[Nexus] Outside XXX

[Mr. Moon]

The Fall of Thessoloniki

Blood didn't drip from Mallod's twin vampire scimitars, even as they blurred through the air. Instead, it seeps into the very metal of the blade and all but vanishes. They growl in hunger as Mallod sinks them into the flesh of the soldiers that continue to storm towards her. One bites into the jugular of a soldier to her left. A low pitched gurgle escapes the wound and he falls to the ground. The other severs the arm of another soldier even as he raises it to strike at her. He falls, screaming, clutching his lifeless stump. As he screams on the ground, Mallod has a brief respite to asses the situation. The crowd of soldiers had separated her from Tavish, but she could still hear screams as the older Sabertooth's glaive held off the invaders. The invaders had arrived at the castle ene masse - Mallod couldn't see an end to them. Her back was pressed against the gate. While it negated the possibility of flanking, it still made Mallod nervous. She had nowhere to fall back to.

The respite ends as the next wave of soldiers pours in. Mallod raises one of her scimitars in time to parry a blow, swings the other to gut a soldier. Two more close in to take their fallen comrade's place. Mallod parries another blow, and then another, but one slips past. A sword clangs against her helmet, causing her to stagger to the side. The other two take advantage of this to strike in, driving their swords and bayonets into the gaps of her armour. Pain blossoms as the points drive through the mail, through the leather padding below, and into her flesh. She cries out in pain, lifting her swords to knock the blows away. Blood leaks out of her armour as she swings again, but this time her swords are easily dodged and deflected. A soldier lifts his rifle, jabbing his bayonette towards her eyeslot.

****

Moon Called waits, crouching in the shadow of an alleyway, as a platoon of guards marches past her. The invaders had taken the city days ago. She hadn't seen Mallod or Tavish since Thessoloniki had fallen - they'd had to
fall back and escape the city when the castle fell. Sevran, badly injured in the fight, had been taken to a hospital. Keval was waiting with him. Under the cover of night, clad in black leather armour and wielding a shortsword in place of her usual greatsword, Moon Called had snuck into the city to search for Tavish and Mallod. So far, she hadn't had much luck. She'd managed to steal a map and had been searching the slums so far, in case they had tried to hide out there. No luck. Now, she was moving on to the prisons in case the two of them had surrendered or been defeated.

The guards pass by. Moon Called waits to make sure they're gone before she scurries out, crossing the road and ducking into an alley on the opposite side, between two hotels. There's a fire escape bolted to the side of one. Moon Called glances up, but frowns. It didn't go up to the roof-top. She'd have to stick to the ground.

That was fine. She was getting close.

****

An hour and a half later, Moon Called was skulking in the shadows behind a large, make-shift prison. It was really just another hotel, filled with civilians who had fought back and traitorous guards. Moon Called sneaks around it until she finds a fire escape leading to the top floor. Waiting until there's no-one to see her, she swiftly climbs to the top and slips through the window. Slowly, she makes her way from room to room, making her way downstairs but looking for signs of her comrades as she goes. When she finds her path blocked by a patrolling guard, she finds another route or stabs him from behind if she has no other choice.

On one of the guards she killed, Moon Called managed to find a ledger. Frantically, she flips through the pages as she searches for a familiar name.
There it is! Drastasri, Tavish, room 572. The ice elf frowns - that was two floors above her. Leaving the ledger behind, Moon Called makes her way up.

Soon enough, she arrives outside the door. With a grunt of effort, she slams her shoulder against it. With a thud, it bursts inwards. Tavish is laying on a narrow but comfortable looking bed, and lifts her head as Moon Called storms in. The two meet eyes, and Tavish sits up.
"They took my weapons."
"You can get more. Where's Mallod?"

Tavish bows her head, falling silent. Moon Called's stomach sinks as she realizes.
"We can't mourn her if they catch us and kill us too. Let's go."

