Solo A Death in the Family

[Crypt]

"I'm complicated. Rest assured, I will be able to deal with them in the darkness. I will be leaving clear tracks for you - perhaps by using my longsword to draw a line in the ground, such that you will be able to follow me to their hideout if my smoke signal should fail. Tell the Knights to be here at dawn, or earlier if possible. I will try to strike at that moment." _________________________________________________________________ Some hours later... Crypt had attached a coil of rope to his own longsword, allowing it to dig into the ground as he rode Maras while following the bandit's tracks. The weight of the sword was enough to make a distinct mark on the ground. At several points during his journey, Crypt dismounted from Maras to gather a few rocks, arranging them in arrows to show the direction in which he was travelling in. Having reconnoitred what he could see of the bandit camp (or rather, cave), Crypt decided to play cautious. Motioning for Maras to retreat to a safe distance, the Drykas himself climbed a giant oak tree located roughly half a furlong from the bandit standing guard, with a clear view of the cave's entrance. Crypt had no idea who else was inside the cave, for it curved to one side, another reason being that it was already nighttime. He could see a faint light coming from the cave, presumably due to torches set in the wall, and was forced to remain in his position for the time being. The light would give him away if he tried to sneak in. I guess I'll take a short nap then. If they don't change the guard, I should be able to take him out easily in the wee hours of the night. Resigning himself to waiting patiently, Crypt climbed higher into the tree, nesting himself in one of the more comfortable tree boughs. _________________________________________________________________ The Night is darkest just before the dawn. Twenty chimes before dawn. Crypt groaned as he sat up. Sleeping in a tree was certainly not one of his more pleasant experiences. Guess I'm too used to my comfy bed in the Traveler's Row now. Might do me some good to go out more often. Rubbing his eyes to clear them, Crypt then remembered his 'assigned' mission. Becoming more alert (although it was a hard thing to do, given that he had just woken up), Crypt scanned his surroundings, searching for Maras first. The Strider was currently some distance away from Crypt (thankfully not closer to the bandits) grazing in a small patch of grass. Oh dear. If the squires followed my instructions, the Knights should be making their way here now. I haven't time to forage for enough firewood to make a smoke signal. Hope they can follow the trail. It hasn't rained, so it should be mostly intact. Right then. Let's take a look at the bandit's cave.

[Accolade]

While Crypt looked on from afar, the bandit patrolling the entrance continued to stand watch. The man had been on watch for bells now and was more and bored and tired. Every so often he removed the sword from the sheath that hung from his right hip and look it over, admiring the nixes and cuts in it as he recalled the many fights it too to ware the blade. Like the others, his face was covered, but his head remained free which showed off the braided hair that hung down his back.

He looked strong, and although he was tired, he wasn't as much to appear so. Suddenly there was a loud shout from within the cave, followed by even louder racket. Apparently the arm wrestling match had gone sour, and the man guarding the entrance was forced to retreat to the inside and see what the problem was.

Crypt moved from his spot in the tree and slipped down onto the ground. First he moved into investigate the cart just to be sure that there was nothing hidden there before making his way to the mouth of the cave. What he did from here on was his decision and something that he would have to think on before taking any rash actions. Whatever he chose to do, the bandits were inside attempting to break up a fight between those who had been gambling, and the racket would make it easier for him to slip up behind them, if he decided to enter at all.

[Crypt]

