Amarth

Amarth - "Well, everyone ready to go?"

The party nodded and stood. They gathered their things, and began to walk down the trail. Amarth stopped short and turned to Enzeru, who was still sitting.

Amarth - "Enzeru? Enzeru... we're going..."
Shoan - "Don't worry about him, I'm sure he'll catch up. Come on."

Amarth shrugged and followed the party down the trail.

Draconis

__________________
STEVE MCKENNA!

Draconis

Draconis walked ahead of the others, trying to clear his mind of the incessant ramblings of that idyllic fool Amarth. He started wondering how much he could stand being around him.

"There's a town 15 miles from here, called Shinsen. We should stop there for the night. It will give us a chance ask around about Abanaku and get a decent meal."

Most of all I need to refill my jug.

Draconis turned back ahead and waited for an answer.

__________________
STEVE MCKENNA!

SSJwrestler

Enzeru had just rejoined the group as Draconis spoke. Leaning over, trying to regain his breath, Enzeru panted, "That..huff...sounds....puff.good ..to....gasp...me..wheeze."

Enzeru continued to wheeze as the rest of the party began moving towards Shinsen.

I hope they have some good food in this town

Amarth

Amarth - "Fine."

Shoan - "Alright! Seems like forever since we've been in a city! Can't wait to be back amongst civilization."

Shoan's pace quickened and a smile covered his face.

Besides. It's been way too long since I've found some love.

Dixie

Come now, Draconis, let us be friends.

Petra kept a little away from the group, taking note of what was said, but not contributing. She was anxious about entering Shinsen. It had been so long since she was with so many people and she had such a strong distaste for them. Skirting the trees along the path, Petra gazed distractedly into the woods and braided her long hair absently.


"Perhaps it would be wise for us to acquire some horses while we are there. We could cover much more ground in a shorter amount of time that way," she mused aloud.

Sorry if you guys don't want the added complication, but I like horses and so does Petra.

__________________
talk is cheap, so i buy every word you said.
scared me half to death, now i'm half dead.

SSJwrestler

As the bustling town of Shinsen appeared closer and closer on the horizon, Enzeru turned towards the trees next to him and yelled, "Petra! You take care fo the horses. Oh, and do you want anything from the materials or fitting shop while we're in town. I'm headed over there to get some supplies for myself, and would be more than happy to pick something up for you."

Turning back to the rest of the group, Enzeru spoke " Hey guys, I hope you don't mind but I'm gonna go to the materia..."

"WE KNOW! BYE!" was the collective response from the group as they enetered the city limits.

"Okay then."

Wow, these guys must be able to read minds or something to know where I was going.

Dixie

"Thanks, Enzeru, but all I need is a horse," Petra called back.

Watching the others descending upon the town, Petra surveyed the area before creeping slowly up to the city limits and beginning to meekly peak around the streets. After locating the town stables, Petra sat down to talk with the old man who owned the horses.

"We have the finest studs in the Emperor's whole territory," the man boasted, wheezing and nodding.

"I don't doubt that," Petra returned, looking around with concealed disappointment. The man grinned delightedly, revealing a significant lack of teeth. Wincing, Petra stood up and walked down the hall of the barn, examining the poor creatures contained there.

These wretched things would die before we made it out of town...

The large door at the end of the hall stood open and outside Petra glimpsed a palisaded paddock and the fluid, shiny movement of the animals within it.

"What's out there?" Petra asked, moving quickly down the hall and out the door before the old man could answer.

The walls of the paddock were taller than she was and Petra could only manage to peer through the gaps between the beams, but this was enough. Within the paddock, two dozen or so of the most magnificent creatures Petra had ever seen were clustered together, snorting and pawing the dusty earth.

"Those 'uns are no good," the old man wheezed, hobbling out next to her. "They're wilder 'an a dawg with six legs. We just got 'em yesterday right down from the mount'n."

Smiling almost giddily, Petra clambered up the side of the paddock and heaved herself over before the old man could object. As she landed with a thud on the other side, several of the horses screamed and bucked, laying their ears back against their heads. Closing her eyes, she bowed her head in respect to them and spoke in a low, almost inaudible whisper. The old man watched in awe as, one by one, the horses approached her and nudged her with affection. After examining their flanks, limbs, and teeth, she selected 6 of the strongest studs and led them like lambs from the paddock.

