse would be hurled up utterly devoid of blood.

That was just one of the creatures that roamed these lands and the hunters had witnessed the majority, great Carthen Eels were the most dangerous, vast eighteen foot long tubes of muscle, wider in girth than even Crandor, a man whose shoulders were a good five foot wide. It had flaps of cartilege on the outside that with the right blood pressure were able to whip and lash at opponents, its face nothing but a drooling maw of teeth designed to sever and slice, reducing the opponents to a chunky soup for ease of consumption. Perhaps that was what had gotten Jonas, but he was certainly in no position to tell anymore.

The Highlanders tail set itself upon the Kits shoulders, bringing them closer on the yelling of that damned rookie, glancing about the Wagon as he attempted to take in as many shapes and sounds as possible, even his ears were struggling due to the din of the rain beating off the canvas. But once again the wagon began to move, the Kits crying out in suprise and being brought against the Wolf-man.

"Don't worry shrimps, we'll sort this out"

Chiyo might have been able to force a giggle but Ryo was a little put off at being called a shrimp, he was just a late sprouter surely. Coming up to a wooden bridge the assembled hunters forged slowly ahead of the wagon, every foot-step causing an untold number of creaks on the aged wood, how the thing wasn't rotten to the core was beyond any spectator. Large shapes were visible rising and falling through the waters ahead, some even carving right through the mud like it was the river, the Deacon was grinning at the prospect of some young demi-humans being put to death, getting rid of them before they could breed and swell their cursed numbers.

"You needn't worry brother Uriel, we have come this road many times and will do in the future, this is the safest route to our sacred haven... after all, one does not want the unworthy at our Lords gates, best to set a test they will have no choice but to take on"

The Deacon waved that cursed staff about him as he preached once more, the Kits whimpering as they felt it suppress whatever magical talent they had obtained, it wasn't painful just disturbing. Cor really felt nothing, but knew something in the air wasn't right... hopefully just a little further to go until he could break free of these bloody chains. These people were the Cult of Mahagda and having heard of them rounding up demi-humans and hybrids had decided to put on something of a hunt... particulary on one rumour, but sadly no one knew where the base of their operations was, soon find out now though.

As the rain intensified a hateful mist was rising from the waters surrounding them, engulfing the wagon and surrounding area as it crossed the bridge, planks and beams sounding like they would turn to powder at the next second of strain, this fog was not thick but it most definately angered Thurguile, they had been attacked at this point before, not being fond of having to rely on the blade should another ambush occur... was such an unreliable weapon compared to his skill with the bow. Taking a moment to empty out his quiver of water, swearing heavily on the damage that could be dealt to his bolts from this simple element.

[Reiko]

Doji needed to get closer; she couldn’t see her children but once she realized that the wagon was alone and that no prisoners were outside in the rain: That was the wagon was where her children would be. If she was careful then she might be able to save her precious kits without a scratch. Just had to be careful.

The thought of care calmed her heart a little and the throbbing of the evil sword ceased and the nine tails crept forward with the pounding rain making her miserable and slowing her down but also the rain was a more important boon making it more difficult to spot Ki the blunted human senses. Soon they were over the river and on a wooden bridge allowing the rain to resonate off the wood and giving more cover sound.

A little further, once Doji could make out the humans' faces Vaguely and hear some of their words though the rain, mostly complaining about the rain, that they’d rather be with their wives or that hot little whore.

There was one who preached at the men, some crazy priest spouting nonsense about how her kind and kind like her were abominations. It made the vixen sick, right in her stomach. No, there was something else in her gut that said something wasn’t right. Doji held in a growl as she moved closer; maybe use some magic to draw them off. Wait, her fox magic wouldn’t function in the least. The damn priest was stopping it, and some how the failed magic brought his attention towards the fox girl. Doji fell to her belly and hoped he wouldn’t see her in the mist and rain.

And somehow there were screams and that took the cultist’s eyes off of the fox before he could be sure of anything. Doji sighed as she got closer to the hunters; thanks to the chaos there was only a couple of guards in her way. And when they took their attention off of the chaos and back to guard duty they saw Ki.