****

Days and miles away, the four remaining Sabertooths stand assembled around a pile of wood. Sevran holds a torch in both hands, head bowed. Moon Called places a hand on his shoulder, nodding softly.
"Mallod Serrisi dos terevalt nox te loiya. Ker lamos tel kreyata fal-raoo. Ker dos Xun eta vax, kemala ferras."

Sevran lowers the torch, touching the hungry flames to the pile of wood. Soon, the pyre begins to burn huge and bright. Sevran and Moon Called stand close to each other - after a few moments, Sevran puts his arm around her shoulders and holds her close. Keval and Tavish stand across from them, their hands clasped together.

The moon and stars shine above them, obscured by clouds of white-grey smoke.

[UncleWolf]

Crash Site

There aren't any pictogram instructions on the hatch, but after a while, there's a beeping and hissing sound as the pod de-pressurizes. Momentarily, the hatch swings open on it's own. Standing inside is a moderately tall woman with short red hair. Her skin is fair, but heavily freckled from what Cole can see under her once-sharp green uniform. Edda is missing her hat unfortunately and has a bruise forming from her Captain's blow. In her hand is a small stunner which she keeps trained on the entrance. She's not aiming it at Cole as she's momentarily blinded by the bright sunlight.

It's a wonder she isn't deaf from her heavily accented cursing as well.

Forest

The dog gives a whimper of acknowledgement before moving closer to the Wolf-girl for help, but while it is quite a bit more intelligent than the average dog, it doesn't provide any more information than the warning. She'll see that the cut is deep and digs into the flesh, but it didn't hit anything too important.

[happyturtle]

Crash Site

When her eyes adjust, she'll see a teenage boy who looks younger than his actual age of 16, and a massive dog.

"Ma'am, are you hurt?" Cole asks.

[Mina Kobold]

[Gnoll Battlefield]

AM4 enters a defencive stance, but the arm is clearly not fit for defending against the natural weaponry of an angered Gnoll. A few blows, sending quakes through the machinaton, finally causes it to be teared off.

However Kremiir might be just ever so slightly off balance from the sudden lack of resistance. Luckily for the machinaton, using such an opening is fully within the protocol of battle.


AM4 aims a boxing punch at Kremiir's ribs, aiming to further hinder the Gnoll's movements.
While the punch is not as powerful as before, it might still bend or break a rib.

[orb_of_blood]

[Lairan dragon caves]

Pyrus looks up at the dragon timidly. He feared the dragon, but who wouldn't be afraid of a massive wyrm? He slowly adjusts his glasses before speaking slowly.Er...no Mr. Dragon sir...Kestrel just wanted me to introduce myself to you...I'm her friend...Kinda... He looks very nervous.

"So, you feel that entering the cave of an unknown dragon at the whim of someone you are 'kinda' friends with is not at all dangerous?" His tone is soft, and it's clear he does not think very much of Pyrus. Although, judging by intelligence, age and fear is unfair of him, as Lathe had come to him a full-grown idiot, pathetically afraid of water, and he'd taken him in all the same.

[Eadin]

[Forest]

"This one is definitely not native to the forest." Magena says as she cleans the wound with a piece of her cloak, before applying some healing leaves to the wound.
"The wound looks far too big to be made by any of the creatures here."
When she's done, she'll morph back to wolf form. "We should keep moving. Something's out there that's not supposed to be here, and I don't want to meet it." Dog thingy probably already did.
She'll motion to the dog to follow them if it wishes.

[Reinholdt]

[Forest]

"Is it going to be ok?" Reinholdt asks, following Magena's lead. That did seem like an awful wound.

[Hattish Thing]

[Lairan dragon caves]



"So, you feel that entering the cave of an unknown dragon at the whim of someone you are friends with is not at all dangerous?" His tone is soft, and it's clear he does not think very much of Pyrus. Although, judging by intelligence, age and fear is unfair of him, as Lathe had come to him a full-grown idiot, pathetically afraid of water, and he'd taken him in all the same.

