They Who Slaughter Kings IC

[Slade]

Zeke turned his head just in time to see Coby's bolt fly directly towards him. In a flash he drew all the oil out of his drums and placed it in a thick, greasy wall in front of him hoping to slow the projectile down. His speed in doing so was impressive but had more to do with his instinctive panic then any actual skill. For those watching him it was clear he was not suited for combat; his movements were erratic, twitchy, and scared. Even his knees buckled and shook in the midst of combat. Zeke was only at his best setting up an ambush and letting his men slaughter the rest while he remained safe from any threats. But it wasn't like this now, he was in the front while his fellow bandits were getting massacred by a single man.

He clenched his fist as he watched Coby's bolt penetrate his thick wall of oil and gracefully slide through it ever closer to himself. It would come through, there was no way he could stop it. With a loud yelp he swung his arms above his head and the wall of oil turned into a spiraling mess that scattered splotches of the greasy black liquid throughout the forest. But the sudden erratic movement had a purpose; to throw the bolt off course.

With a resounding schlick the arrow plopped out of the oil and missed its mark only by a few feet to Zeke's left. The explosion was large, flashy and loud. Coby could see Zeke fly a few feet in the air as the explosion propelled him to a nearby tent as his body became tangled in the mesh of bed sheets and fabrics. The way Zeke scrambled and flailed his right leg around in comparison to his relatively docile left leg indicated that he had injured it. Hopefully he had broken it, but a twist or a sprain would do as well.

"PUSH HIM INTO THE WOODS!" the group could hear the bandits yell in the distance "GET HIM TANGLED UP IN THE TREES". As if on a cue, the screaming sound of a man literally getting picked up and thrown into the nearby underbrush was heard as well. Despite his clear, seemingly impossible advantage over the Bandits their numbers still forced Otto into the forest. They were determined to fight him beyond the group's reach.

"AH! WHAT THE FUCK!" one of them screamed as the trees they were planning on using to their advantage began to come to life and attack them. Their roots piercing their organs and their heavy branches breaking bones. Otto, without any hesitation grabbed one of these moving branches and swung off it to the frantic mob of bandits below, crushing at least five of them under his body. For the next few minutes he would continue to weave through the moving trees as he picked off bandits one after one. This was becoming more like a slaughter than a battle.

It only seemed even more so when Henry charged into the group too, their backs all facing him meant that he butchered five or six of them before they even remotely noticed him. One meant to raise his hammer down on Henry's head, but before Henry could deflect the blow roots jutted out from the ground, inches away from Henry's foot and skewered the bandit right through the eye, where he quickly fell back and died.

Henry then felt the whish of an arrow whizzing behind him and harmlessly hitting the dirt. As he turned he saw the source; one of the crossbowman in the watchtower who had finally gotten his act together had taken the shot, and now his comrade besides him was taking aim at the knight. Suddenly another arrow came from the forest and sliced into the archer's neck. He dropped his crossbow and fell to his knees clutching his neck. His comrade pointed and shouted at the direction the arrow came from, right where Keevah was. She popped out and loosened a few arrows but they all hit the walls of the watchtower rather than the crossbowmen themselves. As she ducked back behind the protection of the tree she could hear the sounds of crossbow bolts piercing and twisting into the thick wood of the tree. At this point she was pinned down by the archers, who had regained their focus and now wanted nothing more than to shoot Keevah down.

So focused were they on Keevah that they didn't notice Nuit slowly climbing up one of the watchtowers and in two small strokes, had planted knives in the back of their necks and threw them off the tower. Now the crossbowmen were back into panic mode, scrambling to figure out who to shoot first.

Benedict gasped for air, his whole body twinging in pain with his head feeling like it was about to explode. He slowly got back up to his feet, using Sten as leverage. The moment he saw the former Draco Cauda he understood what had happened, and more importantly why he body felt like large pins were pricking his skin all over his body.

"Thanks for waking me up" he said with some difficulty, "But I don't know if I'll be much use in a fight for a moment or so." his limbs and fingers felt numb, like they had fallen asleep. He didn't even know if he could hold his sword in his current state. Putting his arm around Sten, he surveyed the battlefield from the temporary safety of the forest. It all looked so chaotic and confusing. Like every single thing that could go wrong did and much worse. But that was just the general language of war and combat. In reality they were beating the bandits handily despite being completely outnumbered. Running into a man like Otto was indeed a major factor in their victory, but he couldn't help but smile knowing that he picked the very best people for this job.

His smile disappeared when a loud, screeching roar erupted from the depths of the cavern. It sounded like nothing he ever heard of before. It couldn't be any beast like a wolf or a lion, it sounded too human. But yet, no man could make such an awful animalistic cry.

Both Coby and Balton recognized the loud cry from their past travels and journeys over the years. Even Erin, tired and drained from summoning the trees, instantly recognized the roar for what it was. A lesson taught early on by her elders due to the circumstances of growing up in the Western Wild lands. Though all three knew the lesson very well. If you heard that roar it meant you were dead.

Ironically, Zeke couldn't hear the roar or anything at all. His eardrums had collapsed and when he groggily crawled out of the tent, the gushes of blood that poured down his face and stained beard suggested a fractured head wound. He knelt on the ground and gently touched his forehead on the dirt. It looked like he was praying, though the quaking of his body and small mewling noises he made indicated that he was actually sobbing. He slowly lifted his gored head, tears made small paths through his bloodied cheeks and he grinded and clenched his teeth.

You.



Big.



JERK!

The oil that had splattered everywhere earlier erupted into a raging fire that surrounded most of the camp and began to quickly spread into the forest. The trees that Erin had summoned began to flail and shrivel up as the fire engulfed them. Henry became cut-off from the fight between Otto and the remaining bandits as the fire threatened to scorch him. He could already see a few of the unlucky bandits become swallowed up in the hungry flames. Though now it seemed that Henry as well as the rest of the group had a bigger problem then bandits now. They could no longer just hear whatever dwelled in the cavern, they felt it's heavy stomps vibrate along the ground.

Zeke shakily sighed in between his gasping sobs, the pain in his head and leg was unbearable.
"Oh great." he said to himself "Bull Daddy got out again."

Out of the cavern came a giant silhouette, easily eight feet tall, if not nine. It had to lower it's head so that it's horns wouldn't scrape the top of the cavern. In one hand it carried an over sized warhammer, most likely around six feet in length. It's other hand held a severed human leg, which it was currently gnawing on greedily. Once it came outside the cavern and into the burning encampment the entire group could get a clear look at it. It's powerful hooves stamping the ground threateningly. It's shoulders were broad, it's arms had muscles bigger than a man's head, It's brown fur was heavy and shaggy, covering up thick skin and blubber, giving it two impressive coatings of natural armor.

It's screech had different layers to it; a symphony of low and high pitches that all seemed to play simultaneously. It was a horrifying orchestra of out of tuned instruments.

It threw the severed arm to the side and let out it's ear shattering roar. The Minotaur was issuing a challenge to the group.