Doji yelped with surprise as they went forward and examined Ki at a distance. The ronin girl had no choice but to run, not away but forward. They would cry out for assistance and draw their blades but Ki was close enough to strike with her blade and one slash for each to silence them and then she kicked out her foot and sent them over the edge of the bridge and then dashed under the cart as some people turned and checked the other side of the bridge.

“”Nother one o‘ them monsters again!” A man cried and Ki smirked at her luck of pulling off the attack so well. But it was mostly luck. With that done the Vixen jumped on to the canvas covered wagon.

“Mommy!” Both Kit’s almost yelled but Ki shushed them with her finger. “I knew you’d Come for us.” Ryo whispered happily.

“I was so scared.” Chiyo followed as they moved away from the wolf boy stranger to hug her. He definitely looked the warrior, with taught muscles and the looks of a wanderer, definitely a strong person.

“Let’s get you two out of here.” Doji said as she wrapped her arms around her children, feeling them held with her was the best feeling the kitsune samurai could ever hope for. Though she looked at the hybrid and winked. “Don’t worry you can come too.” Doji was sure that half the battle was over. But then there was the problem that she was surrounded and Ki had no idea how to get escape or even stay where she was without getting caught. She had grown careless.

[Fenris]

This is my lucky day...

Plumes of mist rose up out of the river, along with the damp smell of fish waste, algae, and river mud. It was an even better mask than the rain. Condensation began to glisten on Fihrinn's fur, sometimes falling in silent drips to the rising river below. He glanced down once--and quickly realized that the little fish that had taken an interest in his tail was the least of his worries. It was time to move--now.

Fortunately--or even luckily--no sooner had the thought crossed his mind than the rackety clatter of the roughly-hewn wagon and the louder racket of its pompous driver came rolling through the fog.

I'm coming friend. Hold on. Clops of horse hoofs sounded over the bridge--and then the wood of the wheels.

Swifter than a shadow's casting he slipped through a gap in the bridge's decaying slats, gripped the underside of the wagon, hoisted himself up--

Two of the men screamed and plunged into the boiling swath of riverwater. And then a smell...a third kitsune? He'd known of the two captives, but this scent was bigger...

A figure slipped quickly into the space beneath him. He froze--but the fox didn't notice him, clinging there above her. He didn't move, he barely breathed. How long until she saw--

She was gone. As quickly as she had hidden, she vanished above into the wagon.

“Mommy!”

“I knew you’d come for us.”

He smiled. Word to the wise. Never stand between a mother and her kits...

[Justice]

"Monsters? Did you see them?" Uriel inquired suspiciously, his booted feet carrying him towards the back of the caravan. The only ‘monsters’ he’d witnessed thus far were a swarm of carnivorous fish; he doubted that the hunters had been dragged into the dark abyss by creatures so small. He wouldn’t count out the possibility of larger aquatic beasts, but it was possible that land-based threats lurked nearby.

A grimace spread across the bald figure’s visage as he peered over the edge of the bridge; a large splash of crimson was visible at the surface of the brown murk. He shakes his head a single time, chiding his overcautiousness. It was doubtful that anyone had followed them into this god-forsaken swamp, and anything with half a brain that dwelled on land would be taking shelter.

“I’ll take the rear. Be on your guard. Kill anything that moves.” the battle priest commanded, taking a position immediately behind and slightly to the right of the cart. The rain drumming upon his bare skull soothed him, strangely enough; the falling liquid was the one ‘normal’ thing about this place.

“Deacon, how much farther to the holy site? We’ve sacrificed too many men for these prisoners,” he utters out gravely.

[Corvus MacCallum]

"Your tone is disturbing Uriel, it matters not how many of the faithful are sacrificed in the sacred duty of exterminating those who are not to live in gods light... Bryson, Thurguile!"

The two warriors at the fore-front of the smaller convoy quickly turned upon their heels and looked to the Deacon, then came a scream from the horses as Thurguile lept forth, landing upon ones back, then with another spring from his feet landed upon the canvas roof of the wagon. Corvus watching as two depressions in the cloth formed above the Kitsune womans head... these people were too experianced to be fooled by a brisk rush. Something hadn't settled with him during this whole trip, not just the possibility of being put to death, but there were more eyes than there should have been...

