The Lost Bow of the Drykas (Sea of Grass) 16.W.509

[Hex]

Cold stone met hands when Hex weaseled her way past Vanator and Kayiri to press herself against the rock. Dust spun in cartwheels as she shifted and paused, shifted and paused whilst attempting to read the space beyond the rock. Some remnant of the tunnel continued on the other side but she lost track of the end when she heard the tiniest sound of wind above them being thrashed at by force. A pressed hush from Hex instructed the two to be quiet so she could read with her auristics whatever was passing over them. Combining both her extrasensory abilities and auristics, she slapped her palms swiftly against the rock ceiling and closed her eyes. Her consciousness shifted out of her body in currents of magic that worked through layers of earth to erupt at the top and spread out into the air. The current acted as an extension of her eye vision, which she had to sacrifice to use her auristics, and in facilitating this ability with her extrasensory she was able to identify specific bodies of energy. Once she got a lock on the vibration of the energy, tracking was a matter of memorizing and focusing on its energetic signature. The signature that she read then made her face fall and her heart drop into her gut. She could just barely smell the hint of blood and filth that resonated above them, and she was unsure whether it was the swarm of zith that occupied the caverns in Din, or if it was the scent of zith close by. Over the short seconds that she read the aura of the flapping beasts above, the queasiness in her stomach doubled and rose in her throat. "There are zith above us, we must get back to the horses!" she exclaimed in a whisper. Without further hesitation she scrambled past the pair in the tunnel, heading towards the tunnel entrance as quick as she could. Pebbles and dust spat out from under her feet as she sped through the constricting tunnel, her breath the engine to her drive. A last huff pushed Hex through the tunnel opening and she fell to the ground on all fours before scrambling to a crouch and searching for her bag. There, she palmed the strap and flung it against her as she pulled the flap open and dug inside to uproot her cloak. She wasn't heavily armoured but the thick lined cloak might act as a visual distraction away from her vulnerable skin. She hid her bag beneath a low rock ledge and sat at the back of the cave waiting for Kayiri and Vanator to gather their things and pull their steeds to the back wall. They would protect their horses with vigilance. A sniff to the air and a burst of auristics told Hex that the flying beasts were close, and that there was more than one. The small hunting knife she used was brought out and held in her left hand, of the little she did know of combat she knew that jabs were harder to block than slashes. If she had to defend herself, she was prepared. Her light frame lent to her speed and evasion and she fastened her hair close to her head to avoid it being tugged on. Accustomed to fleeing at the sign of danger, Hex instinctively felt trapped. Swallowing fear was a hard thing to do, but she reminded herself continuously that she was not alone and that they would survive this as long as they made the believed in their abilities to make the right moves.

[Tarot]

Of course it was a dead end. Had it been a real entrance to Din, it would not have been left unguarded - the Zith may be primal and instinct-driven, but that did not make them stupid. If anything, they listened to their drive for survival more than any other race. In retrospect, however, they had been lucky not to find a way into Din: they would have this failure to thank if they survived their brave venture into Zith territory. Had they truly entered Din, only their bones would have stood a chance of getting out, and even those were far from guaranteed.

By the time they emerged from the caves, nightfall was nearly upon them. The colors of twilight enveloped the harsh beauty of the Sea of Grass, and the hunt was afoot. They all knew it, and the feeling of uncertainty was made all the sharper by the notable absence of Dachua. Had he fled, retreated, gotten lost or…?

The horses, sensitive creatures that they were, felt the stress and fear very acutely. It would take the party some time to calm them down enough to be able to ride them. A black silhouette in the sky crossed their field of vision for a moment, then disappeared. The sound of harsh laughter filled the air. They had trespassed into a realm made of nightmare, a land in which their lives were only worth the flesh around their bones. It was unclear how many Zith were in the hunting party. It could be as little as one, or as many as the entire colony. And no matter how many they were, they did not rush the attack. The sun had not finished setting just yet, though it would soon disappear beneath the horizon with its bloody shroud.

A night of terror was about to begin.

[Kayiri]

"Gah! A dead end!" Kayiri explained in obvious distaste, his voice echoing along the halls. He glared hatefully at the rubble, and then the walls around them, and then the ceiling above them, and then the floor beneath them... Hell, he glared hatefully at EVERYTHING, save his companions.