The three remaining crossbowmen on the watchtower took advantage of the situation suddenly pointed their weapons at three different members of the group. The first was at Coby, standing high in the trees, the second was to Erin, still recovering from her earlier magic spell and the third and final pointed itself at Jeanna, whom he wanted to kill before she dashed out of the woods.

 

[gamer5]

Jeanna finally found something that got her moving. She screamed: "That thing is mine! DO NOT GET IN MY WAY!" And then run at full speed forwards, wasting no time and a few moments later she was under the watchtower, having dashed to it at a nearly superhuman speed. She passed under it but not before attacking one of the wooden logs supporting it with her scythe by several rapid strikes, using it like a hammer, until the weight of the weapon and Jeanna's strength forced the log to break.

Not stopping to watch the watchtower come down Jeanna rushed forwards, seeking to engage the minotaur before anyone else from the party could. After all it was her wish to bring down enemies just like this one and she was ready to even kill her allies to prevent anyone from claiming her kills.

As she forced her way trough the bandits to the creature she no longer held back, each strike carrying enough power to cut clean trough armor and flesh alike without stopping. Her scythe, which unlike ordinary farm versions, was bladed on both the inside and outside of the blade, never stopped moving in arcs that would rip the life out of anyone that came in their way. Like death and in silence, as she did so many times on the battlefields of her homeland, Jeanna was matching to the one she came to take down and nothing would stop her...

 

[BlueFlameNikku]

Sir Henry's armor was becoming splattered with the blood of the bandits as he had made his way through them with butchery precision. The being slightly surprised at the root coming out to his defense and squiring his would be attack through the skull. Such magical power making the knight more nervous than he'd like to be yet relieved that they were on his side for the most part. Then a moment of reliance came as the knight watched Keevah and Nuit take out the crossbowmen who were targeting him.

Though as the roar sounded from the cavern Henry instinctively turned to face the mouth of the cavern with his sword at the ready only for him to be blind sided on his right side by the oil exploding into a an inferno; the knight guarding his head by raising his arms in a guarding position as the flames flared until they subsided to a less volatile state from the initial burst. He looked past the flames to Otto and that conflict for just a moment until he looked back with a steely gaze at the imposing Minotaur that had now joined the scene, it's roar disgusting to Sir Henry's ears.

For a moment the knight looks back at the oiled flames just next to him now that he had a better look at this kind of magical phenomena. Bringing trees to life to kill others is one thing...but oil and fire...is something I understand. With a plunging strike of his longsword the knight punctures the blade down into the alight oil, his gauntlets doing a good job of keeping his fingers from burning for the short time before he pulls his blade back up and out as it was now coated in flames which stayed on the blade quite well thanks to the oil. This move may seem odd but like always Henry had his reasons. First, this to him was a mental victory over magic as he sees it as a way of bending it to his will. Second, it should add to the fear factor of his presence to any further enemies. Third, it could very well act as a beacon to draw attention from the rest of his allies who aren't as heavily protected as him and finally though most minor being stabbed with a sword that's on fire hurts even more than just normally being stabbed.

He turned around to the direction of Jeanna's yelling as he saw he dismantle the structural support of the remaining tower whose occupants had been aiming elsewhere before she charged head long to face the Minotaur. With a slight feeling of wanting to pay Erin back for having his back Sir Henry charged towards where he expected the remaining archers to fall off of the damaged/collapsing watchtower, his frightening demeanor of a fully armored man drenched in blood and wielding a flaming longsword may help with that as he planned to eliminate the crossbowmen as soon as they landed and wherever they landed.

 

[Grothnor]

Renvar sighed in relief when Benedict awoke. "Thank the Dragon-God...." Renvar scowled, feeling unworthy of invoking the name of his god. Quickly checking to see that Benedict was okay, he muttered, "You'll live." Spotting Zeke, wounded and tangled in a tent, Renvar moved in to grab him in the confusion and pull him out of harm's way so that he could be alive for his interrogation. Trying to take advantage of the utter chaos and confusion through the camp, he moved to run through, only to be frozen in his tracks by an utterly inhuman cry. Spotting the minotaur emerging from the cave, he swore loudly, "Dragon's tits!" He resolved to take a more roundabout route to Zeke, doing what he could to avoid as much conflict as he could, especially the minotaur.

 

[Tempest]

Coby stares with wide eyes of shock at the chaos of the battle from their dangling perch. The woods were alive in a manner that was foreign to their mind. Ripping. . . Crashing. . . Screaming. . . Blood splashed over the scene like a frenzied painter splashing oils upon a canvas. Their breath begins to quicken even before fire erupted in a great whoosh. Smoke and heat began to rise; the living trees began to pop and crack, twisting in agony. Coby's body quivers and their eyes water before the unearthly caterwauling began, echoing off of cave walls.

Air whistles by their ear, causing them to twist and jerk on their rope in surprise. Coby looses a hoarse yelp, lifting up their body, grappling with the rope and begins hefting themselves up higher into the boughs. The leaves rustle as it dawns on Coby what was happening; another arrow zips towards them. It tangles in the branches, its course twisting and instead of piercing them, tears at their coat. Coby pants, tugging their rope dart free before beginning to climb between trees, changing their position to deter attack and get an improved vantage point.

Their hand moves to their chest, trying to calm their racing heart and taking deep gulps of breath. The smoke fills their lungs and they splutter and cough, reaching into a pocket. Pushing back their mask, they tie the kerchief around their face to filter the smoke, taking the chance to wipe at their stinging eyes. It was with bone-chilling snapping that the last tower began to crumble. Like a haphazardly stacked pile, it all began to tumble with mixed screams of pain and fear… .Certainly not aided by the haunting visage of Henry charging with fire glistening in his armor, casting hard shadows upon him as his sword roared with fire.

Jeanna was screaming a threat – in the commotion it was lost, and how could it not be as the howling Minotaur stomps out into sight. Chills run through Coby's body, cold sweat dripped as their eyes bulge in fear… They clutch tight to the trunk of the tree, swallowing, closing their eyes tight in order to drown out the chaos that tore at their ears. Their hand, trembling, moves to their bandolier and grasps a Sparkwhistler Bomb, fingers shaking and trying to snap along the wick to catch it. It begins to hiss with ignition as Coby, adrenaline and fear driving them, lurches forward along their branch and launches themselves towards one of the crumpled archer towers, hefting the bomb at the Minotaur to give Jeanna a chance.

Their body thuds into the wood and they claw to catch themselves. Feet kick in desperation to push themselves up and catches one of the loose boards, tearing it free. The tower groans as it shifts under them, but it was enough for Coby to get up, breathing hard as they push themselves up against a half-collapsed wall, glancing over the edge and spying Zeke. Coby tries to steady their breathing as their hand moves to their bandolier, fumbling with a Shadevenom smoke. They sniff through their nose, body shaking as they hold it to their body for a moment.

