Shadow over Gerelden IC

[AngelLightheart]

Angel Blackwing

Angel stopped and watched Grimlock tend to Kelt, smiling slightly at the affection he showed the horse.

"Yes I am, thanks. It'll be some time before I fully recover, of course," she answered his first question.

She stayed silent for a time, thinking about the new elf. He was certainly insane. As to his origins, she didn't know, to be honest. Did she care? Perhaps. He was a curiosity to her. Something seemed familiar about him...as if a distant memory were calling to her...

She opened her eyes, realizing finally that she had closed them in thought. Her bright green orbs looked over at Grimlock. She smiled.

"He is a curious character, I admit," she murmured.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Grimlock

He nodded,

"You should rest, I would think that we will not have much time before reports reaches Detrol and I'm very certain they will send out guards to investigate."

As he stepped towards her, some of the Townspeople showed up, pointing towards Angel,

"There she is! There is the witch!"

Grimlock clenched his fists and stepped past Angel, his huge form blocking her from the small mob.

"You have a problem with the lady, then you have a problem with me."

One of the men-at-arms pushed forward

"You would defend this..."

Grimlock had enough of this closed mind set and he also remembered this particular man

"ENOUGH!!"

His voice roared out, silencing all in front of him

"Without this woman your village would be destroyed, it was her magic alone which held that beast at bay, giving us time to attack it."

He took a menacing step towards the man

"Where is your Halberd soldier?"

The man backed away, but met the people behind him

"WHERE IS YOUR HALBERD?!"

"I...I...I lost it."

Grimlock scoffed

"You gave it away and fled, were you so blinded by your fear that you can not remember me? The Knight on a horse, you threw your halberd for me to use and ran away like a coward."

An angry murmur went through the crowd,

"This woman is my companion and under my protection, if you want to throw her out of this town you will have to go past me and you saw what I did to the dragon."

OK so he did not exactly kill the dragon, but he helped a great deal, shamed faces turned away and bodies soon followed, the small mob quickly diminished, four townsmen actually dragging the hapless man-at-arms away. Grimlock sighed and suddenly felt very weary,

"I think I should make use of that bed that I have purchased..."

He glanced at Angel

"Wish to join me?"

 

[Dramaticflare]

In a corner of the city where the guard had regained its authoritative spine, a quartet of men in uniform confronted Zander about his position. Specifically, his geographical position which they defined as, "inside the city walls," which was, "unacceptable."
Zander was humming snatches of forgotten tune as increasingly flustered guards tried to coax him towards the gate. he was a magic user, and therefore feared. The guards twitched nervously if Zander so much as raised an eyebrow.
"You'll have to leave. I don't know if you fought the dragon or not but your presence is, er, undesired. Sir," the guard hastily added.
Zander paused at a particularly difficult stretch of humming and the guards bristled visibly. If being on edge had a mascot, these men would be it. Zander looked at them suddenly as if noticing them for the first time which, given Zander's disposition, was probably true.
"I'm sorry, did you need me for something?" the elf asked politely.
"We need you to leave the city," one of the guards stuttered quietly.
"But I like it here! You have such nice cobblestones, and your walls are arranged into an obscure form dodecahedral if I'm not mistaken. You have a lot to be proud of here! And you should act like it."
Further flabbergasted, the guards looked among each other and down the plainly dirt road. This would be considered a mistake in most cities, because when they looked back Zander was nowhere to be seen. Suspecting a spell or some minor glamour, the guards backed out of the alley rather comically. Meanwhile, tittering like a bird at nothing in particular, Zander sat on the roof of a nearby building he had scaled. Once again alone with his magical orb, Zander jumped from roof to roof without worry for loose roof tiles or someone who might look up as his shadow passed them over.
Zander seemed to live a charmed life.

 

[AngelLightheart]

Angel Blackwing

Angel blinked, opening her mouth to say something when she was interrupted by another voice, not Grimlock's. She turned her green orbs towards the sound of the voice, her ears perking up slightly.

A human dared to talk to her in such a manner? An outrage! She flicked her wrist, the air kicking up slightly, her hair blowing just slightly in the newfound breeze, even though they were inside the stable.

