Closed When a poisoner sits in the woods... (Inoadar)

[Kyodaija]

67th of Fall, 513 AV.

Kyo was out in the wilderness around Ravok. He had become somewhat more accustomed to the area, frequently slithering about in his Dahni form devoid of all his gear save his mighty club. He often would hunt, though not very proficiently, relying mostly on unaware travelers like he had in the past to obtain a truly worthy meal.

Though frequently these trips simply lead to eating back at the Silver Sliver due to his lack of actual hunting and wilderness skills.

He slithered into a clearing that inside revealed to him the form of a wild horse... This would make an excellent meal that could keep him going for days! He realized though this would be a tricky one to get his hands on. It appeared to be quite a distance away, perhaps a full 100 yards... He felt confident though as the creature gnawed away obliviously at the grass nearby.

Kyo crouch himself low to the ground. Slithering slowly along, making his way to his intended prey... Stopping for a moment when he noticed the horse was actually saddled as well, sporting some bags for carrying something at its sides... Perhaps if all went well Kyo would have himself some human for lunch if the horse didn't work out!

He continued to creep along and rustled something on the ground loudly startling the horse, causing it to look his way. Kyo lay low to the ground holding his breath hoping that he had not spooked the creature thus alerting its master nearby...

He heard the sounds of its master who apparently was quite nearby cooing and soothing the beast, attempting to discern what had riled it up. Kyo did not see the mans face but the horse had continued gnawing at grass already and the man had his back turned to Kyo picking at the ground nearby some swamp like looking pool.

Kyo cautiously tried to continue forward toward the man again, figuring at this point it be best he went after the easier prey then the horse... When he heard an all to familiar sound from beyond the man who was still many, many yards ahead.

"YUK!"

[Inoadar]

Inoadar had been making more use of his sighting lens in his treks into the wild these days. It was not much help where the trees were thick in all directions. But he knew that a predator would stay concealed in the treeline to gauge its approach first. With the magnification, Inoadar had a good chance to spot it soon enough to gauge his own actions, as he was currently in a good sized clearing. The trick was to receive that early warning. That was where his horse, Handy, came in. It was a Zavian he had purchased from the Lakeside Stables near the Southern Trading Post, where people caught the ferry to Ravok.

It did not escape him that Handy was even now giving indication of some hidden threat. Inoadar grimaced in anticipation of wolves. He was beginning to wonder of they had some sort of Kelvic leading them, setting a spy to give advance word that "Inoadar is leaving Ravok..." and to "...prepare an ambush." It seemed like he had to fend off a wolf pack every petching time he went into the wild. He had thought they were perhaps more prevalent along the Northwest side of the lake, because that was the direction he had mostly gone. In fact he had gone that way all the way around to the Kelvic Research Institute once.

What had occurred there gave him reason to make his only semi-serious speculation that Kelvics may "have it in for him." But, in truth, he'd never heard any suggestion that a Kelvic could lead non-Kelvic members of their own species in the wild. 'But you never know...' At any rate, he had elected to go around the South end this time.

He had gathered some vines as he'd passed through the woods behind him. Some that matched the description of Englehorn Vine. This was a colorful brown and green vine with bright red flowers, that, when still fresh, was quite flexible and was often used as a party decoration. When burned, however, it was a devastating respiratory agent, causing heavy choking, weakness and coughing blood almost instantly. Of course, it needed to be dried first. And to be profitable, a poisoner like himself would need to establish exactly which part of the vine held the largest concentration of the active element.

For now, he was simply retying his bundles to attach to his saddle. He hadn't needed to come into this clearing to do this, but it was much easier to lay a vine out lengthwise for better looping when it wasn't catching on undergrowth every two feet. Handy's uneasiness brought another delay as he stopped and looked around, first with his bare eyes and then starting over with the sighting lens.

Handy's behavior was peculiar. He seemed to be shying in two directions at the same time. 'That could be wolves circling.' He thought with disgust, 'typical flanking attempt.' But usually Handy picked up on wolves before they separated into flanking groups. This seemed different. He scanned the distant treeline again. 'Was that movement?'

