Fantasy Natural Selection (Fantasy)[New Members Welcome]

[shadowz1995]

Ether was lazing about near a horrid sewer under a bandit controlled town he had found. Bandits were never the brightest of people and Ether found it easy enough to relax in the nearby bushes without being detected by them. The putrid smell of the sewers also helped mask the rotting smell of the undead sentries he had posted around himself just in case he should be discovered. Ether was waiting. Waiting for the cover of night. He had been paid handsomely to infiltrate the city and kill the right hand man of the infamous Marques Tueso. The adviser to the great religious tyrant. Apparently, he had convinced a group of bandits to attack his client's village. The bandits killed most of the men, burned down the houses, stole all the women to be raped no doubt. The necromancer's skin crawls at the thought of this but there was nothing he could do at that moment in time. Ether was injured from a previous mission and he was in no condition to fight. So he simply didn't. "Things we cannot do anything about or say anything about, we must pass over in silence." Words his mother had once told him.


It was then that something caught the attention of his sentries. Naturally alerted by his thralls, Ether rises up from his spot on the floor and moves over to take a closer look. There he sees something rather peculiar. Three travelers of some sort, two men and one woman, approaching the town. At first, Ether thought they were there to report to the Marques but that is clearly not the case when the female starts scaling up the wall and slays one of the guards up top in such a silent fashion it could be considered art. The larger of the two men walks forward to the sewage gate and tries to carefully open it enough for the rest to enter. Most likely not trying to raise any noise. Interesting. Very interesting. Could his client have hired back up or a second group? No that is extremely unlikely. Ether's interest is now piqued and he silently watches them from a short distance with all intent on following them inside.

 

[Morgrim]

Morgrim mimics the call of a bird to gather the attention of Roxii. It was time to enter the sewer, though he felt sorry for her in particular as she must have the greatest sense of smell. Though her hearing must be equal and she would thus be able to alert the group to any sort of intrusions from either the front or the back. She will be a good companion to have. All of them would have to act quick though, if the bandits switch positions they would find about a dozen still warm bodies laying in pools of their own blood and that wouldn't bode well for them. Morgrim follows after Jassur, and thankfully the path is completely empty. The sewer would lead into the waste management building, a place that most tend to like to stay out of. It was on the eastern side of town, and unguarded by the bandits. The group would be able to stay close to the walls and spread out taken on most of the enemies in relative silence. It would be when the get to the town square that it would be a problem, where the women are being raped one by one. To those bandits it was the main attraction, and where they would be bunched up. That designated area would need a full frontal assault, and a bit of luck to take down. "Come on, lets hurry up before anyone spots us. We don't want them to have an advantage, there must be fifty of them at least, and we can take on that many trained killers."

 

[Javax]

Roxii had just finished slicing the last archer's throat when she heard the bird call. It didn't hold the "chirpiness" or smoothness of a bird, though, so she figured it was the signal of either the corpse or the mercenary. The gravelly overtone it held indicated it was the half-rotten male. Sheathing her weapons, she scaled back down the wall and landed gently on the ground. She made her way to the sewer entrance, the putrid odor hitting her senses long before the average human. Her face scrunched up in disgust, and she let out an involuntary whine. The smell was terrible. These were the times that she wished she wasn't part wolf.


Despite the gag-inducing odor, she stepped inside the sewer. The lycanthrope didn't take up much room due to her small size, so at least claustrophobia wasn't too much of an issue. However, it still made her uncomfortable, especially in the presence of two males whom she barely knew anything about. Either way, she was on a mission and that mission was going to be accomplished, one way or another.


@Morgrim @AnimusLight

 

[shadowz1995]

As soon as the party of three had stepped through the gate and had walked some distance, Ether decides to move up along and follow them from a safe distance. The smell in here should mask the scent of his thralls following close behind and he had commanded them not to make any sound whatsoever.

