Fall Of Ortul

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He fell down from the tree and landed on his feet in a crouched and then stood up slowly with a grunt looking at everyone in the camp and then looking to the phoenix and then to the skeleton who seemed to not have a care since he was dead, He pondered the question and then came up with his answer.

He sat down on the floor cross legged and said " What if when we free this man...he turns on us...who says that this mans crime might be Heinous enough " He rubbed his jaw nodding " I do not care that we free him, maybe he does have good intentions, but we have to do this with caution "

He stood up again sliding his hands down to his side letting them rest, but he had slept uneasy last night like he usually does, He did a bit of a stretch to wake himself from his tired state and to get his blood pumping before we go into battle with Shepard's.
 
Pyral unfurled his wings, taking off in the sky and flying in low circles to help him think "We will have the element of surprise on our side. We have a Lycan, Skoll, how many men do you think you can take down?"

He hovered above Collem "You're an experienced war veteran, I'm sure you have enough experience under your belt, how many of them do you think you can handle?"

He swooped away and over to Violet "Same question to you, how would you estimate your skills on this matter?"

He landed on a rock, eyeing the skeleton, "And you, you have the advantage of being unable to die, but can you fight?" Dead faced the bird, "I was able to fight in the days when I was alive. At least, I think I did. I feel like that is something I did."

Pyral nodded "Well then this is the battle where you show us what you got"

He looked at everyone "With our combined skills, we should be able to take on double the enemies" his feathers began to crackle with flames "We must make the decision, it's now or never, time is of the essence if we are to savethis prisoner" he glanced at skoll "If we manage to take down ten guards, I'm sure we can handle one prisoner"
 
Collem contemplated the bird's words.

"We have a Lycan, Skoll, how many men do you think you can take down?"

He hadn't been with this party for too long, but Collem got the impression this Skoll wouldn't be one to back down from a challenge like that. Shepherds were a tough lot, though. Collem traveled with a group of them during his time in service to King Gawain. He recalled that they were moving a group of selkiewho had survived the destruction of their village to Ortul to be relocated, a pleasant enough word for being transported to the Crystalline Mountains for slave labor. He remembered the desperation of the selkie, the look one of their children gave him as he separated from the group in Ortul. Three weeks later the first rebellion began, and Collem was eager to join their ranks.
But here was a true shot at redemption. Collem thought back to the note they found at the tavern in Washwater:

"But your reward will outweigh any risk, your freedom."

Literal freedom from Gawain's tyranny, obviously, but perhaps freedom from something else. Guilt, maybe. Collem shook his head, his mind was made.

"The bird has a point. Seems to me we're a bunch of capable warriors. Reckon it's time to see just how capable we are. You saw 10 of 'em, yeah? What are we dealing with? Cavalry? Archers? Got some experience with leading small groups of men during my army days. Might be I have a plan, should the rest of you be willing to fight."
 
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Violet listened to the distant clattering and clanking. She watched the group make plans. When Pyral asked her about her skills, she had to think. She knew she could use her bow and arrow, and if need be, she was fairly good with her short bladed sword, but she did not answer, instead she listened as they continued to speak. "I think we've got a good chance, with all of us." She said simply after Collem spoke.
 
Pyral nodded "I think thats settled. We just need to plan our attack. I think it would be best if we were to strike from all sides, it'll give us an advantage. It's of utmost important we stay hidden until we attack, we have to catch them off guard."

He looked up at Collem "Do you have anything to add to that plan?" Pyral's plan was based on predatorial instinct, he was sure the war veteran might have some important details to add.
 
Collem nodded and unsheathed his own sword, inspecting it as he spoke.

"Aye, surprise, the hill 'il be valuable for that. I've seen you hunt, Violet, you're quite a shot with that bow. Should be valuable to keep any archers distracted. If they've got horses, you should be able to keep them busy from the air, Pyral. With that done, the rest of us should be able to close in and finish the job without too much fuss. Sound 'bout right?"

He looked up from his blade to gauge how the others felt about his plan.
 
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Violet nodded at Collem's words. She agreed with his idea, it sounded like a good plan, and one that would succeed too. She looked around the camp, wondering if the others agreed. She hoped they would, as it would be another event on their journey.
 
Pyral nodded "I imagine that would work". The skeleton's jaw clicked "I have no objection on the matter. I don't think I have any reason to object" Dead said blandly, though if he could feel he would feel anticipation to get the rescue started.

"A plan" he said mostly to himself "I haven't followed a plan in a long time"
 
Skoll began to remove his shirt and toss it on the ground looking at everyone " So we are going to rescue this person? " Skoll nodded and shrugged " lets get this started then " Skoll turned around and began walking off into the forest he was going to get ready for this sneak attack on the caravan.
 