While Fihrinn clutched to the bottom of the wagon something broke the muddy surface of the hellish waters beneath him. The visage of a corpse poking out from between the slats of the bridge, mist rising out from between the lips.

"Puppy!"

With a horrendous splash came a carrion stitched being, flesh and limbs wound around his form with ropes and what looked like decayed sinews, the only way to survive swimming in this carniverous eco-system. Smashing through two of the slats broke just enough of the face, an eye and left half of the jaw lolling out and dropping into the water in order to reveal the twisted, scarred creature beneath. Ripping from the limp, pale skin of his carrion wrapped arm jutted a rusted, barbed broadsword.

With a flash of burning flame upon its staff the Deacons 'weapon' gave a horrible anti-magic pulse, able to disrupt and fatigue those who relied on such arcane methods in order to fight, also working as a signal for those hunters secreted about the swamp-land. With a grin he looked back to the canvas shroud covering the interior of the wagon.

"Did you monsters really think you could be more intelligent than gods childrens, surrender and your twisted life-span will be lengthened by a day or two... fail to and you shall never gain the absolution you freaks deserve"

Corvus had been looking at the Kitsune ronin as the deacon spoke, at the moment he wanted to be quiet and see just what would present itself, his senses were too dulled by the horrible weather to get a good grasp of the situation. He did however offer up one gem of advice.

"... bollucks"

[Reiko]

Ki held her blade at the ready when she heard the wolf boy curse. It wasn't going to be good and she knew she was going to have to fight out. Thankfully Doji was one of Althanas' better fighters and she stood a good chance to fight off the band of hunters, and then the bad news gripped her heart and the vixen started panting. The kitsune mother wanted to call upon fox fire to hold the men off but nothing came and she fell onto her knees.

"This i' goin' to be a cinch!" cried one of the hunters, probably a mercenary as he went closer while a man in robes with a glowing staff followed.

The fallen girl glared at the robed man as she felt the energy coming from him or more exactly his staff. An artifact of a sick god that played with mortals and would use them for its own end. "Abomination! You have no place here. Give yourself in so you can be purified without a struggle."

Doji tensed her muscles, there wasn't going to be a way to talk her way out but maybe she could for her kits. "I... if you release my kits then I'll give my self up!" Doji said without thinking, she couldn't believe she was going to surrender without a fight. But it was for her children. The mother looked back to her kits and saw them huddling together, Chiyo was crying while Ryo was sniffling and trying to hide his fear.

They wouldn't let her children go. Ki struggled to get on her feet but managed while using her sword to prop herself up. "No you let us all go and I'll let you live." the vixen corrected herself.

"Take the aberration!" the priest ordered and three men came at Ki with swords drawn. Doji managed to stand freely and hold her blade in both hands, she was going to protect her Kits. Two came in for a swing, and Ki slid to the side and placed her sword to deflect one into the wagon and have the other miss. The third came in as the deacon yelled a foreign prayer causing Ki to become dizzy and fall on her knees again, dropping her blade. "Take her alive, she must be sacrificed with the other. Her weapons and clothing are of foul witchcraft, remove them and put them in a safe place to be purified."

Doji was numb for a moment but once sher started feeling the hands on her, stripping of her kimono she started to struggle but the magic staff had weakened her and she couldn't get her weapons either so there wasn't a chance. The Deacon looked away and gave another order. "Leave the undergarments, they have no magic and we shouldn't see her perverted form without some cover."

Doji could only shiver as she was put in irons and placed half naked in the wagon. Chiyo moved as close to her mother as she could, only able to hug a couple of tails. "Mommy, are you ok?"

Doji shivered a little but managed a weak smile. "I'm alright." the mother lied to her daughter, she was far from alright. But she didn't want have her children to be afraid. Ryo looked at Ki not sure what to say. He was scared to see his mother defeated. How were they going to survive this?

[Fenris]

The rolling odor nearly knocked him from the wagon as the dead thing rose from the river. Fihrinn's eyes widened.

What is that?