"I'd like to purchase these horses," she said solemnly to the old man, whose jaw still hung open.

After paying the stable man with money given to her by the Emperor's financial assistant for the journey, Petra secured the horses just outside of the town and set off to find the rest of the group.

__________________
talk is cheap, so i buy every word you said.
scared me half to death, now i'm half dead.

SSJwrestler

It was all Enzeru could do not to get trampled as he attempted to find the material shop he was looking for.

OK, I'm used to living around a lot of people, but they all walk in lines, not like these people. The people are..

"AHH!!" Enzeru yelled as he side-stepped a carriage going down the street a little too fast. "CRAZY! These people are.."

Enzeru stopped as he looked up and saw a shop sign reading "Materials Shop".

"Alright! Finally" Enzeru said as he walked into the store. Once in the shop, it was all the gunman could do to contain his giddy joy. He was like a child in a candy store as he ran up and down the shop's narrow aisles gathering up different metals, powders, specialty papers, and the likes.

After his little romp, Enzeru made his way to the shoppwner's counter.

"Quite a load you got there stranger. Hope you can pay for it."

"Not a problem." said Enzeru as he removed a small scroll bearing the Emperor's seal and slid it towards the shopowner. "Just take this to the local administrative post and they'll cover the cost."

" I see..." said the shopowner, taking the scroll in hand and thumbing the seal. "So I take it your a member of the Imperial guard?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I am. But how did you know?"

"Well, besides the fact that you bear the Emperor's mark on the headband of yours, noone else around these parts knows how to make gunpowder cept Imperial forces and them fellars up to the north."

"What fellars up to the north?"

"Okay then. You're all set here. Please come again and good luck."

"But um...you..uh.."

"Bye then."

"Bye." said Enzeru as he picked up his bag of supplies and made his way out the door to the noisy street.

That was kinda strange...

Amarth

Greetings and Serale Chauncey! (Sorry. Lame game reference.) We're glad to have you around. I was getting worried nobody loved us enough to join. I sent you a PM with a few little things about what's going on here, so check your private messages.

Enzeru... what kind of shop is actually named "Materials Shop"? >.<

Amarth and Shoan began making their way through the town to look for a tavern, or anywhere they could eat. This was Amarth's first time in a big city in the past five years. He didn't like it at all. He walked to the side and he walked tall, ensuring the other citizens would make way for him. Shoan on the other hand was eating this scene up. He loved everything about the big city. He walked right through the tightest crowds, relishing the feeling of community. He frequently bumped into nobles and apologized profusely. He also managed to pick up any valuables the nobles may have... "dropped".

After walking for a few minutes, they came across a sign that read "Sutabe Tavern". Shoan and Amarth nodded at each other and went in. They sat down at the bar and called to the waiter. It didn't take long for the two large weapon-wielding men to get attention.

Shoan - "Bring us two of the biggest rice bowls you got, two of the strongest drink you got, and ... "

Amarth (In a low voice directed at Shoan) - "Tea."

Shoan - "And a pot of your best tea!"

Waiter - "Mac, the biggest rice bowls we got are made to feed parties of five or more. You're fine with that?"

Shoan - "Better than fine."

Waiter - "Your money."

He went in the back and began calling the order out to the chef, then returned with a pot of tea and two drinks that were barely more than raw alcohol.

Waiter - "The food'll be here in a minute."

With that, he walked over to the other end of the bar to serve the young ladies that had just walked in... and which immediately caught Shoan's eye.

"I'll be back Bro."

Shoan took his drinks and went over to the girls to start working his magic. Bits and pieces of the conversation drifted over to Amarth's ears.

Shoan - "Their meal's on me barkeep."

Shoan - "Aww, c'mon."

Girl - "I don't know."

*Laughter*

Girl - "I can't drink that!"

Shoan - "Sure you can."

*Coughing and more laughter.*

After a few minutes of flirting, Shoan came back over, slightly inebriated with two very inebriated girls in his arms. "Amarth, I'd like you to meet Candy and Sandy. Their sisters! Their parents had some wierd sense of humor or something." *Giggling*. Amarth found Shoan's antics somewhat boring, and was relieved that the barkeep chose that time to bring their rice. Amarth took it and began to head outside so he could dine in the fresh air.