Handy was not exactly displaying any real fear. For the most part, he was just grazing. But he kept lifting his head in a disconcerting fashion, as if something was approaching very slowly. But it was the other direction that had revealed movement. And it did so again now. 'What the petch...are those men?'

He focused on a group of humanoids just breaking free of the treeline to his right about halfway around the circumference of the clearing. There were a dozen or more of them, but what struck him was that there was something...wrong...about them. He was just starting to get a clear enough image to see what they were when several things happened.

Handy suddenly neighed in alarm, but not at the approaching humanoids. He shied right into Inoadar, apparently in reaction to something approaching from the other side. The impact knocked Inoadar off his feet and he dropped his sighting lens. He spun on his knees to look at what had alarmed Handy and saw some other human...oid...sort of...thing drop into the grass as Inoadar patted around blindly for his sighting lens.

He found it a few seconds later and rose quickly, scanning the direction Handy had shied from, but saw nothing. He turned back toward the pack of human...ish...things and did not need the lens. The sounds they were suddenly braying were confirmation enough. Inoadar had never seen them before, but had heard of the hairless, brutish, feral, dirt blooded freaks before and the name they'd gained from their call...Yukmen...

[Kyodaija]

Kyo was quite adverse to possibly engaging the damned Yukmen again. But alas her perfectly good meal would simply be slaughtered and left inedible, or worse maybe he would rise up as one of them?

Despite having fought them before he knew so little about them. All he knew is if they figured out how to use weapons, things would go south very fast. And that they traveled in large groups. The one he encountered was large enough to nearly annihilate a platoon of Ravokian soldiers. What few dregs remained were battered and wounded, Kyo among them.

He peered then noting that the horse was now in full panic, where as the man was crouched low pointing some kind of eye piece in the direction of the Yukmen, seeming to be familiar enough with what they were.

It was not to late for Kyo to simply leave, but he watched as the man dropped his eye piece on the ground and fumbled it about, only then finally noting the look of his face... It looked so very familiar.... Like somebody he had recently had dealings with.

Kyo was now a bit interested and after a moment came to realize that maybe this is a man worth saving for later as it was none other than Inoadar! The mans grumbling only confirmed it as the voice was more familiar to Kyo than his human figure. All humans looked alike to Kyo but he now realized and recognized the scent of Ino as he got closer.

Kyo now abandoned stealth and simply slithered his way up to Ino, calling out as he approached "bessst arm yourssself Inoadar... thessse beasssties will tear you limb from limb otherwissse!"

Kyo hardly even paused long enough to note Inoadars reaction, nor did he even bother to note if he truly recognized Kyo at all in his Dahni form. Kyo rushed forward past Ino meaning to deal the first blow to the approaching party of Yukmen, he knew that the first moment of the fight the Yukmen would be at there weakest, being unable to cope with his strength and speed. Until they managed to learn his movements a bit.

He swung his mighty wolfs teeth club and smashed the head clean off of the Yukmen the most near to himself. Immediately another one was upon him to close to hit with the club. True to what his father had taught him he swung a left jab into the creatures gut causing it to pause a moment. More than long enought for Kyo's immensely powerful left hook to connect with the things shoulder (missing its head) sending it sprawling to the side likely broken but still alive.

Kyo knew a normal person would not get back up from that. But these were not people...

[Inoadar]

Inoadar was stunned when the monstrous snake...thing...rose up from the grass to warn him of danger. And it had known his name! He had known only one of these...what had Wrenmae called them?...'Danari'? Something like that. This one had been called 'Kyro' or something. He and Inoadar had been working briefly together to flush out the man that had set them up. Inoadar had assumed that it had not worked out well for the Snake-man, as he never saw him again...until right this moment.

He saw the Yukmen concentrating on Kyro, or whatever his (its) name was, and pulled Handy's reins free of the branch he'd looped them around, glad of the distraction allowing his quick escape. A sense of shame halted his leap into the saddle as he saw what must be two dozen of the filthy, ghoulish monstrosities converging of the Snake-man. Regardless of what direction and indifference to morality his life had led him, it had started in the warrior quadrant of Nyka. Even though he hated Nyka now, the lessons of watching your fellows' backs and never abandoning your partners still held influence over him.