When he heard Vanator comment on how Dachua had gone missing, his frown only grew. "What did he do, flee at the sight of the enemy? Cowardice!" he scolded. His hand grasped his sword white-knuckled. When he heard Hex muse about how there were Zith, the frown shrunk ever so slightly. Finally, he may be able to exact his revenge upon those hideous fiends! He ran with renewed vigor to the entrance he had created, entering into the greater cave, standing between the mouth and the horses defiantly.

He turned to track the foe as it dashed along. A serious gaze taking over his face, he held the sword two handed, still watching, waiting. Finally, losing patience, wanting blood to meet his blade, he screamed. "COME OUT, YOU COWARDS! FACE THE BLADE OF THE DRYKAS, MEET YOUR DEATHS, JUST LIKE YOUR MOTHERS AND FATHERS DID AT THE HANDS OF MY KIN!" his voice echoed dramatically in the cave. He felt the blood pulsing through his body, the rage pumping through his veins. He would kill every last one of these Zith scum, he would find his bow...

Or he would die trying. He turned to Hex and Vanator, nodding certainly. "Fight together, or die alone," he said simply to then, mostly to Vanator, wondering if Hex could hold her own against so many enemies. "Vanator, watch my back. Hex, watch the horses, make sure none of them get cheap shots on us, but most importantly, stay alive. If you have to, run. I shall hold them to my last breath!" he then finished, his voice steady, defiant, strong, and most of all, bold.

[Vanator]

Vanator had scrambled up the stony passage behind Hex and Kayiri with renewed vigor. At the woman's hushed warning of the coming Zith, a surge of adraneline flooded his system. Bursting into the main cave, the hormone had already set his heart to a quicker pace, pumping fresh blood to every corded muscle of his body. Seeeing Kayiri strut to the cave entrance, Vanator closed the distance with his own long strides. He was greeted by the waning sunset, all but vanished below the horizon. Its usually warming red and orange glow now casting a bloody crimson hue across the landscape. His nerves sung as the dark shape spun by in the purple darkness above, the harsh, mocking laughter reaching his ears. While the young, brash Drykas brandished his sword and bellowed his challenge to their unseen foes, Vanator quickly assessed their situation, and chance for survival. He spun on his heels to glance at Hex at the back of the cave. She was ready, as well as could be, with her small knife. He pointed a finger at the raven-haired mystic. "Build a fire, they are waiting for nightfall!" he commanded. The Zith were in no hurry. Once the last rays of light were gone, the Zith would have the advantage in the darkness. Herding the pair of skittish horses into the cave, Vanator retrieved two torches from his gear and tossed them to the middle of the room. He did not like making a last stand here. Like Hex, he felt trapped. The open grass and a horse between his thighs was his preference. But, if the fight ensued in the cave, the Zith would be denied their aerial attacks and would be limited in numbers. Perhaps they could avoid the attention of more of the vile creatures as well. Shifting his hardened leather breastplate to ensure it was secure, Vanator checked his arsenal. Broad dagger on his left hip, hand ax at his right, battle ax in hand. He drew in a deep breath, fouled by the stench of Din itself. As an afterthought, he reached into the pack on Backlash's yvas and pulled out a ceramic flask of oil and set it next to the torches and he returned to the cave entrance to quickly find some fuel for Hex's fire.

[Hex]

Watch the horses! Build a fire! The commands were flying in every which way as the three readied themselves for the coming attack. Diving towards the fire pit, Hex slammed down onto her knees and she scooped the charcoal wood out besides her, making room for the previously collected dry grass. Her fingers shook, streaked in black ash as she fumbled with the flint, striking the two pieces together vigilantly. The sun was dying into the earth and the darkness fell like a veil over her eyes, washing out the objects around her. "Come ON" she shouted, and as if in response to her prayer, the oil from Vanator caught the lambent spark and flushed into flame, making Hex pounce backwards away from the pit. Swallowing the fear that stuck in her throat like a tar, Hex reclaimed the small dagger, holding it defiantly in her small hand. When the shrieks and roars of the demons flying beyond them illuminated the night, all dread was upon her and she blinked repeatedly to erase the image of her demise from the forefront of her mind. Her hands and feet began to get cold and she felt near paralyzed, as if the events were happening at a slower rate. Anxiety was running rampant in her solar plexus, causing feelings of vertigo and tremors to creep into her experience of the situation. She sweated and pawed at the perspiration that beaded across her brow and cheeks; she wiped away at it with her soot covered hands and left streaks around her eyes. In the midst of panic and preparation a significant memory came to Hex, one of learning the ways of meditation to calm the mind before battle. Bodies that remained tensed up would flow blood away from the major extremities, causing less range of motion and less agility in the face of fear. If Hex was to survive the encounter with the Zith, she had to calm her mind and direct the flow of blood back into her arms and legs. In the midst of chaos, she had to keep stillness inside of her, and she began then by sitting cross legged on the ground and closing her eyes. Opening herself up to the psychic energies around her, she concentrated her eyes on the spot between her eye brows on her forehead. She only had a tiny time frame to receive any benefit from the process and so immediately entered a cycle of breathing to slow down her heart rate and open her soul to reach an awareness of the senses. Shoulders slack but back straight, she worked her lungs until blood began to pool back into her fingers and toes. With every new breath her awareness heightened and as she pulled her energy through the middle of her body, she rolled the energy within her, causing a neutral state of mind to receive information in the environment without being afflicted by fear. Fear made decisions hard to fulfill, it kept the brave from leaping forward with faith at the right time. She focused in on her purpose there in that moment - she was to protect the horses, herself, and her comrades if harm were to befall them. With only novice ability in meditation and it being her first time using it in battle, Hex fought any doubt that could cloud her. If she stopped believing in her ability to avoid danger, she would have already succumbed to it. With her senses and auristics open and functional Hex waited with intense serenity, letting go of distracting factors and absorbing the information she needed to stay alive.