Barkeep - "Hey mac. You're not goin' out with a meal like that before payin' for it."

Shoan slapped a fist full of gold coins on the bar and the bartender's eyes (as well as the girls') lit up. "That'll cover us for the rest of the day I'm sure."

Bartender - "Y... Yeah. Sure. I expect that'll do the job. You're a good man Mac. Anything else I can get ya?"

Shoan - "How about a round of drinks for all my buddies here in your fine establishment?"

Bartender - "Comin' right up."

The sound of cheering faded as the door closed behind Amarth. He found that dining outside the tavern was suprisingly peaceful, in spite the bustling city around him. There was a strange serenity to be found in the union of such a vast number of people.

Dixie

Petra kept to the back streets of the town, avoiding the large crowds and casually looking about for a tack shop or a familiar face. She was comfortable on her own, having only herself for company for close to 5 years, but her concern was that her less judicious companions may have more to drink than necessary and cause the group to lose time in waiting for them to recover. There was also, of course, the possibility that the demon drink would make their tongues run wild and Petra was sure that Abanaku had more spies in his service than any of them cared to imagine.

Driven to pick up her pace by this unsettling thought, Petra darted round a corner, nearly running right into Enzeru, who was weaving down the street under the weight of several packages of assorted purchases. Apologizing hastily, Petra shared her concern with Enzeru.

__________________
talk is cheap, so i buy every word you said.
scared me half to death, now i'm half dead.

Amarth

SSJwrestler

"Oh shit!" were the words Enzeru chose to use as he came face to face with Petra, rounding a corner and nearly dropping his packages. He had been looking for the nearest clothing store, but instead held converation with the scout for a few minutes.

After hearing Petra's concerns, Enzeru placed his packages on the ground and began to run his hand through his hair, as was his usual nervous manner. Looking up to respond to Petra's concerns, Enzeru was slightly caught off guard by the beauty of her eyes, which were usually hidden under her hair.

"Um...yeah," Enzeru stuttered."Uh...I think everyone else will be alright. Draconis and Xyven aren't the most social types as we all know and Amarth will keep Shoan in line. So I don't think we have TOO much to worry about. Although, thee was this weird shopkeeper guy who said something about....OOOOO there it is! Let's go!"

With this, Enzeru began to sprint across the street to a dingy little shop, picking up his packages in one hand and taking Petra's hand in the other, jerking the surprised scout along with him.

As the pair entered the store, it became clear that it was a clothing store. Racks upon racks of cloaks, dusters, shirts, pants, boots, and the like filled the shop.

"OOoo, I need a new cloak, and a new belt, and I could use a new glove." As Enzeru counted off the things he needed on his fingers, he turned to a slightly shocked Petra and asked, "Do you want anything? MY treat."

Dixie

Petra, surprisingly pleased with Enzeru's company, responded with a coy smile.

"I wouldn't want to take advantage of your generosity, thank you."

She added, after a moments hesitation, that she was accustomed to making her own clothes and wouldn't know what to buy. She immediately felt awkward and uncouth and wondered if she should consider purchasing something more feminine than her present attire. Feeling her cheeks growing hot under Enzeru's gaze, Petra hid behind a rack of cloaks, pretending to examine them with great interest.

What the hell...?

Maybe Enzeru should buy Petra a lacy thong.

__________________
talk is cheap, so i buy every word you said.
scared me half to death, now i'm half dead.

SSJwrestler

"Hey Petra!" Enzeru said as he bounded up beside her. " I didn't know this place was a weapon shop too. Look I found a slingshot."

Petra blushed a deep red and replied, "Enzeru, why don't you put that back. You may hurt yourself."

"Ah, you're no fun." the gunman replied as he walked back and placed the thin-strapped contraption on its rack in the back.

"Well. I got everything I need. Just let me pay and we'll get out of here and find the others." Enzeru said walking to the counter.


The duo left the shop, and began to make their way to main street. Enzeru had quite a bit of trouble seeing over the parcels he carried in his arms, and was constantly apologizing to people he haphazardly walked into.

"I sure hope you bought some horses, Petra. I'm gonna need one." Enzeru said turning and smiling at his female comrade.

Dixie

__________________
talk is cheap, so i buy every word you said.
scared me half to death, now i'm half dead.

SSJwrestler

Draconis

Petra, I was being nice and friendly. Just not nice and friendly with your intimate nether-regions.

