[Ruins of Nial] Treasures lost (Jaeden)

[Dusk]

Jaeden was able to destroy the first Glyph without any seeming drawbacks, and Djoli started sawing through the bonds without any explosions or unsavory effects. When he reached out to touch the toe of his boot to the second of the unique glyphs, the next protection activated itself. A flash of light popped behind Jaeden, and a great roar sounded almost immediately. Behind him, standing on the dissipating vapor of on of the ten identical runes he'd avoided, stood a creature that may once have been human, but no longer. It looked like a desiccated corpse, impossibly gaunt and so dry it's skin slaked off in patches like old parchment. Its eyes bulged as it stared at him - and in its hand it held a long metal spear. It roared again, and charged at him, even as Djoli screamed in fright.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden quickly spun around at the sound of the roar, his sword being raised at the monstrosity now suddenly before him. "Whoa ugly!" Jaeden said before his face suddenly winced when Djoli’s scream echoed out and he gave her a frustrated look. “Really? Really?” Jaeden said rubbing his ear. “Seriously Djoli, you could shatter glass with that scream.”

"Holy shyke!" Jaeden said in reactively as his eyes then went wide when the first swing of the spear came rushing at him. His body stepped to the side and his sword swung through the air in front of him instinctively to parry the incoming strike. He then quickly stepped forward, his food gliding along another glyph blindly as he did so as he sword was swung forward, cutting through the creature’s leg. Jaeden’s body then spun around, as he brought the blade of his longsword down to cut along the monster’s arm next, trying to go after attacks initially that would slow down it’s sluggish movements even more. Feeling the strength of it’s first attack when he parried it, he knew the creature was strong, far stronger than he was. When he came to the realization that there nine other glyphs similar to the one the creature had just popped out of, Jaeden knew this would be a very long night if they didn’t manage to get them away from the circle.

“How are those ropes coming Djoli?” Jaeden then asked before he took a quick step back, drawing his sword backward before a step forward and quick thrust was given, aiming the tip of his longsword at the back of the creatures head this time, hoping to end it’s threat as quickly as possible.

[Dusk]

Jaeden's thrust connected solidly - the tip of his sword piercing the creature in the back of the skull and sliding out again as easily as it would have from a bag of sand. The strange thing was, the creature only paused, then gave another gutteral roar as it brought the spear around for another whack. It seemed to have a little bit of trouble manuvering in the closed formation, only insomuch as it couldn't get the tip of the spear around to jab into Jaeden's soft, fleshy body. Instead, it simply hit him with it much like a child playing stickball. Only instead of a child, it was an undead creature with four times the strength of any human. And instead of a ball, it was Jaeden's ribs. The hit was hard enough to knock the man clear off his feet and send him flying out of the circle, not unlike the magic had earlier, though this time he managed to land in open ground instead of slamming into a tree. Despite the sly comments, Djoli didn't seem able to stop shrieking. "Cut off its petching head!" she screamed, the knife gripped in a terrified fist and the bonds only half-cut as she stood frozen with terror at the undead creature's assault.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden groaned , a pain radiating through out his body starting at his chest. The attack had caught him off guard, having expected the stab to the head to kill the creature. The impact had rocked his body clear outside his circle. He slowly rolled to his side, his painful waves washing over him. It had felt as though his bones had been broken, his hand pressing along ground as he pushed himself off it, his other hand barely hanging on to his longsword as he tried to get back to his feet.

He groaned once again as Djoli’s screamed advice. “Are you petching kidding me!” Jaeden suddenly screamed back in an coughed exhale. “I’ll file that little tidbit down under information I could have used a petching chime ago!”

Jaeden finally got to his feet, raising his sword as he shot his gaze from outside the circle, looking to the creature that had appeared. He waited, watching to see if it would follow him outside of the circle to continue it’s attack, waiting for that moment when it did so he could evade and counter, hopefully cutting it’s head free from it’s shoulders.

[Dusk]

"Don't yell at me!" Djoli screamed back, eyes still wide and panicked. "Every bloody idjit knows you gotta cut an undead's head off! Have you lived under a rock your whole petching life?" The creature seemed perfectly able to step outside of the circle, and did so as it shambled towards Jaeden with all evidence of a continued desire to make stabbings in him with its spear. It groaned a little, and drew back the spear for another blow - which left him open to attack, if Jaeden was quick enough.

[Jaeden Kincade]

The opening flared itself before Jaeden’s eyes, his sword drawn back and his feet vaulting him forward. His arms tightened as he put his full strength into the swing, the tip cutting halfway through the creatures neck. Now behind the creature, Jadend’s body spun as another swing was given, cutting from the side now through the rest of it’s neck before a swift forward kick was given to the center of it’s back. Jaeden’s suddenly took a few steps back, the kicking of the solid mass of flesh causing him to almost lose his balance. “Not under a rock, per say, but still it’s not like you run into these ilk when you’re a nomad in the forest.” Jaeden said , grumbling slightly as he kept his defensive posture, the sting of the last hit now rising a little more as he rubbed his chest. “What’s taking you so long to cut through those ropes?”