If they hadn't had that shared conflict with the thugs belonging to the man in the white suit, he'd have felt no compunction about bailing on the scaly bastard, but they'd fought together before and he could not now desert the field, leaving a comrade behind in the face of this deluge of scum.

Handy had gone into near panic and it was all Inoadar could do to calm him enough to pull a few flasks of oil, his crossbow and bolts, his hammer and the dozen Tindertwigs he'd bought recently at Black Tar's Alchemical Goods. He also grabbed his extra shirt and immediately cut a sleeve off and wrapped it around his face. He had an idea.

He had already cut and looped the Englehorn into four 'bales', intending to load them onto the saddle and depart soon. Now he knew he was kissing them goodbye, but this should have a serious effect on the Yukmen. He knew that Kyro was going to be affected as well, but that could not be immediately helped.

He slapped Handy's flank and the horse bolted across the clearing, distracting a number of the enemy in pursuit. There were a few of the Yukmen approaching him however. He gauged the direction of the wind and grabbed one of the bales of Englehorn Vine, running to reach a spot where the wind direction would serve his purpose. He reached the spot and had time enough to pour a flask of oil on the single bale, and set a lit tindertwig to it. He pulled the wrapped sleeve over his face and darted right into the smoke, with the Yukmen right behind him.

He held his breath for the most part, and breathed through the cloth, but still felt some effects of the Englehorn poison. But he could hear dreadful, choking coughs and gagging behind him though and knew he'd accomplished his goal. He now diverted his path back out of the smoke to head back for a second bale. he took the opportunity to yell to Kyro. "HOLD YOUR BREATH! THE SMOKE IS POISON!"

[Kyodaija]

Kyo heard Ino's desperate cry of warning. And barely managed to hold his breath in time before breathing in the slightest ammount of the smoke. Which had thankfully virtually no affect on Kyo's stout powerful Dahni body. Though the same would likely not hold true if he stayed within the poisonous fumes and he could in fact feel his eyes water due to the noxious fumes pouring around him.

He quickly retreated back to the field a ways where Inoadar had also retreated, with the Yukmen in a rather dogged pursuit. Hacking and wheezing their way through the smoke cloud.

It appeared that the beasts were more human than they appeared as the gas slowed them considerably down, as they hacked away and coughed up a brown mass occasionally Kyo fled to safety away from the fumes. He broke free of the fumes noting to the side that Inoadar was making his way to another bail it would appear, half a dozen still coughing whilst pursuing him. Kyo had little time to worry about him as several of the Yukmen broke free of the smoke coming at him with savage disregard for their lives.

He dealt with the first one to arrive by tripping it with the butt of his weapon and then bringing the head of his club down to dully connect with the things head splattering gore in a glorious manner in all directions. To imbedded to bother pulling it out right away Kyo grabbed the next upcoming creature by the neck to which it offered little resistance having obviously inhaled to much poison.

He snapped the helpless creatures neck driving it into the ground to which it still squirmed and scratched drawing blood on kyo's arm. He finished the beast off with a solid smash from his forehead connecting with the things face. Drawing it up toward him for extra momentum.

Just as he completed the move another of the beast jumped up onto Kyo's back and began to put him into a stranglehold. Kyo reached his arm around to grab the beast but a comrade found its was to one of his arms and restrained him further, making it impossible to gain enough leverage to pull the beast off.

Kyo was in quite the pinch and decided it best to try to overwhelm the one grabbing him by the arm the old fashion way. He rapidly began coiling his serpentine body around the beast to quickly for the thing to realize it's ultimate doom. Suddenly he felt the beast on his back begin biting its way into his shoulder painfully drawing blood and gore spilling a bit out from the ferocious nous of the wound.

Kyo wasted little time and wrapped his tail with all his strength managing after many painful bites from the beast to crush the one holding back his arm in his enormous tail. Taking no more chances Kyo threw himself to the ground backward meaning to crush the creature and pin it to the ground. This seemed to wind it a bit and allow him enough time to twist around into a position where he grabbed the beast by the head.

While they lay there struggling for a moment Kyo easily overpowered the thing and kept it pinned while he twisted it's disgusting head off.

