Solo A Death in the Family

[Crypt]

69th of Winter, 512 AV OOCApproved and moderated by Accolade “Yes, Maras, we'll be there soon. That kind old lady who gave us these apples said that it would only be about a day to the Sunset Falls. And stop nudging me! Here, have an apple.” Said Strider eagerly consumed the fruit, licking what remained of the juice off his lips. Once he had accomplished that, Maras returned to alternating between staring at the road ahead and annoying Crypt with his incessant (and certainly most unnecessary) actions, involving mainly attempts to knock Crypt off his feet. It was five chimes later before the duo pricked up their ears, the steed faster than the Drykas (naturally). “Hist!” Crypt commanded all around to remain silent instinctively as he strove to determine the source and reason for the familiar sounds of metal on metal, ignoring the fact that such an act made no sense at all, since the only other being around was Maras, and he did not even make a noise most of the time. “Aye, there be battle a-waging. Come, Maras, we'll take a look.”

[Accolade]

Not too far from where Crypt led his strider, only chimes away though hidden beyond a bushel of trees and the thicket, were three Squires fighting for their lives. The three were in a deadly face off with a crew of bandits. The scoundrels numbers were larger and their skills more impressive. They had ambushed the crew while they were out serving the area. The Squires were to soon join their patrons in the Orange Company, and patrol the Bronze woods. It had been Leona Brodius' idea to take a walk to see the area that they would soon patrol. Like many squires, she was excited to begin and was ready to start her patrol. However, while her intentions were only to look about with her fellow squires, her mistake just might cost them all their lives.

As the Drykus drew closer, the sounds of battle became louder and to the point where it began to rang in his ears. Swords slammed against shields, while other blades clashed together. War cries were heard, grunts and pants from the combatants as they fought for their lives. The squires were outmatched, but the war was not over. The three fought smart, staying close together, and using their shields to protect the person at their sides. Leona struck first, the fiery red head swung hard, her blade clashing against the curbed blade of the bandit in front of her. With Marcus to her right side and Oreion at her left the three doubled back.

"Is this what you had in mind Leona?," Markus asked with a irritated tone in his voice. " An ambush by a bunch of petching bandits?"

"Stay calm Markus, Sylir will see us through this." the woman replied, attempting to hide the fear in her own voice.

"Don't give up yet, there is still hope!" Oreion said loudly as he gripped his sword tightly and bashed it against his shield. "We are Knights! And as long as there is blood in our veins we will fight!"

The bandits didn't speak, the dark cloth covering their heads and faces working as a perfect defense against noting their identities. The men chuckled under their masks, as the six of them slowly work their way around the three until they had them completely surrounded. The Squires moved in closer to the other, their backs pressed against the other as they raised their shields and aimed their swords. Markus chuckled, almost insanely as he looked at the overwhelming odds they faced. "You'll be a hero yet Oreion, just you watch."

Leona had grown silent for the moment, her focus solely on the bandits, their weapons, and the positions in which they stood. The Squires had been taught the basics of tactics, but at the moment it didn't seem as if they could call upon that knowlegde to help themselves. Leona breathed deeply, her eyes narrowing in on the closest men, the ones looking to rip through her armor to get at her.

"Sylir help us.."

OOCOkay we're starting off with six bandits, none are the bandit leader, you'll get to him a bit later. For the six that you will face now they are armed with basic long swords, and scimitars, and wearing cloths for mask, and studded leather armor. You can decide who has what weapon etc. Other than that, just be sure to play to your skill level, and let me know if you have any questions.

[Crypt]

Dropping to his knees, motioning for Maras to stay back from the commotion, the Drykas peered through a small shrub to observe what appeared to be a trio of squires from Syliras (one of them a stunning redhead - fiery in both hair and temperament) and a dozen masked men. That's a damn fine lass there. Pity she might die here... Hold on, what the flippin' heck am I saying? Of course I'll save her. Mayhaps the Insatem luck will strike again... Smirking, Crypt's eyes darted around and landed on a sturdy-looking piece of wood. Heaving it with one hand, Crypt manoeuvred himself around the shrub, approaching the preoccupied band of misfits in a leopard crawl. Once he had reached the small circle the bandits had formed, he closed his eyes, drawing as much Djed as he could before being noticed and forcing it into the muscles and tissue of his left arm and wrist, ensuring that there was a marginal increase in both strength and toughness. “I say, you bandits are a bunch of misbegotten fools. Always watch your back, eh?” As Markus' eyes widened, Crypt grasped a man's ankle, pulling it forcefully such that the unfortunate victim fell backwards. Crypt then brought down his scavenged weapon on another, where the make-shift shillelagh slammed into the back of a masked bandit's left knee, forcing him to fall forward. “Come on, you weaklings. Fight! Or you'll never become Knights!” The insult spurred the momentarily-frozen squires to action, and they leapt toward their enemy, even as Crypt faced off with a foe wielding a scimitar.

