The Rescue of Traders or... Mmm, Pork!
When reports came flooding in that the Black Road forces had taken Misen a force was gathered and sent to the human settlement. While a fight rages on outside Addison and Aryn have been ordered off to take care of a problem within the Inn. Upon their entrance the situation can easily be determined. A firepit has been constructed in the center of the room and a human body is roasting on a spit. Two other humans are bound and gagged, having been left on the floor along one wall and forced to watch their comrade roast. There are three tainted weir guarding over the situation while it appears that a mangy, skinny wolf cub seems to be running the show. When Addison and Aryn burst in through the door everything stops and all attention turns to them.
The first thought that crossed Addison's mind when he stepped in the Inn was, "Pork sandwiches during war?" But then his eyes adjust to the dimness inside the Inn and the next thought is: ".... oh. Lovely." He starts heading across the floor of the Inn to the struggling men, clearly intending on saving them as quick as possible.
Aryn, rather than follow Addison, and being in wolf form, immediately decides to take on the mangy cub. She begins stalking toward him stiff-legged, lip lifted in challenge. It might be mere diversion, but it's certainly credible.
Two of the tainted weir step between Addison and the bound men, lifting rusty, but rather large and vicious, swords to bar his path. The third tainted weir, who just happened to be in wolf form, gets between Aryn and the mangy little cub snarls at Aryn in open challenge, drool hanging from it's maw full of yellow, spotted teeth.
Addison pulls Nex Fovi with a snicker-snack and turns his sword easily in his hand while he falls into a fighting position. He forgets the bound men for a moment and sizes up the two tainted weir. He says, "I killed a bunch of your friends the other night. And there were more of them than there were of you."
Aryn snarls, "Pitiful excuse for a Weir. You ought rather to drown yourself in the nearest pond than to let yourself be muzzled and brought to heel by the black road." Her teeth clip shut on that last word with a vicious *snap*.
The two human shaped tained weir that face Addison laugh after glancing to each other. "Apparently, brother, he ain't got a clue who we are." They begin circling around Addison in different directions but don't make any move to attack him yet. The other replies. "He don't," the other one drawls. "What would he say if he knew we were taught everything we know by Niklas?" the first says. "I bet he would shit his pants," the second says with a laugh. Meanwhile the snarling wolf blocking Aryn's path snarls more viciously. "Fallen Baksi should not lecture those stronger than her!" And with that it lunges forward, those rotting yellow teeth aiming straight for Aryn's throat.
Addison doesn't like fighting two equivalent assailants at once. If there are three or more, he can lure them in, get them to trip on each other, mow them down. One he is on equal toe-to-toe footing with. But two? Two means one can flank while the other can stab. Two means if he's open one will get him in the kidneys and kill him quick. He maneuvers himself so he can use tables, chairs, the wall of the Inn, anything to keep these two from flanking him. And he figures the bigger one is going to move first.
Aryn is not small and quick for no reason. Not to mention underestimated! She's also no longer the timid, cringing, surrendering Omega she was when she was Baksi. Oh, no. When the larger wolf lunges at her, she goes to duck under him, aiming for a foreleg while he gets the scruff of her neck instead of her throat. They go down scrabbling and snarling. Her snarl is high pitched, nearly a scream ....but panthers scream too, and nobody mistakes that for 'help me!'
Most would think the larger would attack first. The trick is, though, they both attack at the same time, rushing at Addison from opposite directions while brandishing their tetanus blades. They seem awfully slow, though. Aryn's assailant continues to snarl and bite at her but for the moment it seems as if the pair is locked in a stalemate. That cute little cub? The one with all the mange? It retreats under a table, watching with glistening red eyes.
Addison is very small and very compact, but he is a very technical fighter who does not spend much time on trying to be flashy. Instead he plays defense until there are openings. He fights like he is playing chess. The two of the Weir are large and slow. It leaves Addison the ability to duck under the one on the left and come up stabbing at the kidneys while kicking at the knees of the second one.
