Dirt, Flame, Blood, Steel (Samuel Longwell and Fiametta)

[Konrad Venger]

10th Bell - 19th Day of Fall, 517AV - Outskirts of Endrykas

He should have been afraid, and for a few ticks, he was. But the fear was mingled with surprise, the sheer shock of seeing such creatures squatting over and around and atop the bed of desiccated animal. The gore and gruel of corpses was thick around their maws, their clawed hands, spewed down their chests like red vests rendered unto tatters.

Such a sight would clench at any man's heart, and Konrad was no different. But it did not last. Not even the space of five breaths.

Anger followed. Burning, heated, raging only hotter when the creatures realized they were not alone. First one and then all snapped their eyes to him, a clutch of monsters, hewn from rock and dirt, geology dotted and carved into their hides. Shrunken genitals hung limp below their legs, and for one insane half-tick, Konrad wondered if they even used them.

One of them hissed. Not the Apha. Not big enough. Then the sound was taken up and a familiar yuk-yuk-yuk chorus came vomiting up from four mouths. What hellish innards could create that sound? What crime could be wrought for Caiyha to send such daemons as punishment?

Or maybe they are the punished.

His arrow and bow clattered to the ground, abandoned in favor of his kopis. He'd seen one of these things take a quarrel from a heavy crossbow at close range and keep on charging. His hunting arrow wouldn't do much better, unless he got it right in the eye, which was unlikely.

Stick to what you know.

They rose, and advanced in that shambling, stooped, jerky way of theirs. Endless chatter of yuk-yuk-yuk growing louder, so much it seemed like a single voice. Which wouldn't have surprised Konrad: from what he'd seen, they all seemed to be talking to each other mentally at the same time. Savage in act and hideous in form, but as far as communication went, hells, they didn't even need words.

Maybe. But they're still bastards. And they're still mortal.

"A'right," he said, voice retaining just a hint of a swagger, that spoke of those pregnant moments before the tavern exploded in many a Sunberth brawl. He spat to one side and clenched his kopis... and filled his other hand with his kukri. "S'geddon with it, yeh cunnies."

YUYUKYUKYUKYUKYUKYUK!

They burst into a run, and Konrad charged in to meet them. The leader lurched ahead, swinging at his head with a hand clawed like a bear, and Konrad-

-dropped down to one knee, swinging his kopis as he went-

-curved blade, designed to cleave and chop, slicing the thing's leg off at the knee, sending it screeching down to the ground, stump spewing black blood that smelled beyond foul-

-a second creature came within ranger and Konrad slashed up with his kukri, warding off the clawed hand that tried to lay his face open. The Yukman shrieked and yanked back it's hand, dirt-covered fingers now hanging limp and loose from its palm-

Don't give them a moment, that's all they need.

-and with a savage yell Konrad thrist the kopis up and forward, into the thing's stomach, jerking back up to his feet and yanking the blade up with him-

-steel ripping through whatever in the hells it was made of, scraping against rock and stone, black blood pouring from the gaping hole it made-

-until he kicked between it's legs and cursed the fountain of black gore that soaked his breeches. He yanked his sword free, and the creature toppled back, clutching it's crotch even as it's... guts, for want of a better word, poured from the hole in it's stomach.

Two more, and they had no fear. Their kind didn't seem to understand what that was. They came on and on through volleys of missiles, through magic, through clubs and maces and swords and spears. When they were all dead, they were beaten. Not before. These two were no different, and Konrad lashed out in a wild, horizontal swing with his sword-

Keep them back, but a moment.

-but he wouldn't get a moment. The kopis cleaved into the ribs of a monster but the blade stuck there, caught between mutated bones and thick rocks. He tried to yank it out even as the beast shrieked, but before he could-

-the last one tackled him to the ground, claws already raking his sides, knocking him onto his back and-

-Konrad roared and jammed his kukri into it's throat. Didn't even bother trying to disarm him first. These were clearly new, barely out of their holes. They'd been lucky enough to find the prey his trap had caught earlier, wounded and crippled, still dragging around the wire snare it had yanked out of the ground. But they didn't have to fight, hadn't learned anything.

Especially not about someone like Konrad.

"Away to shyke w'ye!"