"He's tired. Time to strike." Crypt stretched his arms and yawned, before redirecting his attention towards descending the tree. Taking careful steps, Crypt moved on all fours towards the trunk of the oak tree, then slowly moved down by stepping on the various boughs sticking out of the thick trunk. As he landed on the ground, he placed a little too much weight on his left foot, causing him to pause for a few seconds as he ensured that it was not injured, then proceeded to drop down to the ground, beginning a crawl towards the guard. A few feet away, the bandit went inside the cave to investigate a loud shout. Crypt froze as he moved briefly towards the direction Crypt was in, and heaved an almost inaudible sigh of relief. Standing up, the Drykas brushed dead leaves and dirt from his clothes, investigating the cart to ensure that no one was there, waiting to ambush him, before moving cautiously towards the mouth of the cave. Hazarding a quick glance inside, he saw nothing except a tunnel that curved to one side. Deciding that it was safe enough to proceed within, Crypt crouched slightly, his left hand placed on his hilt, and he advanced towards the source of the shouts. Good. They're fighting over something - is that a pair of dice I see? Anyway, this should allow me to take out at least one or two of them, if I'm careful enough. The Knights should be here in a chime or two, so I'll have backup even if I'm outnumbered here. Right. Slowly and stealthily, Crypt, old boy. Withdrawing the long dagger he had taken from the ex-mercenary Sid with his right hand, still keeping his other on the hilt of his longsword (the other two longswords he had removed from the bandit's corpse had been hung on Maras' Yvas), Crypt crouched even lower and began to make his way around the commotion occurring at the lone wooden table in the middle of the small cavern. The person Crypt assumed to be the leader was repeatedly shouting for calm, while the two men that appeared to be in a dispute over the outcome of the arm-wrestling match were pointing their respective weapons at each other. The gambling match was long forgotten, and the two stringy men that were indulging in that particular vice were attempting to restrain the other two. They could do nothing but prevent the two from reaching and injuring each other. Grinning slightly as the conflict escalated, a scimitar having made a long scratch across the left cheek of the person the bandits were referring to as 'Bumsy', Crypt moved deliberately slowly behind the bandits' back, taking advantage of their distracted states to take up a position behind the man he deemed to be the most threatening. Even as he did so, Crypt was already readying what little Djed he could manipulate, having regenerated a small amount of Djed during his rest, sending it to both upper limbs, deeming it a neccessary act in order to decrease the possibility of his next victim surviving his blow He appears to be older than the rest of them. He's probably the leader. I wouldn't want to face that gigantic longsword - or is it bastard sword? - in combat. Best take him out first. Slowly sliding his longsword out of the simple sheath it was held in, Crypt readied himself to deal a fatal blow. In one swift motion, Crypt slammed the long dagger into the neck of his target; its blade sank into his neck with nary a pause, sinking to the hilt before being rapidly withdrawn towards the right, cutting through a major artery as it sliced its way free. Even as the five remaining bandits were staring at their leader in shock as he, suddenly unable to make a coherent sound due to the blood now leaking into his throat, gurgled a few times, Crypt was already moving onto his next target, Bumsy. Bumsy was still being restrained by a tall, wiry bandit. He was practically a sitting duck for Crypt's longsword. Slamming the pommel of his sword into the back of Bumsy's restrainer's head, Crypt pulled the momentarily-stunned man back, throwing him to one side. Running his longsword through Bumsy's back, Crypt smirked as he heard the bandit cry out in pain and anger. And then Crypt was forced away from the bandit, losing his grip on his longsword as he did so, courtesy of a well-placed kick to his chest. Crypt had made a serious error. Even though he had already dispatched two of the six remaining bandits, the other four had had time to recover from his surprise attack and retaliate.

[Accolade]

The bandit's inside the cave were in a frenzy, a fight breaking out over an arm wrestling match was typical of Bumsy, who was known for starting fights for just about every reason was at it again. Ramon was not pleased, the leader of the group had, on more than one occasion smacked the man left and right for being stupid. It was a wonder that he hadn't killed him let, but the man was a good fighter and at least he did that job well enough.

The bandit's were in a frenzy now, suddenly for no reason their leader fell dead, and just as they turned to help him, another fell also. Not that most of them cared if Bumsy died, but there was something going on. There was blood every where, a huge pool of crimson resting at everyone's feet. It had been a daring move by the drykus, but in such a closed area, he had to know that he would be caught.

A swift kick sent him backwards, and two of the remaining thugs tackled him to the ground. They wrestled away his weapons as a third man appeared above them and planted a viscous boot into Crypts chest. Another man appeared as well, all but drowning out all light as the men continued to stomp the drykus until he was half conscious. Crypt was out of it, and even though one of the bandits slapped his face and yelled at him, he could barely make out what he was saying.

In the short distance, a sudden whinnie caught everyone's attention and brought Crypt back to full consciousness. Maras had sensed his rider in trouble and had come to aid him in anyway that he could. The bandits were curious, a horse near-by? It was just what they needed, with their own horses being killed during their raid, and was the reason they were camping out in a cave while waiting for others to arrive with a suitable wagon to carry off their lute.

