Night of The Red Dawn [Agony, Perish, Ruin]

[Jerrico]

Timestamp: 46th of Summer, 510 AV It was just about dusk dark on the leading edge of the grassy plains. The day had been warm enough to bend the rolling waves of grass, even the shaded soil was warm to the touch. Though, as Syna was slowly giving way to Leth, a chill wind swept over the land emanating from the port of Riverfall. It seemed the weather at night would be just the opposite of the hours so recently past. The sky was turning into a deep shade of purple that would give way to blue blackness. The wind kicked up suddenly, buffeting the acres of grass making it look like the landscape was roiling in anger. Even the weather seemed to know of the violent and bloody events that were about to unfold in the coming hours. As if on cue with the dying of the wind the far distant sounds of two male glassbeaks fighting for mating rights were jerked and tossed about in the air. Five men sat in a small clearing, surrounded by three smaller fire pits. They wore little in the way of clothes, just a kilt made of sack cloth, and padding made of the same material stuffed under their armor. The amour it's self was a hodgepodge of cultures all items of which had obviously been scavenged from some unpleasant encounter or other. All wore bracers, and shin guards over their boots. Two of the men had the good fortune to own half a chain mail shirt which only covered half of their hairy chests and right arm. Two other men had opted for metal studded vests and small buckler shields attached to the off hand with scraps of leather. The fifth man was obviously the supreme leader of this small group. His armor was more complete and much more scarred. His full chest and back were covered in iron, along with his hands, and pauldrons on his shoulders. He also sported a riders hip belt, which protected the upper thighs. It was beyond clear to anyone who would have seen them that these men were uncivilized. Perhaps murderers and outlaws that escaped the law of the bigger cities. Some of their foul stench was burned away, or masked by the smoke from the fires but even a human's nose would wrinkle in disgust at one hundred paces away. If all appearances so far hadn't been enough, crude maces, and the leaders rusty axe, marked these men as barbarians. They were busy drawing childish outlines in the dirt at their feet. If a person was able to speak several languages they might be able to decipher the plans to raid the nearby gem mine for a quick pay off. Barbarians they might be, but these battle hardened men were not dim. They risked the glassbeaks by staying out in the wild, but they were confidant in their pyramid of fire, as much as their brawling skills. They were well aware of the renowned prowess of the Akalak and had reasoned a quick scuffle at the mouth of the mine would yield enough gems to sufficiently stuff their coffers. This was their last attempt at survival. The skin clung to their bones like wet rags and what muscles remained seemed oddly malformed and out of place on the starving men. Several had severe tooth infections that caused molars to literally fall out of their heads from the slightest jar. They were not a pretty sight, or would they be an easy push over. Life was to precious for them as was demonstrated by their once loyal war dog, now roasting nicely in one of the fires. These barbarians knew their world was on the brink of collapse; but they couldn’t have predicted how soon and terrible it would be.

[Agony]

"Just what exactly are we going to DO with them...?" Agony was forced to wonder just what kind of payoff there was to raiding a camp of starving men, half-way to death already. "We might be able to sell their armor off, though not for much, but look at them... they have no meat on their bones." Essentially being the family's quartermaster, he had to preoccupy himself not simply with the hunt, but also with what they would gain from it. The men they stalked this night would probably die, Agony thought, if they waited long enough, but they weren't going to be given that luxury. Even now, if they looked up, their eyes might be able catch a brief glimpse of an odd shape hiding amongst the darkness of the night sky. Even now, they were marked for death, almost as surely as if their necks gleamed below the executioner's axe this very moment. The only difference was that they had weapons in their hands, and a potent will to live. This, the Zith knew, was all one truly needed, and so he also knew that he and his brothers should be as cautious in this hunt as in any other. "It's almost time, Ruin. Perish, you know what to do." Being able to communicate and coordinate without compromising their positions was a great advantage, and Agony's infra-sound shrieks informed his brothers of all they needed to know with little risk. The men... their prey, had been "dinning" for awhile now. Having more to drink than to eat, it was only natural that they'd supplement actual meat with water, in order to fill their bellies. This meant at least one of them should be getting up to relieve himself soon enough. That was going to be their chance.