[Accolade]

The Squires had been surprised to see the Drykus suddenly arrive, as were the bandits who doubled back, allowing the three a chance to step out of the huddle and fight. The battled had turned, and the squires were now a man stronger with Crypt fighting along side them.

"Go for it! charge them now!"

Oreion led the charge, moving before the others, as he slammed his shield into an unsuspecting bandit, sending him backwards. Leona moved to his right, blocking the longsword of the bandit with her shield and taking a slash at him with her blade afterwards.

"Hurry, push them back!"

Markus moved as well, coming to the aid to Oreion's left and attacking another bandit. Though the three fought in a somewhat formed rank, the bandits were bigger and stronger. The heavy blows from their blades slammed against their shields and knocking them back again. Oreion attempted to kick at the bandit's knee to unsteady him while wielding his sword against the man and using his shield to block.

The bandit facing off with Crypt was a thin man, but very lanky and tall. He moved about in front of the Drykus, narrowing his eyes as he jabbed at him with his scimitar. His dark eyes peered out from behind the mask that he wore and also hid the grin on his face. The bandit twirled his weapon around, daring Crypt to strike, before doing so himself. He took a swing at the man's chest, then stepped back to protect himself and swung at him again. In a dirty move, he dashed forward, stamping on Crypt's boot as he tried to stop his movements and stab him at the same time.

[Crypt]

"You're a little piece of shyke, aren't you? No honour at all, preying on a group of squires. Granted, fighting an enemy force with superior numbers is a valid tactic -" Interrupted by the bandit's sudden move, Crypt instinctively drew his longsword, hanging on his left side, with his left hand, lifting it in front of him such that the incoming blade was deflected with the flat of his own weapon. As the man swung again, Crypt blocked it again with relative ease, continuing to be on the defensive. "You're not too bad, but I'm faster than you - OW!" Crypt cursed as the masked man brought a rather heavy leather boot down on his foot, trapping him and causing him a great deal of pain. His eyes watering from the pain he was enduring, the Drykas stumbled backwards and fell even as the bandit stabbed at him. Unfortunately for the fool, his family jewels were exposed to the tender mercies of Crypt's right foot. A swift kick to the crotch sent the bandit reeling backwards, his hands automatically grasping his... precious. The bulging eyes were evident even through the mask covering his face, and every male within sight of the horrible sight winced simultaneously in sympathy for the very, very dirty move Crypt had just executed (perfectly, as Leona would admit later). "I fight dirty too, you vagik!"

[Accolade]

The battle continued, as the squires along side the Drykus fought off the bandits. The group took a beating but were able to hold their ground, and showed no fear. Oreion led on, Markus and Leona at his side as they fought bravely. The battle seem to go back and forth between the groups, having moments when the squires seem to send the bandits back, and times when the bandits overpowered the squires.

Oreion stepped forward, moving away from the other two to try and gain leverage. It proved to be a mistake as the bandits took the opening to slip between them and separate the three from the other. Markus grunted in frustration as the men got between them and took control. The young squire swung out, his blade blocked and he felt a heavy boot slam into his chest. The squire fell back, only to feel a swift blow to his back. The bandits had always out numbered them, but it wasn't until now that they had the chance to really use that to their advantage.

Leona stumbled back, trying to keep distance between herself and the two bandits that were trying to flank her. The bold squire lashed out, sending a viscous swing to both men as she tried to keep them back. The more heavy set man, no taller than the girl grabbed at her and tried to pull her sword away. The fiery squire thought quickly, and shoved her knee into his crotch as she rammed her head against his. The blow knocked him off balance, but the girl felt just as much of it and stumbled back where a longsword attempted to slash through her armor. The girl cried out as she kneeled, trying to lift her sword and shield to continue to fight.

"Leona!" her brothers in arms called out, but were unable to run to her aid. Oreion was facing off with one of the more viscous in the group and Markus was fighting off two bandits just as she was. As much as Crypt wanted to help the girl, he was also busy with his own duel. The lanky bandit had made it back to his feet, and in an equally dirty move, he dug his fingers into the dirt and slung a hand full into Crypt's face. Temporarily blinded, he wasn't ready for the sudden attack, as the man came at him reigning down a blade upon him.