Then some of its wrapping fell away, offering him the slightest taste of hope. A human--a bizarre, grotesque, twisted human, but a human nonetheless.

And they call us aberrations...

It started to raise its blade, but its decaying armor mandated slowed movement.

And when the enemy was slow, Fihrinn was unstoppable.

Pure reflex had one of his knives gleaming in his paw, and a flick of his wrist had it embedded in the cultist's shoulder, before he'd managed to even blink.

But the thing didn't even slow down. Its eyes filled with fury, and it pushed itself further through the bridge--

Then, though, it started to falter. It looked up at the wolf with a gaze quickly changing from furious to confused. Fihrinn smiled.

Guess you didn't see that coming. Sleep well.

The thing slipped away--and Fihrinn cursed silently. Digging the claws of his feet into the wood he swung down and caught the handle of his knife just in time, before its target splashed into the swollen torrent.

He took his position once more, tensed with fur bristling. Surely the others had seen that...

But no one came. No shouts, no swords. They were occupied with the fox--none had noticed him. He smiled.

I owe you, lady kitsune.

But that knowledge didn't help at all when he heard them taking her clothes.

Not yet, you've got to wait. Not yet.

He gritted his teeth. They're hurting her! They need me now!

Timing, Fihrinn. You won't help them at all if you don't have goot timing.

Timing or not, he was getting a very bad feeling about all of this. He wasn't sure how long he could stay hidden...especially if more creatures emerged out of the water. The moment would have to come soon.

He waited until the wagon started moving again. Rather strenuously, he slipped back enough to bring his head up from beneath the cart. He winked at Corvus and smiled at the kits, holding a finger to his maw before vanishing beneath again.

Then, he noticed something interesting. Having seen the chains holding his friend, he noticed that they were bolted to the floor of the wagon--and from this vantage point, he saw that the bolt, and corresponding nut, emerged from its underside. Straining his right arm to hold himself up, he started to twist away.

I'll have you out soon, friend.

[Corvus MacCallum]

Huh lass in a bikini... but what a ballax... complications complications, think man think, what would... huh

With a blink Corvus glanced down to his feet where the bolt holding his chains was fastened... it was, turning. A few hurried sniffs into the air gave him nothing though, it was just too damp and muggy to pick up anything but the Kitsune and her children. Still that thing was turning and it would take someone particulary talented to keep out of sight from those bloody hunters, must be another demi-human as they were called.

Finn?... nah what the hell would be doing out here in the arse-hole of nowhere, though never know, he could have been in that same town... made a big enough scene and hes the only bloke I know who owes me enough for this heh, I wonder...

He was doing his best to keep focussed on the task at hand and not get stuck in the mammer-er malady of a mostly naked Kitsune woman sitting in front of him holding her kits. So when this thing finally arrived at the little locale now he had more to his plate, break out... get his gear back, then free everyone there AND look after this lot. Suddenly just breaking out now and inserting that staff into the deacon was very tempting, had to wait until that bolt finished turning though.

---

While Kis kimono and most of her weapons were gathered up and dumped alongside Cors slammer at the front of the wagon but one thing wasn't slumped in with them. Brandis one of the ambushers hadn't taken his hands off Kis Onitachi and was grinning as he twirled it about him.

"Think it'll be worth much"

"Shouldn't be talking like that, preacher there will start thinking you ain't a believer"

"I am but still, gotta get myself a wench after all this stress"

"Gives it here Bran"

"Oi fuck off get yer own"

It was, well childish, two massively burly warriors of a rather professional stint, tugging at Kis sword as they thought to get a good grip on it, greed above faith perhaps?... but finally Brandis turned aggressive, his knee ramming itself against his compatriots thigh. Grips tightened, loosened and through the air sailed that sheathed weapon before splashing into the mire. Bubbles puncturing the thick surface of mud and liquid in unusual combinations, sinking steadily as black shapes sifted through the grime to work out what this curious new form of prey would taste like.