Pyrus resists the urge to growl at the dragon.No. I trust Kestrel. She's my friend. I thought she needed to visit you. That's done. I wish to go now. I don't like you.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[The Fall of Thessaloniki - Bathhouse Aftermath]

Wounded, but still alive...

Leeh had never felt so miserable in his life.

The fight with the wyvern had been fierce, and he'd have been dead for sure if not for the master swordsman fighting alongside him. The redirected grenade had created the hole in they wyvern's defences they needed to kill the beast, but it was still no easy task beating the damn thing.

***

Perhaps it would've been better if that swordsman hadn't been there, then. In his rage, Leeh would've tried to fight the wyvern anyway. He'd have been dead for sure that way.

After the beast had finally gone down, Leeh didn't stick around to talk. Not even a quick thank you to the swordsman. He'd wanted to get straight into the fighting somewhere else, hoping that, if nothing else, perhaps a lucky shot would do him in.

But it didn't take him long to discover that the defenders had lost, the city had been taken. Trying anything now would be foolish. They'd most likely just take him alive and interrogate him, which wouldn't be particularly helpful...for anyone really...he didn't know anything of importance, and they probably wouldn't kill him.

Instead, Leeh had silently stumbled his way down a quiet alley, ducked behind some sort of rubbish contained, and sat there. He'd taken his pistol out and silently pointed it at his head. Unable to work up the nerve to actually pull the trigger though, he'd simply sat there crying through the night.

*****

Come the morning, Leeh shakily got to his feet. His body ached and moving sent searing bursts of pain through his body. Nothing fatal though, sadly. His shapeshifting powers made escaping the city relatively easy. After all as a blob oozing about it is rather easy to slither through places that people simply can't get to.

And so, with his latest attempt unsuccessful, Claudius discarded the persona he'd created, tossing Leeh's appearance and clothing aside and returning to a more comfortable form. Perhaps if the city had held, he'd have been some sort of hero? Not that he'd want the attention.

Not even a war zone could kill him, it'd seem. With a horrible feeling that perhaps he's doomed to never die, Claudius sighs and resumes his slow walk back towards Inside.

[Artemis97]

[Forest]

"Are you sure we shouldn't go after it? Wait, what am I saying? Let's find this tribe and be done with it." Raril supresses an odd need for heroics and focuses on the task ahead of them.

[UncleWolf]

Forest

The dog gives just the tiniest of whimpers when his wound is bandaged, but doesn't growl or take an aggressive stance. When the party moves on, he follows alongside the Wolf-girl, seemingly possessive already.

[Eadin]

[Forest]

"Nothing vital was hit, I cleaned and protected it. It'll best heal by itself."
Magena seems to enjoy the company of the dog thingy. More friends is good!

She's about to respond to Raril when she hears something.
Too late for a warning though, as suddenly a tree comes hurling at them!
Look out!

[Reinholdt]

[Forest]

An entire tree? Hope it's not a redwood.

"Watch out!" Reinholdt shouts, diving to one side.

[Hattish Thing]

The Fall of Thessalonki

Marciano had seemingly dissapeared after the battle. In reality, the halfling had seen Dipsnig or heard he was around. The halfling instantly bolted from the battle and abandoned Thessalonki to whatever fate it had.

[orb_of_blood]

[Lairan dragon caves]

Pyrus resists the urge to growl at the dragon.No. I trust Kestrel. She's my friend. I thought she needed to visit you. That's done. I wish to go now. I don't like you.

Draaxar chuckles slightly. "You would turn away from me? Not a very good idea." His tail lashes down behind Pyrus, creating a very effective barrier between him and his escape route. "Let's get something straight. You are hers and she is mine, which makes you less than nothing to me, and yet I still own you. Following?"

Whether Pyrus answers or not, he continues. "And yet, out of the goodness of my heart, I'm letting you into my lair. Take Kestrel Vivilandra, what do I care? It's obvious enough that you, heh, enjoy her company. I am warning you however, for your own safety, not to go poking around down here. You won't like what you find."