Through the chaos, the smoke, the cries of men, monster and tree, their eyes tracks the direction of the smoke and fire. They lick their lips as they snap to catch the wick before hefting the toxic smoke bomb through the air, landing behind Zeke where the Shadevenom would be masked with the rest of the smoke and blow to him, hopefully keeping him occupied and driving him to where the others could get him.

---

• Sparkwhistler Bombs: Bombs that Coby throws down in front of enemies that emit a shrill noise and a bright flash of fire in order to daze and disorient.
• Shadevenom Smoke Bombs: Choking smoke bombs that can be deadly if people stay in the smoke too long.

 

[Rae]

Selia had followed the others carefully, her eyes fixated on the surrounding trees. Her fingers gripped the hilt of her sword, having unsheathed in once more in preparation for the fight that was likely to come. When they finally tracked down the bandit camp, Benedict took the helm as expected, dividing them strategically according to their strengths. Something took her attention away from his words, however. A slithering, black substance. She had barely seen it in her peripheral. In fact, she more sensed it than anything else. She focused on it, her stance tightening. What the hell was that? She'd never seen anything like it. Could it be a snake? No, it moved too erratically. More importantly, it was moving closer.

"Hey, there's something-" It was too late. The black mass leaped with a mind of its own, and the harsh odor of oil filled her nostrils. From there, it was nothing but chaos. In a matter of seconds, their fearless leader was unconscious, and the rest were charging headlong into the fray. Bandits came in droves, smelling worse than they appeared and clearly not as drunk as their previous opposition. Gritting her teeth, she ran forward, ignoring the dull pain in her leg as she moved with the grace and ease of one of the most skilled swordsmen in the land. Although she hadn't followed Henry out of respect, she knew going on her own was hardly the best of plans. As her sword swung, Selia relied more on instinct than her Sight, having to filter through the hapless shadows meant to confuse her. She grunted as she parried blows and dealt many of her own, cutting jugulars and other vital points as quickly as she could. They didn't have time to dawdle.

Explosions sounded overhead, and instinct told her it was the work of Coby, the strange little inventor with tricks up their sleeve. The distraction had bought her an advantage, allowing Selia the smallest of reprieves as the wound in her leg began to burn with exertion. She hoped she wasn't losing too much blood. Even shallow wounds could prove fatal without proper and quick treatment. With all the fighting, she'd had hardly a moment to check its severity. Her weakness was enough to force her back as the bandits came again and again. Despite it, it was clear who had the greater skill as she easily deflected most of the blows sent her direction. Just as the battle seemed to be coming to a climax, a monstrous roar pierced the air. Selia froze, fear turning her veins to ice. Her mind went through all the possibilities of what could create such a horrible sound, but her question was answered before she could ask. A great beast emerged from the shadows of a cave, its breath pungent even from her distance. She could see the death surrounding the minotaur, like chains trapping the souls of those slaughtered by such a beast.

She had no time to understand what she was seeing before she was pulled back into the fight at hand. The bandits' own fear had sent them into wild frenzy, but that was hardly her greatest concern. Selia swore after Jeanna as she watched the woman charge the minotaur head on like a complete idiot. "What are you doing...fuck!" she yelled, her voice drowned out by the roars of man and beast alike. She pushed forward, pure adrenaline spurring her on as she cut through the bandits at a much faster pace than even before. Jeanna was going to get herself killed without help. And, despite herself, Selia had no plans to lose any of her new companions. Not today.

 

[Silvir]

A whimper escaped from Erin's lips when the beast showed itself. While the elders had told about this creature it was the fates of the women in those tales that frightened her the most. And now with a minotaur in the flesh standing in front of her, fear flowed into every vein of the girl's body as she fought the instinct to flee frantically into the depths of the forest.
It lowered her guard against the backlash over her link to the forest as the fire consumed the trees, scorching any small branch to ash and hungeringly ate into the thicker wood with ferocity. Erin screamed sinking to the ground before she lost the connection to the forest around her. The pain had felt like her own as it washed over her body scorching everything to ash and cinders.

Heavy breath brought up the musty smell of forest and fire into her nostrils from her position on the ground, for a moment it felt as if she had blanked out from the pain. Likely only for a few moments though judging by the sound of metal and beast nearby. Looking up she stared right at the beast and the stiff rigidness of fear attached itself to her muscles. Only the fact that it wasn't yet moving towards her kept her from panicking just the sensations she got from it through her druidic senses was enough to keep her in flight ready state. If grandfather had been there he would probably have thought that it was too early for this girl to face such a monstrosity.

 

[Slade]

The remaining Crossbowmen yelled as their watchtower came crumbling down and they tumbled into the grass below. As they wearily rose up they had little time to recover as they were about to be assaulted by Henry with his flaming sword. The first archer barely reacted as Henry buried his blade into the bandit's shoulder and cleaved the sword down diagonally until it was freed on the other side of the man's rib cage. The man's upper half spun briefly, slathering Henry in droplets of burning blood til splattered in the dirt. The 2nd​ crossbowman, not deterred by this display of gory violence lifted his crossbow and pulled the trigger, only for it to fly effortlessly over Henry's head before his throat was pierced by Henry's burning blade before being thrown aside. The final Bandit however had drawn his dagger and planted it in Henry's leg, just above the kneecap. He left the dagger embedded in Henry's leg as he attempted to lunge out and tackle Henry to the ground only for his head to be smashed in with a single swipe of Henry's pommel. Teeth and bits of yellowish gums sputtered out of the man's mouth as he collapsed beneath Henry's feet. Thankfully the knight's wound was not fatal, but it was serious enough that he could feel the pain shooting down his leg from the wound. Moving around would be problematic for a short while.

The Minotaur's next wave of shrieking was cut short by Coby's sparkwhistler bomb as it closed its eyes and shook its head violently in an attempt to force the feeling of confusion and headaches out of its system. Its swing at Jeanna with its Warhammer was a miss, with the woman ducking just out of its reach and taking a quick swing at the beast. She managed to severe two of the Minotaur's fingers from it's free hand. Prompting the beast to let out a shrill cry even more piercing and obnoxious than before.

Jeanna then felt the force of that very same hand she disfigured ball up into a fist and slam itself into her stomach. Blood dribbled from her mouth as the creature twisted its knuckles and grinded them further into her gut. That feeling of nausea overwhelmed her for a short time til she was found herself up in the air, propelled for a moment by the Minotaur's punch. When she found herself back on the ground, she let her hands gently touch the area of impact on her gut. The pain and bruising was intense yet she was lucky enough to not feel any broken ribs. Just a deep feeling of soreness and stiffness. It would take her a few uncomfortable days to sleep this one off.