Bit rushed but knackered and since we seem to have lost Justice got gaps to remove from the general going

[Corvus MacCallum]

It was uniquely frightening when you find out just how quickly your perception of the world can be completely thrown askew, like one minute sitting in chains and then finding yourself still in chains, but laying upon the ground... well not quite ground, canvas on very damp ground, canvas that a few moments before had been pressed against nothing but the air and his back, that had changed with a single shriek... well correction, it began with a single shriek and that then resulted in multiple ones. Horrible creatures existed within Findran and one had made use of the Kitsunes evil emanating blade, this would be established later by a little ear assault, she was giving a different sort right now as the bikini clad samurai held her kits against her and yelped loudly on whacking against the ground from the suddenly jostled wagon.

Unusually Corvus found himself lax to react, he hadn't done anykind of movement not dictated by gravity, he wasn't even lost in thought more siphoning through possibilities and conjuring up the situation his slightly more damp self had wound up in. His chains had stopped shifting which meant Finn had either stopped or was no longer able to work at the nut holding him in place, oh well that mattered little and the Highlander put himself in action at last. A thrust of his hands had him gripping tightly to the chains shackled to him, knees shifting and bringing his legs out sideway just so he could press the soles of his furred feet against the wood and then gave one nicely forced yank.

Impacted and swollen soaked wood resulted in a lovely loss of structural integrity and the metal plate along with its nut and bolt... mentioning also a few chunks of splintered wood came free from the wagon and allowed a tad more movement for the wolf-man. In this little exertion the Kitsune had made for her equipment and was quickly redressing, Corvus was, in a way, undressing by removing the clunky metal collars and shackles the cultists had forced upon him, they were strongly forged, that was not the problem, was mishandled and ill-kept history that brought about the demise of these entrapment tools.

All through this period of strange calm in the Highlanders mind there had been a very thorough canopy of yells, swears and shrieks, their escorts had still not fallen and were not occupied with whatever had attacked the wagon, curiously there was no sound from the horses, must be dead. Rising up he stepped past Ki and the two shivering kits, slumping down and fitting his furry fore-arms in while not exactly stylish, but certainly more useful metal encasements than previously worn. With buckler and gauntlet on him once more his hands reached out for the iron lump he had been forced to leave untouched for far too many hours. Forest green eyes followed the quick jerk of his bread-basket to catch the fleeting apperance of a cultist, one who had rushed past the upturned exit to the wagon, he followed quickly...

Well...


hmm...


... Fucking hell

Monster slayer extrodinaire in the making yes, but some things you just did not see even after several years wandering these swamps. He was familiar with the base creature, it was a Boil worm, simple name, simple horror, they were actually eels that possessed no eyes but an intense sense of smell that often preferred land based meat. They would rise up from the surface of the murky waters during clearer weather as creatures passed by and then squirt out a stream of potent saliva, it resulted in an instant rash upon any flesh that came into contact that would quickly begin to redden and swell before forming into a bubble of skin and bursting releasing the blood and shunks of muscle it was after.

Corvus had quickly withdrawn on learning what the creature was since a stream of that saliva had collided with the cultist that had ran past the wagon that the Highlander resided in again... screams that became gurgling and then that sound, every bit of flesh rupturing and dragging with it chunks of bone and reducing the warrior to a heavily scattered amount of meat paste... still he had stopped screaming so it wasn't all bad, bit of quiet.

A quick hop and the hugely sworded wolf-man brought himself to battle, only one of the demi-human hunters was still alive though that was a questionable state, he only had one arm and leg, didn't get out of the way in time and was left as a gurgling twitching heap still drawing breath despite an exposed lung. From the water lurched the evil infused Boil worm, its entire black mass swollen and turgid like a leech that had no concept of being full, thick veins rising out of its mud clad body. Literally ripped from its sides were huge sickles of bone, several had been pushed out, swollen ribs really and upon them was a few fragments of the Deacon... touch too powerful for the staff maybe. At its peak was its twisted and mutated maw, just a black hole ridged with a... well I'll leave it to the eloquent wolf.

Thats a fuck-load of teeth

A quick, flashing glimpse of the scene showed that his pal Finn had evaded its attention by being somewhat submerged in the mud, must had been scrabbling to the side of the wagon when it got hit and tipped over, much of his body obscured and knocking him out cold... still he wasn't gargling on soaked earth so no time constraints. Still he wasted none and charged towards the thrashing worm, his charge was capable of smashing through squads of blade weilding, fully armoured knights but here it was a slog through sucking mud and slowed him immensely, each time his foot pushed into the ground it kept going down... and down, feeling it spread between his toes and attempt to coat the top of his foot and seal him in.