[Hattish Thing]

Lairan Caves

Pyrus growls now. Kestrel is a better person then you'll ever be. She's a wonderful woman. You're just a big red bully! I will do what I wish! Of course, Pyrus was lying. Draxxar scared him.

[orb_of_blood]

[Lairan dragon caverns]

"I'm trying to keep you both alive!" Roars Draaxar, and the cave quakes in fear.

Small patters of feet in the tunnel, that stop just before the turn into the cave. "Draaxar?" A young woman's voice.

"There's no problem, Child." He answers, his voice softening. "Go back to your cave."

When he's satisfied Misha has left, he turns back and glares at Pyrus. "I reccomend you listen to me. Don't go poking around. That woman out there would be more than happy to kill you."

[Hattish Thing]

Lairan Caves

Pyrus trembles in fear for a second before replying. Keeping us safe from what? Our only threat is you! No one would gladly kill someone. There is never a reason to take anothers life.

[orb_of_blood]

[Lairan dragon caves]

Draaxar cranes his neck down so his nose is inches from Pyrus' face. The heat off his scales is awful, and his hot breath probably isn't helping. "What do you think dragons eat, Little Human?"

[Murska]

Fall of Thessaloniki

Defenders

Death...

The first ambush had been quite successful. Several squads of the enemy and two armoured vehicles had been eliminated with only a single casualty, before they'd withdrawn. The next ambush location had been more hastily prepared, in a worse location and facing a more cautious foe - as hostile firepower began to take it's toll, the squad retreated with one corpse and two wounded in tow.

The third location was a very good one, though away from the direct path of enemy approach and so less useful. However, just as they had prepared to fight the anti-air network had gone offline. Predictably, as soon as their location was discovered their position turned untenable as precision airstrikes began levelling the buildings they were using for cover. Wave after wave of enemy groundpounders did not help, and unit cohesion was soon lost.

The radio officer, having lost or destroyed all his equipment save a sidearm, and the sniper who had been separated from the group after his building had collapsed on him were the only two members to surrender to the occupying troops. No-one knew if anyone else got away.

Urban Combat Assault Specialists

The operation had been a remarkable success for the squad. Though the camp they'd left on the APC was attacked afterwards by enemy commandoes, they were already breaching the wall as that report came in and couldn't turn back to assist. Instead, they entered the city in the second wave through a recent breach in the wall and commandeered a tank to give them the opportunity to blast past the disarrayed enemy defensive line.

Once in the city, they had disembarked and annihilated their own vehicle, quite against the will of the officers but necessary, as it were, to stay hidden. After destroying several small-value targets of opportunity in their way, the two half-groups reached their primary objectives, AA-hubs that were preventing CAS in the area. Eliminating the opposition with only one casualty in team Spark, they disabled the guns.

The rest of their battle was spent in minor combative action, staying out of the way of any large concentrations of the defenders, until the offensive caught up with them and they could join the Legions again. They were among the troops storming the Palace.

With great honours, the squad departed to rest for a few days before the next mission arrived.

[Hattish Thing]

[Lairan dragon caves]

Draaxar cranes his neck down so his nose is inches from Pyrus' face. The heat off his scales is awful, and his hot breath probably isn't helping. "What do you think dragons eat, Little Human?"

Pyrus is sweating profusely. His shirt clings tightly to his body. His eyes widen and he trembles in fear. He wanted Kestrel. He wanted to feel safe. Please don't hurt me! I just want Kestrel...please... He's almost in tears. There was no way oit...it was so hot! He was very afraid.

[orb_of_blood]

[Lairan dragon caverns]

Draaxar sighs heavily, a final woosh breath almost hot enough to incinerate a critter, and then he's withdrawing, the tail snaking back and out of Pyrus' way. "Then go. I told her I would not hurt you, and I won't. But as a human, you're out of place here. Watch your step."