Back at the bar, Shoan was still busy chasing tail and both the brothers Eldaire had eaten their share of the meal for 10 they had ordered. Suddenly, the door flung open and in walked Draconis, clutching a black bag. He immediately noticed Shoan at the bar.

"Where's your brother?" Draconis asked Shoan, who was lit up like a paper lantern.

A shaky, misguided hand extended towards the window, where in he saw the samurai's silhouette. Turning back outside, Draconis walked down the alleyway to the right of the tavern and looked at Amarth.

"Here. [tossing the bag to him] I want you to hold on to these."

Amarth looked down at the bag, perplexed as to what this demon would want him to have. Opening it, Amarth looked over at Draconis with an even more confused look.

"I bet you thought it'd be a head, huh? They're blessed jewels. I can't touch the things but where we're going, no mortal is safe. These are strong enough for you to walk through the front gate of hell. If you don't feel like trusting me on this, say hello to all my friends at the sulfur pits, would you?"

Draconis turned and walked back into the bar, leaving Amarth to deal with those holy nuissances.

My hands are better suited for holding a cup than a jewel.

Draconis sat down at the far end of the bar and gave the barkeep a quick hand signal. The barkeep nodded and brought over a red glass bottle with a sword bathed in flame etched into the side. In one fluid movement, he tossed a large goldpiece to the barkeep and tilted the bottle vertical. It was then that he looked to his left to find Shoan still there, leering at the two girls at his sides, even though one had passed out on the bar.

"You really need to learn when to cut other people off, Shoan. If you're going to kill them, at least give them the honor of dying in battle."

Shoan obviously had no earthly idea what the hell any of the words Draconis just said were. Turning to the other girl, Draconis said, "You're friend here needs to be taken care of. Should you need it, I'd be honored to help."

"Oh, Chi, wake up," exclaimed the conscious girl, "I didn't even notice. Please help me get her back to her room."

Draconis threw the passed out girl over his shoulder and carried her upstairs to her room on the second floor. After placing Chi in the bed, the other girl bowed to Draconis in appreciation.

Girl - "Thank you so much. My name is Rei Fubuki. May I ask yours?"

Draconis - "Oh, there's no need to be so formal around me. By the way, the name's Sosuke Senada. It's a pleasure to meet you, Rei. Now that she's safe in bed, would you care for some of this reserve? [holding up the bottle] It's really quite good."

Rei - "I'd love to. Actually, my room is right here and I have a sake set in there."

Draconis - "Well then, shall we? [extending his arm towards the door]"

Draconis looked down to Shoan at the bar. Shoan was fuming with anger. Looking him dead in the eyes, Draconis flashed a quick glint of red in his eye. He closed the door behind himself and the sound of the door shutting rang home with Shoan. A few minutes later, just as Shoan was drinking his worries out of his head, a woman's screams were heard coming from the second floor.

"What are you....aaagh!!...aaaagh...AAAAGHH!!"

Shoan jumped to his feet, grabbing his weapon. He was ready to sprint up the stairs when he felt a slight pressure on his stomach. It was the hilt of Amarth's sword. Shoan turned to him with a puzzled look on his face.

"AAAaagh YEAH!..Oh GOD!....OOOOOOHHH YES!..."

A flush of red came over Shoan's face and, looking back at Amarth, he saw Amarth shake his head once with a twinge of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. Undaunted by the ensuing 2 hours of noise, Shoan quickly found another fair maiden at the bar.

__________________
STEVE MCKENNA!

Amarth

Shoan woke up to the rhythmic poking of Amarth's sheath. When he finally opened his eyes, they were overwhelmed with brightness. Slept in too late. Sun's all the way up. He tried to stand up off the tavern floor, but a rush of blood came to his head and he fell back to his ass. A throbbing headache coursed through his entire being.

Amarth - "Well, let's go. We're all supposed to meet outside the village where we came in."

Shoan - "Give me a break. Can't you see I've got a hangover here?"

Amarth - "If you didn't want to deal with the hangover you..."

Shoan - "Yeah yeah yeah."

Shoan rose back to his feet and looked around for a moment. He picked up a girl who had passed out on the floor with them and carried her upstairs to a bed. He stumbled his way back down the stairs and outside. Amarth sighed and followed.