There was a hideous, unnatural, ripping and raking sound. Like yanking the kukri through both flesh and dirt. He pulled it forward, towards him, ripping out the Yukman's throat, nearly taking it's head off-

-and a deluge of pitch ichor nearly drowned him, then the dead weight of the monster crushed him, and he could hear the last one, still snarling, still struggling, and he pushed and forced and-

-by the time he pushed the damned corpse off him, the last one was right there. Looking down at him with his kopis in one hand, the other trying to hold in the relentless flood of waste coming from out it's side. But its eyes... there was no fear. No glimmer of mortality. Just endless, ravenous hunger.

It raised the kopis and brought it down-

-onto the skull of the dead Yukman Konrad had just moved. The mercenary's eyes popped open wide as his own damned sword stopped a mere inch from his own face, crude but tough cranium stopping it dead... and holding it there.

The Yukman started to yank, and hiss, and screech like an enraged child. And while he was busy doing that-

-Konrad reach up and grabbed the wrist of the arm clutching the sword, yanking it down-

-as his foot kicked out and took out one of its legs-

-and the Yukman fell down headlong with a screech-

-that ended with Konrad's kukri, waiting for it's face as it fell onto it. The sellsword grinned evilly as an eyeball popped and whatever passed for a brain was skewered, curved knife almost vanishing into the thing's skull. It twitched, then went limp... and he realized he now had two corpses atop him.

"Shyking... petching... ha!"

There was no fear. Less anger. More surprise. But as he staggered back upright, kopis limp in one hand, kukri still jammed into the skull below him, he couldn't help the giddy, half-mad laugh that rattled out through his lips. Gods, he'd needed that. Not just wolves or jackals or desperate animals. A real enemy, with arms and legs and a face and a heart. Something he could cut down without these damned touchy Drykas judging him for it.

Yukyukyukyukyuk...

Careful what you wish for.

The laugh died, but the smile just shrank. Beyond the line of swaying grass, he could hear more of them. Homing in on the scene of desolation like it was a beacon in the night. They'd sensed their brother's death, and were coming to investigate. Was that how it worked? Ah, he didn't care. They were coming, that was what mattered, and now his steel was ready to-

No. Not just that.

Konrad smiled... and held up his hand. The noise grew louder. Crashing and tramping through the grass. He breathed in deep, and as he exhaled, green-black gas rose from his palm. It clotted into a globe above his hand, turning and twisting like a planet, growing larger as the sound grew greater... closer...

Until Konrad could see them coming. Vague outlines beyond the grass. Probably not a good idea, doing what he was about to do. No rain, no streams close by, wind starting to kick up...

Screw it. I'm having fun.

Burn.

The first Yukman crashed out of cover, jaw slack and eyes furious... until it saw the fire. Black, fathomless eyes were suddenly alive with the flame reflected, and Konrad would always swear he saw fear flicker for the merest of moments. Some buried, primordial memory that all living creatures shared, that told them Fire Bad.

Konrad didn't dwell on the feeling. It wasn't alone. He just grinned and hurled the fireball towards the Yukman, throwing it like an apple and just before it smashed into the creature's chest maybe twenty feet away.

"Burn!"

He snapped his fingers, and the molten res core of the fireball ignited-

-crashing into the Yukman like wrecking ball of pure flame-

-scorching dirt-like flesh into clay, portions of it falling away, smoking, to the ground, burning through bones and sizzling blood, organs bursting and all as the Yukman howled and fell back, chest cavity blown apart-

-falling into the handful of his brothers, who trampled him down even as he died, eager to get to the human.

Above the grasslands, the boom of the explosion and the smoke gout belched into the sky. A signal for a mile around. Moments later there was the terrifying, familiar sound of yukyukyukyuk that further painted the picture, and then a final piece of the puzzle unlike the others.

It almost sounded like laughing. Mixed with cursing.

[Fiametta]

Fiametta strolled around Endrykas, Falyn barking happily at her side. Even though his primary purpose was for hunting, nobody could deny he was a good companion. The white pup trotted alongside his master's long strides, as she made her way through the tent city with a slight skip in her step.

Having a successful life on the Sea of Grass was no easy thing to accomplish. The Drykas sometimes made it look easy. The nomadic lifestyle and the way they communicate with the land's life force must give others the idea that their life is splendid. Could not be more different. The dangers on the Sea of Grass just might outweigh anything anywhere else.

That's why the importance of community relationships is stressed upon them all. Going out alone is far from wise.

The Drykas girl skipped along, greeting people with a happy smile and spending extra time with the children. Her childhood was relatively quick with her father and brother being taken from her, but she rather enjoyed playing with the young children and teaching them music. She was no expert, but pleasures were meant to be shared! Latigo wasn't anywhere in her sight, but Endrykas wasn't too big. Odds said that he was entertaining the children just as she was.