Some of the mob members noticed the air and looked at her, standing slightly behind Grimlock as he stepped in front of her.

Then it hit her. Grimlock had stepped out in front of her to protect her. To protect her.

The wind died back down as she gazed at him in wonder, her heart fluttering slightly every time his voice took on that air of command. When he had driven off the mob, she hadn't even heard most of what he said, she managed to get her expression under control.

"Actually, I think I could use some time in the water. Relax my muscles, perhaps," she replied.

She looked away, then back at him with a small smirk. "Care to join me? I know a spot not too far from here."

She paused before adding: "And with a little magical help, we can have our own little hot spring."

She turned and started to walk off, then half turned back to him. "Coming?" she asked. She swayed her hips almost seductively as she walked, not turning back around to see if he was following.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Grimlock

"Hot spring..."

She walked away, the sway of her body and that look over her shoulder made up his mind for him, he didn't say a word just nodded and hurried to meet up with her. He looked about them and noticed that most people were heading for their homes and some only found that they did not have a home. He looked at Angel and noticed her hair and her ears, the outline of her lovely face, he smiled.

"I am curious, did you revive me each time? I feel like I had lost consciousness quite a lot of times during that fight."

 

[AngelLightheart]

Angel Blackwing

Angel glanced back at Grimlock with a flirty smile.

"No, not each time. Bringing you back from the shadows took too much out of me the one time I did it."

She shook her head and glanced back at him again.

"It's harder than it looks," she added.

She took her time walking, exiting the village and cutting off the path into the forest nearby. A few more minutes of walking brought them to a series of with small waterfalls leading into each new pool descending downwards. She looked over at him and smiled again, then turned forward and stepped up to the water's edge, pressing her palm into the ground.

She mentally probed the ground, finding those faults in the ground that she could separate and provide more heat to the pool from the world's heart. The heat from the newly opened cracks bubbled into the stream and, in turn, caused the water to bubble just so slightly.

She also took a moment to touch the water itself, causing it to create a steam in the air, making it harder to see.

She stood and turned around with a smile that seemed flirty, her hands rising up to the fastenings on her top.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Grimlock

He watched in fascination as she worked her magic, he also realized that he could actually feel the magic at work. It was interesting, well to him at least, it was not every day that he could feel nor sense magic.

"I am glad that you brought me back when you did,"

he paused for a moment and looked down.

"Seems like I am the odd one out in this group,"

he chuckled,

"Fancy that."

He looked up to see her smile at him and noticed her hands reaching for the fastenings of her top. He hesitated a moment and then pulled off his boots, he knew they always got in the way. He then started to undo his doublet, his attention on the knots.

"I think the hot water would do wonders do stiff muscles."

He smiled slightly at the double meaning of his words.

 

[AngelLightheart]

Angel Blackwing

Angel smiled inwardly at the hesitation he showed. She knew he wouldn't be able to see anything unless she wanted him to, so she had no worries. Each fastening easily came undone, and just as he top was about to fall and expose her to him, the steamy air engulfed her from the neck down, preventing anything but her face as well as his from being seen without magical aid.

She almost laughed at how badly she just teased him.

"Yes, I hear hot water helps a lot of things," she commented to him, taking his words in the most literal sense. Or seeming to, at least.

She blinked at him before turning back to the water and inserting a toe to test the temperature.

"Ah, just right..." she murmured.

She stepped in slowly, her long, slender leg sliding into the water first, followed by the other, then her waist and stomach, then her breasts and neck. She dropped her head under for a moment before rising back up, her wet hair clinging to her skin. She turned to him with a smile.

"Come on in, the water's fine," she said.

She found a spot and took a seat in the water, leaning back with a sigh. The water really did feel great.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Grimlock

He caught himself staring at her, just how did she do that? He undressed and followed her into the water, it was warm, like a hot bath, but much more soothing. He moved around looking at her, then he found a good place to take a seat and used his hands to splash water over his scarred face and his short hair, he could feel the stubble of his beard and wondered if he would find time to shave.

"I must confess miss Blackwing, this is one heck of a good idea."

He leaned back, resting against a smooth rocky outcropping,

"Why do you think people fear magic and other races so much?"