[Ruin]

Fire, what a pleasant tool of humanoids of all races. It was used as warmth, it was used to prepare meals, it was used to fend off lesser creatures, and for a Zith, it was used as a beacon, screaming "Here I am, Ruin! Come eat me!" And for Ruin, most likely Agony as well (Perish was always questionable), this was an opportunity that could not be resisted. Perhaps the Barbarians were hungry, but so were the Zith brothers, maybe not starving to the point that they would eat each other, but even the slightest hunger was already maddening the self-proclaimed leader of the trio. Ruin did not like hunger, it meant several things to him: he hadn't eaten, the ever obvious one, he wasn't hunting well enough, a knife in his pride, and ultimately he was doing poorly where he should excel. He was the King of Zith after all, and a King doesn't fail. That's why tonight Ruin dedicated himself to having a meal, and he promised himself that Perish and Agony would benefit from it, regardless of their help or not. He had a family to look after, he had his brothers. Ruin's powerful wings beat through the air as he steadily moved towards the 'beacon' of lights, they were slightly painful to look into, since he was more accustomed to the dark of night rather than a bright fire, but he would manage. He could still hear, and unless his wings made a loud enough sound against the sky to overpower the wind, which Ruin was thankful that was howling heavily now (even strong enough to give a slight push on occasion), then the barbarians had little to no chance in spotting him. Ruin wasn't sure of Perish's magical capabilities, but perhaps his magic could come in handy for once, such as destroying those fires, since they would expose the image of the Zith should they wander too close, as well as they made it a pain to peer through, and Ruin just hates fire. Ruin landed softly in the tall dancing grass nearby, some fifty yards away to ensure, or at least feel safe that his landing was not detected. His wings would fold against his body as he slowly began to crawl on the ground towards the five foul smelling men. Anyone could tell that they had some brains to them. The fires, for instance, did typically keep foul beasts from wandering into camp. Even though their armor was patchy at best, it was still armor, mild protection from his own claws. Ruin may need to be more cautious this time. It wasn't often that he willingly took on more people than his three-Zith pod in numbers, it was foolish to hunt more when they were willing and able to fight back viciously. These men would do that, Ruin could tell, experience told him this. Ruin pondered as he awaited his brothers' arrivals, perhaps they were scouting the area or forming their own plans from above, not a bad idea, but Ruin felt more comfortable down on the ground, mostly camouflaged by the darkness of Leth's gaze and the tall growth of the trees. If he could keep silent, he might as well be invisible out there. Pure silence, however, was not in itself an easy goal. Ruin picked up his head as he heard his brother's call, grinning to himself, but not bothering to respond (Agony probably understood by now that when Ruin was in a hunt, he did as little as possible to 'not exist' until he strikes). He would wait in the grass, the first one to separate himself from the group, for whatever reason, he hoped would wander aimlessly in his direction rather than his brothers. He was itching to spill blood, that and of course it was a little frightening having the thought that Perish might be the one to be stumbled upon. Perish was always a worry for Ruin. Perhaps he should try retraining that one.

[Perish]

He carried his longbow in his right hand and his arrows from Ruins’ barrel in his left hand. He was planning on landing nearby in the dark and use the darkness for cover to shoot. If they tried to approach him he would use magic. He could always threaten to erase their existence with his portal although his brothers wouldn’t agree; dimming the numbers down would make it easier to get rid of the rest. Voiding would be his last resort since it takes awhile to take the portal out especially during a fight. It would help if he could control it better. For now he would rely on his bow, he held five arrows since he did not have a quiver to hold them in. He never found a quiver during one of their hunts so he hoped tonight he would. He thought of strapping them around his waist but flying made it hard to hold them. He wouldn’t let down his brothers this time, he had practiced how to use a bow a bit on his own when they weren’t around. It was time to surprise them, he thought to himself with a smile appearing on his face. The grass rustled as a breeze rolled by, his dark hair flowed with the wind as he flew quicker. He saw the bright campfire where the men sat. He could see from his position that they weren’t doing anything productive. These men were barbarians; they held no honor and no code. These were the type of people Perish enjoyed stuffing down his throat. Tonight though they did not seem to have alot of meet on their bones, but the kill will still be sweet. Especially if he got one hit tonight it would be all the more sweeter. His determination to do well tonight rose at the thought. He landed softly in the grass, about the same distance his brother Ruin landed. He wasn’t good at stealth as his brother Ruin but he did not need it since he had his bow. Should they choose to give chase he could simply take to the sky if he had to or summon his portal to swallow one of them. It was dark so he was sure they wouldn’t notice him flying in, maybe they will pass me off as a bird since the same could be said for Ruin. He couldn’t see Agony nearby but he knew Agony could cause damage. Ruin was a different story, he couldn’t be seen because he is good at not being seen. Perish is lucky to have dark fur especially during their element which is the night. He folded his wings silently and set his arrows down on the grass. He held one in his right hand holding the bow with his left. He nodded and grabbed the rest of the arrows with his left hand and approached the camp quietly, preparing to nock his arrow if he brought attention to himself. He planned on staying twenty to thirty feet away from the camp. Approaching silently step by step, Perish kept his eyes on the bright red fire that was lit like a beacon for him and his brothers. If his brothers needed something they could just shout like he would, since humans couldn't really understand their language.