The men dragged Crypt outside, a thug on each arm, whom didn't hesitate to slam a fist into the man if he even attempted to try to move. A man named Talis was the new leader, as he was second in command of Ramon.

"Look gents, our friend here brought a horse." he chuckled as he moved towards Maras. The other men chuckled at the display from their knew leader and even gave Crypt a kick for amusement. Talis moved closer to Maras, trying to calm the horse so that he could climb aboard. But Maras wasn't having it and as soon as he was close enough the horse bucked and planted it's back hooves into his chest hard enough to send him air born.

Again the men laughed, which only angered Talis further. He stood up and motioned to the other men standing around to take the horse and tie it down. It wasn't easy, even with the reins Maras continued to buck wildly and even dragging the men across the floor. Finally Talis stepped in to help and the three of them were about to tie the horse's reins to a thick tree, for which they had to add rope and a wooden pike to keep it tight.

Talis glared at Crypt and turned to his men and nodded. He had no intention of keeping the horse now after it had embarrassed him. It's only use now was to torture Crypt. With a nod from him, the two archers took up their bows and aimed at the horse. Crypt raged, struggling to free himself, anything to protect his mount, but he only found more kicks and punches to hold him down. The men fired, arrows from close range all striking their target. Maras continued to buck and try to free himself, the cries of the horse echoing loudly along with that of Crypts.

Soon it was over, and Maras laid against the tree trunk, his blood pooling around him. Talis smiled evilly, finding great satisfaction in what he had just done and turned back to face Crypt.

"Now..it's your turn."

[Crypt]

The immense amount of pain Crypt was experiencing made him unable to do anything except flail about in hopes of avoiding the blows the bandits rained down on him and alternate between groaning and screaming. And then Maras whinnied, clearing the Drykas' mind and allowing him a brief respite from the battering he was receiving as the men were distracted by the sound his Strider had made. Making no attempt to escape, for he realised that even a twitch would give the bandits a chance to pummel him repeatedly, Crypt remained limp as the men dragged him out of the cave and threw him to the ground. Laying still there, Crypt only raised his head slightly once he heard Talis speak, and witnessed the stallion giving the new leader a well-deserved kick in the chest. Hopefully that breaks a few ribs. And then the archers aimed their bows at him. Crypt instantly divined their purpose, and began thrashing about, attempting to free himself from the bandit holding him captive, but he was held down mercilessly. He shouted; he raged, saliva spilling from his mouth as he groaned and stormed. He spat vulgarities aimed at the bandits who were torturing his Strider, but to no avail. They continued their game. Then Maras died. An over-powering feeling washed over Crypt, amplifying the pain he was feeling - both mental and physical - and his distorted expression faded into one of barely-suppressed madness, grinding his teeth and staring at Talis intently. "You killed him." A simple statement, but he spoke it with finality and an eerie calm. The barriers Crypt had painstakingly set up in his mind over the years he had been travelling broke completely, and it flooded into every corner of his mind. Turning towards the bandit that had restrained him, Crypt smiled once before throwing himself at his foe. The bandit had been distracted by the the arrow-riddled body of Maras, observing it with no small amount of amusement. It was to be his undoing. Having regressed to the half-primal state Crypt once was in during his lonely sojourn in the Sea of Grass years ago, the Drykas was in no fit state to be discussing matters calmly with the bandits over a cup of tea and some cookies. He bit into the neck of the unfortunate bandit. Even though Crypt's teeth were not particularly sharp, he was able to tear through the soft tissue and arteries of his victim by the sheer force exerted by his jaw muscles. The man was in no condition to be resisting his attack, for the shock of having his prisoner turn on him, combined with the pain he was now feeling, prevented him from doing so. Ripping what he could away from the neck of the bandit, and spitting it to one side, Crypt stood up and brought his left foot down on the exposed neck, ending the bandit's screams and life. Crypt turned towards the other three men. All of them were aghast at the act of brutality commited moments ago by the Drykas. They quailed under the glare Crypt sent towards them, and one of the archers dropped his bow as a bloody smile appeared on his countenance. Dashing across the few meters that seperated them, Crypt slammed into the other archer with his arms in front of him, disregarding the disarmed archer. He ignored the arrow that had embedded itself in his bandaged shoulder, and continued to strangle the torturer.