 

[Morgrim]

Morgrim stopped, he felt something odd, a disturbance of sorts, but something distinctly familiar. He could sense and ether link, multiple of them in fact connecting something living to something dead. He turned around but only saw Roxii as she was in the way, and beyond that it was too dark. "Hey turn around, tell me if you can see anything, something isn't quite right here, and I don't like the feel of it." Morgrim was right to feel this way, being of a arcane inclined nature, and even more so for necromancy he knew all about the properties of ether, a raw form of magical energy, and someone right behind him with the same name was using just that to keep his thralls alive.


@Javax @shadowz1995

 

[Javax]

Despite the scent of sewage practically overpowering her senses, Roxii knew what the half-corpse was worried about. There was a scent trailing over the rotten odors, and the hybrid could faintly distinguish it. The smell was paradoxical: one of life and death, of chaos and order, of light and dark. It made her feel uneasy in a way and she was hesitant to turn to see what it was, but she complied to his wishes. She turned and was grateful for her enhanced night vision, because, off in the distance but not too far, she noticed another figure, following the three. Baring her teeth and snarling quietly, she decided to take action.


Once again, she left the other two males without a word. This time, however, she absorbed some of the shadows around her and surrounded herself in them, whispered a short command in her native tongue—"M’uqaǐ"—and the shadows became transparent and intangible, taking the wolf hybrid with it. Now invisible and impalpable, Roxii made her way to the unnamed figure, ignoring the fierce burning in her chest. Once she was close enough—about a foot and a half away—, she swiftly cast off the shadows and grabbed the person by the neck, slamming him against the side of the sewer. "Who are you, and why are you following us?" she growled menacingly.


@Morgrim @AnimusLight @shadowz1995

 

[Morgrim]

"Jassur you go on ahead and scout out the area I will accompany our friend Roxii and make sure everything is all right." He told the knight, though not in an orderly tone, sounding more like a friend asking for help rather than anything else. "We'll be right up, promise." He then turned around, as difficult as it was in the enclosed space of the sewage drainage tunnel. He made his way over back to Roxii and the mysterious interloper whom had decided to follow them. "Who the hell are you and what are you doing following us. Oh and don't scream, she wouldn't appreciate that very much." He said motioning to Roxii who still had a death grip on his throat. Morgrim hoped he wouldn't try anything, this was a small area, and noise would carry through the pipes alerting all the bandits of their presence, so instead he watched and listened for any lies he may spew from his mouth.

 

[AnimusLight]

(Sorry guys, I'm swarmed with studying and tests for this week and the next so I'll try to post when I can)


Jass nods to Morgrim's command; oddly, the tone didn't fit it and Jass was used to having orders barked at him when he was a knight. He continues down the passageway, glancing back at them once; they'll be fine because they're capable.


The mercenary reaches an area of the sewer that is a tad brighter than the others. Light steamed from a crevice up above. A wooden ladder stands in the middle of the path, dangling from the top. Jass examines where it leads: a hatch that could probably be a way to the surface. He begins to climb the wooden ladder and when at the top, pushes the entrance slightly enough for light to hit his eyes. His eyes narrows; there isn't anyone guarding this spot? He slowly pushes it half open with his head now sticking out of the hatch. Jass spots a few bandits pass by outside the window of the building he was in. Where the hell was he? He scans his surroundings; the smell from the sewer still reeks here. A place they manage their... "Let me escape this smell already," he mutters to himself in disgust. He heads to the window in a crouched position and looks through it.


He remembers where most of the guards posted on higher ground were so from what he could tell, this building is in the east side of town. Jass ducks his head suddenly when he hears the sound of footsteps. He hears it halt in front of the door; shit, are they coming in? He places his hand on the hilt of his sword ready to ambush anyone who steps it.


The door creaks open and a pair of small hands reach to its side. A young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, dressed in tattered clothing, closes the door with cation, not noticing the former knight in the room. Jass couldn't risk her screaming. He didn't like it but he darts towards her and covers her mouth. The kid freezes up, screaming into his hand. Jass hushes them, "Quite, kid. Shut up." Tears stream down her face; her eyes looking at Jass as if he was death. "Shush, I'm not going to hurt you. If I lift up my hand, you won't scream right?" The kid nods to the agreement. Jass retracts his hand and lets go of her. She scrambles to the wall of the building. She asks in a shaky voice, "You're no bandit, sir?"


