[Stumble Alley] Choices [Closed]

by **Dourne** on August 15th, 2011, 4:12 pm

Seeing his full force blow being evaded, Dourne stepped back only to see the Daggerhand come at him with fast, vicious strikes. The overhand vertical chop that the Daggerhand threw was desperately deflected as Dourne brought up his axe with one hand to meet the attack. A clash of steel thundered through the air as the his opponents smaller axe met his own, the second of the Daggerhand attacks which was at the time as the first was, to Dourne's bad luck, a success.

The second attack of which, was lower and faster that the first was Aimed at Dourne's stomach, the blow swiftly struck his bear-hide armor, ripping through it and hitting the muscly part of his abdominal area. The blade of the axe pierced about an two inches deep, Dourne could feel his blood slowly seep out the wound and onto the cold steel that now penetrated his body, luckily it wasn't as bad as it appeared, his armor did its job of stopping much of the force that was needed to penetrate further and possibly cause a mortal wound also it seemed the axe had gotten itself stuck in between the armor that was protecting Dourne's belly.

"Haha! this is the wrong place to get your weapon stuck, you little shit!" he shouted in a triumphant roar. With one of his hands free, Dourne clenched his fist and threw a full force punch that started to make its way towards the Daggerhand face with surprising speed and power from an older man. Ignoring the pain that started to swim around his stomach, he laughed with a renewed sense of invincibility, this could very well be the counter attack that decides the outcome of the fight between himself and his adopted enemy.

by **Antar** on August 17th, 2011, 1:34 am

oocTimeframe of the entire post: 5-8 seconds. Bob- Carina would have to be the one throwing it I think.

At first, Noth didn't realized he'd been shot, he'd only felt a mild sting as adrenaline took over, his mind ignoring the pain for a few moments as he completed his roll. His left shoulder smacked against he wall , ceasing his momentum with a hard stop as his bow was still clenched in his left hand.

It was at this point the stinging and slightly muttered cursing began, as Antar stared at the tail feathers of the arrow which was protruding from the soft part of his forearm. 'Petch that crossbowman was good.' To hit a man , mid-roll from half-cover to full was quite an achievement for any archer. But as he had thought before, this man wasn't just a beginner. That much was for sure, if the daggerhand could hit Noth instead of the blasted woman who decided to run back to talk his ear off and obscured his view the other crossbowman must have been a master shot.

How the woman's legs made her so fast to have her come back to where he was in the three seconds it took him for his stare down, and release was beyond him... but then again... Carina did have a strong pair of legs. Quite shapely ones too- Noth shook his head to stop that thought cold as he began to clear out the cobwebs. The body naturally put the mind in shock after being hurt.

Where the body's reflexes started, training took over as his mind came back into focus. Reflexively, he checked his pulse and found it was steady. If it had hit an artery it would have been faster. But with a steady rate it meant it was only a flesh wound, and one that would be more prone to 'weep' blood once the arrow was removed before cauterization. But he wouldn't do such a thing yet. That was for after the fight if he lived that long.

Cursing in his mind Noth looked at the injury, and blessed the gods above and below, and everywhere else the bolt was just a round head. A round head was different from a broad, they were iron tipped with a mix of hard and soft wood in the shaft. It made it so they stood up longer over repeated shots, penetrated deeper, yet didn't do as much damage as a broad which tore the flesh behind it during the arrow's course.

Bringing his forearm with the shaft upwards he clamped his teeth as close to the shaft near the arm as possible. This was to anchor it as with his left hand he snapped off the feather and knock, leaving about two inches so he'd get a solid push through later. With the deed done, he pulled his dagger out of it's shoulder sheathe and held the edge out from behind cover to use it's reflection as a mirror as he tried to gain a perspective of what was going on before deciding on the next step.

If anyone came charging down this way, past Cade, Antar would be ready, as he was behind full cover. The reflection in the blade would warn him with enough time to pull down one of the crates on top of any approaching enemy. And then it would be up to those nearby to help him finish them off.

by **Annassena** on August 21st, 2011, 6:35 pm

For a few moments, Annassena was stunned. She didn't know what had happened, and thinking about it brought a splitting pain to hammer at her skull.

"How is my blood doing for you?" She asked the shadows. She flicked her tongue out and hissed quietly, as though testing her own head out. When it didn't split open, she began to stir her long body and her eyes picked out her quarry. The man with the crossbow was the source of her pain. She wanted him dead now. "Help me, cover his eyes so he can't see, and I'll give you every drop of blood in his body."

Just the thought of killing him and spilling his blood was making her euphoric. Her hood flared slightly as she watched the people scurry like little rats all around her. As she waited, she listened and watched. Her tongue tasted blood in the air and her scales sensed the vibrations of running feet. She could have fun here, becoming frenzied like a shark, but it was unwise when she was faced with greater, stronger opponents. She had no allies in this alley but her shadows.

Her eyes tracked the heat of the bodies of the others. She crouched again, ready to parry or dodge any attack aimed at her as her coils tightened in preparation to spring at the man she'd picked for her prey.

by **Leviathan** on September 10th, 2011, 5:29 pm

OOCI'm sorry for the delay guys. I was waiting for Aberdon and Canali to post at first, then I got busy and fell to Writer's Block. I'm going to try to keep up better. I'm going to start taking people out if they miss one more post cycle.