The party could see Nuit slowly climbing up the Cave's rocky entrance. He was going to simply jump down and stab the beast in the back of the neck, ending this fight once and for all. It was only after the beast delivered the blow to Jeanna that Nuit jump down, his duel blades bare for the final kill. It would have worked, except for one fatal flaw. Despite it being night, the flames casted Nuit's shadow which the Minotaur spotted at the last second. With its characteristically inhuman reflexes, the beast spun around and slammed it's warhammer into Nuit's body, driving the rogue into the ground. The impact creating a cataclysmic eruption of bones and gore. It was only from Nuit's ragged clothes that the body was still recognizable. Benedict shuttered in anger at losing one of his recruits so soon and in such a brutal manner. That beast must die now, he thought.

Zeke immediately recognized the shadevenom smoke bombs for what they were and desperately attempted to crawl his way out of the smoke, cursing the damn bitch that threw those wretched things. Who were these people and how could they possibly stop his gang of bandits?! He had the superior numbers and the superior skill! He went to a special magic university after all!

As he crawled and wheezed his way from the smoke, his head wound and blood loss making him increasingly uncoordinated and woozy. He grasped at an extended hand and felt relieved when it pulled him out of the smoke. Only for him to look up and frown in surprise when it was Sten that had pulled him out of the dangerous fog. Zeke quickly twitched his hand to summon his oil, only to look down in surprise at his metal oil drums. He was all out and he hadn't even realized it.

"Oh Shit" he said, defeated.


The conversation was interrupted when the Minotaur took it's Warhammer with both hands and in a show of dominance slammed the giant, bloodied weapon straight into the ground. The earth around each member of the party shook and trembled at the force the Minotaur presented. There were no other enemies left for them to fight. With Otto off somewhere deep in the forest, presumably mopping up the remaining bandits, they all had to face the Minotaur by themselves. Benedict, still recovering from his earlier attacked, with his arm hugging a tree to support himself, drew his Estoc even though he would be near useless in this fight.

The party was not given a moment to prepare for the beast though. It spotted it's nearest opponent, Selia, and lowered its head, baring it's enormous horns. It stamped it's hooves and grinded it's yellow, bloodied teeth. The Minotaur's intention was clear, soon it would charge at Selia and try to impale her with it's horns. It wanted her lifeless body dangling on top of its head so her blood could trickle down into its mouth as it slaughtered the rest of her comrades.

The party hadn't much time to react, it was going to charge soon.

 

[Tempest]

Coby's eyes go wide, stomaching a twisted knot as Jeanna and Nuit fly... Fly... Fly... Coby shudders, their eyes fixed upon Nuit... Motionless... Limp... The bile was starting to rise in the back of their throat again... Dead... They bite their lip. Bite back the nausea. The horror. Biting to ground themself. As copper begins to pool in their mouth, Coby rouses back to moment. To the Minotaur. To Selia. Their hand trembles reaching back to their bandolier, fumbling over objects. Thinking. Threads run through their mind, rapidly processing results. Fur, blubber, too thick of skin, and Coby... too far with too flimsy of bolts to truly hit deep. A Word comes to mind. Crass, harsh, vulgar... and recognizing the situation as it were.

Coby lolls their head, sighing out as they decide. They trace along their Courier and it shudders to life, loosing hollow unnatural coos before fluttering from their bag. Coby hesitates before feeding it their last Sparkwhistler and hisses out in broken syllables, words. Instructions. The nausea was still there as the the Courier takes wing. Yet, there was a dread and grim determination in spite of what might happen. Maybe, if they survived this, they'd be able to do more... But as of now. This moment... "SEL'A. MOVE," their throat strains, their voice cracks.

In a moment, Coby flies into action, removing two flasks and throwing them both at once with a twist of their body. Clay shatters and cracks. Coby's eyes steady on the minotaur... It's horrible eyes. Jowls. Horns... As clouds billow forth upon the ground between Selia and the Minotaur... and oil smashes against the great beast, dripping over its head, shoulders, into its fur... Coby smiles behind their mask with the metal call of their Courier... Before the Sparkwhistler pierces the air with a shriek of its own, dropping towards the beast. Burn.

 

[Grothnor]

Hoisting the battered and broken body of Zeke out of the rubble, Renvar pricked him quickly with one of his surgical blades, coated with a tranquilizing poison meant to knock the bandit mage out for just a few minutes. Satisfied the target wouldn't resist, he checked him for any life-threatening injuries, taking time to bandage the head-wound, aware that such wounds tend to bleed rather heavily. I didn't come all this way for our target to die of blood loss and stupidity before we could talk to him.

Once he was sure that Zeke wouldn't be fleeing or dying, Renvar turned his attention to the great beast. He figured his magics would be largely ineffective against something so large and brutish, and getting close enough to use them would be sheer folly anyway. He looked around for other ways to support the party before his eyes settled on the broken watchtower. Sprinting over towards the tower's remains while again avoiding the great mass of muscle and fury, Renvar began searching for one of the crossbows the bandits wielded. Hopefully one remained functional through the collapse. Crossbows are simple enough devices, and the minotaur is certainly a large target. He can't be that hard to hit, right?

 

[gamer5]

Most other people, even soldiers, would have been unable or very unwilling to fight in Jeanna's condition, despite it not being that bad, especially considering what was their enemy. But this was Jeanna and to her this was only making everything more exciting as she practically jumped back onto her feet, readying herself for another attack on the beast.

Not a moment later she rushed forwards once again, this time aiming to get under the beast, seeking to strike at ether its groin or the joins of its legs. particularly the ones that joined the feet and the rest of the body together. Unlike before this time she kept at a distance, jumping and and out from the beast's reach tempting it into attacking her as she waited for a distraction from someone else. At this point she recognized that the time for pride and bravado was gone and it was time to go full serious, both in power and actions ...

 

[BlueFlameNikku]

The stinging pain of the dagger now lodged in between the plates Henry's armor made him wince a bit but the real issue was he knew he couldn't do anymore drastic movements with his leg like this. After cursing the now dead man who did it he surveyed the field of battle once more. The group fighting against the horned beast along with everyone else in the group. His eyes fell upon Erin's form once against just by the treeline looking ready to flee at a moments notice. The knight clenched his teeth angrily, knelt down to retrieve the man's crossbow that he'd just slain along with a handful of bolts after he'd already sheathed his longsword and quickly hobbles his way over to the young magic user, directly yelling loudly at her as he approached. "GOD DAMMIT GIRL!!! YOU DARE THINK ABOUT FLEEING IN A TIME LIKE THIS!!!

The furious knight plops himself down sitting with his back facing towards Erin as he props the crossbow on his knee for better aim and to rest his leg after having already loaded the weapon pointing the ranged weapon towards the large beast. "YOU HAVE POWER THAT WE NEED RIGHT NOW MORE THAN ANYTHING!!! In his current position Henry is being truthful as he believes that it takes unnatural means to defeat unnatural creatures. Despite this he still takes careful aim at the creature for a knight is still trained in most weapons of war like the simple crossbow even if it is not the knight's weapon of choice. The skin seemed too thick even at the wrists so the only shot that seemed worth anything was a shot to the eye. He'd wait for his moment, aim for the left eye and let loose the bolt by pulling the trigger of his weapon.