Aryn manages to break her opponent's foreleg before she is thrown bodily away, as a dog might throw a rat. She falls near the fire; there is a smell of burning hair. And she has lost enough hair lately without this! She yelps and leaps up, wisping smoke. But she also uses this sudden rush to charge at the cub under the table, almost as if at random, as if she wishes to join him under there in hiding.
There's a howl of pain as the smaller of the human-shaped weir has his kidneys scewered. He falls to the floor, blood gushing from his wounds as he twitches. This only angers the larger of the pair and causes him to rush at Addison with a war-like howl of his own. The wolf that Aryn has been wrestling with skitters across the floor until it regains it's balance then darts back toward the former Baksi. "You will die, Bitch!" it screeches.
Addison takes a step back and turns to the right as the one on the right rushes him. He leans back and leaves his leg out, enough so that he only takes a slight ranking across the arm but his opponent catches a knee in the solar plexus. He brings the pommel of his sword down hard on the back of the second one's head as he goes over Addison's knee and heads toward the floor.
Aryn has to halt her rush at the cub, or be bowled over. As it is, she only manages to meet it, fang to fang. Hers are whiter, prettier, and not the least bit tainted, but really, ew. The *breath* on her opponent. She is faster, and manages to make a slash across the other wolf's throat that will kill it, in a moment. The last moment is pretty awful though, as it doesn't stop fighting until the blood stops spraying in bright arterial gouts all over the room.
There's a loud crunching sound when the pommel of Addion's weapon comes down upon his opponent's head. Blood sprays upward as the blunt object breaks the tainted's head open. The slashed throat of the wolf causes it to hiss and spray blood not only from it's wound but from it's mouth as well. With the guardian's all dead the cub comes roaring from where it had been observing under a table. It tries to take advantage of having Aryn's flank, attacking her from behind.
Addison steps over the bodies of the fallen Weir without even looking back at them. Screw them. He has to ignore the smell of pork and the cooking man. Instead he heads to the two captives and makes to cut them loose and get them out of here while Aryn has the wolf occupied.
Aryn spins and tries to shake the cub from her flank. Now, she's actually larger than the cub, and presumably at least a little more experienced at fighting, but she's also been bashed around and is slower. So she manages to fling it off her once it gets a chomp into her side, by sheer centripetal force.
Ah, but this cub is no ordinary cub. It fights with the rage of the Taint, it's eyes glowing red. When it's flung away it regroups quickly, lowering to snarl at Aryn. "You will all die," it says upon a growl. "Why resist?" And then with that it lunges forward again, lightning quick as it goes for Aryn's throat. The captives, once freed, begin showering Addison with thanks. One even promises him riches beyond his imagination.
Addison does not need riches beyond imagination. What he needs is for these men to get out of here. He quietly but very sternly orders them out the back door of the Inn. Then he turns to help Aryn in her fight, if he can get in a clean shot without hitting Aryn.
Aryn ducks and rolls, with a scream of rage. "LIGHT TAKE YOU!" are the words, but since when does anybody curse with light? The cub and she merge in a terrible flurry of teeth and fur (its fur mangy and patchy, hers velvetty-short and burned on her back) and light that might be from the fire still roasting the dead man on the spit, and might be from her, or might not exist at all.
There's an ear drum piercing as blood begins flying from the tangle of baksi and tainted. When the group falls to the floor again the cub's body begins to dissolve into a bubbling, smoking goo.
Addison has Nex Fovi at ready but he is damn well not going to stuff it into a pile of bubbling goo. He breathes heavily once, twice, and then says, "I am going to search the Inn." And he starts to do precisely that while ignoring the smell of cooking flesh.
Aryn drags herself out of the ickiness, then shakes...well, like a dog. She's sustained some nasty lacerations other bloodinesses in the fighting. She doesn't seem to notice them yet. She staggers after Addison.
The liquifying body of the cub desolifies into a mass of smoking, hissing protoplasm that corrodes the wooden floorboards until it drips through. The rest of the Inn appears to be clear. The sounds of fighting outside grow louder though, more voices yelling.
