Carrying the Baggage(Nil,Shai)

by **Shai** on March 28th, 2012, 2:31 am

Shai watched the rogue’s swift kill in silence, slightly peeved. It had been her hope to catch all three not just one. Once one was missing the remaining too would be on their guard. Slinking back up the wall the spider took her position again waiting. It wasn’t a long wait, but as the pursuing pair stepped into the alley Shai knew her trick was caught. If she had not been watching them so closing she might not have noticed one of the thug’s eyes skirt over her position on the wall, as it was at least she knew. The only thing worse than her position being lost was pouncing in ignorance. As the men passed her position, the spider slipped down the wall and took up hers again; blocking the exit. She could only hazard a guess as to why they tromped into the alley their friend had just died in, albeit with their weapons drawn. Mentally shrugging the Symenestra figured she wouldn’t be afraid either. Antar was only one man, and she a small woman, two men would be able to take them if they were just common denizens of Sunberth.

A sword being such a terribly commonplace weapon, Shai was still excited to see the thugs move to stand back-to-back and he who faced her wielding such a blade. Her lips tightened but her eyes shown, it was a chance to really test out her new fan. Flicking open the weapon in question she eyed the ‘gentleman’. The spider was patient and she waited for him to advance her the seemingly weaker opponent. His companion would face Antar but Shai spared no thought for him, she knew the rogue well enough to know that man was as good as dead. Finally, though adrenal made it an eternity it was more like a half a chime, he swung at her.

Brining up her fan she blocked with the struts extended to lessen the blow and lurched forward grabbing his wrist she dug her claw sin destroying the tendents. Perhaps on instinct, the man reached for her with his other arm but she’d slide her fan up his blade and positioned it behind his elbow. Flicked the fan shut she applied pressure at both the fan and her grasp on his wrist. In a gut-wrenching pop his elbow dislocated from the rest of his arm. Releasing his wrist she cut him short mid-howl, with her claws tearing into the flesh at his throat. As the breathing-dead man’s blood splattered her front the spider looked over his sinking shoulders. The words flew to her lips almost unbidden as she tried to see the rogue’s progress. “Moz seh krevas dav'ene me obris zhevat.”

by **Antar** on March 28th, 2012, 4:39 am

Quick as a whip, and twice as biting, the symenestra turned from him and climbed up the wall, giving him a rather pleasant view before he shook himself to prepare for the approaching threat. 'Two fellows of the now dead bandit would certainly be here...' He turned towards the edge of the alley and moved back a good ten feet, making sure to keep himself between the alley's entrance and the boxes he had hidden the little kelvic girl behind.

'...right about... now.'

Antar's musings at the tactical edge Shai's climbing abilities could grant them in ambushes was cooly set aside as he watched both men approaching him with a bit of wariness in their step. He painted quite a picture, he imagined, a man half smiling over the corpse of their fallen friend. Perhaps they were angry? Or perhaps they merely wanted their loot.

'He imagined the petching fools of Sunberth didn't know when they should go and seek other prey.' But then again... if they weren't here for him or Shai's loot, it meant they were here for Nil'anon... and for some strange reason that singular thought made him quite angry. But he didn't show such things. No, instead he smiled slightly, letting a bit of detached amusement curl his lips as he reached back to draw the other gladius from his back as he stared at the newest foe and began to take in the details. Dualwielding wasn't something he'd be wholely familiar with, but it just made sense in this case.

The approaching male was wielding a giant double headed axe and had the wild look of a beserker in eyes. Even a bit of froth and spittle dotted the man's lips as he stared at Antar, at the person who took his fellow's life. Perhaps he wasn't even angry about the dead corpse. Perhaps he only wished to finally have a fight which might give him a bit of exercise. Whatever musings on the subject of rationales would be a moot point unless Antar could disarm him and make him spill his guts, figuratively speaking before the disembowlment.

Though that would be a second priority to keeping himself alive. The rogue was a pragmatist you know. Better to kill the other guy then let things dawdle after all. But sadly it was not to be as easy as any bystander might hope.

For starters, the bastard was armored.