[Accolade]

The downed archer struggled against the drykus as he strangled him, even ramming his fist into the man's jaw. He then head butted Crypt as he tried to push the man off. The other archer raced over and helped him to pull the Drykus off as they started to stump him into the ground again. Talis stood silent for a chime and watched the men have at Crypt.

The new leader slipped a long sword from his belt and made his way over to where the archers had the drykus pinned down. There was a wicked smirk on his features and he lightly twirled his sword around as he moved in front of Crypt and stumped the man in his gut. "Looks like you're finished friend."

The archers gave a chuckle, all three men knowing what was about to happen, and what their new leader was planning to do. Suddenly both archers grunted, their bodies tumbling backwards onto the ground with a soft thud. Talis hadn't seen what happened and was surprised to find an arrow sticking out of both men chest. Talis readied his sword and looked around before his features turned pale.

A small company of Knights burst through the thick trees and bushes that hid the cave. They quickly unarmed Talis and slung him down onto the ground, with a heavy armored boot on the back of his head. It appeared that the squires had made it safely back to the city and had informed their patron just as they had said they would.

The Knights helped Crypt to his feet, and questioned him for several chimes to make sure that he was indeed the man who had helped the squires before. Several of the company headed inside the cave to check it out, and returned chimes later with weapons, clothing, oils, coins and all sorts of items that the bandits had stolen.

There were other Knights still seated upon their horses. The leader of the group urged his horse to trot forward so that he could get a better look at the drykus. "I'm Stewart Knight Kelin, Red Company, 1st Regiment, Silver Quadron. I hear word that you helped a few of our squires with this bandit problem. Tell me what has happened here?"

[Crypt]

In response to his approaching death, Crypt bared his teeth at the smirking Talis, mentally preparing himself to move on. There would be no begging for mercy for Insatem; he would be defiant to the end. "Petch you." Preparing himself for his inevitable death, some strange part of Crypt's mind wandered away from the dire situation he was in and into a metaphysical realm where it was deciding what last words he would give. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn about you killing me?" Nah, too rat-like for my liking. Reminds me of a scarlet woman though. "Do it!" No, I can't bear to be like that madman. "Fly, you fools!" And not that either, I'm alone here with no one else. The squires aren't here, the Knights aren't here. I'm really going mad, aren't I? Well, where will I go after I die? Do I meet Death? What am I going to say to him? Aha! Allow me to introduce myself - I am a gentleman of wealth and taste. A well-placed boot to the jaw rudely interrupted Crypt's internal monolongue and brought him back to full consciousness. Spitting out a tooth that had detached from his gums, Crypt glared at the approaching Talis. "Do your worst!" And then the archers fell to the ground, arrows sticking out of their chest. In turn, Talis was swiftly restrained by a few Knights. The armored boot to the head was a most satisfying sight for Crypt, and his currently deranged mind registered it with great amusement. Crypt began to chuckle. After the Knights calmed him down from his fit of laughter (though giggles sporadically emerged from his mouth), they questioned him closely in order to determine his identity. The Drykas responded to each question in a high-pitched voice whose pitch he varied with every sentence he made. As the questioning continued, he returned to his normal tone of voice, answering each question more somberly than before. A despondent expression appeared on his visage as he slowly spoke to the Knights, his eyes staring blankly at whatever was in front of him. He was shell-shocked, and the last question posed to him was now answered in a monotone. The Stewart Knight approached him, and Crypt turned slowly towards the Knight on horseback. "I was cocky. I was arrogant. I decided that I could take on the remaining bandits myself, and I have paid for it. I sneaked into their base a few chimes before dawn and killed two of them before being caught and beaten up. They..." Crypt paused for a few seconds, attempting to get the following words stuck in his throat out, "Killed Maras, and I snapped.I killed one of them with my bare hands before they managed to restrain me again. And then your Knights arrived." Slowly turning his hollow gaze towards his blood-stained hands, Crypt suddenly became acutely aware of the blood staining his lips and teeth. He retched. Crypt felt extreme revulsion by what he had just done, and once he was done with regurgitating the contents of his digestive system, he looked at Kelin again, displaying an anguished expression. "My god..." Ignoring any further words from the Syliran Knight, Crypt dashed towards Maras' corpse, and began to weep over it, displaying unrestrained emotion and a deep sorrow for the loss of his only companion. "I'm sorry, Maras, I'm sorry... It was all my fault, I shouldn't have done this." No apology could return Maras to the land of the living, and Crypt knew that. But despite that fact, he continued to do so.