Pyral unfurled his wing, igniting immediately with the action, he immediately jet into the sky. When he got high enough that he could see the Shepard's he doused the flames of his feather's so he just appeared as a black smudge suspended in the air. His eyes studied the group warily, as he flew above he watched as his own group began to take position, ready to attack. A small flicker glowed in his eyes, and he waited to strike his prey.

Dead watched as the lycan was first to leave, he glanced at the others a moment and clambered along behind him. He slowed his pace, making sure his rattling bones wouldn't give away their position. Instinctively, he drew his sword out as he crept towards the enemies. This was what feeling must be like, or the closest thing to being able to feel. Dead could swear he felt something close to anticipation, as if adrenaline filled his nonexistent veins
 
With the last of his party's approval Collem nodded and followed the lycan into the woods, the skeleton shuffling not far behind him.

Before long they were upon the shepherds. They took shelter behind a large boulder as the caravan crawled towards them and their companions got into position. Violet found a spot from which to engage the armed men below with her bow, while Pyral soared in circles in the sky above. Collem looked to either side of him, to the bones and the lycan, before drawing his own blade and emerging from behind the rock.

The caravan was just passing them as he emerged, and he was able to close the distance between him and his adversaries quickly, practically before the shepherds even realized what was happening. He dug his blade into the closest of the armed men and pushed the dying body away with his foot. A nearby archer narrowly avoided his second swing, taking a non-fatal cut and sprawling out of the swordsman's way. Another shepherd filled the gap, swinging his blade and sending Collem on the defensive. Collem parried, swung back, giving his rival a near-fatal cut and sending him staggering to the ground. Collem wasn't given an opportunity to recover; another shepherd, this one on horseback, knocked him to the ground. Collem, pinned, rolled desperately to avoid the hooves of the horse and the stabs from the horseman's spear. Not good. Collem wasn't sure how long he could keep this up, avoiding a hoof, or a spear, in the face.
 
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Pyral watched from the air as Collem initiated the attack, and just as Collem was battling horse and rider he dove, feathers igniting as he fell to the earth like a meteorite bent on impact with the ground. His body slammed in the rider burning him and the horse to as his talons sank deep into the arm that wielded the spear. He tossed the flaming body aside and it rolled to the ground. His flames burned wildly above Collem but he doused it enough so it wouldn't reach his ally, he flew back in the air again, circling and waiting to dive at another victim.

The skeleton watched as the battle began, jumping out of the cover and crossing blades with one of his rivals. The man looked him dead in his hollow eyes, and Dead could see fear. Dead swung again, the man barely blocking the blade. They exchanged a few parries, before the man finally tried to run away, the skeleton threw his sword, striking the enemy in the back. The man collapsed to the ground, dead. Dead walked over calmly to retrieve his weapon, pulling the bloodied blade out of his back. Normally it wouldn't be wise to not carry your weapon, but Dead couldn't care about being stabbed. He looked at another Shepard's who backed away, not wanting to fight him.
 
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Violet took position in a nearby tree and sat, hidden in the branches. She drew her bow and took a deep breath, holding it long enough to wait until the first shepard came into view. She let the arrow loose with the release of the breath and the shepard fell. Direct hit, reload. She did as she thought and let another arrow fly, but this one merely missed as the shepard dodged a sword from its attackers.
 
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Good thing Skoll came when he did as the carriage drivers and the archers tried to take off, the hulking lycan body slammed into the side of the cart causing it to topple like a shelf onto the floor. He lept high into the air with a roar and landed on the wooden pat of the carriage, He looked at an archer standing up on the cart and grabbed the archer with his massive hand like paws and lifted him into the air tossing him into another archer. He let another bone rattling roar go as he rushed forward at a Shepard who wasn't ready for this attack the man but up a parry to the incoming claw and was being pushes down to the floor by the massive hand claw, The man shouted for help and it was quickly received. A blade had cut the side of Skoll causing him to release the man. He looked at the attacker and let a roar go that made him stumble back, Which was his down fall he grabbed him and slammed him on-top of his friend.

The viscous eyes of the lycan locked on the two men beneath his foot as he began to crush them slowly the one below the other screamed in shrill until the both expanded so much they had literally collapsed on themselves, He turned around and smacked an archer out of the way that was trying to aim his bow on the massive creature. The archer slid and still shot the arrow which landed in his shoulder causing him to look at him and roar again, he rushed at the archer as he shot as many arrows as he could they kept missing and he was soon head first into the massive claw. Slamming his head into the floor he lifted him up off the floor and grabbed the rest of his body severing the head from the body as if it was tissue paper.
 
