On The Shores of Despair Pt. 2

[CinderSuru]

As they finished off the mage guards men Cinder watched from the hill side as Veraka was advancing on the swords men.

She untied a strip of hide from larger hide that encased a large bundle of arrows.

Quickly she aimed for one of the swords men advancing toward Veraka.

She could at least thin them out for him.

Focusing her thoughts she drew on to her inner power as she drew her bow once again. she drew from the energy that surrounded her and as she release her arrow a flash of light followed it. In a frenzy she sent out arrow after arrow killing and wounding as many as she could.

[Ra'Sona Races-The-Wind]

((Gonna be busy for the weekend, assume my three follow your lead and such. Should hopefully be finished by Tuesday))

[Adian Novar]

Adian had to fight defensively against the remaining spearmen, the wizard's guard. Their superior reach kept forcing him to give ground to keep from being skewered, but his sword was doing a decent job of cracking and breaking hafts that weren't quick enough.

He was in trouble, but he'd expected to be...he'd assaulted the core of the group's magical and--presumably--intellectual power without dealing with its guard first.

Determined to hold out until help arrived, Adian engaged in a virtual dance...one involving a very sharp, rather heavy blade against steel-tipped wooden poles. It went without saying that the steps were rather complicated.

[Zarae Zyne Kilanatlar]

the fighter was not happy with her tatics. he twirled and spunn swipping at air to find the drowess. but she remained out of reach and sight. then a flash of metal and a thin line of blood was seen across his face followed by a sword exiting his back.
she twirled and kicked him off her sword and entered the shadows again.
Zarae made her way twords the paladin who seamed to be in a bit of trouble. she cast a shadow illusion of a large dragon to appear to attack the spearman. it should give Adian a moment to gain the advantage.
her swords blocked a thrust from the side and she kicked out into his stomach. the warrior backed off then came in with more furry. sparks flew as they matched trust with block. but her reflexes were quicker and she managed to slip a tip in past his defenses and into his abdomen.

[Adian Novar]

The surprise of the spearmen was almost entirely complete. They gawked at teh shadowy dragon rising up behind the elf and reflexively raised their spears against it. That was more than enough of an opening for the young drow. He dashed in under their reach and cut a man down in a single stroke. Before the other spearmen could recover he was already among them, sweeping about with his sword and breaking their line apart.

Splinters of shattered spears flew and Adian kept the initiantive against the killers, cutting through them like hacking through heavy brush. By the time they recovered from their surprise he had wrecked any semblance of order among them, ruined many of their primary weapons, and cut their numbers in half.

[veraka]

Digging his boots into the ground, Veraka shoved back against an oncoming charge of four of the shield wall fighters. Bracing himself for it, he raised his own shield, and took the charge from the four fighters head on, sliding backwards as he slowed their advance.

Grunting, Veraka tensed his leg muscles and brought them to a halt. ((Spartan time)) Roaring with the will of his ancestors behind him, the storm warrior stepped forward, putting his boot down and pushing forward with his strength, Veraka surged forward. Bashing his against one of the fighter's faces in, he came around in a spin to decapitate the stumbling fool. Marala Vharc's slice went off without a hitch, digging into the stumbling fighter's neck, and coming out the other side with red splayed all over its blade.
He noted how one of the armored fighters was just about to lash out at him when a battle-axe came up from behind and through his head, splitting his skull clean in two; Frad had apparently joined in the fight

It was what happened next that forced him to stop; as he grabbed one of the fighters by the neck, he noticed something odd was wrapped around his neck. Recognizing the item in question as a necklace that is given to young members of the faith of the Dark Maiden, specifically young male, non-drow initiates, he fell back, collapsing onto the ground on one knee.