SSJwrestler

Enzeru had spent a majority of the night searching for the rest of his group with Petra at his side, until he finally found them in a tavern on the far side of town. When he found them, Shoan was in the process of wooing a young lady with his drunken charm, Amarth was keeping an oderly eye over the entire bar, Xyven was lurking in the shadows and Draconis was busy entertaing his new found lady friend.

After consorting with Amarth for a few minutes, the gunman paid for a room on the third floor and made the trek up the stairs to his bed.

Sunlight from the rising morning sun poured into Enzeru's room, causing him to wake up at the start of the day. He dressed himself, and began to tinker with his pistol and casings before heading down to the bar to wait for the rest of his party members.

While he waited, he helped himself to a batch of rolls the shopowners wife made and a stiff drink to liven up his senses. After about two hours of waiting, Enzeru finally heard the sounds of footsteps coming down the staircase.

Looking up, Enzeru saw that Petra and Xyven had already come down, but were simply sitting quietly in the far corners of the room. The footsteps were being made by Amarth and a blurry eyed Shoan, who held his head in his hands massaging his temples.

"Where's Draconis?" Enzeru asked in a cheerful voice. Shoan winced with pain, as if he was being whipped by Enzeru's words.

Dixie

Petra had slept the whole night through peacefully for the first time in months. Even the excessive noises of pleasure coming from Draconis and the bleary-eyed ragdoll in the room across the hall did not keep her from going straight to sleep as soon as her head had hit the pillow.

The next morning, sitting quietly over a hot cup of tea waiting for the others to rise, Petra was grateful for the night's rest, knowing it may be the last for awhile.

She had watched Enzeru come down from his room and sit at the bar, but had chosen not to join him there. She felt confused and threatened by the effect his presence had on her, making her less aware of her surroundings, more susceptible, more vulnerable.

When Amarth and Shoan finally came down, Petra finished her tea and joined them at the bar.

__________________
talk is cheap, so i buy every word you said.
scared me half to death, now i'm half dead.

Draconis

Chauncey, I figure you can start writing for Baratsu after this post. Matt, I'm writing for Amarth for this post of this scene since we already discussed it ahead of time. Enjoy folks.

Draconis opened the door to the room he was in. He looked the same as he always did, as though nothing had happened. As he started walking down the stairs, Rei peeked her head around the door. Her hair was unkempt and had only a blanket wrapped around her body.

"Come see me next time you're in town, Sosuke," Rei crooned, a stupid grin creeping across her face.

"Until then," replied Draconis, turning on his heel and bowing, "you'll be in my thoughts."

Draconis started to walk away, but turned back for one last look. Strangely, Rei was gone. I should have heard her move. What the hell is going on? Draconis put it out of his mind for the moment. He had more important things to do than worry about quick women and their even quicker retreats. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Draconis looked over at the rest of the party. They all seemed well rested, that is except Shoan, who was glaring at him. This guy really knows how to hold a grudge, but then again, so do I. Can't fault him for that. Draconis chuckled and shook his head, walking right past the jilted lecher.

"Alright, now that everyone's up and ready, what do you say we get out on the road again?......[to Petra and Enzeru] GET DOWN!"

Just as the two dropped to the floor, a large iron ball attached to a chain came flying through the wall, barely missing their heads. Suddenly, 30 Yowai crashed through the thatched roof, surrounding the group. As the group circled, the ball flew back through the wall. A man came through the hole, chain in hand. He was tall, looking more like a grotesque statue than a man, and clad in bronze plate armor.

Man in bronze - "I am Colonel Baratsu, second in command of Lord Abanaku's southern armies, and I have come to take your lives."

Draconis - "You have come here to die, weakling."

Baratsu - "We shall see..[throwing the ball] GyaAAAAHHH!"

Draconis dodged to the left, well out of the path of the ball. Then, without warning, Baratsu yanked back on the chain, releasing a series of blades from the ball. It was too close for Draconis to dodge and there was nothing he could to to stop it; one of the blades tore into his torso, cutting clear through from his collar bone to his navel. Amarth rushes over to his body, catching it as it falls to the ground.

Baratsu - "You were a fool to even try to dodge my attack. Perhaps you'll be smart enough to run away should we meet again in your next life."