 

[AngelLightheart]

Angel Blackwing

Angel grinned, noticing that he had stared at her. She watched him undress, his body hidden from her. He stepped into the water and found a place to sit, splashing water over his face and hair. She blinked and lifted a long, slender leg out of the water so he could see, running her hands over her skin slowly. She thought she caught him staring again, but she didn't say anything.

"I agree," she said in response to him.

Oh, how she loved being a magic-user. Who else has this much fun?

She blinked at his next, unexpected question.

"Why, because we're different, of course," she said, referring to her race and other magic users.

"Humans fear what the cannot comprehend, and elves are something that humans are not ready to understand, just like every other race out there. Just like magic," she continued.

She lifted her leg even higher out of the water, showing off its full form to him, and some of something else. She let the leg slide back down into the water.

"Do you fear me, Grimlock?" she asked quietly.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Grimlock

He stared at her leg as it slipped out of the water, he swallowed to clear the dryness in his throat and when her leg slipped back into the water, his eyes found her's again.

"No...I know that you can hurt me real bad, but...I just don't fear you. You have proved that all the fears the close-minded has is just silly."

He smiled slightly,

"You are the prettiest woman I have ever met. But I bet you hear that a lot."

He raised his hands out of the water and studied them a while,

"I wonder if I will be able to learn more than just healing magics."

 

[AngelLightheart]

Angel Blackwing

Angel smiled at his nervousness. She was really getting to him, wasn't she?

"Is that so?" she asked. "Thank you," she murmured.

First time someone had told her that, actually.

"I'm sure you'll learn much in the time to come," she said, holding her hands out in front of her.

She tilted her head and started to wade over to him, finding a spot right next to him to sit down, the mist clearing just slightly so he could see her bountiful cleavage.

"Let me help."

She reached and took his hands in hers, then turned them to his palms faced the water.

"Hold them straight."

She moved them slightly apart.

"Now, concentrate on the water. You have to feel it, know why and what it is. Can you feel it?" She let her leg brush against his.

"Now, command the water to come to you. Not all of it, just a sphere."

She held out a hand over the water and a ball of water rose to float just under her palm, mist swirling inside of it.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Grimlock

He felt a stirring of emotions as she took a seat next to him, her leg brushed up against his and he struggled to keep his eyes off of her cleavage. His hands tingled where she had held them and he flexed them before closing his eyes and reaching out with the senses available to him. He tried to feel the water as she had said, to feel it with more than just the touch of it lapping against him, enveloping him and making his bulk feel less as huge. He tried to feel what it really was, to know there is more to it than what the eyes saw and the skin felt.

He started to nod absentmindedly, he could feel the energy it carried, the power within each small drop. Then he tried to do as Angel had said, to call it to him. He envisioned a small sphere of water, the image started very vague, the more he focused the clearer the image became. Just like the healing magic, he poured energy into the image to make it seem real...he opened his eyes and noticed that the water had only risen in twin torrents from the water's surface, it stayed like that for a few moments and then fell back into the rest of the water. He smiled,

"It will take some time I see."

 

[Dramaticflare]

Zander sat on the edge of the village, one leg swung gaily over each side of the wall and therefore straddling the divide between civilized and uncivilized lands. He whistled tunelessly as he watched, much in the distance, the townspeople working to remove the large corpse that dominated their central landscape. It was clearly slow going for them, in part due to packing the tools needed to butcher such a massive creature and in part due to the lack of knowledge. He also saw bemused townsfolk attempting to cook a meat that wasn't able to be cooked; at least not by the bonfires they had erected to work through the night.
Old lessons had been forgotten again, it seems, and Zander was far too erratic to teach the lessons again. Dimly, he remembered times when he had been sought out for his knowledge and skill; his mastery over elements. Yet, despite his ageless appearance, Zander was old. He was an immortal elf in the lands of man, and in some respects this made him mad. In other respects, it forced him sane. Zander did not steer his boat but let it float between the islands sanity on an endless insane sea. It had ceased to bother him long ago.
With no fanfare, Zander stood up atop the wall and began walking along it like a tightrope. His arms stretched out, crazed, at his sides to maintain his balance and he walked toe to heel along the stonework. If anyone payed attention, they did not make themselves known.
Who would receive the lessons he had to teach? Perhaps the woman? She certainly had the intelligence for it, but it seems unlikely she seek him out for them. The other elf, the hunter, was too close minded. The knight was too thick, and more importantly too honorable, to learn him and the last one was not of the right life to learn.
And if Zander thought any of this, it was not betrayed in manner or in words. No one knows what Zander thinks, least of all Zander himself. His mind was a shattered window and had let the dust and cobwebs in.