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Violet noticed one of the archers aimed straight for one of the members of her group. She quickly fired two arrows, one at his neck, one at his chest. Only the one at the neck hit, causing the archer to collapse. Ah ha. She aimed another shot. Come on..the quicker we're done the better.. She thought as she fired another arrow, repeating the process for any archer she could see and get a clear shot.
 
A sudden sensation awoke Edward from his meditation. He found himself lying on the side of the cage, as something had apparently toppled the wagon. And after a moment, he saw what had done the job, as a huge Lynchan massacred the guards. And apparently, the wolf wasn't alone! There were a few others fighting around him, making Edward wonder who theses people were, and why they risked their lives to save him.

Not one to be taken by indecision when danger was nearby, Edward got to his feet and rushed to the door of his cage. He knew it was already slightly loose, as he had tried it as soon as he had been brought into it, yet the crash with the ground seemed to have loosened it further! Edward grabbed the door, and with a mighty heave, he got it off it's hinges, freeing him!

Yet there were still guards alive, and lives could still be lost! Edward quickly rushed to the chest on the cart, the rags off his cloak still clinging to him, keeping his appearancehidden, and pried it open, revealing the remains of his sword! He grabbed it by the hilt, and pulled the blade from the chest, the weight of it being off, as it had been snapped apart. Yet it's edges were still sharp, and the end could still be used to impale someone! And so, he charged towards the nearest of his guardians, and shoved the blade through his heart, grabbing him by the neck, and making sure the last thing he heard before he died was "Do no disrespect a knight, fool!"
 
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Violet withheld an arrow as a man jumped from the wagon and stabbed one of the shepards. Ahh..the prisoner. She shot a shepard that came from behind him. Come on..
 
Pyral dove again, barreling into another body, the man screamed as he burned and his talons clamped on his neck to end him quickly. He swung the body into another Shepard, who collapsed under the weight of the dead man.

Dead clambered over to the man who struggled to free himself from underneath his fallen ally. He looked up to see Dead towering over him. Dead raised his sword, and with one swing lopped of the man's head. The two bodies lay dead. Dead raised his head and watched the battle transpire. Much of the soldiers had already been taken out, and the prisoner, he looked at the rag garbed prisoner who'd escaped. The skeleton registered shock when he realized the prisoner was just as he was, an undead. He hadn't met another of his kind. He didn't know others existed in the same situation as he, he had been but a wanderer with no memory.

Dead cracked his knuckles and they popped with a loud noise, this battle was just about at it's end, and they could claim victory.

Dead never felt so alive.
 
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Edward jerked his sword back, freeing the blade from his enemy, who then fell limp to the ground. The warrior looked around, seeing none of his guards still standing. Only he, and his saviors were still standing, it would seem.

He turned towards the largest gathering of them, noticing that there was a Skeleton among them. ...Another Skeleton, he corrected himself, remembering what he was.

"I thank you for freeing me, my friends. I do not know who you are, nor why you did what you did, but I shall not complain! I am in your debt, strangers." He announced loudly, with his almost ghostly voice. His tattered robes still obscured most of him, yet his skeletal hands were plain in sight.
 
Collem was rescued from the man on horseback. He looked over to see the archer he wounded earlier fall, one of Violet's arrows sticking out of his neck. A good thing, or that archer would have put an arrow in Collem instead.

The rest of the shepherds fell quickly to the rest of his party. Collem had doubts about the group's ability before, but after seeing them fight he was nothing but impressed. The phoenix and the lycan, especially, fought with such striking ferocity. These men still had a fear of the undead, judging by their reaction to Dead on the field. And Violet was a crack shot with that bow. It was enough to give another man a little more faith that this emerging rebellion might prevail. But Collem was not another man.

At some point in the chaos, the prisoner had escaped his cage. He stood now among his rescuers, all in rags, a slain shepherd as this feet. He spoke, "I thank you for freeing me, my friends. I do not know who you are, nor why you did what you did, but I shall not complain! I am in your debt, strangers."

Collem noticed his ghastly voice, he almost groaned when he noticed their new friend was another skeleton, "Another bag of bones, huh? You're in our debt, true enough. Want to pay that debt back, you should consider joining us. We're headed to Pinegrove to meet a man who's looking to fight another rebellion. Join us, sign up with this new rebellion. You look the fighting type, and can't be that you have too much love for King Gawain, eh?"

He approached the skeleton knight and extended a hand, "And the name's Collem North. What're you called?"
 
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