He played the scenario out over and over in his mind as to how that, that [b:2j9j5duq]bastard[/b:2j9j5duq] could have acquired the neck piece; but that didn't matter anymore, not to him. Veraka, who viewed children, as some of the most innocent beings in all existence, knew what would come next, so he let it, he [i:2j9j5duq]commanded[/i:2j9j5duq] it, to come out.
Since it was a young Eilistraeen who was hurt, and killed, he would abide by her dogma, "repay violence with swift violence," he growled in a low tone, his eyes taking on that vengeful, blood-red hue. If anyone in their little group could see his aura, they would know that berserker was about to erupt inside him.
"What's a matter, dragon-warrior, no piece of mind to finish the job?" the fighter wearing the necklace laughed; Veraka felt the berserker come roaring up from the depths of his soul, infusing itself with his consciousness.
[color=darkred:2j9j5duq]Teach him what vengeance is truly like for his actions[/color:2j9j5duq] it thought to him, only adding to the anger and malice that he felt for the bastard in front of him.
The aasimar slowly rose from his kneeling position, his red-glowing, sliver-streaked eyes glaring at the male fighter in front of him with pure hatred that seemed to become part of the air they were both breathing. Within fractions of a second, he charged in, slamming into the unsuspecting fighter. Bringing Marala Vharc up and under his shield, Veraka plunged his weapon into the man's abdomen via a crevice in his full-plate armor; Marala Vharc screeched like a nail on a chalkboard as it went into the fighters body and out the other end, effectively impaling the fighter onto the trunk of a tree.

Veraka, keeping his shield arm on his sword, opened his other hand like a claw, lighting forming along his fingertips and around his palm.
"Now, you will know how that child felt when you killed them," the storm warrior said in a very low, deep voice, sounding almost part demon; "now you will know their sorrow, feel their pain," his voice started to climb in volume, as the the intensity of the Arc and Chain Lighting fusion in his open hand rose steadily, "you will endure their hate, suffer their anguish." Veraka saw that man didn't care about his actions, through the way he just smiled and replied, "yeah, so what?"

The storm warrior then let loose a scream of pure rage and fury, "THEN YOU WILL DIE!!" With that, the berserker-raging aasimar brought his fist of crackling energy around and linked it to Marala Vharc; the fusion lighting spell surged up the length of the blade, and coursed into the arrogant man, frying him all across his body. He screamed in agony as super-charged lances of electricity leapt and danced over his skin and under it, literally cooking him from the inside out. When the spell had run its course, the only thing remaining was a smoking, black-charred corpse of the fighter.
The storm warrior pulled with a grunt, and dislodged the blade.

Turning toward the remaining fighters, the warrior slowly advanced on them; after seeing the power behind Veraka's attack, all of them were slowly backing up, though keeping their wits about them.
Veraka stopped, let loose a wild howl of rage and surged forward; he'd become nothing more than a rampaging animal, and he just killed and killed and killed, blood ran freely, like a small stream, in his wake.

[Zarae Zyne Kilanatlar]

soon many had fallen, but the enemies pressed on, somehow believeing they had the advantage.

"welcome to Bitterleaf," Pyoro said, suspecion in his voice unable to be hidden. the gnome spoke up, "we saw that you needed help..?"
the elf cocked an eyebrow. he already sent a group of travelers. and more were coming to help. something wasnt right. the halfling was noticing their tricks werent working. "the truth is one who was here, is not what she claims to be." he improvised. and it was working. "I am sure you have no doubt heard of the murders south of here?"
Now they had the priest attention.
"well, we are scouts for the group hunting the killer. and we believe her to have come this way. she may have been disguised, but the truth is, she is drow. unique and likely parading as a eilistraeean."
Pyoro's blood began to run cold. but he was still hesitent. "what does this murderer look like?"
they had him now. "the most obvious feature waould be her eyes. one cant hide the eye color well. eyes that change colors. but to one with true seeing, the mark of the Spider Queen is upon her face. hair silver and streaked. and dress of..."
"enough," he said frustrated. he almost felt betrayed. Pyoro turned to pace, deep in thought.
"we will take her quietly and discretly if she is here."

less than an hour later, the group was making their way northward.

pyoro walked to his scrying bowl. he paused just staring at the bowl. somehow he couldnt believe it. but he didnt know how or why he told the two where the group headed. had they used some magic on him? but what if they were right. what if the drowess was the murderer and he sent her with the group. he just didnt know right now. he needed to mention it to the group leader but found he just stood their.