 

[LeoHawk35]

Zelthuros

A slight breeze, a familiar scent. He opened his eyes and turned his head, blinking once as he watched the townsfolk mutilate the dragon and attempt to cook the flesh. A raging fire flashed behind his eyes as he took a step towards them, an arrow on his bowstring with a flash of movement that couldn't be followed by normal eyes. Shadow growled, intent on joining his master. The fire died and Zelthuros regained his calm. He made a mental note to take care of his new state of mind; It could cause problems later on.

He blinked again and turned, noting that Angel and Grimlock slipped out of the far gates while the new elf seemed to wander as he wanted, no particular destination being obvious. They were of no concern to him, however, so he didn't put any more thought to them.

It was just then, though, that he realized there was a large caravan moving rapidly towards the town. He turned his head at the sounds, noticing the banner flying in the wind at the front of the group.

The King's banner.

"Impossible," Zelthuros muttered.

There was no possible way the royal brigade had mustered their strength and moved this fast. The King seemed to have more tricks up his sleeve than Zelthuros had thought. They would reach the town within minutes. They had to get out of there. Too many to handle on their own. He turned on his heels and ran into the town, eyes searching for the others. He stopped in front of Jager.

"The Brigade is coming. We have to leave."

He took off again, heading for the inn to find Yurioni, whom he found to be missing from the building completely, and the town as well, it seemed. He couldn't guess as to where she went. He left the building and could see the dust kicked up into the air from all the horses. Where did Angel and Grimlock go? They didn't have much time. He moved to the far gate and uttered a curse as he saw another contingent of troops heading in from that path. How did they mobilize so fast?

There would already be scouts in the forest around the village if the main group was so close, so that leaves out that path. Now what?

"What do you think?" he asked the wolf sitting at his side, twirling his longbow in a small circle.

Shadow growled idly, gesturing with his head back at the inn.

"Exactly what I was thinking," Zelthuros replied.

 

[AngelLightheart]

Angel Blackwing

Angel fixed her eyes on the twin torrents rising out of the water. She reached with her mind to feel the flow of energy, feel how Grimlock was working the water. The torrents fell to combine with the rest of the water again. Angel smiled at Grimlock.

"A very good try, Sir Knight," she said.

She raised his hand back up and put hers over his.

"Feel how I work it this time," she murmured.

She raised up the torrents and combined them into the sphere of water. She looked at his eyes, hoping to see a glint of comprehension.

"Get it? Try it with me."

She let the sphere fall, then slowly went through the process again, letting his strength do most of the work. She shaped and mended the flow of energy whenever it went awry. He almost had it.

"You're close, Grimlock..." she whispered.

Her ears flicked. A suspicious and wary look entered her eyes. Something was wrong. She spun and stood with a cry, a tidal wave of water flying from the pools and slamming into the dark figure. Another graceful spin, a word that couldn't be understood, a clenched hand, and she flash froze the would-be assassin.

She stepped out of the water slowly, an icy gown materializing over her skin. She walked up to the icecube that used to be a human being and looked into it. It was a very well-equipped assassin. Full gear, and it seemed to shake and waver under her gaze, as if it couldn't quite decide on a shape or color. It looked exactly the same as Zelthuros' cloak. How curious. She turned back to Grimlock. The sigil on the man's chestguard was that of the King.

"What do you-" she cut off her own sentence and threw a fireball that materialized immediately in her hand.

The fireball slammed into another assassin's chest and he fell to the ground several meters back with a large, flaming hole in his chest.

"Grimlock!" she shouted as she noticed more entering the clearing with them.