Gregor and Cade's blades clashed as the two men struggled to out-match each other with brute force. Cade's attempt to manipulate Gregor's blade proved more difficult than he expected, yet he managed to save his own head. The two of them split for only a second, in which Cade's sword swung out in a arch, biting for the man's chest, but it fell not on flesh, but once again against the steel blade of his opponent. Gregor was matching Cade movement for movement, blow for blow. If nobody interfered, it would be a fight of endurance.

The ax embedded itself in Dourne's stomach, for now the adrenaline was keeping him up, strong, and as vivid as a man half his age, but in a few chimes he would be in pain, bleeding, and if he didn't get to a doctor, he would likely die, from loss of blood or infection was hard to say. Two inches of flesh was no small gash. Thankfully, Drayton, the unlikely heroine of the day, bound into action and struck the dual-wielding axeman on the top of the head with a fierce stunning blow. This gave the perfect opportunity for Dourne to throw his own punch. Crack the jaw and easily knocked the man unconscious. He fell to the ground, dropping both axes (one which was still reaching into Dourn's stomach), and slept.

"You do not command us, snake-woman."

"I do not want his blood."

Sentient creatures got offended by the slightest things, and shadows were just such creatures. They had been misunderstood by the Dhani, and they currently weren't pleased by this.

by **Cade** on September 20th, 2011, 2:35 am

The barbarian's focus was on the enemy before him and could not see if his allies were winning or losing this dust up in the alley. All he knew was he needed to slay this man fast or it would be his own life that will be ended here. Death prickled the back of his neck sending shivers up his spine for all men fear it, even if they don't show it. His only comfort was that he knew if it was today or in the distant future his death will be brought by the cold iron of battle and that was enough for him keep his edge up and a sadistic grin of pleasure on his face as the clangour of battle sued on as the two swordsmen's blades clashed, strike for strike.

Cade was tiring of this battle of endurance as it seemed his foe was just as skilled as he. In battle such as this a victor would stand once the other made a mistake that his life would be ended upon. Odds that this Myrian half blood barbarian wish not to play out. Their blades locked once more This time with Cade changing the name of the game as he shot a quick but savage thrust of his knee aiming for Gregor's groin. The attack, if successful, would paralyse the daggerhand from mounting an effective defence against the ensuing blade that would be hailing down from above at Cade's full strength in hopes of cleaving the man in half.

by **Bob Barton** on September 30th, 2011, 1:40 am

Ok...Ouch? That guy was laughing happily even after getting an axe into his gut? Look at it, he was bleeding out like Bob with mizas on a fun day. That man was just as bad as the Cade who was always enjoying his fights. Lucky for him that the girl somehow was able to help him take down his opponent. Still, it was only one opponent out of four. Four bad ass gang members who was giving most of the people on his team a hard time.

Beggars can't be choosers and Bob would rather take Cade winning than the alternative but can the myrian beat his opponent and take down the other two as well? Bob took the other fighter out of the equation because he remembered seeing other people with wounds like that going to his uncle. It was just so big and red, ugly too. Makes Bob want to puke but not in the crate. It would have to be after the fight. Normally they either died or got bedridden for a long time. Longer than this fight in Stumble Alley would be so Dourne could not be depended on.

First things first, stop the whole fight for a while and see how it plays out. The arrow from behind him must have just been his imagination, or the person who shot it died already. "Can things get any worse?" he mumbled to himself. With his other hand he lifted the lid of the box higher and threw the stinging smoke at the nudist in the middle "I'm not into men." There was still that archer that shot at him earlier which Bob was worried about so he quickly lifted the lid higher with both hands now as a makeshift shield to try and protect himself.

Bob tried to peek out from the side partly concealed to see the effect's of his attack. Once it shattered, he will let the smoke spread normally. Hopefully since it was at the middle, only the Daggerhands would be affected but if some of the non-Daggerhands were hit he hoped that they won't hold it against him. Bob still was concentrating on the flask to hold the res and air in place. Once he saw that all the Daggerhand's are affected, he will transmute the res to let the air rapidly push the smoke away and take advantage of the few moments it took them to recover and spring into action once it dissipates. That was what he planned anyway, but the slightest distraction would make him lose focus and release the air prematurely. Bob doesn't know what would happen then but it was still better than nothing.

by **Antar** on September 30th, 2011, 4:49 am

oocThis post takes 5-6 seconds of time

Through the reflection on the blade's surface, Noth saw it all in every fuzzy detail. The fight the archer was having with the snake. The grave situation, the grizzled old man was in as he punched out the other axeman, the naked shouting daggerhand with the gladius raised in furor. The fight Cade was having with the leader of the group. All of it combined with the blood pumping in his ears and the slow kindling rage that was building inside of him.

He wanted them all dead. And he wished to be that it was his hand which killed them.