 

[Silvir]

She had almost gaged when the beast slayed her companion. The sight of the remains sickening to anyone not used to such battlefields. Before she knew it, Erin had crawled backwards when a harsh voice yelled at her. "I.." she couldn't muster the words yet Henry slumped down in front of her facing towards the beast. With his large back towards her the man once more yelled at her again while preparing the crossbow he had brought.

Erin's eyes darted around body still heavy and slow, tears clouding her vision. What could someone like her do? To fatigued to focus on a spell or summon the natural forces around them into something intricate. The girl's eyes settled on his back again and then on the crossbow. It wasn't so much an idea as it was pure instinct that made her move forward leaning on his back reaching out a hand along his arm towards the crossbow. From her lips came the call for the air elements, she winched at the pain in her bleeding hand as the wind flowed through it and out around the crossbow. Something within the girl protested as Erin drew every ounce of power to call for wind in this place where little was moving.She just hoped the force added would be enough.

 

[Windstormugly]

Chaos
That was the best word that Balton could think of to describe the present situation. It irked him somewhat that he had been completely useless for the few long minutes that felt like hours. The reason, he had started circling to hit the bandits in the back. An idea that quickly had to change as that uselessly big minotaur appeared. The question was what he could do to help. A pickaxe would have been useful, or a really good spear, but he didn't have any of those now did he. The hide on that thing would make any weapon he had completely useless.

The time for contemplation suddenly ran out, the assassin crushed underneath the minotaurs hammer.
"... Well then, guess I'll do like Jeanna." the peddler muttered to himself. The green wouldn't be enough, neither would the blue.
Heh, it was a while since he had to live through the side-effects of multiple potions at once.

Triversia took out four vials, he downed the blue, the green, the orange and the red. Shaking off his travel-robe and travelbag he begun running towards the carnage.
He could feel power flowing through his body, his skin thickening and every one of his senses screaming at him.
The minotaur, Jeanna pestering it, Henry and Erin off to one side with a crossbow. And Selina in the path of the beasts horns.
Picking up and throwing the dropped weapons laying everywhere towards the minotaur Triversia kept himself moving on the opposite side from Jeanna, hopefully they could take its attention.

 

[Slade]

As Coby's Bottled cloud expanded it kicked up plumes of dirt, furthering obscuring the Minotaur from the party. They could only hear the stumbling sounds of it's hooves to know that it had been staggered in its charge towards Selia. But it was not enough to stop it completely. With a single punch, the beast began to shred away the foam til it broke free and made contact with Selia and slammed into her stomach. Blood splurted from her mouth as she was pushed a few feet back from the Minotaur and felt one of her ribs crack. The Minotaur used it's giant warhammer to swipe away the remaining foam before focusing on Selia, not noticing the smell of oil that covered his fur. For the entire battlefield smelled of oil from Zeke's earlier's escapades. Right when the creature raised his Warhammer for another charge at the Blind swordswoman was when Coby threw the bomb.

The entire party was briefly blinded by the flash of light. But they could use their sense of hearing to know the kind of effect it had on the Minotaur. A Squeal so shrill and piercing that it became physically painful to listen to. They then felt the earth beneath them tremor over and over again as the Minotaur erupted into a temper tantrum and slammed it's Warhammer into the ground over and over again.

When they had regained their sight. They finally saw the damage that had been done. Half of its fur had been burned away, revealing the pinkish white skin containing the massive bulk of bones, muscle, and fat. The remaining fur was smoldering and blackened with soot. Its right eye was damaged and closed shut with a trickle of blood oozing out. Most noticeable was it's right horn, which now was severely cracked.

As Sten shoots the crossbow, the beast merely raises his hand, caked blood covering the stumps where Jeanna had earlier slice off its fingers. As the bolt penetrates the palm, the Minotaur closes his remaining three fingers into a fist and breaks the bolt in half. Then with both hands it begins to swing wildly at Jeanna. The long reach of the Warhammer made it difficult for the warrior to get closer for an attack, but at the very least she managed to evade most of it's arching swings with simple ducks and rolls. But after a few moments of this dangerous dance it caught her off guard when it step in to her space rather than taking another swing. It lowered it's horns and rushed forward, aiming directly at her chest. Jeanna didn't know if she could roll out in time.

Then Jeanna felt the rush of a crossbow bolt fly only a few inches past her head, it's speed and power was unreal. No crossbow short of a damn ballista could manage something like that. But that was the power of Erin's magic as the wind and air she conjured up shot Henry's crossbow and gave it such a spin that one could briefly see it slice through the air. Red and purple blood splashed over Jeanna's face as the bolt pushed into the Minotaur's left eye and lodged itself deep into its skull.

It moan and screamed as it's ramming course towards Jeanna wavered in its target. The horns raised ever so slightly and instead of the heart, the cracked horned ripped into Jeanna's shoulder. Tearing up the muscle before the damaged horn itself broke off and rolled off of Jeanna's wound and onto the ground. Jeanna amidst the pain found her chance and swung at the Minotaur's knee. The remaining fur and muscle was too thick to slice it off completely. But as the Minotaur stumbled towards the ground and gave out a loud mewl in pain, it found itself unable to stand on its now crippled leg or else risked it folding in on itself and collapsing completely.

Though it wouldn't matter for too long. As it attempted to raise itself up with its warhammer, Balton's toss of weapons for the most part bounce harmlessly off the creature's tough hide. But one lucky throw of a longsword sliced and embedded itself in the Minotaur's throat. The creature's eyes rolled back behind it's head as it grabbed the sword pulled it out of the gaping wound. Causing blood to spray all over the ground beneath it. It's once loud roar was now replaced by a low gurgle as it collapsed and mewled out its last breath. Soon it was nothing but a carcass. The battle was over and they had won.



Benedict stumbled out of the forest, his estoc still in hand. He motioned for Renvar to follow him as he hobbled over to where Zeke has been left. Before the magician could utter a word. Benedict kicked him in the stomach. Zeke hunched over and tried in vain to crawl away only for Benedict to kick him again in the rib, and again on the other side. Finally after a series of kicks, he ended the brutal affair with one final kick to the groin. Zeke was now sobbing uncontrollably as he tried to shield his body with his badly bruised arms.

"That was for lighting me on fire" Benedict said coldly as he pushed Zeke over with his foot. The knight pointed to Renvar.

"Now you're going to tell my friend over there everything about your little scheme."

"W-why would I do that? You'll just kill me anyway" Zeke managed to sputter out. Benedict shook his head and knelt down, pressing his knee on Zeke's throat and putting all his weight on it til the mage could barely breath.

"That's a fair point. But you get to choose whether or not he slowly spreads your remains all over the woods until you give us what we want." At this point, Zeke could no longer breathe and was clawing at Benedict's knee to give his windpipes relief.