Addison looks Aryn over to make sure she can go outside. He says, "There's nothing else in here. We need to join the others outside. I can hear the fighting."
Aryn's ears flatten, but the teeth bare too, so it's a readiness to keep fighting and not a desire to hide under the table. "Open the door then, and I will go first."
Addison opens the door for Aryn and peers out the door himself.
The first thought that crossed Addison's mind when he stepped in the Inn was, "Pork sandwiches during war?" But then his eyes adjust to the dimness inside the Inn and the next thought is: ".... oh. Lovely." He starts heading across the floor of the Inn to the struggling men, clearly intending on saving them as quick as possible.
Aryn, rather than follow Addison, and being in wolf form, immediately decides to take on the mangy cub. She begins stalking toward him stiff-legged, lip lifted in challenge. It might be mere diversion, but it's certainly credible.
Two of the tainted weir step between Addison and the bound men, lifting rusty, but rather large and vicious, swords to bar his path. The third tainted weir, who just happened to be in wolf form, gets between Aryn and the mangy little cub snarls at Aryn in open challenge, drool hanging from it's maw full of yellow, spotted teeth.
Addison pulls Nex Fovi with a snicker-snack and turns his sword easily in his hand while he falls into a fighting position. He forgets the bound men for a moment and sizes up the two tainted weir. He says, "I killed a bunch of your friends the other night. And there were more of them than there were of you."
Aryn snarls, "Pitiful excuse for a Weir. You ought rather to drown yourself in the nearest pond than to let yourself be muzzled and brought to heel by the black road." Her teeth clip shut on that last word with a vicious *snap*.
The two human shaped tained weir that face Addison laugh after glancing to each other. "Apparently, brother, he ain't got a clue who we are." They begin circling around Addison in different directions but don't make any move to attack him yet. The other replies. "He don't," the other one drawls. "What would he say if he knew we were taught everything we know by Niklas?" the first says. "I bet he would shit his pants," the second says with a laugh. Meanwhile the snarling wolf blocking Aryn's path snarls more viciously. "Fallen Baksi should not lecture those stronger than her!" And with that it lunges forward, those rotting yellow teeth aiming straight for Aryn's throat.
Addison doesn't like fighting two equivalent assailants at once. If there are three or more, he can lure them in, get them to trip on each other, mow them down. One he is on equal toe-to-toe footing with. But two? Two means one can flank while the other can stab. Two means if he's open one will get him in the kidneys and kill him quick. He maneuvers himself so he can use tables, chairs, the wall of the Inn, anything to keep these two from flanking him. And he figures the bigger one is going to move first.
Aryn is not small and quick for no reason. Not to mention underestimated! She's also no longer the timid, cringing, surrendering Omega she was when she was Baksi. Oh, no. When the larger wolf lunges at her, she goes to duck under him, aiming for a foreleg while he gets the scruff of her neck instead of her throat. They go down scrabbling and snarling. Her snarl is high pitched, nearly a scream ....but panthers scream too, and nobody mistakes that for 'help me!'
Most would think the larger would attack first. The trick is, though, they both attack at the same time, rushing at Addison from opposite directions while brandishing their tetanus blades. They seem awfully slow, though. Aryn's assailant continues to snarl and bite at her but for the moment it seems as if the pair is locked in a stalemate. That cute little cub? The one with all the mange? It retreats under a table, watching with glistening red eyes.
Addison is very small and very compact, but he is a very technical fighter who does not spend much time on trying to be flashy. Instead he plays defense until there are openings. He fights like he is playing chess. The two of the Weir are large and slow. It leaves Addison the ability to duck under the one on the left and come up stabbing at the kidneys while kicking at the knees of the second one.
Aryn manages to break her opponent's foreleg before she is thrown bodily away, as a dog might throw a rat. She falls near the fire; there is a smell of burning hair. And she has lost enough hair lately without this! She yelps and leaps up, wisping smoke. But she also uses this sudden rush to charge at the cub under the table, almost as if at random, as if she wishes to join him under there in hiding.