Spinning from cover he shifted his hand upon the knife grip and took a step forward. Using his momentum to hurl the twelve inche knife blade towards the archer's chest in the spin-flip technique as behind him someone shouted they didn't like men and tossed another bundle into the fray. If that didn't get him, his charge would. Uncaring about whomever else was on the field but the daggerhands, Noth centered his attention on the archer whom he viewed the most immediate threat. Drawing his gladius, the rogue lunghed forwards, aiming the point of his sword straight at the archer's chest to finish the job if the kukri throw didn't work.

Hopefully all the elements would combine long enough for him to quickly dispatch the Crossbowman for good and turn towards the remaining two threats. The man Cade was fighting against, more importantly if Cade could kill that one himself, then Noth would begin his deadly dance with the naked beast of a man he wanted to skin alive.

by **Dourne** on October 12th, 2011, 8:57 pm

Dourne died of blood loss

by **Leviathan** on October 18th, 2011, 2:00 am

Sadly for Cade, he didn't quite cleave Gregor in half. The man, though wincing and groaning at the cheapshot to the groin, managed to keep on his feet and even lift his blade to parry the attack from Cade once more, but his strength faltered. The force of Cade's strike bit down hard, forcing a grueling crack from Gregor's blade (the cheap weapon was breaking). The swords hit, but Cade's power carried though, pushing down the defending blade as if it was held by none other than a child. The man wasn't cleaved in half, but judging by how far Cade's sword sunk into the man's neck and down into his torso, he was more than just unconscious. Wrenching the sword free would force out an initial spill of blood to rush from the new-dead man's body, before he dropped to the ground. Cade would feel a peaceful relief roll over his body as his muscles began to feel the ache of exhaustion. Had he been really fighting that hard? Seems so.

Within the chaos that flooded Stumble Alley, Annassena and Drayton departed. It was unclear as to when they fled, but Drayton was very much a heroine for her brave act in striking the dual-wielding axman. Yet, despite her efforts, Dourne still fell. He too was a hero, few could take such a blow to the chest and manage to stand, let alone knock out a foe with a single punch. Still, his story had been written. His conclusion was inscribed. Annassena, well she was gone. Her presence was mostly unknown, hardly a shadow to all except that one Daggerhand who had pummeled her in self-defense. Her predatorial tactics were suitable for the wilderness, but for this environment new strategies would need to be learned. Carina too had left, too much gore, too much violence, it was simply too much for a woman. Hardened or not, everyone had their limits, everyone had a weak stomach towards something.

The gaseous explosion was a startling thing too be sure. As Antar hurled his weapon at his opponent, the gas engulfed him just as a cry of pain was heard. He may have been uncertain of where the man was hurt, but it was no doubt that the man was hit. As Antar flung himself past Cade's defeated foe and into the fray and mist, he would find that his gladius, which sought that same man that pierced his arm with an accurately fired bolt, would bite into nothing but swirling smoke. The man was no longer there, and damn it all, the smoke left nothing but images of black silhouettes all around him.

When the smoke faded, the group would understand what happened. It was an instant reaction to the hurled flask from Barton. The naked man fled down one alleyway with tremendous speed (unhindered by weaponry, armor, or clothing) and the crossbowman down the other path. His shoulder cradled in his head. The kukri blade was remove and tossed Gods-know-where in the alleyway. The two men were gone, leaving the raped woman, the slain Gregor, and the unconscious third behind.

There was no honor among Daggerhand.

Still, who is to say reinforcements wouldn't arrive soon? Perhaps it would be best to move on now. Now that the party had their fill of excitement, blood, and for some, agony.

by **Cade** on October 24th, 2011, 9:43 pm

The clangor of battle died away, the shouting of the dead was hushed as silence lay on the red-stained alley floor. the moon glittered through the roof openings above and the suburban ground gleamed of red and silver from battered armor and bloody blades, where the slain lay as they had fallen. The lifeless hands yet gripped the broken hilt, helmeted heads back-drawn in the last breaths, Tilted heads of the daggerhand people looking to the skies as if in last invocation to the gods. Cade, the half blood myrian savage, was one of the few that were left standing in victory as his lungs drug in deep breaths after the pro longed duel with Gregor who now laid butchered at the barbarian's feet.

Cade looked over at the slain old berserker and the unconscious gangster he punched out and slowly moved over to towards them. The unconscious daggerhand was snoring in all his glory just before the Barbarian ended his life with a quick downward thrust of his longsword. The tip of the blade entered the man's throat and trading the snoring for a few gurgles of last breath with the pungent smell of the man's bladder being released............the glory of death.

He looked up the rest of his allies pleased with the outcome of this dust up. " Hastily take the spoils of battle my friends..... We leave in moments" Cade ordered while turning his focus upon the ravaged girl. He walked over to her, sheathing his sword. The savage knelt to her side with absolute surprise that she had not run while they all were in the clashes of battle. " You belong to me now. try and escape me and I will butcher you in ways that will haunt you into the afterlife." Only took Cade moments to fasten a noose around the girls neck and tightened it to emphasise the situation to her while dragging her towards Gregor's body. Cade fleeced all that was valuable from his fallen foe and waited for the rest to finish up.