"Or you can just answer his questions nicely and we'll move on from there." Zeke's face, now turning bright red, could only weakly nod when Benedict released his knee. Causing Zeke to gasp for air and throw up over himself. The sight disgusted Benedict and he spat on the mage before turning towards Renvar

"Sten. Get everything out of him. Everything. Afterwards, If he's been a good boy, end it quick and without a mess. We have wounded to take care of, so get this over with quickly if you can."

Benedict limped over to the rest of the group and slightly grimaced. He had lost one person and at least three people were badly wounded. He first went over to Jeanna's. That gaping shoulder wound was the most serious out of the three.

"By Demons you're tough. You took an awful beating. Balton!" the knight called "If you have any bandages on you bring them over here and wrap her up before Sten can heal her."

He then took another look at the wound and frowned "Once Sten patches you up you should be fine, but you'll need rest. You'll have to relax for the rest of the night."

He then moves over to Selia and presses his fingers on her stomach. When she flinches he knew she had damaged her ribs. Dammit, Sten was going to have a lot of work to do tonight.

He moved over to Erin and Henry and pulled them both up to their feet and first turned his attention to Erin, putting a friendly hand on her should and giving her a warm smile.

"That was fabulous work Erin. I'll need you to rest up and use your magic to help build some shelter. We'll be staying here for the night. Henry. I know you're wounded but I'll need you to come with me down into their cavern and see what's inside. I'll have Sten patch you up later. We shouldn't have any resistance down there anyway."

He then looked upwards to Coby, still high up in that tree.

"Coby, scout around the perimeter and kill any stragglers that are around. Also look for Otto and make sure he's alright... but don't wander too far from the campsite." With a plan set in motion, Benedict and Henry descended into deep into the mountain of the cavern.

It truly was a dark, wet, and miserable little place. It was no wonder that so many of the bandits had built shanty houses outside rather than living down here. Plus there was also the added bonus of the constant smell of oil, likely from Zeke hoarding all of it for his magic. Even though the main path of the cavern was lit by torches, both men were wounded and their limping made it more likely to trip and stumble over the cracks and loose stones on their path.

They passed the pen used to house the Minotaur, the rusty chain that held the door closed had been smashed and shattered. Benedict shook his head. The morons. Did they really think something so flimsy could have kept out a beast like that? As Benedict peered inside, he saw the chewed remains of the bandit that Zeke had ordered dragged down to serve as the Minotaur's lunch. His face had been chewed off and his leg twisted and ripped off. The smell made Benedict cover his mouth and gag and they quickly moved on. He was happy he had been smart enough to ask Erin to help build a shelter. No way would Benedict permit anyone to sleep down here in this shit-hole.

After around 15 minutes of wandering the Cavern, Benedict was getting noticeably irritable. Not a single weapon, or clue as to where they went or why they were stolen! Benedict hoped Sten would have better luck with Zeke.

"Dammit!" Benedict said to Henry, losing his patience. "This place is a dump with nothing in it!" He kicked a random wooden door and the thing shattered and then came the sound of metal clinging and clanging. Benedict looked at Henry and then peered inside the room. Only to let out a loud gasp.

Inside wasn't weapons... but gold. A lot of it. Piles and piles of it that must had been stolen from the caravans and dumped into this room to be sorted out later. While the site was something to behold. It brought up questions. Like if Zeke was working for someone, why wouldn't he give them the gold? Purposely hiding it? Maybe, but Zeke seemed too much of a coward for that kind of underhanded tactic. He turned back to Henry.

"Almost all of this Gold belongs to the Eastern Vulgo City-States or to Gyrus. We'll have to bury this cavern at some point til a group of Rangers can recover it at a later time."

Benedict picked up a coin and flipped it in Henry's direction.

"However, I wasn't expecting us to run into a Minotaur. That deserves a bonus to all of your pay. Take from here what you wish to carry, the others will take a share too. Then we'll blow the mouth of the cavern so it doesn't get ransacked."

As they emerged from the Cavern, it was pitch black outside and fully in the throes of the night. He turned to Henry and merely shrugged.

"I'm going to gather some wood to use as a fire. You wait for Sten to come around and take a look at that leg of yours." With that Benedict walked off towards the broken watch tower. For now it was time for the party to rest.

 

[Tempest]

Coby looks down at Benedict from their perch, their only acknowledgement that they heard him. They glance uncertainly down at Selia, wincing in pain before making to shimmy down, ignoring it as their clothes snagged and tore more and more. Coby looses a spitting hiss as their hand catches and is pricked by jagged splinters, drawing it in against their chest to nurse as they just let themselves fall the rest of the distance, landing deftly like a cat on three limbs.

The West Vulg assassin saunters up to Selia, shuffling awkwardly in their boots before shrugging off their pack and jacket. The scrawny assassin looks uncomfortable, leather braces along thier limbs ending with large hooks. Coby shakes out their coat, filled pockets jangling with odds and ends before they awkwardly drape it over Selia, holding up a finger. "Stay... Sten.... Care." Their eyes glance over Henry and Jeanna before back to Selia, their eyes glimmering as if near tears before they step back, half-bow at the waist and then abruptly turn and dart off for the woods.

Coby tips back their mask as they go, taking a deep breath and shuddering in the wake of the battle. Out of sight from the others, their feet slow until they move casually between the trees, reaching out and brushing their fingertips over the trees... the stripped bark, the splintered branches, the trampled foliage... it was not hard to see the path Otto had rampaged along. They raise their chin, swallowing as they place their fingers along their lips and looses a shrill whistle.

Coby received no response from the depths of the battered woods. Deeper into the woods she saw more evidence of the battle, though slaughter was probably a more apt term. Dozens upon dozens of bodies strewn about and ripped to pieces like they were the victims of an animal attack. Bones pierced and jutted out of stretched and broken skin. A tree had been torn out from the ground and smashed down hard on at least ten of the bandits, crushing them to death. It was sickening macabre scene of mindless butchery. The smell of blood and soiled clothes was enough to make one lightheaded.

Suddenly she saw him, how he appeared without her noticing was a mystery. But there he was, standing in the pitch of night surrounded by the corpses of people he had not just killed, but mutilated. Coby could see no sense of regret or remorse for this actions. No true human feelings other than that animal savagery. His little hand axe was still in his hand but had been worn down to the nub His entire body was coated in blood and saturated his hair and beard. That same smell of blood and piss seemed to be soaked into the man's very bones.

"That idiot knight sent you to find me? He should honestly be concerned with his own affairs." He began walking slowly to Coby, his eyes lazily staring into hers. He barely saw her as human, let alone a serious threat.

"Though you are an interesting one." Otto said with a grim tone to match his grisly appearance. "That mask of yours. Tell me brat, whose corpse did you pick that thing off of?"

A frown tugs at Coby's lips as their brows knit together, staring up at the monolith of a man. Seconds stretch on to hours as they study him... He was more than man... Or was it less... It was a blurry line, that was for certain. Coby huffs and tips their mask back down. "Teacher... gave, gift." Their eyes are steely upon Otto, "Who?"