There's a howl of pain as the smaller of the human-shaped weir has his kidneys scewered. He falls to the floor, blood gushing from his wounds as he twitches. This only angers the larger of the pair and causes him to rush at Addison with a war-like howl of his own. The wolf that Aryn has been wrestling with skitters across the floor until it regains it's balance then darts back toward the former Baksi. "You will die, Bitch!" it screeches.
Addison takes a step back and turns to the right as the one on the right rushes him. He leans back and leaves his leg out, enough so that he only takes a slight ranking across the arm but his opponent catches a knee in the solar plexus. He brings the pommel of his sword down hard on the back of the second one's head as he goes over Addison's knee and heads toward the floor.
Aryn has to halt her rush at the cub, or be bowled over. As it is, she only manages to meet it, fang to fang. Hers are whiter, prettier, and not the least bit tainted, but really, ew. The *breath* on her opponent. She is faster, and manages to make a slash across the other wolf's throat that will kill it, in a moment. The last moment is pretty awful though, as it doesn't stop fighting until the blood stops spraying in bright arterial gouts all over the room.
There's a loud crunching sound when the pommel of Addion's weapon comes down upon his opponent's head. Blood sprays upward as the blunt object breaks the tainted's head open. The slashed throat of the wolf causes it to hiss and spray blood not only from it's wound but from it's mouth as well. With the guardian's all dead the cub comes roaring from where it had been observing under a table. It tries to take advantage of having Aryn's flank, attacking her from behind.
Addison steps over the bodies of the fallen Weir without even looking back at them. Screw them. He has to ignore the smell of pork and the cooking man. Instead he heads to the two captives and makes to cut them loose and get them out of here while Aryn has the wolf occupied.
Aryn spins and tries to shake the cub from her flank. Now, she's actually larger than the cub, and presumably at least a little more experienced at fighting, but she's also been bashed around and is slower. So she manages to fling it off her once it gets a chomp into her side, by sheer centripetal force.
Ah, but this cub is no ordinary cub. It fights with the rage of the Taint, it's eyes glowing red. When it's flung away it regroups quickly, lowering to snarl at Aryn. "You will all die," it says upon a growl. "Why resist?" And then with that it lunges forward again, lightning quick as it goes for Aryn's throat. The captives, once freed, begin showering Addison with thanks. One even promises him riches beyond his imagination.
Addison does not need riches beyond imagination. What he needs is for these men to get out of here. He quietly but very sternly orders them out the back door of the Inn. Then he turns to help Aryn in her fight, if he can get in a clean shot without hitting Aryn.
Aryn ducks and rolls, with a scream of rage. "LIGHT TAKE YOU!" are the words, but since when does anybody curse with light? The cub and she merge in a terrible flurry of teeth and fur (its fur mangy and patchy, hers velvetty-short and burned on her back) and light that might be from the fire still roasting the dead man on the spit, and might be from her, or might not exist at all.
There's an ear drum piercing as blood begins flying from the tangle of baksi and tainted. When the group falls to the floor again the cub's body begins to dissolve into a bubbling, smoking goo.
Addison has Nex Fovi at ready but he is damn well not going to stuff it into a pile of bubbling goo. He breathes heavily once, twice, and then says, "I am going to search the Inn." And he starts to do precisely that while ignoring the smell of cooking flesh.
Aryn drags herself out of the ickiness, then shakes...well, like a dog. She's sustained some nasty lacerations other bloodinesses in the fighting. She doesn't seem to notice them yet. She staggers after Addison.
The liquifying body of the cub desolifies into a mass of smoking, hissing protoplasm that corrodes the wooden floorboards until it drips through. The rest of the Inn appears to be clear. The sounds of fighting outside grow louder though, more voices yelling.
Addison looks Aryn over to make sure she can go outside. He says, "There's nothing else in here. We need to join the others outside. I can hear the fighting."
Aryn's ears flatten, but the teeth bare too, so it's a readiness to keep fighting and not a desire to hide under the table. "Open the door then, and I will go first."
Addison opens the door for Aryn and peers out the door himself.