It had sensed the Wolf-man approaching and turned, those huge veins pulsing as it prepared to fire its nature born weapon, forgetting momentarily where he was Corvus ducked down, thinking he could grab hold of the ground and vault himself to the side, but instead his hand just sank into the mud and locked him in place, his left hand thankfully unmired by being clutched to the slammer resting at his back. No choice though as he heard the large stream come forth. Taking a deep breath his left hand released the blade, came down beneath him and flexing his almost abnormal strength rammed himself into the hungry swamp land, the Slammer forming something of a shield while the rest sprayed fairly wide of the mark.

To drown in mud... with water you have something to push against, with this kind of ground it merely pulls, it won't release you and just walking in it is a fight for life. He could feel it covering his entire face, the pressure of it against his eyelids,feeling it slide against his nose, it twitching and causing him pain, straining to avoid sneezing, if his mouth opened now he was done with. His hands were shifting through the mud, trying to find something, anything to push against, he was getting no deeper but he had no way to just straighten up since in lowering himself down it had sucked at his upper arms and was trying to claim his shoulders.

The heart of the Highlander beat faster, he was a brave soul, never shirking from danger and he figured probably never would no matter how helpless a cause... but he was starting to panic, this wasn't something he could fight and overpower, this was the ground beneath his feet, this was an opponent smothering him without form. Panic was starting to blossom in his mind, he was not going to find an escape, he was die as a mere victim of the mire and not against some impressive monstrous being.

Clink..

... what!?

It was something that he barely heard, it was a single, solitary note of his claw against rock, its sound coming out quieter than his panicing heart-beat, this was something solid. His hand rushed for all it was worth and pushed himself upwards, he only had to move a single inch upwards... to think that meagre measurement seperated him from life and death, his caked face shook and gulped at the air just in time to glimspe the still living mutation of evil emanation.

Forgot about you

His claws thrust at the stones surface and began dragging himself from the ground, pulling himself free at last. He had only managed to get a single leg free and rested upon its knee when his blade cleaved its path in the air, smashing into the beasts side, cutting through its side and then.

Clink

Fucking clink?

Something inside the creature had stopped his swords progress, which was a mightily impressive feat for something that was meant to be muscle and bone, but this was a metallic sound... swallowed a sword maybe?... should have snapped against that weight. He jerked at the embedded monster slaying Slammer, as it swept to the side his elbow screamed in pain, just bending too far in the wrong direction but it was important it did. His other hand dragged itself from the rock and retreated towards the main body of the mud caked Highland wolf. Now came that fun plan, he thrust his power against the momentum of the Slammer and with a twist brought its flat against the mud, still carving through it from sheer power and weight before it contacted with the rock, he continued pushing, a lever of iron and rock dragging him from the mire, rising up into the air, his feet kicked against the raised flat of the Slammer blade, enough force to have him throw himself over the handle, twisting his grip and nearly wrenching an arm from its socket before his feet landed upon the corpse of a slashed cultist.

A twist of the Slammer and its blade sparked against the rock it sliced into, his whole upper body forcing its power into ripping through the stone, bringing the blade from behind... to infront of him. The elongated ribs of the mutated blood fiend thrust out at him but it was all too perfectly predestined...

There was that unusual calm gripping the Highlander, the adrenaline in his mind forcing it to work faster at perceiving the world than normal, he was able to assess it all, this beast would never reach him in time and when the blade struck home if it violently performed its death-throes he could merely jump back from the corpse... avoid the Highlander shaped hole... and await its full demise before ripping one of those ribs free as his prize.

As it turned out, this is exactly how it happened, the Slammer smashed against the boil worms snapping head, parting its scales and muscles like water while breaking apart the teeth and gum that attempted resistance, further and further down his blade sank through its body, he heard that clink again... that was unexpected and saw the weapon that belonged to the kitsune, the one that had been chucked into the waters. Further and further down, nothing holding the halves of the creature together, it merely fell apart, a large splash resulting and then came the froth... fresh meat in the mire that offered no resistance, the creatures under the waters surface were wasting no time in feasting.