Kyo rose panting then grabbing his weapon from the nearby corpse it had crushed the head in of. Still more were coming in on all his sides and began encircling.

Kyo had reached the climactic most dangerous part of the fight... They were learning how to fight by watching the 4 he just killed die... Now things would become truly dangerous...

[Inoadar]

Inoadar lined up his crossbow on a trio of foes approaching "Kyro". His aim was not yet practiced enough to pick an exact spot, but they were crowded enough that he still hit one. It didn't seem to have much effect though, other than informing them of Inoadar's presence. He scowled, but felt that giving Kyro a chance to catch a non-toxic breath was still a positive thing.

But the sudden diversion of a half-dozen Yukmen to pursuit of himself somehow felt like less than a victory. He heard the coughing, stumbling of a Yukman behind him and he spun swinging the crossbow like a pickaxe on a horizontal plane at head level. The metal end of the limb pierced its skull with a dull cracking squelch. Instead of dropping like a rock, Inoadar was greatly dismayed to see the thing twitch a few times and then grab hold of the weapon and tear it free, bring an odd combination of blood and gravel spilling from the wound.

Inoadar had no idea if the thing even felt pain. He'd seen obvious evidence of their vulnerability to poison. Why wouldn't a metal bar impaled in their brain have more of an impact? There was no time to mull the question over as lumpy hands grabbed at Inoadar's throat. He wrenched his head to trigger the Nettle Cloak mechanism, unleashing a ring of spikes to impale anything around his neck.

One of the spikes had a coating of poison, he remembered as the creature was stymied only to the extent that it had to rip its hands free of the spikes before it reached instead for Inoadar's head, squeezing as if it thought to crush his skull. Pain began to criss cross inoadar's head as the pressure surpassed anything he expected and he staggered back, trying to to dislodge the grip.

All at once, it started to weaken and the Yukman began to sag and stagger with trembling knees. Inoadar found his knuckle duster and slipped his fingers through it, unleashng a hard uppercut that launched his adversary back a couple of feet to land on his back. Inoadar grabbed the crossbow again beat the things head in as it flopped around on the ground.

He swayed on his feet, already near to exhaustion, when it suddenly occurred to him that a half-dozen more of the bastards had been approaching from Kyro's direction. He started to run, but grunting weight hit him from behind, knocking him forward. He managed to turn as he fell and pivoted himself to the side with one arm to avoid most of the pack. hands still groped for holds on him. A pair slapping at his neck in spite of the spikes. Inoadar hammered at the face looming over him with the knuckleduster. He battered it off him, but pain suddenly slammed him several times. It appeared these goons had figured out how effective punches were at such close range. And they hit hard!

But they knew nothing of wrestling. Inoadar tucked his knees up to slam one in the back, unbalancing him to fall forward over his head. Then he kicked his boot back into the torso of one that was leaning in to take the place of the upended one. His backward flop tripped the next one as Inoadar quickly scissored his legs and twisted to end in a crouch to the side. He thought his mail shirt may have spared him a few broken ribs. He roared for adrenaline, rising to cup the jaw of the one just reaching him and hooked his leg, to slam his head into the face of the one behind him.

it was still unsettling how little it staggered either of them, but it gave him room to also unleash the spikes in his cuffs. They too, contained a poisoned member in position to swing as a weapon, and Inoadar did that now, poisoning two more as they drove him to the ground, slugging and kicking him.

The noise was infuriating. Their deranged grunting was like listening to men trying to imitate dogs barking. 'What a miserable noise to die to.' Inoadar thought wretchedly as he tried to roll and squirm to lessen the impacts while he waited for the poison to weaken two of his attackers.

[Kyodaija]

The one to his left was first to lunge forward, apparently it had found a large club like branch in imitation of his wolfs teeth club and imitated his wild combat style swinging the club savagely at Kyo's head.

Kyo ducked to the side barely managing to dodge the staggeringly fast blow. When another approched from hi right swinging a mean right hook that blew Kyo backward causing the world to sound like a dull ringing noise. A follow up blow from the club wielding Yukmen pelted into his side nearly knocking him sprawling to the ground. But Kyo managed to hold on to the trunk like club and with a mighty one handed swing blasted the creature into a heaping pile of gore on the ground beneath him.