"Teacher?" Otto asked, looking confused for a brief moment and raising his brows at Coby. Soon enough though, it all seemed to 'click' and Otto actually grinned. Though it was not inviting in the least. It was a blood thirsty, evil smile.

"Oh I see. You're actually one of his pets. I'm surprised to see one of you still alive, let alone out this far from home."

He quickly threw his own worn out hand ax on the ground and began to kick around the bodies lazily, looking for another weapon to replace the previous one.

"Let me guess, he took you under his wing, said some vague nonsense, gave you a knife and told you make sense of it. Then he crawled back to whatever gutter he slithered out from." His tone told Coby everything she needed to know. This man's opinion of her 'Teacher' was extremely low. Even insultingly so.

Coby stares at the butt thrown away, wringing their hands together, trying to ground themself. "He... No... No!... He helped..." Coby's breath was shallow, as if on the verge of panic, eyes darting along the ruined corpses. Hot tears begin to prickle along their cheeks. "Helped... Helping..." They close their eyes at the rapturous cacophony building in their skull, a pressure that there was no way to ease. They open them back up, staring hard at Otto, falling quiet again. "Cloak... No, robes... North road..." they swallow, wetting their tongue, coughing at the strain, "Fort Sorto... Following?"


"Helped? That idiot really should start a--" He stopped mid sentence when he heard robes. His eyes widened, and strangely he looked genuinely afraid, but also incredibly happy at the same time. Whichever one was more prevalent was impossible to decipher. Before could react Otto had her by the collar, pulling her up to his blood soaked face.

"You moron. Your teacher didn't wear robes. He wore a black cloak with a fur trim. I don't care about your teacher of shadows." He brought her face closer to his. She could smell the rank, rotting breath on his lips.

"Where did you hear that? Where did you hear about the Master of Pain?"

The assassin was trembling, their eyes wide... in shock, fear, they were not sure. They gasp out, "Lys-der! Lys... an... der!" They try not to inhale too deeply, shaking, "Know. I know! Not, Pa. Other!" Coby trembles, fighting meekly against Otto's great fists with crushing paws, trying to free themselves. "Lys..ander, Gyrus.. Scared, worried. Not forget." Coby finally gives up, allowing themself to ragdoll in the air, knowing the futility of fighting this man in this moment. Coby swallows, just whimpering and confused. "Who... are... you... Not-Otto?..."

The man let's go of Coby and she falls to the ground, he covers his face with one hand. Laughing. Chortling to himself. "That old King is scared huh? That's wonderful." He turns his back to Coby and begins to walk into the depths of the woods. "In that case I've wasted too much time here. Tell that bootlicker to not follow me. Or I'll kill all of you."

For the first time, Coby noticed the markings on the man's palms. Ancient Runes that had first been branded into his palms, and then the indentations later carved out. Coby could just barely read out what the runes said.

Blood.
​

Fire.​

He turned his head towards Coby one last time, the only thing that Coby could read in his eyes was pure, unyielding rage. The likes of which seemed to go out of its way to smother her very soul.

"I am Orthodir, the 8th Wandering Warlord," He said with a tone of extreme haughtiness and pride. For he knew the mere mention of such a name, and the mere existence of such a person would send the Continent into a frenzy the likes of which they hadn't seen in over thirty years. "I am one who follows his oath, and will kill the two who have broken it."

He did not suddenly disappeared, he walked further and further into the thick foliage and only then did his oppressive aura gradually simmer down in Coby's soul.

Coby stares after him, waiting for a time to ensure he was gone. When they were sure he would not turn back, they slump back, loosing a shuddering breath they had been holding. Orthodir... They clench their jaw, pushing themself back up and starts back to the debris of what was the encampment. They work their hands slowly, nervously as they consider what to do... what to say... Coby swallows, stopping at the edge of the forest and stares at Benedict, blood over them from where they had been gripped... where they had fallen.

Coby pulls off their mask altogether, fumbling with it in their grip as they walk past Benedict, voice croaking out with all of this... The flustered speech, the cloying smoke: "Dead... All dead... Ot...to, crushed... Trees," Coby mimes a tree falling over with their hand before slinking off and away, into the shade of the forest, visibly shaken still.

 

[BlueFlameNikku]

Henry was temporarily struck in awe at the power of that single crossbow bolt as it flew and impacted the beast's skull; even after the monster had been felled. His fingers had twitched in a nervous fashion but his facial expression showed a quick realization of astonishment. Maybe...just maybe not all magic is simply horrifying and nightmarish like the tales tell.

As he's helped up by Benedict along with Erin the knight jests..."It is just a scratch Benedict." before grunting in a fair bit of pain as he tried to keep as much weight off of that knee which still had the blade lodged between the armored plates. "I'm right with you." He'd reply to Sir Benedict about inspecting the caverns with him. But before he began following he stopped and turned slightly towards Erin at first with a guarded expression but softened for a moment as he nodded to her with a subtle smile. "Well done." Was all the knight said before about facing towards Benedict and following his lead, though with a bit of a limp in his step.

Henry would agree that is was simply foul down here from the smell to the rags to the pen but he kept his face guarded non the less and didn't complain much as he limped along with a limping Benedict. Before Sir Henry could respond to Benedict's outburst he shared a look and a surprised look on top of that as the gold was discovered. Henry agreed with Benedict on closing the cavern for later retrieval. "This is troubling. What kind of superior doesn't want spoils of gold." After catching the coin and hearing about the proposal of a bonus in the groups pay Henry casually smirked and swirled the coin between his metal gauntlet fingers. "No complaints here." The knight grabs himself a single full handful of the gold and weighs it in his hand before stowing it away in a pouch within his belongings. He knew the importance of having funds being a noble and all however much of this belonged to the kingdom of Gyrus and so most of it should be returned as such.

After emerging from the cavern Henry gives Benedict a reassuring nod as he watched him walk over to retrieve kindling for a fire. Henry on the other hand found the closest tree that was large enough to support his entire back and sat back against it. He stared around the camp at his allies for a moment before focusing back down at the blade in his knee, bits of blood slowly trickling though much of it was dried stained now against steel plates. He would go ahead and strip off his armor which took a few minutes and placed said pieces next to him against the tree. Although to complete this process he had to remove the knife himself which he knew well enough how to do. He took a leather strap from his armor and clench down on it with his teeth as he griped the blade's handle and with a low grunt unsheathed it from his flesh. With a few more gasps of annoyed pain the knight takes a thick bit of fabric from his sack and applied pressure to the wound with both hands atop the dark brown fabric which slowly turned a deeper color as the blood soaked in. He was by no means bleeding out and had everything under control as this was one of the primary skills a soldier is first trained in that wasn't combat. Now, he simply sat and waited for Sten to be finished with the more pressing wounded.

 

[Silvir]

Erin nodded mutedly at Benedict. Wouldn't be too hard to raise a decent cover to rest beneath.
But before the girl could turn to her task she noticed the knight look at her. Erin stiffened at his guarded expression that soon softened, his words those of praise not scorn. She stood still for a moment eyes fixed at him before she turned away to focus on her task.