[Jerrico]

The Zith had several advantages in their favor, several key advantages that would no doubt speed them on their way to a very possible victory. They held control over surprise, dominated the air, and could quite easily hold a fully fledged conversation without tipping off the miniature barbarian horde. But the Zith had also nearly forgotten how difficult the task they had chosen would be. Depriving five desperate men of their lives would be no easy feat, by anyone’s standards. More over these were wild men, weaned on violence as children, raised on brutality, and scholars of shrewd cunning. Though it did not seem that way for the men continued their multi-language conversation for some time, using the drawings in the dirt as much as violently woven threats. At one point it seemed as if the perfect opportunity to strike had presented it’s self when two of the men threw down their weapons and launched themselves at each other. The scuffle lasted for no more than half a minutes time though, and did not spill outside of the camp fires. Once the brawlers had been separated there was a change of emotions, from somber planning, to gruff laughing and joking. Life was undoubtedly short for these men one way or another and they didn’t have time to hold grudges over petty things like insults, or insinuations about their mothers that, in all likelihood, were very true. As the four other men fell into their own conversations and dealings, the leader of the troupe stared off in Perish’s direction. He’d seen Perish land and fold his wings but with the fire light around him his eyes couldn’t penetrate the darkness, and he also couldn’t be sure he’d seen anything at all. Another barbarian suddenly realized his bladder was about to burst and he got up to empty it. Though he didn’t leave the safety of the fires either, he just simply stood in front of one and dropped the front of his pants. Much relieved he let his head loll back, sighing contentedly. But it was this act that would give away the presence of the Zith. The man tried to figure out why some stars kept blinking in and out, while others still remained visible, and yet more were apparently gone completely. It slowly dawned on him, that gut wrenching fear of being watched and hunted, caught his voice in his throat stopping him from warning the others. Luckily one of his compatriots followed his gaze, came to the same realization, and shouted a warning. Suddenly the camp was a flurry with activity. Weapons were seized, orders were shouted, and the fires were tipped over. Now this would have been unwise in most situations but these brutish men were not stupid for they had lined the spaces between two of the fires with dried grass. Instantly the grass lit creating two walls of fire three feet high on either side of the camp, leaving just one entrance between two of the fire pits. This would have been an effective means of funneling any would be attackers had they not the ability to fly. Five barbarians stood in a circle, back to back, in their fiery camp; half of them watching the figure in the sky. The other half watched the two sides, and the leader who was realizing they might just be surrounded, turned his attention back to the area where he’d seen Perish land. The presence of Agony now revealed the only element of surprise left was in the number of Zith. The barbarians waited, ready to defend their lives with every scrap of strength and substantial stamina they possessed.

[Agony]

The plan Agony had in mind had just become obsolete. One lucky piss had revealed the Zith's position, alerting the prey, and prompting them to take defensive positions. It seemed that they had been concerned with a possible attack all along, as they had already rigged their camp for such an eventuality. Of course, this wasn't exactly surprising, considering the ever present danger found in the Sea of Grass. "Brothers... change of plans." It was almost certain that his brothers were all too aware that the circumstances of the hunt had changed, but Agony realized they might do something foolish if he didn't specifically say anything. "Ruin, get to Perish. Stay near him. Perish... find a good vantage point, and make use of that bow you so love to drag around." Perhaps this wasn't an entirely unwelcome tactical position after all, Agony mused. The men had basically backed themselves into a corner, and now the brothers could take their time and whittle them down without any need for secrecy. If they decided to leave the safety of their camp, then they'd be ambushed at every turn, and picked off one by one amidst the darkness of the night. The blue eyed Zith, in the meantime, positioned himself directly above the fiery blaze that surrounded the barbarians. They didn't seem to have any ranged weaponry, but one couldn't be too careful, leading him to maintain a high altitude as a sort of buffer zone. Agony imagined that his constant presence above their heads might also serve to unnerve some of the men, believing humans susceptible to this kind of intimidation. Of course, he may have known quite a bit about the human body, but his knowledge of the human mind was significantly more limited.