Kyo backed away from the group which appeared to be aiming to encircle him again. His options were running out fast. The sheer numbers of the Yukmen were simply overwhelming the mighty Dahni and his Ally.

Kyo thought then to check over on Inoadar, he was fairing far worse having been completely surrounded by the beasts and not being overly martially inclined beyond poisons and deception. This situation was going south fairly quickly. Kyo had to make a quick decision or possibly fight his final battle against this disgusting foe meaninglessly...

Kyo swung several swipes at the Yukmen utilizing their learning nature to his advantage. As predicted they backed away easily avoiding the lumbering blows. But this was as Kyo expected.

Suddenly he made a huge powerful swipe at the ground kicking up a large ammount of dirt and dust, slightly covering his retreat as he turned around and sped toward Inoadar. He needed to somehow regroup with him if they were to possibly survive this endeavor together. One of the Yukmen had not fallen for the ruse and swiftly made its way to Kyo's side. It was one wielding a similar club in a similar fashion to the last one Kyo had dealt with, apparently having picked up his fallen ally's weapon.

It made a swing for Kyo awkwardly not used to making a moving attack against a moving foe. Kyo easily parried the blow and countered crashing into the beasts chest blowing the thing backward away from Kyo.

Kyo now dedicated all his attention to speeding toward Inodar calling out with an outstretched hand... "Take my hand!"

[Inoadar]

With a few well placed kicks at knees and rolls into vacated spots, Inoadar was able to get to his knees and lunge for a large club one of the human creatures had dropped. He swung blindly behind him and heard a shin crack with impact. But it wracked the club loose from his exhausted fingers. Fortunately the injured Yukman fell across him, intercepting the blows meant for Inoadar.

As his fellows dragged the pulverized body off him, Inoadar again kicked a space open to slip out from them. He noticed them doing odd kicking motions as though they were imitating him. "What the petch?" he shouted, trying to catch his breath as the Yukmen sought to converge on him again. He was astounded to see them copy his deep breaths and start making "WA-PEF" noises.

Inoadar took a step toward the club, but saw he would be cut off. He ran instead toward a second bundle of vines. The Yukmen shouting "WA-PEF" behind him, and still breathing deeply, were nonetheless gaining quickly on him. Inoadar continued to display his deep breathing, thinking how useful it would be if he could reach another bundle of vines and set it ablaze.

He barely made it to his horse, only managing to throw himself bodily across the saddle as Handy started to bolt. Hands gripped his ankles as the combined forces pulled him nearly from the saddle. It was only desperate adrenaline that allowed him to hang to the saddle, roaring in defiance as the gravity and inertia swung the Yukman beneath the horse, where the terrified hooves tore chunks free in a bloody trail behind it.

He let loose when he neared another bundle. He grabbed it and staggered toward the smoking remains of the first bundle. There were still several flasks of oil lying there. There had been no time to grab them after the first bundle was lit. He popped one open and dumped it over the new one. He kicked the old charred bundle aside, opening a new flow of air to the red hot embers, which quickly licked the new bundle into a roar. The new pack of Yukmen were no more than ten seconds away as Inoadar made one last deep breathing gesture, then held it and ran into the billowing new cloud of smoke.

At the same moment that Inoadar heard their idiotic "WA-PEF"s turn to choking gasps, one of them tumbled into the back of his knees, bringing him to a face-down flop into the ground. he found a rock and tried to roll and bash some heads, but he accidentally took a breath and his lungs seized in agony as if hot coals had found their way in. He could barely crawl , coughing as if to turn his lungs inside out and seeing blood stain the ground before him.

Salvation came in the sound of the Dhani's voice, "Take My Hand!"

[Kyodaija]

Kyo swept toward Inoadar swiftly slithering his way into grabbing range. He noted the cloud of smoke now billowing fourth from the second burning bundle that Inoadar had lit. He saw Ino coughing violently with blood being spewed fourth onto the ground in front of him. Kyo realized he had very little time to spare, he would need to grab Inoadar quckly and pull him out of this mess.

Kyo rushed toward the smoke taking a deep breath before entering and swooping up Inoadar in a tight bear hug. He did his best to take care not to crush him as he was not used to handling humans delicately.