Really armored, with a bit better kit then the usual mercenary or thug of sunberth's streets. Something which screamed 'slaver's lackey' to him. A man who was invested in keeping himself safe from sharp pointy things while doing dangerous work. His equipment proved that, scale mailed, and a breastplate as well as a pair of gauntlets to armor the arms to guard the backswing. Perhaps he even thought it money well spent. 'Even cornered rats could bite as the old saying goes... or something like that?'

The axeman's attack came first, a testing thrust with the top of the head's spike being driven forwards towards Antar. The rogue smiled and stepped to the side, bringing the blade in his right hand in a sideways arc to use the flat of the blade to turn the axe away, but a quick spin of the hilt caused the flat of the blade to come into the edge as steel met steel.

If he hadn't had gauntlets of his own, it would have been even odds that locking the weapons for long would have turned out badly with the potential slicing of his wrists. But Antar did not leave the man time for that. Instead, the gladius in his left hand counterattacked simultaneously with the block, takinga backhanded swipe towards the man's chest which skirted off the armor's weave as the axeman Skirted backwards just enough to pull back away from the blow.

Antar had to leap back as the man pulled a trick he was familiar with, slicing at him with a hidden spring blade that seemed to unsheathe itself from his gauntlet as the two gave each other a bit of room. The first test of their talents had passed quite well, and they had gained a measure, if not any form of slight respect between the two of them. Aside from Shai's struggles it was quiet. It was an unearthly, eerie quiet that seemed unnatural in place like this, a sordid city infested by anarchy... even the market's chatter seemed to stop as the two held the other's attention, at least enough to not be unaware of other potential threats.

Antar mocked him, half the battle in a fight was psychology after all."Tricky lil' bastard aren't you?"

The man snorted, "Most die by that. You seem a bit better. Wonder if you might be smarter too. ?"[/color]

"Oh how so? You're the one attacking me, right?" he said thinking to provoke a bit as he evaded a sideswipe of the axe and tentatively swung a quick flurry of strikes with both gladius, weaving a protective web of space around you. "Pretty foolish I must say, attacking someone that you don't know could probably kill you."

[b]"Right but I don't want you." the man said. 'We can do this the easy way or the hard way. I just have one question. If you answer it truthfully, then I maybe I'll let you and your girlie pal live instead of killing you like a dog."

"Okay,'' the rogue said, strangely unfazed by the death threat as he lashed out with a kick to force the grunting man back, "Say your peace and then maybe I'll decide if I need to kill you. I'll let you go then."

'My question is this. Who the hell are you working for?'

The rogue paused. He knew very well that the least wise thing to say in this situation was 'Me, I'm a freelancer.'

So like any good rogue he said the worst thing in as cheeky manner as possible. 'Me. I'm a freelancer. So what or whom am I supposed to be working for against your particular interest anyway? This is Sunberth after all."

'Bull,' the man said bullrushing him into a wall with a quick sideways blow of the haft before Antar dodged, sending The Doctor's brain rattling around his skull. . Cut the crap. Who are you working for? Where's the bitch of a kelvic cunt and why did you all plunder the boss's stash?'

Antar smiled as he locked the haft of the axe with his two swords and pushed hard off the wall with a leg and kicked the man back to regain his distance as he prepared for another round of fighting. " I said , Nobody.But if a certain kelvic did plunder anything I guess I have to hand it to her. She's a creative little devil right. So who's your boss, again?''

"Petching Varmint! I'll take your head and mount it on the boss' trophy wall! Then we'll track that little minx down and sell her after plundering her virtues even if she's no more then a little shyke still!"

Antar was getting to the man, he knew that now. He just had to dig the knife in a little deeper, though he considered that this man's professionalism wasn't likely to push him over the edge... not without a bit more help. But there was one thing in the back of his mind growing that would not bode well for his newest opponent.

Anger.