[Crypt]

Glancing around him briefly, Crypt noted that the battle appeared to be even, with occasional points scored by the members of each team. Unfortunately, Leona was beginning to falter; fighting two men really took a lot of concentration. Crypt attempted to dash over to Leona, but was distracted by a faceful of dirt, courtesy of his opponent. Using his right hand to brush away the dirt frantically, Crypt swung wildly with his longsword, scoring a moderate gash to the cheek of the bandit, but failed to dodge the scimitar, resulting in a similar blow on his own right arm. Crying out in pain, Crypt pushed the longsword deeper into the bandit's face, forcing him to back away instead of using his advantage to further wound Crypt. Stumbling away, Crypt threw his backpack to the ground and, falling to the ground, grasped his waterskin after a few seconds of rummaging. Pouring some water on his face, the last of the dirt was washed away, allowing Crypt to see once again. As he blinked rapidly, the scoundrel began to approach Crypt swiftly. Noting the proximity of the man's feet to his own, Crypt waited until the bandit was almost on top of him, his maniacal grin clearly visible (as Crypt had cut away most of the fabric covering his unsightly visage), before using his legs to sweep the bandit off his feet and onto the ground. Acting swiftly, the Drykas rolled away from the falling man, then slammed the pommel of his blade directly into the wrist of the bandit, forcing him to release his own scimitar. Once the man was disarmed, Crypt stood up and brought down his blade on the knees of the bandit, cutting cleanly through the cartilage and tissue, stopping only at the bone. Having crippled the man, a boot to the head was sufficient to stop his incessant (and annoying) screams. Watching in grim satisfaction as his leather boot crushed the life out of his foe, Crypt then took out a roll of bandage, and wrapped it tightly around the wounded area to prevent any further bleeding. Groaning in pain, he gave himself a moment to rest before picking up his longsword again. As the Drykas dashed towards Leona frantically, Leona slammed the shield into her opponent, causing him to stumble back. However, her other enemy took advantage of her exposed side and dealt a clean blow there with his own longsword, making her fall to the ground. Crypt threw himself at the opponent, tackling him and causing him to fall to the ground. Unable to wield his longsword properly, Crypt resorted to doing something desperate: he sank his teeth into the bandit's left shoulder, even as he pressed down on his target's neck. Feeling the iron-tasting blood in his mouth, Crypt applied even more pressure on the flesh and was rewarded with an almost-piteous scream, muffled moments later by the unyielding arm on his foe's neck.

[Accolade]

At first the squire's vision had been obscured, with her shield up she squinted from the glow of Syna's light and only seeing a blurred shadow of the man who brought his blade against her just as he readied himself to do it again. Then something happened, a second blur, suddenly darting out and tackling the bandit to the ground. Once they were on the ground she was able to see them more clearly. She recognized the man who had shown up just as they were being overwhelmed. She was surprised to see him come to her rescue, before her bother's could do so. She also wandered why, why was this stranger risking his life to help them?

There was no time to think on it however, as she caught sight of the other bandit just as he raced against the drykus to attack him from behind. Leona forced herself to stand, moving quickly as she wielded her sword to block the swing of the bandit's sword before it could come down upon Crypt. The bandit grunted, shocked that the girl could still stand up. He turned his elbow against her, taking the heat from her sharp blade as it tore through his armor and wounded his arm. Leona took a step back, surprised that a man would sacrifice a limb just to be sure they didn't lose the advantage.

"Is that all you got baby? huh?" he smirked and licked his lips.

"That little toy of yours cuts pretty smart, but not you're going to have to pay for it!"

His word were fierce, chilling as he moved towards her, swinging his blade against her fast and hard. Leona grunted as she fought him off, using her shield to block and her sword ready to swing afterwards. The girl was slowly fading in strength and every blow that she blocked with her shield, every time she used her sword sent an unpleasant vibration through her limbs. The girl hissed, her legs shaking as she continued to force them to stay up.

From her position, being knocked back and assaulted, she couldn't see Crypt clearly, or the other squires, but she could still hear them all. It was as if while her vision was fading, her ears opened up, the sounds of grunts, shouts, and the clashing of swords rang in her ears. But she wouldn't give up, she would never give up. Leona was to be a Knight, and like her squire brothers, that meant more to her than anything else. She couldn't give up, she couldn't lose.

