Ancient Foes

[kirsty]

Ja'Hiro opened her eyes. She was looking at the dusty ground. Ja'Hiro did not know how long she had been there, but guessed a couple of hours. She turned over and was met by sudden pain. Ja'Hiro gasped and wondered if the arrow was still there. She stood up and felt the wound and found another. ''That was too close, I really shouldn't get myself killed now.''
Ja'Hiro walked out of the clearing but stopped and turned back when she heard a rasping sound. ''The lizard...'' She guessed but was obviously wrong when a huge wolf-like creature sprang out from a bush in the middle of the clearing.

''A blood-wolf!'' Blood wolfes only prowled the night and the scent of blood was like a beacon to them. Ja'Hiro pulled out her sword and with her left hand she checked her wound. ''Im not even bleeding! What the hell is this wol......... ahh, the lizard is still here...'' With a growl the wolf pounced and Ja'Hiro ducked, its strong legs hit the ground and it turned. Slolwy it approached. Ja'Hiro slashed it with her sword and it wimpered in pain and rage. With a sudden attack, it bit her arm and latched on. Ja'Hiro screamed so loud she thought the whole forest might wake. The wolf pulled and she nearly lost her arm, but she took the oppurtinity to slice the wolf's neck while it was exposed. The wolf released its terrible grip on her arm and she fell to her knees, the pain was so great. She watched it and she knew that it was going someplace else. It headed to some shrubs. ''Stupid wolf! Im here! Theres nothing in those goddam shrubs!'' Then Ja'Hiro remembered the lizard. ''Uh-Oh, well the lizard did save me....'' Ja'Hiro summoned up a lot of strength and shot a fireball at the wolf. It's writhing form could be seen within the inferno for scant seconds, then it was gone. Ja'Hiro knew that without help, she would definately fall unconsious and maybe even die.

[basalisk]

the merc rose from the shrubs holding a bunch of them and went to the wolf"....nice hit.... that will be a decent meal..." he said laughing

He threw the shrubs at the human and said "i honestly have no idea why I'm helping you. So don't ask!"

The human looked at the shrubs strangely, "my potion that healed you is made from there leaves." said sa'crish

he paused then said as if to a child:

"When you live in the wild for awhile you learn what helps and what doesn't. Rap them around your wound and it will stop bleeding, and start the healing process. "

"BUT DON"T USE THE ROOTS!" he spat "they have he exact opposite effect. While your at it get out of the clearing..."

"your powerful in magic and the blade and your skills too are remarkable my fellow lized man. But 1 thing i still don't get, why have you come? why are so many coming to this spot. To this castle?! "

"And please don' kill each other anymore." "it takes months to create this potion and I'm low, lets work together....for a while at least"

[kirsty]

Ja'Hiro sliced the roots off the the plants wrapped the leaves around the bite. A brief shot of pain shot up her arm as the plants began to heal her arm. She wondred if it would leave a scar, but did not really mind. Ja'Hiro looked at the mercenary and said ''Thats both of us you've saved, thanks.'' Ja'Hiro left the clearing and sat with her back to a tree. She watched Raven until she fell asleep, lest her try to attack her.

[barkblast334]

"Sleep with one eye open", Ka'marov recalled a saying from his childhood. The human thought he was asleep now. That was good. A foe that felt safe was a foe that was careless...

[basalisk]

"look you can't pretend to be asleep with an eye open...." whispered Sa'crish "she probably casted a defensive spell on herself you know."

Raven turned to see Sa'crish eating part of the wolf... When the heck did he go back to the clearing?..."wanna bit?" said sa'crish pointing to the surprisingly nicely roasted wolf next to him. HOW DID HE BRING THAT BACK WITHOUT MAKING NOISE!

However it did smell really good.....

[kirsty]

Ja'Hiro awoke but did not move. She opened one eye the tiniest bit and saw that both the lizards were awake. ''Damn'' She muttered under her breath. Ja'Hiro nearly lauged out loud when she saw both lizards were eating the wolf that she had killed earlier. Ja'Hiro knew that Ka'marov had been awake all along. Slowly she checked her wound, it was healed! But her arm still ached. Ja'Hiro was tired and could not stay awake much longer so she put a mystic barrier around herself. It was weak and would not stand a hit from any weapon, but it was good enough. Or so she thought.

[lictoralpha]

The beasts aproached the edge of the clearing at different positions. They had nearly been spotted before. There was something within those castle walls, something valuable, but how to get inside?

[basalisk]

sa'crish froze covered ravens mouth and made him look up. "There's something in the trees above us..."

they couldn't see much.... but it looked like a.... beast.... or lizzed... it was incredibly hard to tell there was next to no light although the darkest part of night was over.

But it was directly above them..... and it was alone....

Sa'crish took the mace ball of his chain "... wake the human....I'll see what this thing has to say when it's a arrow away from death..."

He flicked the chain around the creatures leg pulled it out of the tree covered it's mouth and put an arrow to it's neck.

The human came to a stir and noticed the however for whatever reason she didn't yet speak.

"You sneaky bugger..." said sa'crish staring at the beastman Sa'crish picked up the great axe and slid it away."... now... why have you been watching us..."