Draconis - "Amarth, I must ask one thing of you. [pulling out a pink ribbon from his jacket] I have always carried this with me in battle. This must not die with me. I cannot tell you why. Please, do this. [Draconis goes unconscious]"

Amarth - "[tying the ribbon on his wrist] Rest well. [to Baratsu] You had no right. You had NO RIGHT TO KILL HIM. NO MATTER WHAT HE DID IN HIS LIFE, WHETHER HE LIVES OR DIES IS NOT YOUR DECISION."

Baratsu - "And what do you intend to do about it?"

__________________
STEVE MCKENNA!

SSJwrestler

Enzeru leaped down to the floor, as he watched the giant iron ball plow through the tavern wall. As he hit the ground, he heard the thud of Petra landing next to him. About the same time the gunman looked up to see what was going on, a large piece of timber fell from the tavern's ceiling onto Enzeru and Petra.

Enzeru rolled quickly onto his stomach, covering Petra, and taking most of the impact. Looking down at the scout, he asked,"Are you ok?"

After Petra nodded yes, Enzeru quickly made his way to his feet. All the while, rubbing his right shoulder and drawing his gun. Enzeru stood in time, to watch Draconis get sliced open by the ball's blades and Amarth rush over to him.

After Amarth yelled back at Baratsu, Enzeru wasted no time before bringing his pistol to eye-level and firing at the bronze-clad warrior. Baratsu deflected the roundball by quickly blocking his chest with his chain.

shink

Amarth's sword seemed to come the air as he drew it from it's sheath.

"Let me handle this Enzeru...." Amarth growled.

The gunman took a few steps back, keeping his pistol cocked, and his eyes on Baratsu.

"Bring it little man!" Baratsu snarled.

Draconis

__________________
STEVE MCKENNA!

Dixie

__________________
talk is cheap, so i buy every word you said.
scared me half to death, now i'm half dead.

SSJwrestler

Enzeru smirks as he tears his eyes away from Baratsu to begin to dispatch the thirty Yowai that attacked the bar with him.

Looking around to get a handle on how the demons are dispersed, Enzeru realizes that Xyven has already taken care of six of the Yowai as he sees the ninja darting in and out of the shadows of the piles of rubble.

"Look out behind you?" Xyven yells to Enzeru as he finishes off yet another Yowai, and catches sight of one of the demons charging towards the gunman from behind.

CLICK

The attacking demon falls to the ground in a lifeless heap as blood rushes from a gaping hole in it's chest. Enzeru hadn't even bothered to turn around, but instead pointed the gun over his shoulder and fired.

About this time, five more Yowai came rushing towards the gunman.

CLICK, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK

The four shot Yawoi fell in a linear line on the floor as they died, but there was still one coming. Enzeru still had his pistol raised and poised to shoot the oncoming Yawoi, even though he knew he had no more shots. As the demon approached within ten feet of Enzeru it lunged, claws beared, prepared to tear the gunman to shreds. Again, Enzeru smirked as he took a step back, avoiding the demons claws, and brought the butt of his pistol down incredibly hard on the back of the Yawoi's head, dropping him immediately and leaving a deep indent in the demon's skull.

Xyven finished off three more Yawoi by using his faint attack on all three at once. As landed behind the three demons and sheathed his small sword, the Yawoi turned their heads to look at the ninja who had just run through them with incredible speed. Upon turning their heads, the Yawoi's jugular veins exploded and they dropped like rocks.

"Nice one!" yelled Enzeru as he reloaded his pistol, this time with five black casings and one blue. The gunman then turned his head to see how the battle between Amarth and Baratsu was progressing.

Amarth

The sounds of battle poured around Amarth as he charged through the opening in the Yowai towards Baratsu. He wasn't really running, but more like gliding over the ground, dust circling around his feet as he went. He brought his blade down an inch from Baratsu's face and stopped. Baratsu hadn't flinched a muscle.

Amarth - "Impressive, you knew I wasn't going to finish you, but you are not as aware as you think you are."

With that, a *clink* was heard amidst the battle sounds, and Baratsu found he was suddenly caught off his center. That was because the large ball was no longer connected to the chain. *clinklinklinklink* The chain began to completely fall apart, save for the foot long piece Baratsu still held in his hand.

Amarth - "I should kill you. I should kill you right now. You killed Draconis. He wasn't the best man... he wasn't even a good man, but YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO KILL HIM!"