All in all... things, haven't really gone to plan...

Still drenched in the mud of the Findren Swamp Corvus turned his somewhat weary form in the direction they had been going... it was somewhat misty but he could perceive the outline of his intended destination. Spread throughout the horizon was a vast jagged shape, an old fort, he knew the history behind it... that noble history was gone now and instead it was now the main headquarters of these demi-human hunters, inside was a vast dungeon network. Information about these folk was not the hardest to find, but a job for their destruction was nigh impossible to locate, instead Corvus did this out of pure heroism, not the most intelligent of impulses but it kept him going so far.

The Kitsune was not coming with him, not with the kids, he would be sure of that... his pal Finn, he was sneaky but no, the Kitsune could take him back to the village. A fortress of warriors, mercenaries, deacons and other members... he wasn't stoked at the prospect but someone had to silence them. A further shifting and Corvus brought himself to face the wagon, it would be of no use now, at the most he could scrub his form with the canvas then pick from the few corpses left to form a disguise. Lip curling slightly he forced air from his throat in a shrill whistle.

"The beast is dead and your sword is here with it... come on out of there"

He hopped from the cultists corpse and began stepping towards the wagon that carted so many prisoners, it was now out of comission, not far to go really until the whole order was done.

Hmm hang on a tick, bit of nice looking guffin there...

After absolutely no contact with Fenris for a good long while hes being bunnyed, got permission for Reikos bunny.

Spoils : No gold, Steel sectioned buckler - a main gloveless gauntlet that has several thick, solid U shaped sections that slot over each other allowing a lot of movement and also to trap enemy blades by forcing the sections together

[Skie and Avery]

STORY

Continuity: 5 - How’d Corvus and Fenris meet? How’d Justice get mixed up with these freaks? A few questions that I’d have liked answered weren’t, and made the thread just seem really random.

Setting: 7 - Not a bad job done here, actually.

Pacing: 5 - This seemed really long to get to the action, and once it was there, it was over with and gone. This can sometimes be a problem when you have a lot of people in the same thread, because to get things set up and established can make the thread lag a bit.

CHARACTER

Dialogue: 6 - Internal dialogue was decent, but I felt that interpersonal communication could have been better. Even in situations where many words can’t be spoken, there is still a character’s body language to account for.

Action: 8 - Here was the best part, really. Everyone acted within character, the two reinforcements waiting for the next moment, the haughty battle priest trying to make commands even though he wasn’t necessarily in the position to make them.

Persona: 6 - The way this ended really didn’t give you guys adequate time to really display their personalities. The entire thread was seen in a point of crisis, lagging crisis, but anyway. What I did see, I was rather pleased with and only wish that this thread could have been extended longer.

WRITING STYLE

Mechanics: 4 - Justice, you need to pick past or present tense and stick with it. You seemed to bounce back and forth between the two, sometimes within the same sentence. Corvus and Reiko, both of you have trouble with run-on sentences, that can sometimes get to a point where they’re just ridiculous.

Technique: 5 - You’re all pretty consistent with the way you right, and while a great deal of the distraction when it came to reading was with mechanical errors, I felt that there are some areas that could truly be improved on when it comes to this area as well. Smoothing out your thoughts to help the flow of writing and choosing which of those flowery phrases you do decide to go with will help with keeping a reader interested in the actual story.

Clarity: 7 - For the most part, you guys did fine. Fenris and Justice, I have no complaints here. Reiko, working on the run ons would help immensely and Corvus, sometimes your choice of wording is just plain confusing.

Wild Card: 5 - I really wish everyone would have stayed on task to finish the thread.

Total: 58

Corvus MacCallum receives 960 EXP
Reiko receives 1296 EXP and 87 GP
Justice receives 240 EXP and 58 GP
Fenris receives 288 EXP and 87 GP

Corvus MacCallum also receives the spoil of a section steel buckler.

[Letho]

EXP/GP added.