He turns his back on the human, swings to his knees, and drops his head. Pyrus is free to leave.

[Hattish Thing]

Lairan Caves

Pyrus's skin turns a red color as he sweats. He was sunburned by Draxxar. He stares for a minute before running off to find Kestrel. Though its very possible he could get lost.

[orb_of_blood]

[Lairain Dragon Caves]

Pyrus leaves the cave, returning back to the juncture of all other tunnels. And that's as far as he gets before...

A quietly hummed tune, a soft giggle.

“A human?”

Misha's reclining on a ledge of rock to the left of the blue cave. Her pale skin covered in droplets of shining clear water, her insanely long red hair slicked down and covering her near completely – which is likely a good thing as she doesn't look as though she's wearing anything, and she does look as though she's...

A mermaid? The soft, vaguely blue scale patterns on her legs seem to serve no purpose whatsoever. Yet while she is lacking in the usual long, sleek tail, her long webbed fingers (ending in claws similar to Kestrel's) and strange slit sapphire eyes, not to mention those gills on her neck, speak of time spent underwater.

But she's not a mermaid. She's a siren. And anyone who can tell the difference between the two would not be pleased to meet Misha, no matter how beautiful her fox-red hair is, or how that ivory skin seems to shine in the darkness.

She flashes a charming grin at Pyrus as he walks out of the red dragon's lair. “It's a pleasure to meet you, darling. It's been a while since I've had a human so close.”

[Hattish Thing]

Lairan Cave

Pyrus looks confused. He heard that voice in the cave. He blushes as his eyes wash over her body.He blinks before speaking. Er...hello? Where's Kestrel?

[orb_of_blood]

[Gnoll battlefield]

Kale:
“Kale!” Sleet can't sit there quietly any more. The sight of red spreading out from the deep set of new claw rakes… it’s frightening how much panic and worry it raises in her.

The young elf is up and flying towards him the moment Kordak leaps off and away. If she could reach the fallen pickaxe, she’d drive it into the horrible creature’s skull without a moments thought. And, for a brief moment, she’s moving so quickly it almost seems possible for her to break out of the gnoll ring and into the fight.

Buuuut then a huge furry paw darts out to snatch her round the waist and pull her back and away, and she’s trapped once more, in the arms of the gnoll who had threatened to skewer her Kale before with an arrow. “No interfering!”

Trapped, she turns feral, kicking and thrashing wildly. She needs to get to Kale, needs him to be safe, and this need manifests itself as pure anger. “What’s wrong with you?” She screams at the fallen elf. “Get up and run, damn you, Kale! He’ll kill you! **** you, get up and run away!” And then comes a steady stream of profanities, following the general pattern of: 'insult not fit to post on the forum', 'get up', 'run.'

Kordak had taken advantage of Kale’s dazed moment of inaction to leap away, happy with a hit-and-run type of tactic. It’s not until he’s a few meters away, licking the blood off his paws and watching Kale with wide eyes, that he realizes he could have just torn out the elf’s throat then and there.

Snarling angrily at himself for passing up the opportunity, he begins to circle the miner, his eyes searching the snow now for a hint of where the pickaxe had gone. He growls something, and the words are drowned out by the other gnolls chattering, drowned out by Sleet’s endless screamed obscenities. He has to yell to be heard. “Yield! Yield, or I will kill you.” Not that he particularly wants to kill Kale. If I can subdue him and get him to fight, then I could make a mini fortune off him in the Pits. Perhaps enough to replace all the slaves I've lost here...

-----

AM4:
There’s just something unsettling about having an opponent’s arm come away in your paws. It’s unsettling enough to cause a moment of sheer confusion as Kremiir’s mind tries (and fails) to remind him that this is not a living creature. Although, that’s probably due to the fact that he’s never seen or dealt with a robot before.