She flicked her wrist and her sword flew into her hand from across the clearing. Lightning danced along its edge as she spun into the center of a pair, her blade flicking to and fro, checking each man's blade every time it went in for a strike. Her off hand glowed with a bright light and she punched one in the chest. He proceeded to vanish in a bright glow of light.

The other was not so easy to dispatch. He drew a second blade and checked her blade each strike, careful to avoid her other hand. He didn't give her any time to cast any spells to take him down. In fact, he seemed to be stopping her from tapping into her magic completely.

More were coming. They had to get back to the others.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Grimlock

Her touch was light and so intoxicating, he could sense the movement, how the magic flowed, the powers were entwined, then the realization that something had changed around them, an old battle instinct gave him warning, at the same time that Angel reacted. He watched in fascination as she used the water to immobilize an attacker, she got out and he followed suit, getting dressed in a hurry.

As he straightened he saw figures converging on Angel, she stood her ground, but he wondered how long as the movements of her attackers proved just how well trained they were. Something gave him warning and he twisted to the side, turning as he did so to face his attacker. As the attacker noticed his face, he paused, that pause is what Grimlock used to gain the advantage, sliding close to the assassin which the king used as spies, he grabbed the sword arm, twisting it sharply, a blow to the elbow and a loud crack followed as the sword now fell from nerveless fingers as Grimlock broke the man's elbow. A muffled cry escaped from the covered face, but Grimlock wasn't done. He slipped his hand behind the man's neck, with a thrust under the man's chin from the front and a pull from the hand behind his neck, a loud crack followed and the figure fell lifeless to the ground.

Grabbing the fallen sword, Grimlock raced closer, the assassin was so focused on Angel that the sword cut cleanly through his neck, spattering blood over both Grimlock and Angel. Grimlock parried a blow from another and killed him with a straight thrust,

"Get dressed, I'll keep these hounds at bay."

He picked up another fallen sword and stood ready for the last two assassins.

 

[Dramaticflare]

In small batches and large companies, the men under the King's employ filtered into the city. The dragon's corpse was quickly isolated from the rest of the townsfolk and blockades were formed at the gates. No one was let in, other than more soldiers, and no one was let out, except for the soldiers. Zanderheim cocked his head sideways as a large pavilion was erected on a hill overlooking the town. Other, smaller tents were being built up around it.
Stealthily, like a mosquito landing on it's victim, an assassin came up behind Zanderheim and his rooftop corner. Rooftop corner was soon unoccupied as Zanderheim suddenly lunged across to the next gap and a stiff wind aided his leap. turning about, Zander stuck his tongue out and wiggled his fingers at the flummoxed would-be assassin, then bounded away cackling madly. An arrow, tipped with magebane poison, whistled past Zander. He stopped running and began clapping like a child.
"A game! A game! A wonderous game! If you hit me, I get to be it next!"
Crying thus, he cartwheeled past the next arrow and made strange noises as he sprinted over the next steeple and down into the town center.
In the town center the king's army had just arrived in force, and on a barked order set out to capture the mad elf. Zander pouted and declared, "No fair! You can't all be it! Only one of you can be it!" The next thing the soldiers saw was a blast of lightning lancing outward at them. The suitably startled soldiers turned back, crying "wizard! magician!" as they retreated. Zanderheim slipped back up the roof and out of sight in the chaos. After some careful seeming deliberation, Zander took off west, toward the baths.
Even the arrows stopped following him after a time.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Grimlock

The two assassins deployed an old tactic of theirs, they came at Grimlock from the sides, one going low and the other high. Grimlock dropped to one knee, both their blades clashed with his and then they fell to the ground, one clutching at his throat, the other at his stomach. Two swipes from the swords and they lay still, blood seeping into the ground. Grimlock turned to Angel,

"I have to get Kelt, if they find him they might kill him."

The thought gave him a cold chill and he started towards the town, only to have his way barred by five more assassins, crossbows leveled at his chest. He knew that he had no time, nor chance to dodge or block and without his armor he was as good as dead. He grinned at the assassins and readied his swords,

"Come fight like men cowards."

No emotions and the only actions was the steadying of their bows.

 

[AngelLightheart]

Angel Blackwing

Angel nodded, pausing to light up another assassin before running right across the surface of the water. She dropped to a knee by her things, tossing her blade in the air above her head. It levitated over her, guarding her from any that tried killing her while she was busy.