Amarth stood locked in a stare with Baratsu. In the back of his mind, he noticed the shuffling sounds coming from outside. Those aren't Yowai, they move too gracefully.

Dixie

a "linear line?" somebody was at a loss for adjectives...

Petra darted from her spot on the floor as soon as Enzeru was off of her. Jumping onto a nearby table, she croutched with her bow poised and began to dispatch Yowai as they poured into the tavern. Letting arrow after arrow fly in a rythmic, almost mechanical, grace, Petra incapacitated 10 of the beasts before dropping down off the table, unsheathing her sword, and turning to find Amarth and Baratsu motionless, staring eachother down.

__________________
talk is cheap, so i buy every word you said.
scared me half to death, now i'm half dead.

SSJwrestler

Writing for Shoan, Amarth. Don't kill please..

Shoan finished off the remaining five Yawoi, with a few mere swings of his zanabatou. He then turned his gaze to his brother who was staring down Baratsu.

The youngest of the Eldaire brothers leaped forward to join his brother in battle, but was stopped short by the extended arm of Enzeru.

"This is his battle, let him settle matters on his own." Enzeru told Shoan.

The image of his brother staring down Baratsu with a deadly glint in his eyes was a sobering one to the hungover thief. After hearing Enzeru's words, Shoan gripped his zanbatou harder and grudgingly contented himself to sit back and watch.

"Anyways Shoan, I think we are gonna have our own hands full." Enzeru said, motioning towards the numerous shadows advancing towards the group from outside the tavern.

Dixie

__________________
talk is cheap, so i buy every word you said.
scared me half to death, now i'm half dead.

Dixie

rock out

Petra, at first startled, but then enraged by this stranger's gall, threw the shattered remnants of her bow to the floor. Baratsu, quite pleased with himself, seemed completely unaware of the unspeakable power inside the girl. Sheathing her sword, Petra drew two silver arrows from her pack. Centering herself, she grasped one in each hand and charged Baratsu. The smug look left his face and turned to horror as he felt Petra plunge the arrows deep into his sides. Baratsu fell to his knees before the scout. Releasing her grasp on the arrows, Petra unsheathed her sword slowly and decapitated Baratsu quickly and precisely. His head hit the floor with a sickening thud and silence descended upon the group as they stared in amazement.

I feel like that was unspeakably cruel. Let's pretend that Baratsu murdered my family instead of just breaking a stupid bow. Also, I'm sorry to undermine all of Amarth's painful morality, but Chauncey told me to do it.

__________________
talk is cheap, so i buy every word you said.
scared me half to death, now i'm half dead.

SSJwrestler

Enzeru turned his ahead away as he heard the shrick of Petra's broadsword slice through Baratsu's neck with ease.

Disgusting....apsolutely horrid

"Well, Shoan. Seems as if the rage of a woman finished this fight, not your brother Amarth. It's a good thing that those guys are here though." Enzeru said as he pointed at the horde of demons that now peered down at the remains of their leader.

Baratsu's late reinforcements were not Abanaku's typical Yawoi henchman, in appearance or demeanor. A typical Yawoi would've trembled and ran away after their leader had fallen, these demons simply looked down at Baratsu's remains then looked up at the group of heroes. Also, these demons were a head shorter than the Yawoi, but much thicker. Thick armor shielded their heads and chests, and each bore long-sickle like swords.

"They're about ready to attack!" Enzeru said, yanking his revolver up to eye-level,"Get ready!"

Dixie

Hey SSJ, I think I'll just play into your hand for a minute, so don't be dense (save the damsel in distress)

The demons, seeing their slain leader's body at Petra's feet and the bloodied sword in her hand, swarmed over her with a bloodthirsty vengeance. Petra became quickly exhausted blocking the numerous attacks and was unable to hold them back. She fell as one of the demon's swords pierced her shoulder, driving her down.

__________________
talk is cheap, so i buy every word you said.
scared me half to death, now i'm half dead.

SSJwrestler

Reacting immediately to the demons' attack on Petra, Enzeru fired his first shot into the neck of the demon who had injured the scout. This took their attention and the fury away from the fallen woman, they now surged towards Enzeru.

As Enzeru checked to see that his blue casing was next in line to fire, he yelled "Get down everyone! Now!" He then cocked and fired at the dozen of demons now a mere five feet away.