Fiametta stood, finally taking notice of Falyn's attentiveness to something in the distance. She couldn't hear or see anything, but experience had taught her to trust her animal partners. The dog's ears stood up, his mouth was closed, and he stared into the distance.

Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed from the direction in which Falyn was staring, causing a sudden commotion with the others in the tent city. The dog wagged his tail nervously, barking with his ears pinned against his head. Fiametta grabbed her short bow and attached her quiver. She then whistled with three sharp blasts. Latigo's red and white mane tossed, as he trotted over to her. She swung up onto his back, steadying the arrows to ensure they wouldn't fall out, and nudged him in the side.

The young strider started off in a light canter. Fiametta watched Falyn jog to keep up. When she looked ahead of her again, a massive cloud of smoke raised high into the clear sky. Falyn barked timidly, and Latigo slowed his stride. An animal's instinct to avoid fire was clearly activating inside of them both, but their loyalty to the Drykas girl overpowered the fear. She spurred Latigo on into a full gallop, and Falyn ran at the strider' heels.

She saw a fire growing as she approached and a group of Yukman. Fiametta had never confronted the Yukman before, but stories had told her all she needed to know they were far from fun to mess with. For a moment, Fiametta considered turning back and letting real warriors take care of it. Then...

"Of course," she groaned to herself, not slowing down. She recognized that bastard. Of course Hansel was involved.

As she approached, Fiametta watched them burning. "Hansel!" She called. "Cultakh! How could-" She stopped, remembering Hansel's broken Pavi. She dismounted to be closer to the man. "Why fire?" She demanded, switching to Common and signing bad without even thinking.

She wasn't really expecting an explanation, as she whipped an arrow out of her quiver. It was the point. Hansel, living on the grasslands, should have known that fire was a rash decision. She placed the arrow against the drawstring and released, flying into a Yukman that was rushing from behind.

[Samuel Longwell]

Samuel was not having much luck. As hard as he tried, he couldn't seem to get his trap to hang in the right configuration. He scratched his ear absent-mindedly as he looked at his design. He'd tried to emulate what he'd been taught all those years ago in the woods outside of Syliras. He'd found an area with a few small animal droppings. He couldn't be sure what type of animal they were from, but he assumed it was something small like a rabbit. He knew the small pellets indicated that prey had been here recently, so a trap nearby would have a decent chance of success. He'd managed to piece together a makeshift noose, now all that remained was to fix it in such a way that an animal would be trapped by it. His first intuition had been to tie it to a branch of a bush, but the loop sat awkwardly on the ground with lots of slack twine. Samuel doubted than it's current state the trap would catch anything. He looped the noose around another branch a couple of times and finally managed to get the hole hanging at a suitable height. The trap wasn't very well-disguised, but it would have to do. The Syliran stood and brushed his hands off, only to whip his head around as a deep boom sounded from behind him. He saw a thin plume of smoke twisting into the sky, suggesting that was where the commotion was. He jogged over to Dan and pulled himself into the saddle. The pair set off at a canter up a small incline. When he reached the top, he could see a swarm of figures charging across the plains. He wasted no time in pushing Dan into a hard gallop. He bounced along roughly in the saddle, but did not slow the pace. He recognised the strange shambling run of those distant figures. Yukmen. And a lone man stood against them. He would be quickly overwhelmed if help didn't arrive soon, so Samuel intended to be that help. Another rider clearly had the same idea, flying across the plains even faster than the breakneck speed that Samuel was travelling. A Drykas then, Samuel noted as the woman dismounted. He put the pair on the ground out of his mind as he bore down on a clump of Yukmen. The increased mobility of being mounted would be an advantage against the grounded Yukmen. Samuel hoped he could draw away enough of the monsters that the pair on the ground could deal with the rest. He drew his blade and aimed for the centre of the group. He let out a yell, a wordless declaration of challenge. Dan crashed into the closest Yukman, the Tiaden's considerable bulk sufficient in knocking the beast to the ground. He swung his longsword in a great arc, colliding with the stone-crusted torso of another. The impact nearly knocked the weapon from his grasp, but he managed to tighten his grip and hang on. The rest of the group turned and charged after him, so Samuel pulled pack on the reins slightly. Dan slowed to a canter, maintaining the distance with the beasts in pursuit. They were fast, but they couldn't catch the warhorse. “Time to lead them on a merry chase eh Dan?” Samuel said with a grin.

[Konrad Venger]

Most of a bell earlier, Konrad was cursing into the grass.