It cleaved one assassin in half before she quickly reclothed, making sure the mist was thick enough that nobody was able to get any looks at her. She stood and snatched her blade out of the air, moving to rejoin Grimlock. She nodded, following him towards the town, and Kelt.

Her breath caught in her throat as they turned the corner to a wall of men with crossbows leveled at them. Angel blinked and glanced sideways at Grimlock when he spoke. The men readied their crossbows. The pulled the trigger at the exact same time.

"No!" she exclaimed.

She stepped out in front of Grimlock, calling the pure power of the wind to her. She raised her hands and a wall of air stopped the bolts. Most of them. One bolt was enchanted, it seemed, and went right through the wall. Right into Angel's shoulder. Her eyes flashed pure crimson, the wall of air following suit. She threw the wall towards the men and they simply vanished, along with the forest several yards back.

She felt lightheaded. Her grasp on her magic was weakening.

"Poison..?" she murmured as her body fell.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Grimlock

He watched as Angel got hit by one of the bolts,

"NO!"

He caught her body as she fell, a quick glance around proved them to be alone for now. How many times had he knelt next to Kelt just like this? He gently probed the wound, it went in deep. He gently laid Angel down, he went to one of the assassin's bodies, a quick search and he returned with a small dagger, he used it to probe inside the wound as gently as he could, the point had no barbs so he quickly pulled it out. He could not do much about the wound, so he did what he knew he could. He rested a hand on the wound and closed his eyes, concentrating on her life force, there seemed to be much in great abundance there. He touched her power and the possibilities in her seemed endless, well at least it seemed that way for him.

He sensed the intrusion of the poison, it was slowly seeping into her body, it was very specific, he frowned as he concentrated harder, feeling the spread slow down. Was the king really allowing this? Race specific poisons? Why did they try to use it on him then? He shook his head and concentrated harder, his breathing slow and shallow as he bent his entire mind to the task of saving the life of Angel Blackwing. Slowly, the poison withdrew, her body fighting along with him to repel this intrusion, when the last of the poison finally drained from the open wound, he turned his attention to the wound, it started to grow close, knitting and moving together, what would have taken long weeks, now took minutes.

With a gasp he released his power and sat back, pulling Angel up onto his lap, looking at her lovely face, his fingers slowly brushing over her cheek. With a soft smile he leaned down and kissed her forehead, she saved his life and now he had done what he could to save hers. He could feel her body slowly regaining it's composure after the shock to it, he brushed a stray strand of hair from her forehead.

"Angel, wake up. We need to get away."

 

[AngelLightheart]

Angel Lightheart

Angel shuddered. Or, her mind shuddered. This poison was something she hadn't felt for quite some time, and it was a much more potent toxin this time. Last time she took care of it herself. Seems it had been perfected. She felt herself slipping away.

Was this it? Her long life finally ended by one crossbow bolt?

She ran through the forest of her mind, running from the toxin that chased her endlessly. It seemed an eternity that she ran, though she quickly became aware of the poison's progress slowing. Slowing, then reversing. It retreated, returning to the site of the wound. She followed, feeling a familiar energy flowing through her body. It brushed against her mind and she grasped the identity of the power aiding her.

Grimlock.

She threw what power that she could still grasp against the poison, pushing it back with him, then finally expelling it from her body. She felt her muscles relax, finally. She shifted in the lap of the man who had just saved her, soft sounds coming from her lips as she slowly stepped out of her blocked mind, the last fortress she had, and the only one that had never been breached.

She heard his voice and slowly opened her eyes, looking up at his face. She slowly leaned up, raising a hand to the back of his head. She pressed her lips to his softly, with no more pressure than a butterfly landing.

She closed her eyes, leaning slightly more into the kiss before leaning back with a small, soft smile and a twinkle in her eyes.

"I've been wanting to do that for a while now," she murmured.

She leaned up to kiss him softly one more time before rising to her feet. She blinked and tested her magic on a nearby assassin who thought he was hiding from her with his silly shadow magic, easily incinerating him. How much time had they lost while her revived her?

"We need to get going," she said to him.