[Adian Novar]

[i:1lca2ei6]What madness was this?[/i:1lca2ei6] Adian thought as the warriors continued to attack, casting aside shattered spears and drawing short swords of their own. [i:1lca2ei6]It's as though they have something to fight for![/i:1lca2ei6]

What group reveled in attacking the strong and had no fear of death? What group slaughtered the innocent with glee?

A handful of names floated up from his memories of his lessons at home...Zhentarim....Red Plumes...

[i:1lca2ei6]Banites?[/i:1lca2ei6]

At the moment their identities didn't matter. They continued to press their attack, presumably counting on the party's exertions to accomplish half their task for them. Adian found himself getting hemmed in by men who, had they been sane, should have retreated after the druidess, Zarae, and Adian had broken their lines.

[i:1lca2ei6]Madness...[/i:1lca2ei6]

He was very much alarmed at the sizzling sound of lighting. Had he failed to slay the mage after all? But no...it was Veraka. And he had lost himself in his fury again. That bothered him even more...even if Adian survived this fight, would he be able to calm an enraged man like Veraka?

[veraka]

Veraka, enraged beyond all return, continued his bloody, merciless work on the remaining swordsmen, cutting them down one by one, whether they were laughing manically or mock-pleading for mercy.

The one thing that one of the swordsmen had done tore into the aasimar's soul deeply, beckoning him to show them no mercy, no redemption, no forgiveness, nothing. The storm warrior ravaged the enemy in front of him with ferocious malice, not caring who was in his way, just that they died, all of them. With an adrenaline-pumped dwarf watching his six, Veraka drove hard to the swordsmen's line, crashing through it with a vengeance.

With another slash of his blade, Veraka hacked through another man, leaving a corpse lying in a ever-growing pool of his own blood, along with a congealed mess of innards lying all over. More fell in a similar fashion, each with an agonizing howl of pain before the Grim Reaper came for them. With every death-blow that Marala Vharc left on its blade, Veraka made double-sure that they suffered to the maximum, the berseker in him fueling his blood-lust and his desire to see those bastards get the most painful, bloody death one could bestow upon them.

One man's death was gruesome indeed; Veraka came in roaring, his sword plunging into the mans gut, and prying open his plate-armor like a can. Then Veraka set to work slashing, gouging, and cutting away at the man, tearing away chunks of flesh, muscle and organ out of his body, even though he was still standing and fighting back. Whipping Marala Vharc around in a semi-circle, the storm warrior tore open the sword-man's stomach, letting his guts spill over and onto the ground; continuing on with his already fast-building momentum, Veraka finished the circular swing, bringing his sword around to plunge into the man's chest, and into his sternum, bringing forth a spray of red mist. The man gurgled his last breath as he collapsed holding his opened-up gut. Veraka grinned maniacally, knowing that the fool would never again harm another innocent, and was satisfied with his methodology of retribution.

Suddenly, an white explosion entered him as pain lanced through his body from his lower-back. Looking over to see what had assaulted his rear-flank, Veraka found his answer in the form of a long-stiletto protruding from his armor. Veraka retrieved the small weapon and yanked it out. Within seconds, he felt drowsiness, fatigue, and a very sickened feeling wash over him. He tried to fight it off, but right then, the berserker fled him, leaving his body overly exhausted and unable to keep up with the demands of his mind.
The overly-cautious fighter, whom had lanced Veraka with a the stiletto, which was doused with a highly-concentrated, coma-inducing toxin that now assaulted Veraka's senses and body; seeing the aasimar stumble and sway back and forth, trying to fight off the toxin's effects, the fighter saw his opening and took it. The fighter launched himself at Veraka, his short sword blazing a path towards the aasimar; the short sword struck Veraka's helm at the lower edge, found the nook in between the helmet and the neck armor, and went into the soft tissue of Veraka's neck. The storm warrior fell to his knees, his own blood running down his platinum-dragon scale plate armor, as his neck bleed his life-giving fluids out of his body.
Veraka never thought in all his life that he'd see death; his staggered breath gave way to the fact that he was leaving his body; "how . . . . in . . . . . . the . . ?" he managed to get out as he collapsed onto his back, eyes staring through his helmet, his blood continuing to stream forth from the wound on his neck.
((well, now that that's over with, go ahead and continue onward; and no, Veraka's not dead, well, unless no one in the group throws a healing spell on him, that is. I'm gonna be gone for about ten days, starting tomorrow, whatever happens over the course of that period, I'll catch; so see you guys till then.))