[Tarot]

The fire blazed to life, casting orange light on the quickly darkening area. Ancient stalactites glittered with reflected radiance, and the show would have been beautiful under different circumstances. As of right now, the trio were trapped in the cave with their horses. At least their only way out was also their enemies' only way in. The ceiling of the cave was also much too low to allow a Zith any aerial maneuvering space. It was a siege now.

Hex's Auristics would come in handy tonight. It could serve as an early warning system, as the silhouettes of the Zith's signatures stood out a little bit even when their physical bodies were buried in the dark. However, as Vanator had correctly surmised, they were taking their time. Psychology was a part of being a predator, too. The Zith would be sure to attack when the defenders' mental condition was at its lowest. A full bell passed without any event worthy of note, except the occasional dark blot flying across the landscape, reminding them that the Zith were still there.

Then, everything went quiet. For the better part of the next bell, not a leaf could be heard moving outside the cave. The quiet before the storm, no doubt. At long last, a dark figure slowly emerged from the darkness. They could barely see it from their position at first. It was definitely winged, though walking on its feet. It also carried something under its arm, some kind of elongated object. Kayiri would start feeling a pang of familiarity long before it finally became clear the Zith had his bow. This wasn't the same Zith who had stolen it from him, however. While he could not see the face at this distance, it differed from Sparrow in both color and physical structure.

The Zith stopped some fifty feet from the cave's entrance, and tossed the bow on the ground. Then he emitted a sharp shriek to attract the defenders' attention to himself, and began urinating on the bow. The Zith were very, very familiar with Drykas pride.

[Kayiri]

Kayiri felt a burning familiarity as he spied the elongated shape of the bow under the man's arm. His eyes twitched, and his entire body burned with a passion, demanding that he spring forth at this very moment, slay the creature, and take the bow from himself. No, he had to maintain his sanity. This was what they wanted, to lure him into a trap, to kill him and his companions. He would wait for them to come closer. He would allow the siege to go o- wait, it tossed the bow to the ground. Kayiri raised an eyebrow as he heard the shriek.

Words fail to describe what overtook the young Drykas next. His entire face went red with rage, his entire body quivering as he attempted to restrain it. This, this THING was pissing on his most prized possession. He couldn't allow this to continue, he couldn't, he wouldn't! He was Kayiri the Drykas! Kayiri the Brave! He wouldn't be killed by simple Zith! He was invincible! A cry of rage left his lips, and he began his charge, faster than even he would have thought possible, sword clutched white-knuckled.

"YOU'RE ALL DEAD!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, his powerful voice echoing through the cave, his anger almost palpable. "I WILL PISS IN YOUR EYES AND TEAR YOUR STILL BEATING HEARTS FROM YOUR CHESTS!" The moment he closed the distance with the Zith, he swung his Longsword in a wild overhead chop, aiming to use the momentum of his run and the force of gravity to smash through flesh and bone alike. He was entirely oblivious to any other dangers, or callings, or anything, for that matter. His sole focus was on making this Zith, and all of the rest of their kind, pay for taunting his pride.