[barkblast334]

Ka'marov's face slowly leaned out from behind the sitting human. "Pressure points. Wonderful, aren't they? Wouldn't you say, human?" He had one hand clamped on the back of her neck, constraining her voice. He let go and limped over to the beastman lying on the forest floor. Ka'marov, totally calm and once an actor, slowly drew his hand-scythe and started clipping claw-like fingernails with it. He leaned back slightly, stopping his nail-clipping, and twirled his weapon casually. Then he leapt at the beastmen, the hand-scythe stopping an inch from it's throat.

"Tell us what you know..."

[kirsty]

Ja'Hiro got up off the floor and looked daggers at Ka'marov. She walked round to stand next to Sa'crish, and looked at the beastman. It was a vile creature and stunk of blood and sweat. It had a large horned head, much like that of a sheep. Maggots crawled through its thick matted hair. Ja'Hiro had to will herself not to slice the creatures head clean from its body, or engulf it in a raging inferno.

[basalisk]

Ka'morov has this 'thing' under control thought sa'crish. he climbed the tree to see if he could spot others, and he did.... he counted 7.

This is bad...

Really bad....

" i'v got to move..."

"Mate becarefull" unother beast came along side him not noticing he's a lizzed "there are lizzed under... Oi"

Have you ever seen a beast spear get spear takled out of a tree... funny sight... but he hit his head on a rock comming down and is out for the count.

"We gotta get a better position" whisperd sa'crish
"or... get in the trees! they are sorunding the clearing, i counted 7! It could easily be 20!"

"tie him and the other up and keep them alive. If we've been spotted from that tackle we will need hostages to get out!"

Sa'crish grabbed the unconscious beast man and climbed onto the lower branches of a tree. hidden from above and below... we can take out five from this spot before a battle starts!

[kirsty]

Ja'Hiro quickly scrambled up the tree after sa'crish. ''I'm not staying down there!'' She whispered to sa'crish. Then she started to jump to the next tree. She grabbed hold of a low branch and pulled herself up to see an angry beastman. Quickly, Ja'Hiro sliced its throat and without a sound, it dropped from the tree into some shrubs below. Ja'Hiro turned to look at sa'crish and suddenly regretted it. A huge sword passed through her shoulder and into the tree, pinning her to it. The beastman, now without a weapon, tried to break her neck, but Ja'Hiro was too quick. She ducked her head and kicked the beastmans shin. He fell down and landed on his face next to Ka'marov. The trees were suddenly filled with howls, the beastmen were about to attack! Ja'Hiro tried to pull the sword from her shoulder and succeded. Ja'Hiro set some trees on fire then covered her wound in some of the healing leaves she had gathered. Running quickly, she caught up with Ka'marov.

[basalisk]

Sa'crish decided fire was there best option,

This will be fun....

Sa'crish grabbed a branch on fire ,broke it off and attached i to the chain whip.

He started runing from branch to branch around the clearing lighting whatever he could on fire with his whip and knocking beasts out of his path.

He saw 3 arches in front of him and decided to turn back. He saw 2 coming from behind him as well. Where is a human where you actually 'need' one!!

"bring it on! beats!"

charging at the rear 2 beasts he loosened the chain whip's connection to the branch. The fire was well spread now and the 3 archers pursuing him now could no longer aim shots at him because of the mass of smoke in the area. Swinging the chain towards the 2 beast men his branch came flying off and missed them both by up about half a meter up. But it did it's job. As they looked at a flaming branch flying past them, Sa'crish dissapierd.

Then Sa'crish rose up behind them both and broke the branch that they where standing on! They fell threw the smoke and fire and looked up to see Sa'crish. They snarled and tried to run but it was too late. More branches came down on top of them.

To easy. He then saw the 3 arches come up behind him they knocked an arrow each and targeted him.

"wait! 2 of your own are burning to death there!" Sa'crish pointed to the burring branches. "Shoot me they will die." Way too easy.

2 of the arches then ran to the fire. The 3rd didn't move.

"(bad word)"

2 more came from his side with knocked arrows "this ain't going as planned"

"Freeze lizzed!" one of them snarled.

"Nah i'm good".

Sa'crish spun round unleashing his whip and bringing it to the first tree with a huge crack. the fell to the arches and they scatted. but he didn't stop there his whip kept going till it brought down a second tree and he then ran into a 3rd all in all in 3 seconds he bought down 3 trees around him. As each crashed ash and embers filled his eyes stinging and making next to impossible to see.(good thing there was a raging fire above them hey!")

Sa'crish ran then. Ran till he was out of the fire, then climbed a tree to prevent trackers. He hoped the human and lizzed got out. He never even lern't there names....

But he couldn't stop they where still after him.

"The human slew the only one that saw her. The rest should follow me...." said Sa'crish thinking aloud to himself.

He had to keep running. So he did. As always with his life. he couldn't look back. he had to outrace them. he had a head start and had been zigzagging the whole time he fled. If thy miss track him at one turn he will escape. He stopped and looked back at the fire... he had been going uphill for a while. He could see the fire spreading... and hoped they weren't captured.

"Dam me!" He yelled"i can't look back! i must look forwed!" and so he did.

and so he ran!

[kirsty]

Ja'Hiro had lost ka'marov on the run, but she was sure he was ok. Ja'Hiro jumped through a wall of fire in front of her and then she was out of the forest. ''Yay! I'm alive!''She shouted, then a load of beastmen jumped out the fire! Ja'hiro really was running for her life now.

[lictoralpha]

The forest was burning, and their cover was blown. The beastmen charged after the foe.