BOOM!

A thundering ball of fire exploded from the end of Enzeru's six-gun causing more rubble to fall from the damaged roof, and the demons as well as Enzeru to go sailing ten feet back. Enzeru was thrown with a loud thud into the rear wall of the tavern. The demons were thrown in the piles of rubble that littered the floor.

"That didn't destroy them....they're only stunned!" Enzeru gasped, hoping that his comrades would hear him. Through blurry eyes, the gunman saw the demons already beginning to stand up.

Xyven and Shoan darted towards the dazed demons, weapons drawn, and slit the neck of each and everyone, causing a large pool of blood to form under their fallen bodies.

Enzeru tried to stand up, but slumped back down against the wall after only getting halfway up.

That was one Hell of a shock....hope everyones okay...

Dixie

Through the dust and smoke, Petra watched the demons clamber back to life only to be cut down by Shoan and Xyven. Her shoulder throbbed and was warm and wet under her touch. Covering her wound with her hand, she pulled herself up and surveyed the room.

Enzeru was slumped against the wall, looking dazed and in pain. Petra stumbled over and slid down next to him. He felt so warm and it had been so long since she was close to anyone, especially a man.

"You all right?"

__________________
talk is cheap, so i buy every word you said.
scared me half to death, now i'm half dead.

SSJwrestler

"Yeah, I'm fine....just a little sore." Enzeru groaned, as he holstered his pistol. "Thanks for asking.

"Let's check on everyone else." Enzeru said as he wrapped an arm around Petra's waist, so as not to hurt her shoulder, and pulled the pair of them back up to their feet.

Once standing, Enzeru lingered a bit before removing his arm from around Petra's waist and taking a limping step forward. The warmth of her body seemed to have dulled his pain.

Looking around at the remains of the tavern and his comrades, who were all soaked in blood, Enzeru could only shake his head.

This place is a disaster...so much blood...

Amarth

Aight. I've doon a poor job of keeping everyone informed. Petra... don't kill the generals yet, we're taking them out at the end. Also, don't decide whether your death blow (or any blow) lands or not when fighting the generals. They are Chauncey's characters. Also, please don't take my kills *personal note*. I would have stopped you from going for his head at the very least. Chauncey, play Baratsu off as someone who wanted to be a general and so was trying to do that by killing Enzeru's group. Now, bring in the six generals (make one of them that girl Draconis saw). Guys, we're going to have to be losing when circumstance arrises that makes them have to leave. No serious injuries (especially fatalities) either way.

Amarth stood amidst the corpses, a solemn look (even moreso than usual) on his face. He felt so much pity for these creatures that hadn't even had the chance to live their entire lives. He sighed a deep sigh that filled his lungs with the stale air, reeking of blood.

Shoan sat and gently leaned back on one of the standing walls, rubbing his temples.

"Somebody's gotta stop me from drinking so much next time. I had a headache before... now it's pounding."

He closed his eyes tightly and tried to regain his composure.

SSJwrestler

Draconis

Amarth approached Draconis's blood-soaked body. While he had been shaking with anger and fury during the fight, Amarth quickly became very solemn upon reaching Draconis. He bent to one knee and extended his arm, resting his hand on Draconis's shoulder. Suddenly, a hand reaches up and grabs his arm.

"You know, that ribbon really is quite fetching on you."

With that, Draconis opened his eyes and a huge grin crept across his face.

__________________
STEVE MCKENNA!

SSJwrestler

Enzeru jumped a few steps back, right into Petra, when he saw the arm of the dead Draconis reach for Amarth. The gunman now leaned against Petra as he looked, mouth gaping open, at Draconis, who grinned deivantly at the rest of the group.

Xyven, who had taken up his usual position in the corner, only shook his head at the whole scene, before taking a seat on the floor.

How the Hell did he? I mean....the blade...o, come on!

It was then, as Enzeru thought, that his gaze wandered to a pile of rubble next to him and the top of a still full liquor bottle caught his sight. Taking two steps over to the pile, Enzeru picked up the bottle and brushed off the demon blood, before tossing it over to Draconis in a high arch.

"Not really sure how you did it, but that whole coming-back-to-life-thing is a neat trick, and I'm sure it takes a lot out of a demon. I'm sure this stuff isn't the usual Hellwater you're used to, but enjoy."