Leona let out a war cry of her own, slamming her shield against the bandit's blade, and bringing her arm around to stab her blade into his gut. The bandit grunted loudly, his voice caught in his throat as he uttered a bloody gurgle. His eyes widen, shock taking affect as he realized that the squire had wounded him. But his shock quickly turned to anger as he reached out and tightly gripped the girl's neck as he started to strangle her. Leona coughed and choked, even kicking at him to try and pry his hands from her throat.

[Crypt]

Crypt hissed through his teeth; the bandit was frantically flailing his arms around in an attempt to free himself from the jaws of the Drykas, and had made contact (painfully) with the wound on his right arm. Groping about for a weapon, Crypt's left hand made contact with a small rock that fit snugly in his palm. Raising it high, Crypt attempted to bash his foe's head with his make-shift weapon, but failed to do so several times as the man writhed and struggled to free himself. Applying most of his body weight on his right arm, ignoring the blood now streaming from his wound, the bandit was held still enough for Crypt to succeed in his attempt. Several times the rock fell; several times the bandit gave a cry. Crypt finally felt the body go limp beneath him. Releasing his iron grip on the corpse's shoulder, Crypt spat out the blood that had collected in his mouth in utter disgust, his body shaking uncontrollably as he fought against the pain currently occupying his mind. Feeling slightly faint, he stumbled around for a bit before regaining full control of his own body. The Drykas heard a loud cry that made him wince, turning around for fear of an assault by another enemy. Seeing that Leona was being strangled by her opponent, Crypt picked up his longsword from where it lay on the ground and ran at the duo. A few moments was all it took to reach them, and Crypt swung his blade down upon the exposed elbow of the bandit, breaking his hold on Leona. As Leona staggered backwards, her own sword on the ground, her hands massaging her abused throat, Crypt raised his sword again for another blow, bringing it down on the near-dead bandit. The keen blade sliced through the cartilage of the nose, terminating its journey deep within the head of the bandit. Meanwhile, Oreion was being pummeled with blows. He had managed to disarm one of his opponents together with Markus, but the other squire was now preoccupied with fending off two bandits, who seemed rather intent on hurting Markus as much as possible, judging from their overwhelming attacks. Oreion was now brawling with a bandit of much larger stature, landing blows wherever he could. The armor helped protect Oreion from the blows landing on him, but he was struggling to overpower his foe, as the bandit would take every advantage he could and slip his blows in through gaps in the armor. Crypt would take a few seconds to reach the unfinished fray, but he was already running towards them, accompanied by a slower Leona, hindered by her own set of armor.

[Accolade]

Leona stumbled back, coughing and rubbing at her neck from where the bandit had choked her. The squire stood back as Crypt stepped in to battle the bandit and watched them go. Her attention soon turned to the pain in her side were she had placed her hand against her ribs earlier. Glancing down, she noticed blood smeared on her clothing and on the inside of her glove. The sharp burning was also getting worse, which had been hidden before by her adrenaline rush. She breathed in deeply, a renewed flare glowing in her eyes as she picked up her weapon again and raced to help out.

The young squire panted and she ran, her legs feeling weak, soon slipped from under her and she fell to the ground. Slowly she pushed herself up again, using her sword as and ad while pushing up from the ground. Luckily no one saw her fall as she didn't want anyone to know that she was badly wounded. "I'm not out yet, by Sylir I can still fight!" her thoughts screamed through her mind, urging her forward as she started to run again.

Markus was in just as much trouble. The squire had a slight cut across his forehead curving around to his cheek. The blood poured forth, covering the side of his face and below. He moved back and away from the two men attacking him, quickly using his elbow to wipe away the blood in his eyes so that he could see his opponents. His yelled fiercely, swinging his blade wildly at the men, the sound of their combined blades clashing together echoing off the trees and around them. He wasn't finished, and not by a long shot.

Markus rushed forward, bringing his blade up into the air and slashing at the men as he raced through them. The bandit to his left turned his blade in to block his sword, forcing Markus' arm to swing down awkwardly. The other bandit to his right stepped away as he dashed towards them, waiting until he found the squire's back and bringing his blade swiftly slashing across Markus' lower back. The squire cried out in pain and stumbled forward. He leaned down, panting out of breath, before turning around with a wild swing to block the incoming blow from the closest bandit. OOCOkay, check on Leona, go help Markus, do your thing. But leave Oreion's fight for my next post.