They could deal with their feelings later, right now they had to make sure the others were safe enough, and they had to get away from the King's Brigade, which was surely in the village nearby if there were assassins in the forest.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Grimlock

Her eyes opened and again his mind grew numb as he stared into the depths of those green orbs, then her lips touched his, soft, sweet and with a promise of so much more. When she withdrew he almost did not catch her soft words, but they did throw his mind into turmoil, she had wanted to kiss him for some time? Then her lips returned and he lost himself in their touch, his hand slowly running over her back. Then she was gone, risen to her feet and dispatching an assassin. He picked up the swords and rose to his feet, at a run he led her towards the town, the soldiers was busy setting up a perimeter and he knew that time was very short. He grabbed the handles of both swords in one hand, grabbing Angel's hand in his they slipped between the buildings, a soldier did step into one alley they ran up, but Grimlock hit him with a body check into the nearest wall, the spear's handle actually crack under the impact of Grimlock's body against the armor of the soldier, he didn't even have time to shout.

They came to the stables and darted inside, Grimlock flung open the door and Kelt came strolling out like a horse on vacation. With practiced ease and speed Grimlock saddled and bridled Kelt, then he swung into the saddle and pulled Angel up in front of him.

"Kelt we need speed. Go."

He did not need to yell, he did not need to kick Kelt's flanks, the big horse knew. He cantered up to the door, stepped out and the moment Grimlock's hand pulled on the reigns to show which direction to go, Kelt was off, with the speed that only a warhorse could achieve, men stepped into view, but the huge frame just threw them aside, Grimlock held tightly onto Angel, the swords still in hand as the other hand held the reigns, there was no stopping now. Arrows whistled past, but none hit and in mere moments they were out of the town.

"Angel find the others, they may need our help."

 

[LeoHawk35]

Zelthuros

The Ranger stayed completely silent, not so much as breathing(as if he needed to breathe anyway), while he listened to the troops moving through the town. He heard several horses moving as one, pulling a carriage. Sneaking out was the idea, though he didn't fancy facing all those assassins in the forest with their new poisons. There was this particularly nasty one for undead that he didn't want to be a test for.

He stood slowly in the pitch black inn. He had doused the fireplace and all the candles in the room shortly after entering. There were footsteps approaching the inn. Booted feet moved in formation towards the door. How he could hear those footsteps over the amount of sounds outside was an art long lost to those that hadn't learned from a dragon.

Or those that weren't a dragon, as it were.

He stepped soundlessly to the door as it opened, staying close to the wall, his leather boots not making so much as a whisper across the floor. Several men entered, armed with swords, axes, and hammers. Shadow lay on the floor, in front of the men where they could see him. In the uncertain light he looked like any normal dog, and the men advanced further into the dark room. A robed man followed after, the distinct feel of magic about him.

They surrounded Shadow, and the direwolf made no move to get away or attack. The men shifted uneasily, several glancing over to the hooded man, as if looking for a command. His brow knitted in concentration as he stared at Shadow, as if trying to conduct some sort of spell or study. A few moments passed in silence.

His eyes widened.

Shadow grinned noticeably, and with a very definite feral look to it.

Zelthuros kicked the door shut.

The men that had seemed uneasy cried out as Shadow tore limbs asunder. None of them had the nightvision Zelthuros and he had developed over the years. Or, rather, had gained with their new state of unlife. Zelthuros stepped forward, a shadowy blur of death as he utilized the hidden blades he wielded to dispatch the soldiers in the close confines of the inn. They were too slow or too clumsy, their weapons too large for the tight area. Zelthuros stepped between a trio, kicking the first in the back of the knee to drop him, then turning swiftly to kick aside the low-hanging blade of another. A quick punch to the throat knocked him back, collapsing his throat entirely and ensuring his death.

A quick turn, a solid and thundering reverse kick, and the third was sent clear through a wooden member that he had been standing near. The building groaned. Must have been a load-bearing member. The structure would hold, for now. A simple twist of the neck took care of the first as his neck snapped so easily. Zelthuros ducked as he felt a stream of magic take hold and a gout of flame fly through the area his head has just been in. It did set the building on fire, however.