He barreled through the Yukmen in front of him shoulder blocking them and swatting them to the side with his trusty Wolf's teeth club, until he finally broke his way through the smoke and gasped for air, having to pause a moment to catch his breath. Just then a yukmen apparently still stubbornly clinging to the notion that it should beat Kyo to death with a club like weapon smashed into his back, blasting the air from Kyo's lungs and causing him to lose his grip on the Poisoner, barely tossing him to the side enough to not crush him under his heavy body.

Kyo gasped for air that would not reach his lungs as the damned thing continued to wail on him with savage fury. With enough force to cause Kyo to be completely at the beasts mercy. Kyo had not used his Djed in some time after the dire withdrawals he had experienced overgiving against the master swordsman. But now was not the time to be modest, he began to meld the Djed in his chest, slowly flowing it into his arms... Patiently waiting for the right moment to strike out at the creature. His consciousness was beginning to fade as the lack of oxygen was getting to him. He lashed out with fury as his Djed flowed into his arm smashing the beast club and driving home into its chest in a single blow.

The thing went flying as Kyo finally drew some air in with a large gasp. He was bruised all over and his hand throbbed a bit from striking the log, likely he had ruptured something but had not broken anything as it maintained function.

He quickly took in what was happening around him realizing now a half dozen more of the things were beginning to catch up to the pair, notably avoiding the deadly gasses Inoadar had been luring the beasts into. Most notably one of the creatures ran at them with some of the smoking burning bail in its hands, stupidly burning its hands but managing to fling the bail in the direction of Kyo and Inoadar.

Kyo was dumbfounded

"We are ssscrewed..."

[Inoadar]

"Damned...Muddy...Petching...Monkeys!" Inoadar snarled, gasping a breath between each word. "Don't...Talk" blood spattered around his lips as he choked out one more word. "Horse." He looked at the Dhani, holding a hand up with all the fingers sticking up and apart. He took the other hand and made a circular motion around the first several times. Then made a fist like grabbing the imaginary rope he was winding around his hand and made a yanking motion at the same time as he collapsed the open fingers of his hand together. He hoped the Dhani understood. He didn't have the breath to explain verbally.

"Go!" he said, gesturing away in whatever direction was before him, and turned in a loping jog over to where his horse was now prancing nervously. There were no longer any Yukmen chasing after it. They were all either in bloody, hacking convulsions on the ground, or part of the half-dozen that were now focusing on he and Kyo. He reached his horse, 'Handy' and climbed up into the saddle. A few of the Yukmen nearly got hold of him, but Handy instinctively dodged away and took off across the clearing.

Handy wanted to leave completely, but Inoadar was not leaving Kyo behind. He rode towards the Dhani, who was struggling to keep going. Inoadar tried to spur the horse to slam into the Yukmen, but the best he could manage was to disrupt their pursuit of Kyo, partially from being in the way, and partially by giving them a new target to go after. It took no effort at all to persuade Handy to run away from the creatures. But Inoadar had to kick and pull to get the horse to turn around and do it one more time.

While the horse turned, Inoadar drew his dagger and sliced through the leather cord holding his coiled rope in place on the back of his saddlebags. Seeing the Yukmen imitate the moves he and Kyo made gave him another idea how to get the Yukmen to actually help him crush themselves. He reached Kyo and tossed him one end of the rope. "Do this!" he called down, holding the line of rope across his midsection. "Let them see!"

He didn't wait to see if the Dhani was doing what he showed. He knew the Snake man might be thinking he'd lost his petching mind, but he was confident that when he saw what he was going to do, he'd figure it out. He rode past the Yukmen, letting the rope string out behind him. The creatures naturally moved toward him as he neared them, but he avoided them easily enough, letting the rope out with just enough slack to catch their attention.

He looked over his shoulder and wanted to shout in triumph to see the Yukmen grabbing the rope and holding it at their collective midsection, just like he'd told Kyo to show them to do, and grunting like idiots. He turned Handy in a tight arc and rode back the other way, around the back of the freakish humanoids. "Tie them up!" he shouted to the Dhani, anticipating seeing him approach to form a loop around the Yukmen.