The snare had been pulled out. Rak'keli's Sacred Twat, when was he going to stop making that mistake? He reached down to touch the hole in the dirt and grunted, finding what he'd expected. Barely any struggle, apparently. The beast had been strong enough to yank the stake he'd used clean out of it, and go dashing into the grass with it and the wire tight around its leg.

But, he noted as he rose back up, it was tight enough to draw blood. Smears and dribbles of it led into the Syna-drenched stretch in front of him. Red would show up easily against those drab, bleached colors. And if he was lucky, the animal would be exhausted, even bleeding out.

Unless something else finds him first, he thought sourly, nocking an arrow anyway. Screw it. Could be a meal in it, and you need the practice.

Most of a bell after that, Hansel was cursing, but his eyes were alight. Bright and joyous in a way they hadn't been for well over a year.

He counted in a flash, a snapshot, like a memory frozen in time and space. Nine of them, he got, from the collection of deformed and dirty limbs and mouths scuttling out of the grass. The first that came to him was unarmed, came barreling straight for him anyway, but Konrad was no easy meat, and he was limber now-

Stretched out and ready for it.

-enough to sidestep and swing his kopis at the same time, gripping it with two hands for a flat, horizontal blow. He'd prefer two hands for this one, since it was-

-over those outstretched claws, into its throat and-

-crunched vertebrae and ground against rocks, needed that extra power and momentum to get through eldritch bones until-

Konrad barked a savage laugh out into the rising humidity as his sword's progress went from fast to hard to fast again, as it exploded out the back of the Yukman's neck. It staggered forwards a few more steps, not quite realizing its head was a few feet away... and its head still gaped, snapped once or twice... then both estranged body parts stopped moving forever.

Still they came, and some corner of Konrad's mind realized they would swamp him. He'd give a good accounting, but eventually-

Then an arrow whistled and smacked into the chest of one monster, sending it reeling back with a thin, inhuman screech. A moment later, a horse went thundering by him, then another, and atop it was a screaming human with a rough beard and a sword that made his kopis look small-

-cleaving open another Yukman like a side of beef eviscerated by a butcher's cleaver. Another went down as a warhorse struck it like a lightning bolt, bowling it over without even slowing.

"Well, petch me runnin'..."

He didn't know whether to be relieved or offended by the sudden turnaround. At once he was down three potential killers, and the rest were torn between him and the two horsemen. They turned and followed them, lurching and shambling before breaking into that eerie, loping run they had-

-save for the one still pulling the arrow from its chest-

-and Konrad knew he couldn't let the chance pass, kneeling down to pull something from his boot-

-just as the Yukman pulled the arrow free and tossed it aside, roaring its base defiance at Fiametta's departing back-

THUNK

-a roar that became higher and agonized again as Konrad's throwing knife hit it in the back. Lower than he'd intended, but a hit nonetheless. Not killing it, but driving it down to one knee, hands comically grasping for it like questing tendrils, never quite reaching-

-and never to, either. Konrad walked up and split its skull with a sword designed to hack and cleave. The Yukman coughed with a mouth ripped in two, then fell forwards. The sellsword grinned and chuckled, looked around and found...

The horse-struck cunny. He's next. Never asked for help, but if they wanna thin the herd and die in my place, they're welcome-

"Shyke!"

His world went whirling and he landed heavily, plan for a quick kill derailed as the floor knocked the wind of of him... and he felt furious, trembling talons at his legs. Konrad looked down and gaped as the Yukman he'd taken a leg off started to crawl up him, mouth wide and shrieking, teeth like broken shale, eyes even darker and hungrier.

It was at his crotch. That'll give any man strength to get his arse in gear.

He let out a wild yell and punched without thinking, yelping a moment later as he felt rock splinters pepper his knuckle along with blood. The Yukman howled like a beast, an animal, vocal chords that simply didn't belong in a man-shaped form issuing forth as it's nose broke. Konrad scrambled around for his sword, couldn't find it, hands passing over the skull-

-and kukri-

-and yanked-

-just as the one-legged Yukman roared again, halfway up his torso-

"DIE!"

-slammed it into its open mouth, through it's spine, and out the back of its head. The thing still tried to gnaw at his knuckles for a few seconds, and then it twitched, black eyes still furious even in death. Konrad gasped and panted and gods, had he shyked himself? Best to get up and-

There was a new roar. Something larger. Something that came with a tremble to the ground and when it emerged, a whole row of grass was scythed down by the rude, rusty implement it carried.