[Ruin]

The night seemed to be going well so far. There were several men, foul smelling and talking in some foreign dialect that he couldn't even manage to scrounge a single known syllable from, yet they seemed completely unaware of the Ziths' presence. For a long moment, which went by surprisingly easily for Ruin since he loved the thrill of stalking a prey, nothing really happened, then a scuffle. It was perfect, so perfect that Ruin nearly lost his control and went into a frenzy, soaring through the air, and charging one, but that would be foolish. Ruin was not a fool, at least not when it came to these situations in his life. Hunting, fighting, killing, Ruin took great pride in such things, it is what he focused on. Stealth, quick deaths, silent blood spilled, no signs remaining of the Zith's existence save for a pool of fresh red liquid life soaked into the earth and a missing body. No, instead the Zith remained calm, patient, ever watchful. He had to wait until the supreme time came about. The men had to expose themselves and he needed his brothers with him. These two factors, along with the already obtained advantage of stealth and surprise, should be an easy victory if executed correctly. Planning was the easy part, and although crucial it did not always factor in a margin of error. Hunting expeditions always had small errors, and those were the most annoying. It was raw coincidence that Agony gave away his position, pure luck that the man that had to urinate looked up to the sky and actually noticed the Zith's presence. It could have just as easily been Ruin or Perish flying in when they were watching the stars when they realized an odd pattern of stars lighting out and back in. Still though, Ruin was not happy. This meant complications, this meant that golden situation where the five or so men would expose themselves was unlikely to come. This meant that the Ziths' element of surprise was nullified, and this meant that the two groups were roughly on an even playing field. The Barbarians had a number advantage, the Zith's had a stealth advantage. The Barbarians had a defensive advantage, the Zith had a ranged advantage (thanks to Perish and his bow). The Barbarians has weapons, the Zith had wings. The victors would be known simply by the group that could act more efficiently in the struggle of war. Ruin heard and understood Agony's new plan, but he also new it was unlikely that he himself was spotted. For all the men knew, there was single Zith, but that would be a foolish thought, since a Zith would know better than to take on five grown warriors by his lonesome. The men had to assume multiples, two, three, possibly more. Ruin, as he slowly crawled towards Perish, using his naturally dark fur, shadows of night, and now the small wall of fire obscuring the Barbarians' vision from beyond said flaming barrier, he was likely to be able to remain hidden. He himself was one of the few advantages they still had, his location, his ferocity, his combat ability, all unknown. One might think simply that these men, battle harden, raised in cold lifestyles, knowing only the lust for killing and strategy for survival (Which Ruin was now able to pick up on by the almost artistic method of surrounding themselves with the fire and watching all possible angles in their formation) would be an advantage, but the Zith were no different. They too were born to hunt, trained to hunt, and lived to hunt. Their lives revolved around a good kill and a great meal, the two parties were evenly matched, and Ruin preferred to get in, kill fast, and get out. ...Damn the luck.

[Perish]

oocHey guys sorry about the late response was just busy with College stuff

Perish noticed the man taking note to his position. A little more time and he could have been passed off for something insignificant. In a sea of grass such as this nothing could be simply passed off as insignificant so easily. Luck wasn't on his side though when Agony was spotted. At least it wasn't me this time thank the great rending, he thought to himself. The wall of flame only proved to be more useful for Perish, his arrows might just fly through and strike the barbarians. It would take a few lucky shots to get them even with his experiance with a bow he was no expert. He approach the camp a bit more now that the wall of flame was upand nocked an arrow to his bow. Holding on to the end with his two fingers across the string with his left hand on the bow. Perish responded to Agonys' comment with a grin,"At least my bow didn't get me caught!" He squinted his eye a little since the flame made it hard to aim. He didn't get so close that he could feel the heat but the flames themselves were a bother to his sight. He closed one eye as he aimed hoping the wall would give him a shot, an opening. He let go of the arrow and let it fly through the wall towards the barbarian. He quickly grabbed another arrow and repeated the same process. Shooting another one through the wall. Now he waited to hear a scream, a gurgling noise, anything that would indicate he got a shot. If this failed he would take to the sky which would be a bit more challanging to shoot while flying. He could almost hear Ruin's approach near him through the rustling grass. He wondered what Agony and Ruin had in mind now. Their cover was blown but they still had a small element of surprise, the night and exactly how many Zith crawled with them in their hunt. The barbarians didn't know that, and it could very well strike fear.