Zelthuros rolled and came up swiftly, the blade slithering out of his right sleeve and burying itself in the soft tissue below the jaw, penetrating clear up to the brain. The man's eyes rolled back into his head and he went limp, held up only by the blade transfixing his head. The Ranger relaxed his wrist and the blade slid back into his sleeve. The body fell to the ground, lifeless. Shadow stepped up next to him, looking up at him. He patted the wolf's snout, then knealt down to take off the cloak and hood the man had been wearing. It was a large cloak, and would easily cover his own clothing.

He slipped it over his shoulders, pinning it in front of his neck. He flipped the hood over his own and made sure there was a patch of blood on it. The men here were new, and that meant that some of the men outside were new as well, so they wouldn't recognize a little bit of a different build or face. Shadow's fur was streaked with blood as well, that was good. He stepped up to the door and took a deep breath, ensuring that his bow was folded and hidden beneath the cloak.

He threw the door open and ran outside, seemingly in a panic as the building caught fire. He stumbled on purpose and fell to the ground, calling out to the soldiers nearby. Shadow ran next to him with his tail between his legs, shivering as if in fear. Zelthuros pointed at the building as the soldiers ran up.

"They're in there! Mages! At least four of them! They killed my men and almost got me, too! Damnit, get me a medic!" he exclaimed. "And kill those damned mages!"

The soldiers helped him to his feet, then helped him over to the carriage, not questioning the wolf following behind him. They sat him down on the back. He cringed and clutched his side where the blood spatter was. The men called a medic over, then made sure Zelthuros was alright before returning to the building.

Very kind to their mages. Not the same for their lowly footmen, he thought to himself.

Shadow hopped into the carriage through a side door when nobody was looking.

The medic finally made it over to Zelthuros and asked to see his wound so he could check it. That was just when Zander decided to have his little game, and then Angel and Grimlock busted in immediately afterwards and made off with Kelt. What perfect timing. Zelthuros grabbed and broke the medic's neck without even looking back at him, then quickly hopped on top of the carriage, shouting down at the driver to give chase. He turned to help another soldier up on top of the carriage before the driver took off driving the horses towards the breach Kelt had just made.

In the confusion, none of the soldiers realized that it wasn't one of theirs in the carriage giving chase, and Zelthuros made it through the gates with cheers of encouragement from the soldiers, several shouting for him to bring them back to be gutted. He turned his head and nodded at the archer standing next to him, then urged the driver to speed up. The archer looked back at him and really looked at his face in confusion.

"I don't recognize you, and I know every face in my platoon," he shouted over the wind.

Zelthuros grinned wickedly, most likely the dragon inside him coming out for a moment, and replied "That's because I'm not in your platoon!"

He headbutted the man and pushed him over the edge, then turned and dropped down next to the driver, who looked over at him, curious. Zelthuros pointed to the side, then pushed the man off the edge when he looked. He took the reins and followed behind Kelt, shedding the cloak and hood he had acquired from the mage earlier.

 

[Dramaticflare]

(bad post removed.)

"up on a rooftop, click click clipclop... clipclop?" Zanderheim suddenly asked of himself while looking at the source of the noise. Grimlock's horse carried his master and the other wizard right out of the town, racing past startled soldiers and through the ones who got in the way. Indeed, a percussive clipclop rapidly dwindled in the horse's wake.
"Hey! When do I get a horse?" he demanded of an uncaring sky. Unfortunately, declaring your minor setbacks in the middle of being hunted tends to lead to you being noticed. And so it was with Zanderheim. Soldiers gave off their impossible chase of the horse and riders to start clambering after the wizard and throwing rocks at him.
"Hey! Hey! Leave the discontent until after the performance at least! I haven't even gotten on stage yet!" Zanderheim quickly skipped down the roof and into a less occupied alley.
After scaring off a mangy cat, Zanderheim was alone in that alley. He pranced about, imitating a marching solder with his body held absolutely rigid. Several of them even raced past the alley without looking down it, much to Zander's silent mirth. When he recovered, he climbed up a wall and over a roof to get onto the city wall. Finding the place dark, he dropped over into a tree. Catlike, he descended and crept away from the city. He even meowed once. Maybe twice.