Konrad gaped as the Yukman Alpha emerged, sapient if not sentient gaze taking in with fury the decimated pile of bodies of its kin... and then doing the same to the human half-buried under one.

"... ah, bollocks."

[Fiametta]

It took a moment for Fiametta to realize what had generated that new roar. It was almost blood-curdling for someone not too familiar with the sound. The Drykas girl held tightly to her bow in her left hand, her eyes darting all around.

Falyn barked defensively, trying to scare the Yukmen to no avail. "Falyn!" She shouted, grabbing an arrow from her quiver and jabbing it into an oncoming Yukman's eye. It screeched desperately, clawing at its eye socket when she pulled the arrow out again. "Home!" The dog did not need to be told again. He whipped around and ran back toward Endrykas.

After seeing Samuel's warhorse barrel through the Yukmen, Fiametta thought speed might just be the right idea with the oncoming Alpha. Besides, if anything were to happen, she wouldn't want those creatures getting their hands on Latigo. She whistled, and her strider came cantering over. The Drykas climbed onto his back, feeling the hard and rough grip of a Yukman hand. It scraped her calf significantly before she put an arrow between its eyes.

Fiametta mumbled a few curses and situated herself on Latigo's back. She urged him into a trot, looking at the crimson stains appearing down her leg. That would have to be taken care of another time. There were more pressing matters.

Her jaw dropped when she saw the Yukman Alpha. It almost seemed intelligent compared to the others. The slaughtered kin all around seemed to enrage the Alpha, and Fiametta swallowed nervously. She had never faced something like a Yukman Alpha, and it was clear her confidence wasn't all there for this one.

[Samuel Longwell]

Samuel sheathed his sword, then pulled his bow from his back and nocked an arrow. He twisted round in his seat as far as he could to his left, his mount turning the same way as Samuel applied some pressure to the Tiaden's right side. He pulled his arrow back, releasing it at the closest pursuer who was a significant distance ahead of its kin. The arrow flew over his target's head, but managed to lodge itself in the leg of a Yukman further back. The creature let out a piercing scream, slowing down but not stopping completely. Changing direction had slowed Dan down, so within moments the lead Yukman managed to get close enough to grab Samuel's ankle. The brutish monster wrenched him from the saddle, Samuel falling to the ground hard and tumbling along. He managed to whip his dagger from his belt just before the beast was upon him, pebbled hands grasping for his neck. The situation was far too familiar for Samuel's liking, and this time there was no squire to help him out. He lashed out with his small blade, but his hand was knocked aside by the Yukman. He heard the rush of oncoming feet as its kin arrived on mass. If he didn't get up quickly he would be overrun and ripped apart. He bucked his hips, trying to throw his attacker off, but the Yukman was too heavy. Its fist struck his chest, pain blossoming throughout his torso. But in that moment Samuel managed to plunge the dagger into its neck, shoving the Yukman to the side as it went limp. He scrambled to his feet, just as Dan crashed into the four remaining Yukmen. The warhorse was in full combat mode, his superior training kicking in as he joined the battle in aid of his owner. The Tiaden reared up and struck a Yukman in the head, who promptly dropped like a stone. The others grabbed at the stallion, trying to drag the horse down. Samuel ran to help, knowing that though the beast was powerful it couldn't last forever against a group of Yukmen. As he rushed to his mount's aid he knew nothing of the Alpha, too far away to tell there was anything out of the ordinary and having plenty of his own problems to deal with. He barrelled into a Yukman that was clawing at Dan's back, knocking it aside. He'd meant to stab the creature as well, but his dagger glanced off a stone in its side and slipped from his grasp. Another Yukman turned to face him, but he ignored it as he leapt to grab sword and shield from Dan's back. Once he had his hands on them he knew he would have a chance against the monsters.

[Konrad Venger]

Konrad didn't know enough about Yukmen to know how their "leaders" came to be. Truth be told, he didn't much care to find out. All he needed to know was how best to kill them, and he was pretty damn good at killing, anyway.

One look at the thing stalking towards him, though... and he was quickly reviewing that opinion of himself.

"Mother'uv SHYKE-!"

He barely got away before the scythe came down. Gods alone knew where the leader managed to get hold of it, but it was six-feet long and the curved blade seemed almost as big. The massive Yukman wielded it like a queer, thin-headed ax, burying it two feet into the dirt where Konrad's stomach used to be-

-right after he rolled away and away and kept rolling until-

-he stopped, long enough to get to one knee and see the Alpha yank the scythe blade out of the ground like he was uprooting... a snare stake, for example?