The job took longer than it should have for someone in a forest with druidic powers. Erin struggled to remain focused on her task, with shaking hands that halted the work several times. Still rock and wood moved to create something akin to an open shack. A hollowed-out rock soon held fresh water and a fire pit was ready to be lit to warm the place up. Inside moss was thick and soft to rest upon for the weary party. It did not look like much to the world but it was the work of a druid. No bugs would bother them, rain would not leak through the roof and it would be hard to spot for anyone else nearing the place.

Finished the girl noticed the others returning. Benedict leaving to gather wood while the knight waited for treatment. Erin spun around to walk in another direction and spotted Jeanna, she turned again seeing Coby return. With a sense of being surrounded she simply sat down waiting for the rest to gather at their temporary resting place.

 

[gamer5]

"Fucking beast. My arm might be shit for weeks thanks to this. Fuck! Damn it!! Should have bought some damn heavy-duty healing items back in the capital."
She paused here as she heard Benedict mention some money in the cave. Using her unwounded arm she took out a small leather bag and shouted:
"Can anyone fill this with some of that bloody gold for me? I would do so myself, but I rather not risk fucking bleeding to death."

The Ragabash mercenary then took a glance at the wound and was a bit relived. The iron armor that protected her shoulder took the worst of the blow, although not enough to stop the Minotaur's charge from penetrating it and causing the wound. She dare not to think what damage would have been inflicted had she had only leather between the horn and her flesh.

 

[Grothnor]

A collab with @Slade

Following Sir Benedict's lead, Renvar watched as the knight claimed his duly earned vengeance against the bandit mage, sighing inwardly at the crude work his leader took and noted any work he may have to undo in order to properly interrogate Zeke. Not the windpipe, sir, he needs to be breathing to tell us anything. Once Sir Benedict had finished and issued Renvar his orders, he took a deep, almost rueful sigh. Fun before work? I'd prefer to do it the other way around and have some real fun with this sorry bastard, but orders are orders.

Renvar knelt down and gently patted Zeke on the cheek, "Come on then, up and at it." He spoke softly, gently lifting the man to an upright sitting position. "How are you feeling?"

Zeke rudely swatted the inquisitor's hand away as he rose from Benedict's blunt treatment of him earlier. He gave off an immense air of haughtiness and entitlement, despite living worse than a beggar in almost all respects. His clothes reeked of mold, dirt and musk, and that was before the battle where they now had splatters of blood and vomit on them. It was clear that bathing was a common practice for Zeke.

"I feel like my head and throat is on fire for starters" he said annoyingly. "Not my fault he was slow enough to get caught in my trap." he stated, referring to Benedict.

Ah, but who is a whose mercy now? Renvar thought. "I can make you feel a lot better-" Renvar fished a small, unlabeled vial out of his pack and held it for Zeke to see, though out of reach, "-If you can answer my questions."

Zeke spit on the ground and folded his arms. Rolling his eyes briefly before letting out a loud, condescending sigh.
"Ask away."

"I only need two answered: who and why. Though any details you can provide would be appreciated."

"I... I don't really know myself" Zeke stammered, "Originally I was with a merc group in the Eastern Vulgo. We had been contracted to take this iron mine from some other city. But the Captain was a brute, barely literate and hardly appreciative of my talents. He was also greedy, taking majority of the pay for himself while the rest of us got scraps"

Zeke swished around his mouth and a mixture of blood and saliva on the ground.

"So we all tied him up and threw him in a giant bonfire. Sadly all there is no money to be made looting the Eastern Vulgo country side. All the riches are behind the walled cities or mines. Which are guarded by soldiers. Stealing from peasants gave us nothing and soon it was looking like I was gonna be thrown in the next bonfire."

Zeke then clasped his hands together and began to twiddle his thumbs.

"Then we got approached by this mage, a real mage! Who came from one of the universities like me! He was dressed in all black with a thick black cape! He had this messy, stringy hair and an unshaven face with these ice cold blue eyes... He was the one who initially gave us the job. He wanted us to rob caravans heading to Gyrus along the Wild Lands path. But all he wanted was the weapons, he said we could keep any gold as long as every single weapon went to him. Every couple of weeks he'd show up to our encampment with a few wagons and maybe a dozen soldiers at best to collect what we had taken...he must been strong. To travel through these forests with so few soldiers"

Zeke looked up and Sten, suddenly nervous.

"I swear, he never told me his name. He kept to an alias that he made us all call him. Thunder."

Now as Zeke began to speak, Sten noticed that the mage was becoming less nervous, and more terrified. Not at the threat of being caught lying, but due in part to the story itself and the things Zeke must have seen.

"Then...Thunder didn't show up anymore. He was replaced by this other... man. He was tall and lean and handsome, with this short blonde hair. But he had this awful grin on his face all the time... at first we thought this guy was full of shit. Thunder never told us someone else would be coming instead. So I had about a dozen of my guys jump him. He didn't even have a weapon on him!

Zeke rubbed his forehead, shuddering at the memory.

"He didn't move a muscle, yet his body blinked out of existence and then... they were all dead. Broken necks and such. He wasn't even angry or anything...he was just...laughing...oh Demons that awful laugh."

Zeke paused to recollect his thoughts.

"He said he came to replace Thunder, who was apparently busy somewhere else. And that I was to be giving the shipments to him from now on. The man called himself...lightning. I had no choice but to hand everything over to him. Even if he was lying he would have been able to kill us all without thinking about it."

He stretched out his hand, waiting for Sten to put the vial in his hand. "I truly didn't know who they really were or what they wanted with the weapons. I just know they came in and out of Segell City, at Ragabash."

Satisfied with the answer, and with how well the unintended 'Good Guard, Bad Guard' routine with Sir Benedict went, Renvar nodded before uncorking the vial and handing it to Zeke. The bandit mage drank it greedily as Renvar watched with a growing smile. "It's a nerve-numbing tincture. It deadens the body to pain. Rather expensive, but I think you deserve it for that answer. With the dose I gave you, I don't think you'll be feeling anything for a few hours." Zeke could only look on with a dumb look as the serum took effect. His eyes wandered and lost focus sporadically as he struggled to comprehend everything Renvar was explaining. "Normally, I like to use this time to inflict lasting tortures, like skewering your fingers on metal spines, or cutting the hands open to expose the muscle. As it wears off, the pain grows, and grows, until it's unbearable. I offer them more tincture, reprieve from the pain in exchange for answers." Zeke stared dumbly to Renvar's side, utterly unable to comprehend the torturer's words anymore. "But you gave me everything I needed, so I think you deserve a treat." He leaned forward and ran his dagger across Zeke's throat, who simply smiled at the faint warming sensation running down his chest. "Besides, I have some work to do." Renvar finished, intently watching the life slowly drain from Zeke's face.