[Adian Novar]

(Talk about a tough act to follow...)

Even trapped, Adian could see the storm warrior fall. He had to repress an urge to cry out, to try to rush to his aid. He dared not or he would be joining the mighty warrior in the snow.

Instead he began to work his way in the direction of the fallen man, step by agonizing step as he fended off the enemy. Suddenly the short distance seemed so far...

A vicious sword thrust downed another man, and a second. Almost at once a new man replaced them.

[i:xgoxtren]How many of these monsters are there?[/i:xgoxtren]

As he fought be began to sing. It was a song of defiance, one meant to rally the faithful and give heart to the faltering.

A quick flash of a blade and a third man went down bleeding profusely from the neck. No one replaced him.

Maybe there was an end to this after all...

[CinderSuru]

Seeing Veraka collapse closed her eyes opened her mind in a calmness that radiated

Swiftly she opened her hip pouch and found what she wanted grasped a small arrow with a blunt head and wet it with her own spit.

sprinkled a dust that was contained in a small wooden box. And her arrow flew catching Veraka on his hand her aim was precise. It cut him just enough to do its work.

Meldrinus was by his side almost as fast with Cinder on him. She leaped off and with Adain protecting her she pull off some of his heavy armor and the tiny drow with enormous strength and help from her mount lowering him self, she dragged him and placed him on the Caribou's strong back then leaped on herself they were out of the way and back on the hill side, Cinder quickly sprinkled the wond with a herb and rapped his neak with one of her scarf's. "Stay with him Meldrinus" and she grabbed a long very sharp dagger from Veraka boot and ran at a swordsman that was coming at them she leaped into the air spinning around and sliced his Cheek open. The swords man fell in agony blood spilling and Cinder fell upon him as he instintively rised his hand to grasp his sliced face she plunged the dagger into his lower back. She turned to look at the fighting and ran toward them on her way she found a suitable sword and started dodging and slicing her way throw the swords men that were seeming to weeken from the loss of there magu.

[Zarae Zyne Kilanatlar]

there was little Zarae could do when she saw her fallen travel companion. she wasnt a healer in any way. but at least someone was able to get to him. the drowess had been occpied with a few of the fighters. they werent too happy about her constant vanishing act. but one caught on, for the shadowdancer had to disengage from the fight before she could vanish. so he and a few worked to keep her busy. she twirled and parried. blocked and trust, one sword following the other. finally she dropped a globe of darkness around herself, more than willing to fight without vision. for the house weaponmaster showed her such tricks. she listened as a sword sliced in, Moonshadow clanking with it in a small shower of sparks. a few were more cautious after she dispathed him with stealthwhisperer. Zarae levitated above the globe as he read their signal to charge her. above them she heard helmet hit helmet, grunt and groan as the three collided, with each other, knocking themselves out cold.

[Ra'Sona Races-The-Wind]

((Things are moving a lot faster than I'd expected, I'll probably be away for a week or two more. New house to set up and move into.))

[Zarae Zyne Kilanatlar]

(i expect this summer to be slow anyway. as many will be off doing things and stuff...and i get the whole moving thing...i am still packing up since i will be doing camp, going to haiti and then move)

[veraka]

The sounds of clashing, metal scraping metal, sword on shield and armor, woke Veraka. The assimar woke up with a groan, his vision completely blurred. He became aware that some of his platinum dragon scale plating had been removed, and that he was right beside a caribou, a magical one to boot, which seemed to be watching him, making sure that he would be alright.

However once he locked eyes with Adian for a split second, he realized that he was fighting. Right then, his eyes narrowed and flashed that blood-red color, signifying that the berserker had returned and wanted to kill.