[Accolade]

Kelin stared down at Crypt, he didn't think the man insane, but he could tell by his looks and the bodies surrounding him that he had been through a lot. The story he heard from the squires meshed well with the unfortunate ending he saw before him. Still he didn't see himself learning any more from the man as his statements had been convoluted at best. There was something else however, and the Stewart Knight was sure that he had seen the man before.

Was he a citizen of Syliras?

He started to ask, but before he could, the man seemed to completely loose it and raced over towards the dead horse. It was the very first time that Kelin had seen a man so torn and upset at the death of a horse. He had to have been a Drykus. He felt sorry for the man, but the truth was that in the world they lived in, such things happened. That was why the Knights fought for the safely of others, to protect them from such fates, but outside of the walls, that job became a lot more difficult.

"You have done me an honor by protecting our squires and for taking care of this bandit problem. You Sir are a good man."

Kelin reached to his belt and took away a coin pouch containing 50 gm inside. He tossed it down to Crypt with a nod. " There is my thanks. If you would like you can travel back to the city with us and our healers will take care of you. Free of charge of course. If you're injuries aren't that serious, then you have my thanks and we shall be off."

The Stewart Knight Kelin waited to hear what the Drykus' answer would be before moving on to inspect the loot that the knights collected from the bandit camp.

[Crypt]

OOC NoteApologies for the sub-standard writing in my previous post and this one. It's really hard for me to write about a character experiencing death - there's just so much I have to consider. "Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing..." "Weeping, writhing, teeth a-gnashing; torments devised by High Above." "You midnight jackals beside Her walking; there he waits now - bucking, rearing." "Bring him then, O Guide of the Dead, to the Sea of Grass. Rebirth awaits him; I pray that he will have or be a better master than I was." Crypt turned to Ser Kelin after reciting a short dirge, a brief lament for Maras, mentally composing himself and fixing a calm expression on his countenance. "My thanks for your compliment and the mizas. I shall accept your offer of healing. But there is another request I would like to make..." Crypt glanced at Maras' corpse, shuddering momentarily before turning back to the Stewart Knight. "Find someone. Anyone, but preferably a Drykas, heading back to Endrykas. And take my Strider's body back to Cyphrus, to the care of my kin. There will be someone that detects him or her through the Web, and a rider will come to receive the corpse. And also pass on this message. Tell him that Crypt Insatem of the Diamond Clan, son of Insatem and Lyran Whitemane, is no longer fit to be a Drykas, for he has failed to safeguard his own Strider." He would have to walk back to Syliras. Not on horseback.

[Accolade]

Ser Kelin nodded to Crypt, and as a last show of gratitude, he agreed to send a large carted wagon out to retrieve the horse and a Drykas if he could find one. Afterwards, with the bandits slain, their new leader captured, and the stolen property regained, the Knights headed back towards the city. They offered Crypt a ride on the back of their horses if he should decide to take it.

It would be in the late evening when they returned to the city. Once they were back inside the gates, Ser Kelin had one of his solders take the Drykus to see a healer and get him patched up. The Drykas would spend the night healing and resting up before he would be released on his own in the morning. Most people in the city knew nothing of the bandits or any of their attacks to date. But there were a few, those who had rode with Ser Kelin that had offered Crypt a nod as he passed them in the hallways.

Heading outside, Crypt was greeted by three familiar faces. The squires had all come down in hopes that they would see him. They were all dressed down into common clothing, bandages and wraps showing from underneath. They greeted him as a friend would, and asked to hear the daring tale of how he conquered the bandits single handedly. They pleaded with him to join them for a drink in the Rearing stallion if he was up for it.

If the Drykas chose not too, then he was free to once again roam as he pleased. Through the city or out in the wilds of the world. But now he would do it alone.

OOCYour writing is just fine. Now if you want to post again go ahead. otherwise I can go on and grade it.