Very bloody funny.

The two creatures regarded each other with equal loathing. Konrad bared his teeth and slid his free hand towards... no... not that. Not his boot, where his dagger rested. Instead, in a gesture that even made the Yukman blink for a tick, Konrad smirked... and slipped his fingers into the brass knuckles in his pocket.

When in doubt, he told himself, getting to his feet, kukri in one hand, shining brass band over the fingers of his other. Brute force and petching ignorance.

"Come on an' 'ead, den, yeh big shyke," he said with a chuckle, rolling his shoulder and feeling power that surprised him tingling back into them. He'd been banged up worse when that bloody Friya bitch cleaned his clock up at the Warstorm Pavilion. These creatures wouldn't have even given her pause. "Gettin' tired a' waitin' for ya."

The Alpha roared at him but hell, that was a one-shot trick to a man like Konrad. He'd heard it before and aye, it was scary and all... but attaching a face to it seemed to mute a lot of the terror. The beast was still huge, easily seven feet tall, limbs misshapen and clogged with rocks, movements jerky and pained, scythe dragging behind it when it walked... but it was still a beast. Just another enemy, the latest in a long, dead line.

None of your mates to help you out, either, he reminded himself, noting the bedlam going on beyond the body-strewn clearing. They're too busy with the late arrivals.

The human spat to the side and advanced. Better that way. No distractions. Nothing else to focus on other than the hulking creature, one eye nothing but a huge, glittering geode that managed to somehow flash balefully as it bellowed and swung the scythe at him-

-high enough for Konrad to duck under it, and the big weapon kept going, dragging the Yukman around-

Lot of reach, but no precision. Too heavy. Too long.

-until its side was facing Konrad, and he swiped at it with the kukri, laying open... where he guessed its kidney would be, a deep, gouging slash that sent a torrent of black blood pouring out-

The Alpha roared, more out of anger than pain. Backhanding the scythe towards him again, and this time he was too close too duck, to jump away, so he stepped forward-

-grunting as the shaft of the weapon hammered into his ribs, blade behind him-

Don't waste time.

THUNK-THUNK-THUNK!

Three straight punches, wrapped in solid brass, delivered by a man with muscle and experience to know how to throw hands properly when wearing 'nucks. The Alpha's head snapped back over and over, bones breaking with every punch, rocks sprouting from its face shattering and pounding into its head-

Come on, do some real damage!

"Yeh bastard!"

The fourth should have sent its nose through its brain, but then the Yukman lashed out with its knee and lifted Konrad clean off his feet with a blow to his stomach like a swinging hammer. Instead it went off-target, to the left-

-shattering the geode in its eye socket, shards of gleaming crystal exploding into the air, falling like a rain of stars that was beautiful even in the horror they landed in-

-and the Alpha screamed, but so did Konrad-

-because the bastard knocked him straight back onto the scythe.

Both fighters fell back from each other, nursing their respective wounds. The Alpha clutched its face with a free hand, keening low and disbelieving into it, as if pain were some new sensation. Konrad went down to one knee, feeling at his back even though he didn't want to-

-wincing immediately as lightning traveled up his spine. It was a gash, and a nasty one... but shallow. He was lucky. If the Yukman had just yanked the scythe forward, he could have laid him open down to his backbone. Instead he was pissing blood from a foot-long gash, soaking the back of his breeches already.

Still not good. Need to get that seen to fast, or I'll bleed out.

The keening grew deeper. Steadier. Angrier. The Yukman lowered its hand... and an already deformed face had been rendered positively daemonic by Konrad's efforts. The geode was gone, nothing but a dull grey crater in a bleeding socket. Nose and cheekbone and teeth had been shattered, broken, bleeding black or jutting out from dusty skin.

Sheer, bottomless hatred poured out of that one eye, and Konrad gave him back just the petching shame.

"Shoulda'... made it count... yeh wanker," he spat, getting back to his feet, weapons gripped tight. Gods, but he was already feeling it. "Ain't got time t'mess around with..."

Something long, curved and shining caught his eye in the ground between them. A plan sprang into Konrad's mind, so sharp and vivid he could see every detail... apart from the part where he bollixed it up and got killed, instead.

No reward without risk.

"A'right," he said with a smirk, relishing the animal loathing radiating from the Alpha. "Come on wi' yeh-"

He started to run. The Yukman shambled forward, screaming, shrieking, so sound the same, all of it just animal fury trying and failing to be something more. Konrad ignored it. Closer they got to each other... and his kopis, newly-remembered between them.