A skittering of blades occurred again as Antar advanced with multiple thrusts, left, right, left right, and then engaged to mix it up again to put the man on the defensive. He was getting angrier then he should have as he connected the dot's to Nil'Anon and something inside him made him want to call the fires and burn this fool to ash... but he wouldn't. That would be too clean a death for the slaver. After all, he didn't condone slavery unless someone stole from him after all, but if Nil stole from a slaver who had owned her before, well... then to the victor goes the spoils right?

by **Shai** on March 28th, 2012, 5:59 am

Detaching from her victim Shai realized Antar had somehow managed to stumble into a stalemate. She tucked her closed fan into the side of the pants at her hip, not a real pocket but it would hold for a few moments. If the spider let it play out it was likely the rogue would win but drawing out this encounter wouldn’t be advantageous, the vultures would swoop in soon. If it were only birds that were of concern that would be fine, but the real carrion eaters in Sunberth carried blades of their own. Lightly stepping forward, her microcilia keeping traction on the slick ground, she pulled the kukri from the corpse. With the man drawing in his defenses, he had to focus fully on Antar’s attacks. The woman behind him should have been busy with his friend instead she swung the blade. The knife’s curve added weight to the swing and it struck through into the man’s side far enough that when Shai released the hilt it stuck fast. A suitable handicap the spider skipped back.

Quickly padding back towards the mouth of the alleyway she placed her back against the wall and slumped in a shadow provided by the late afternoon hours. From her placement she could see the street and any new treats but also keep an eye on the fight. “End this.” She added almost under her breath, flicking open her fan once more she ushered cool air against the strange concoction of blood, dust, and sweat that coated her skin. As long as the sounds of combat rang behind her, Shai kept her eyes on the street beyond any unwelcome guests needing to be dissuaded were met with harsh looks from the svelte woman. Female or not, covered in obvious signs of a fight and still breathing meant something in Sunberth. Hopefully no one would be smart enough to realize it might also mean she was tired from a fight and made for easier pickings.

by **Antar** on April 9th, 2012, 8:07 pm

Shai's timely intervention was enough for the armored man to grit his teeth and curse and swing the axe vaguely in his direction as he backed away. It was hard to fight with a kukri wedged in one's side, but the man's armor had managed to prevent it from being a deathblow. The signs of a beserker began to appear as the injured axeman began to move even faster, shifting his grip on the axe and bringing it up into a backhanded swing which translated into a series of forward thrusts.

A clear sign of the man seeking to end things sooner rather then later.

Antar was placed upon the defensive as he moved deeper into the alleyway , defending himself by parrying the gladius in his right and then his left as he was pressed backwards. Soon, he was close to the boxes he had hidden Nil'Anon behind and desperation to keep her safe merited a gamble on his part. Snaking a foot out towards one of the smaller boxes, he kicked it upwards towards the axe men's chest as a distraction and rushed in as it was batted aside by a brute swing of the slaver's weapon.

Steel met steel as he locked his right sword along the slaver's guantletted hand he pushed both the man's arms to one side as he twisted his left's wrist about to lay the flat of the gladius to the man's left shoulder. Drawing the blade quickly the neck below the helmet was severed, leading to a bloody mess as the body dropped down.

Dead as dead could be.

Though he still did not know who or whom the slaver had called his boss. That would have to be looked into further down the line. It was obvious there was a connection of sorts, and yet nothing definite had been ascertained beyond that slavers were looking for the child. Gathering up the spoils, the axe and the gauntlet with the spring blade, reclaiming his kukri and stripping the body of its armored breastplate and scale mail as he cleaned and stowed his kit back to where it belonged. With the fighting done, Antar decided it was well past time to leave so he gathered Nil'anon up quickly in his arms and met back up with Shai.

Together, the three would walk back towards camp, there to lick each others wounds in relative safety before sending the child off to sleep. After that, he'd turn and ask Shai for some advice after bringing her up to speed on just who, and what the little kelvic had come there for.

Who knew ?

If he could find out a little more, maybe they might have a chance of ambushing those who wished Nil harm? Whatever the future might bring, for today, things were over...

~Fin.

Antar's Requests :

Shai's Requests :

Nil'Anon's Requests :

by **Cachet** on May 20th, 2012, 12:28 pm

Antar :

Shai :

Nil'Anon :

The Coin Must Flow :

Conclusion:It's good to see Shai and Antar aren't just a band of cutthroat merciless killers. I could actually (maybe) see them being parents to Nil...a cute thought really.

Anything seem out of place? Any questions please feel free to contact me ASAP.