[Vanator]

The waiting was nerve-wracking, a true mental battle to remain focused and patient. Vanator paced back and forth across the cavern methodically. The trio had remained mostly quiet, only the crackling of the fire and the scuffing of boots on the dusty cave floor stirred the morbid silence. He would glance at Hex curiously as she sat still before the fire. Her meditation had erased any crease of care from the smooth skin of he face. He sensed her serenity as an anchor that helped him to temper his nerves. Kayiri and Vanator would simply exchange stoic glances as they passed each other in their diligent circuits around the chamber. When the winged tormentor finally appeared at the dim edge of sight, Vanator trailed Kayiri closer to the entrance. The sight of the Zith stirred a burning pounding in his chest. As the creature tossed the bow to the ground, the unbidden vision of Tamar's torn and bloodied body flashed before him, followed by a tightening in his gut. Vanator's grip tightened on the haft of the ax with an audible creak. His eyes darted to Kayiri, to gauge the man's resolve. So far, the slighted Drykas had remained composed. Then Kayiri snapped. The Zith's vile desecration of Kayiri's bow sent the man into a berserker rage. Vanator saw the seething anger only too late, trying to grab the young Drykas by the shoulder as he rushed into the open, yelling after him. "Kayiri, No!" Vanator twisted back to look at Hex, his dark eyes revealing a confusion of anger and despair. To charge into the open and the waiting Zith was suicide. His will was torn. When his gaze locked with the mystic woman's, he suddenly felt as if the two of them had gone farther than either had ever expected. His eyes narrowed as he croaked, "Get ready." Standing inside the cavern entrance, Vanator took the battle ax in both hands and set his feet in a wide stance. It was not where he wanted to be, but he wanted to spill Zith blood, for Tamar, and one cannot always choose the venue for vengeance. He filled his lungs with the foul air surrounding them and let out a roar. Perhaps he could draw one or two away, to give Kayiri a fighting chance.

[Hex]

The chilled air in the cave contrasted heavily with the searing heat of the fire, rumbling like a symphony of distant battle drums. When she heard and felt the agony build up in Kayiri, she attempted to dissuade from giving into his emotions, "Kayiri he's just trying to anger you don't give in!" but he had already leap forward with sword held high and both eyes on his enemy. She focused on the target zith with her auristics, trying to read his next actions by analyzing the flow of energy in his aura. As most information about auras came to Hex in the form of images, she saw the intent to harm.. from the side. Immediately she jumped up and yelled, "Kayiri! watch your sides!". Previously crafted torches were thrust into the embers and burst into flames, roiling over the wood and oiled cloth that was bandaged around one end of the stick. She tossed one at Vanator's feet and also towards Kayiri, although it landed far from him on his right side. She stood with torch gripped in her hand and scooped up the bottle of fire oil Vanator has given her. She had made sure not to use all of it when building the fire, leaving some pungent liquid to slosh about in the glass bottle. She held its neck tightly in her right hand as her left bared the flaming torch, ready to jab the burning stick into the skin of any zith that dared to near her.

[Tarot]

Kayiri sprung forth, bursting with pure rage from the desacration of his precious bow. A part of him certainly knew as he rushed that he was running straight into an ambush. Perhaps he hoped his companions would follow and watch his exposed back. Too bad their minds were too clear for that. Kayiri was certainly a splendid Drykas, but would he be able to live to tell the tell and receive praise for his indomitable pride?

He really was one ticked off Drykas at the moment. Even the Zith acting as bait miscalculated the sheer momentum of his approach. The swing of Kayiri's longsword did not cleave it in two as the Drykas may have hoped, but it did not manage to dodge it entirely, either. The tip of the sword drew dark blood from the Zith's chest, painting a red vertical line through its sternum. The sword hit the ground, sending vibrations to the man's hand. The Zith cried in pain; it was a rather serious wound, but it would not bother a Zith high on adrenaline for some time.

And then all three of the beasts charged into Kayiri. The other two rushed from the sides, just as Hex had warned him, but knowing they were coming was of limited help to the man. The torch thrown his way only illuminated the claws of the Zith as they rose and then fell upon Kayiri in a mad frenzy. Instinct helped him dodge two of the three attacks, but the Zith on the left got him - the claw dug into his upper arm just below the shoulder and tore down towards the elbow. Blood seeped out of the wound as the other two Zith prepared to claw at him once more. All three ignored Vanator's yells. Predatorial to the extreme, they would be sure to slaughter the weak link before moving to the next.

Of course, Kayiri may be able to dispatch one or more, reducing the opposition for his two companions. The question was, would Vanator and Hex make such a callous calculation and just watch as the Zith tore the man apart?