Bloody well hope this works.

[Fiametta]

The Drykas girl barely had time to gawk at the Yukman Alpha before she had to snap back into her battle mindset. With Samuel quite a distance from the scene and having his own stony foes to face, she immediately took it upon herself to keep the other Yukmen away from Hansel, while he dealt with the Alpha. Fiametta couldn't understand why Hansel would choose his fists over his blade, but it seemed to be working!

The Yukmen continued coming, their snarls and screeches no longer causing her any anxieties. Once one got over the humanoid appearance, they really seemed just like wild animals. Exactly why she wanted to give Hansel the opportunity to deal with the Alpha; chop off the head, and the body flounders.

She raced through a group of four Yukmen, Latigo not at all happy about it. Samuel's seasoned warhorse made it look a lot easier than it actually was. Luckily, Latigo's speed was able to compensate for his lack of size. The rocky bastards started chasing after the strider, and Fiametta slowed him to give them the illusion they could catch the pair.

Nocking an arrow and drawing her bow, she released it toward the trailing group. She wasn't really aiming specifically, instead just hoping she could be accurate enough to hit. The arrow lodged itself into the leg of one of the Yukmen. She pursed her lips, wanting to do a bit more damage than that. Black blood spurted from the injury when it pulled the arrow out and dropped it. She made a mental note to remember where the arrow had fallen.

She turned Latigo around, nocking another arrow. She drew the bow, probably a bit too early. Latigo cantered toward the Yukmen, as Fiametta held the drawn bowstring. Definitely too early, she thought to herself. The arrow flew forward into the group and caught a shoulder. Upon release, the bowstring scraped along Fiametta's inner arm. She noticed the burn with a wince. Hold the draw too long, lose control of the string and the arrow, she thought, shaking her head.

Taking another arrow, she held it tightly in her hand and urged Latigo toward the Yukmen. She leaned to the left slightly and put the arrow through the nearest Yukman's eye. It screeched and coughed, before falling motionless on the ground.

Before she got a chance to straighten herself, another grabbed Fiametta's arm and yanked her down from Latigo's back. She hit the ground, hard, briefly losing her breath. Her bow was knocked out of her hand.

One of the Yukmen jumped on top of her, its jaws snapping at her. She held her arm against its throat, struggling to grab an arrow from her quiver. Another grabbed at her feet, but she gave it a lucky kick to the head. She mimicked the snarl, trying to maybe scare it, like a dog growling at another for dominance. It didn't work.

It clawed at her arm, a large scrape appearing down her left upper arm. The rapid and familiar thundering was her only relief. Latigo reared on his hind legs, slamming his front hooves down on a Yukman. It screeched, and the strider's hoof came down on its head for the final blow. That distraction was all she needed to grab an arrow and plunge it into the head of the one above her. Black blood dropped on her chest and shirt, but she couldn't care less.

The last Yukman was unsure of whether or not to attack the bucking strider. Fiametta jumped up and grabbed her bow, then the arrow the Yukman had dropped. With Latigo keeping the last Yukman distracted, the Drykas could take a minute to look for the arrow. She drew the bowstring and released the arrow quickly toward the Yukman. Her bow arm trembled, slightly weakened by the bowstring's previous sting. The arrow missed the Yukman, but her second one lodged in its back, a bit lowered than she was aiming for, but good enough. It screeched and turned to Fiametta. She nocked another arrow and drew the bow, but the Yukman's head snapped forward with pieces of stone flying off, as it fell. Latigo snorted clearly proud of himself, turning to face his rider.

Fiametta relaxed the draw and stuck the arrow back in her quiver, mounting the strider with her bow still in her hand. She turned him toward Hansel and the Alpha, galloping back with her sights set on a few stragglers.