So when the automaton shows no signs of pain, and continues attacking with almost the same amount of force, he’s taken by complete surprise and receives three broken ribs.

That shouldn’t be possible, he thinks, watching the snow by his face turn red. It stung his jaw, but he felt that to get up and shake it from his pelt would be much, much worse. Especially with that thing standing over him.

And it was a 'thing' wasn't it? It couldn't be alive. Why won't it feel the injury? Why won't it bleed?

His eyes close and he wonders if the metal armless thing is going to kill him. In a hushed whisper, the word “yield” passes split lips, so choked with blood, it’s barely distinguishable as much more than a whimper. And in case that whimper was misinterpreted, it’s accompanied by Kremiir showing his throat to AM4 and offering up his life for the robot to take or grant.

-----

Marty:
Had Grendar been the philosophical type, he may have speculated upon the number of gnolls Marty had killed through his actions. He's lost his own fair share of friends here today.

But he's not the philosophical type. At all.

So he contents himself with a laugh that ends in a cough and a spurt of blood over his pelt.

"Can't say I didn-" he pauses to cough again, much more violently, ending up splattered in red, "enjoy that." Which is why he will be missed by few. "She was jus' another slave." The words are becoming more and more difficult to understand, slurred and blood-choked.

"Sure hope... you feel them wounds. When Kordak wins, he'll kill you slow. You'd die quick in the Pits."

[Hattish Thing]

Cave

Marty growled in pain. Everything he had suffered in the last month could be pinned to GrendarYou...she wasn't just a slave! She was a woman. She was good, and you hurt her. I'll kill you! Better yet, you'll die there in pain.

[ThirdEmperor]

Gnoll Encampment

Whatever Kale's response to the gnoll's taunting demands that he yield, it remains unspoken. Too much pain and not enough breath left in his lungs to speak, what strength he has devoted to picking himself off the ground, forcing himself to stand back up despite his wounds. There's a lot of blood flowing from those new wounds, worse now that he's forced to put weight upon them, the gnoll's claws having come within an inch of spilling his intestines upon the ground.

But standing or no, Kale's still far from being able to run as Sleet demands. Retreat's not an option and really never was. The only way out is fighting. And for that he needs is a weapon. A weapon and a way to get Korlak close enough to use it.

The former he already has, the hand clutching his side in a vain attempt to slow the bleeding barely a hairsbreadth away from the pommel of his combat knife. And as for the latter.... Kale begins to mirror Korlak as the gnoll tries to circle 'round him, moving slowly but purposefully towards a snowdrift near where he fell and lost his pickaxe. All at once he makes a lunge for it, feinting a reach for something that isn't there, hoping Korlak will take the bait and rush in once more.

The Wilderness- Near Hamlet

The mountain is quiet, unremarkable. Few animals dare roam near, but considering the magic-warped denizens of the surrounding forest that's hardly surprising. The town that lies within it's shadow seems equally tranquil, if obviously still recovering from some cataclysmic event.

Few would guess that carved into the stone of the mountain is a series of catacombs and tunnels that serve as home to Excelsior and it's army, especially as both have been largely inactive in the world at large since the raid upon Erin's Emporium.

Of course, just because they've been ignoring the outside world doesn't mean it's forgotten about them. As they're about to find out.

[Artemis97]

[Forest]

"Nothing vital was hit, I cleaned and protected it. It'll best heal by itself."
Magena seems to enjoy the company of the dog thingy. More friends is good!

She's about to respond to Raril when she hears something.
Too late for a warning though, as suddenly a tree comes hurling at them!
Look out!

[Forest]

An entire tree? Hope it's not a redwood.

"Watch out!" Reinholdt shouts, diving to one side.

[Forest]

Raril throws himself sideways, narrowly avoiding being hit by the tree. "What in the nine hells?!" He snarls, picking himself up from the forest floor.

[Quinsar]

[Lair]
Hey there, feeling okay?
Antera pats her back.

She yawns and nods.
Yeah...