[Dusk]

Djoli gave a squeak as she realized that she wasn't doing what she was supposed to be doing, and quickly looked up above her as she started to saw through the ropes. Which gave Jaeden at least a minute to recover himself. As he looked around, he would notice that the noises of the forest were quieting. Silence descended, as if the woods themselves were holding their breath. The girl gave a cry of victory as the last of the ropes parted, and she fell to her knees in relief at being free. The ropes fell away, and the knife with it, and she rubbed at the bloody wounds at her wrist. "Petching finally," she groaned, and then dragged herself up to her feet. She started across the circle towards Jaeden, a grateful smile on her lips -- -- and the sun touched the horizon unseen behind the treeline. The glyph that Jaeden had been trying to destroy exploded in a flash of white smoke, and a half-second later there was another flare of incandescence just behind Djoli. She was blown to the ground with another shout of pain, landing hard and obviously dazed. Behind her stood a swirling portal, a dark and writhing door into the Void - out of which stepped a black-haired man. He straightened up as he stepped into the center of the circle beside the pole that Djoli had been tied to, staring around at the girl and Jaeden with mild annoyance. His face looked as if it'd been carved from marble, square-jawed with harsh, sweeping cheekbones and a strong patrician nose. He wasn't much older than Jaeden, perhaps five years or so, but the eyes that stared at the both of them were like chips of ice, cold and fogged as if by some infirmity. "Gods, I'd heard tales," he murmured, staring around at the forest as if surprised at what he could see. Then he turned his attention back to the girl. "You must be the girl. Come," he said, stepping over to her and grabbing her by the arm to haul her to her feet, still dazed. "I've paid a high price for you, and the portal won't remain open forever." He began pulling her towards the swirling black hole in the world, uncaring that Djoli tried to yank her arm free. "Jaeden!" she shrieked, eyes darting around to find him. "Help me!"

[Jaeden Kincade]

“Oh you got to be petching kidding me.” Jaeden grumbled as he stabbed his sword into an unglyphed portion of the ground within the circle. His arm swung over his back, yanking an old looking Composite Longbow. Small gouges lined it’s shaft, evident of the blows and tosses his body had just gone through. None the less, Jaeden unbuttoned a flap, along the top of a quiver, revealing several arrows within. His fingers quickly pinched one of the arrows, pulling it free as he quickly nocked it into the string of his bow.

Jaeden quickly drew the arrow, leveling it at the tall man dragging Djoli away. A quick breath was released then before he loosened the hooking grip his index and middle finger had over the string of his bow, looking to fire the first arrow through the new arrival’s arm that was being used to drag Djoli away. “Hey, tall, dark and overbearing.” Jaeden then yelled out, reaching for another arrow immediately as the first one flew. “It’s a little rude to simply grab and run, ignoring the other one still here. We need to build a witty repartee and then fight, make things a little cliché.”

[Dusk]

The man turned back at the sound of a bowstring being pulled, anger and indignation flaring his nostrils as he glared at Jaeden. But he made no move as the arrow was loosed. In that half-moment of time between when Jaeden's fingers let go the feathers and when it should have hit the sorcerer in the arm, the pale man jerked on the girl he'd been holding and yanked her in front of him. Djoli screamed again as the arrow lodged into her shoulder, eyes wide and disbelieving, as if she were more surprised by it than in pain. "What the bloody hell - you suck at helping!" she screeched, going pale as dark red blood began to seep from the wound. The wizard smirked, a cruel expression, and switched his grip on Djoli from her arm to the back of her neck, holding her out in front of him like a shield. "Well, we both want her alive, and you're the only one who's harmed her. Seems like she'd be better off with me, just judging by your aim." "The hell I would!" she growled, kicking futilely at his legs. "Lemme go, you great brute! I don't wanna be your brood mare!" "Oh, quiet down," he said, shaking her by the throat a little. "You see, sir, she's an unpleasant mouth on her. Might I suggest you try finding your own woman instead of stealing mine? She is bought and paid for, after all. Now be a good lad and run along."

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden’s eyes went wide for a moment as he saw the blurred movement of the man after he had loosed his bow. He then frowned slightly in anger as his movements brought Djoli into the path of the oncoming arrow. He slowly scoffed, spitting to the ground over the cowardice act, lowering his bow. His ears twitched at Djoli’s comment. “Shut the petch up, Djoli. It’s not like you’re doing anything to better your own situation aside from complaining.” Jaeden then snapped, still angered by the man’s use of her as a shield. “Contribute or just keep your trap shut.”

Jaeden’s eyes then shifted back, his gaze resting on the new arrival. “You can hurl all the insults about my aim that you like. Doesn’t change the fact that you pulled her into the path of the arrow.” Jaeden said, gripping his bow tighter for a moment. “You’re quick, I’ll give you that much.”

Jaeden’s hand then moved to pull his longsword free from the ground, holding it idly by his side. “Don’t call me “sir,” I work for a living you pasty faced, rich boy. The thing is, even if I believed women to be property to be bought and sold, I didn’t see any coin change hand, and I don’t see no written contract either.” Jaeden then said, taking a step forward. “Is this the only way you can get woman anyhow? By buying them. There’s something you need to look up, it’s called charm powder skin. Go mingle or throw out a pick up line. The fact that you need to go through all this time, coin and magic just to get one girl, one that I must agree, doesn’t know what the proper use a mouth is for, well I find it so pathetic. So much so in fact that I don’t even know whether to laugh or cry over it. So, how about you leave the girl, go back to whatever dark corner you crawled out of, and yank on your tiny penis a little longer and build some self confidence. Do so, and you can go without conflict.”

Jaeden then took another step forward, slowly beginning to raise his sword. “Otherwise, I’m coming for you right now.” Jaeden then said as he began stepping forward slowly closing the gap between them. “You don’t want me to steal her from you? Try and stop me then. I'll tell you this though, hurt her again and I'll send you back through that portal with out any limbs or male genitalia.”