[Samuel Longwell]

Samuel's sword came free with a sharp ringing sound. The feel of the grip in his hand sent a wave of relief through Samuel's body. This was the true weapon of a warrior. 3 feet of good steel, double edged and deadly. A grim smile crossed his lips as he swung it down ferociously on the closest Yukman. The Yukman twisted to the side, having seen the blade in action already, but didn't manage to get its whole body out of the way. It fell back with an inhuman screech as it clutched at the stump where its arm used to be. Samuel used that time to swing round to the other side of Dan, now only needing his shield. The Yukmen had been caught unaware by the counter-attack but his advantage would be lost soon enough. It was a strange sight that greeted him. A Yukman jumped up and wrapped itself around Samuel's mount's neck, half straddling the great beast. Dan reared up, even the training that the warhorse relieved was not enough to keep it calm in such circumstances. The Tiaden wheeled frantically, a terrified scream ringing out. Samuel stepped in, trying to judge the right moment, then stabbed out with his sword. The Yukman fell with a yell and Dan galloped away, clearly still panicking. The Yukman scrambled to his feet and the joined the other two approaching Samuel cautiously “Me versus three then,” Samuel said as he stepped towards the only remaining uninjured Yukman. He wished he had his shield, but he would have to make do with what he had. He ducked under the hook the Yukman threw, then with a great two-handed cleave he lopped its leg off. The next Yukman grabbed him from behind in a bear-hug, squashing the breath out of him. Samuel twisted, spinning them both round to face the one-armed monster. It collided with them both, impaling itself on the warriors blade and knocking them all to the ground. The sword was twisted from Samuel's hands as they fell, the large man landing on the stony beast that was grappling him.

[Konrad Venger]

It was over quicker than he thought, but that was always the way. Each move, each step, each Dira-tempting risk was planned out in his mind, and every one seemed to take ticks, chimes, bells. But when they all flowed together, it was a matter of heartbeats.

Until he was still once again, pain a distant thing throbbing at his back his sword back in his hand... and there was the heavy thump of a falling body in front of him.

How he got there was the interesting part.

The Alpha was closing, but Konrad still had his window. The two fighters charged, and he knew this would all depend on luck: whether or not the big bastard swung low or high... and how susceptible to pain it was. If the answer to both was "low" and "little", he was royally petched. If not...

No risk, no reward. Now get it over with.

The Alpha raised the scythe for an almighty swing and Konrad's kukri drew back and slashed forwards-

-but not in a strike, but a throw-

-curved blade cartwheeling through the air, not designed to be thrown but still aerodynamic enough-

-to land with a thunk in the beast's upper chest, making it roar with pain, sweeping scythe shuddering and pausing-

Granting Konrad a tick. Maybe two. And he used them, not slowing, ducking low, wrapping both hands around the handle of his kopis and as the Alpha remembered him, pulling back the scythe a second time-

-Konrad swung from down on one knee, squatting at the Alpha's left-

-curved blade hacking through its knee, crunching bone, ripping apart flesh and muscle and ligaments until-

The Alpha's roar strangled off into a disbelieving squeal as half its leg vanished from under it. It crashed down jaggedly to the dirt, free hand smacking down to prevent it from falling over, intact leg bent as if it were kneeling-

-Konrad was already moving. Three strikes. Three blows. Not just one. This was just the first, the one that put it into position, followed by-

Take the scythe.

-a vertical blow that came just as the scythe began moving again, only this time by the time it reached Konrad-

-it was just a stump spraying black blood, Alpha staring dumbly at it, kopis robbing it of its arm below the shoulder with one brutal strike. It looked up as Syna was swallowed in front of it, seeing the scarred human rising up as its weapon came hammering down, one last time-

Now end it.

THUNK

The remaining Yukmen paused in mid-assault on the Kelvic and squire that were busy fighting for their lives. Not for long, but noticeably. In mid-froth and fury, they seemed to stop, as if pausing to hear words being bellowed from some great distance. Misshapen, deformed, rocky faces twitched and spasmed... as some new order was being established between a pack now missing its leader.

If they were smart, they'd take advantage. Konrad didn't care much either way. He had his own job to do, and now, looking down at the twitching Alpha, eyes rolled back into its skull as it was being split in two with a kopis...

Job done.

He yanked his weapon free and the sheer force sent him staggering back. The Alpha twitched, drooled, some remaining pocket of breath wheezing out of bloody lips as it finally toppled backward... and smacked into the ground. Never to rise again.

Konrad had his moment of victory. He smirked and breathed deep, reveling in the light and warmth and pump of his blood in his veins, all earned with skill and will and-

"Shyke!"

-then went down to his knees again. His back was... gods, he could feel the blood pooling in his sodding boots. He felt at his back and... his fingers were going numb. He wet his lips and fumbled for his waterskin, eyes flickering around until he found the smudge of Endrykas in the distance.

A league. No... more like three. Gods. If these idiots-

He looked behind him, at the two interlopers... and their horses. Best chance he had. Only chance, probably. Using his kopis as a crutch, Konrad ground his teeth until they crackled and lurched back to feet fit to collapse.

Not yet. Not here. No bloody way...