Jass shakes his head, "No, I'm a guy who cleans towns. Don't worry, my group will clean up the mess." The girl not getting what he's talking about only nods to his answer. The mercenary glances outside for a moment then asks, "Do you know your way around town? You got here by yourself, where did you avoid?"


The girl bites her lip, not sure if she should answer the stranger. She responds, "You won't make me go back, sir?"


"No. Help me out and I''ll help you."


The girl explains the layout of the town. Most of the bandits swarm in the center of town. The bandits have guards posted at every entrance around the walls. The "leader," she says, is staying at a well-known tavern called the Lion's Mane in the west side of town. Bandits patrol the west and north while others roam around south and east for any leftover townspeople they didn't grab. All the females are kept in the town's only inn, that's where she escaped. "Be wary of the hounds they have that roam the south side of town. One almost got me," she says pointing to a claw mark on the back of her arm.


"Alright, thanks. You may have to explain it to the others who will appear here. You should be safe here, what's your name?"


"Millia."


"Yah, stay here. Tell them I'm heading north. I'd rather not get sniffed out by those mutts," Jass says before heading out. He sprints to an alleyway when he checks if the coast is clear. He's not the one to stealth but he can try being a step ahead of patrolling guards. He continues through back alleys to the north of town.

 

[shadowz1995]

As Ether trails behind the suspicious trio he notices they come to a halt. He hears hushed voices and some shuffling of the feet. Ether started to wonder whether or not they had somehow heard him or noticed his presence. As if to answer his question, one of the trio suddenly goes missing. The smallest one, that agile assassin like character. She's gone and Ether had no idea where in the hell she went. Ether quickly reacts and pulls his sentries closer to him so as to not get flanked so easily. He pushes out with his senses and sure enough he felt dark magic at work, specifically shadow arts. Dark magic was second nature to Ether and it was no surprise he could feel it in the works around him. He quickly reacts mutters a quick hex into his left hand. It has the appearance of deep crimson lightning and Ether starts to work on a second spell as he suddenly pinned into the wall by his neck by the small assassin which he now noticed was actually a girl. She is joined by the cloaked man who was with her but not before the sentries move in to intercept him. Not to harm him but to block his path from moving any closer, as Ether commanded through his mental link. "Who are you and why are you following us?" The cloaked male informs him to not scream, as the girl might not like it. While he was pinned, Ether chuckles and puts more mana into his hex which he is pointing behind his back to the center of the chest of the assassin. He puts enough mana into the dark spell so that the lightning starts to crackle violently. Normally, this would be a hex that causes a knockback and obvious pain. But at point blank distance, this would be enough to kill a person with the sheer force. "Do you think you will be able to draw your knife and kill me or break my neck before I put a rat sized hole into your chest girl? I would suggest letting me the hell go. Let me go and I'll tell you why I'm here. No need to be uncivilized, after all, I didn't attack any of you did I? " Ether wears a sinister grin in the darkness of the sewer as he readies to fire off his spell and kill the girl before she can kill him, "Not only will you die Assassin, but the spell will crack off like a thunderclap and everyone in this damn city will hear it go off. Even if you kill me, whatever objective you have here? It will be jeopardized. One way or another my friends heheh, you lose. So again, lets be civil shall we? LET.ME.GO." Ether says this last line with obvious intent and was showing no signs of backing down. If they didn't release him he would go through with it.

 

[Morgrim]

"You're a dramatic little prick aren't you." He said blatantly to the necromancer. He should be happy to find another of his kind, though this one was a stubborn, and quite frankly stupid necromancer at that. It's not like he would become a lich, no that required a special kind of ritual. Dead is dead. "I'll let you decide what to do with him, you have more experience with life or death situations than I, I trust your judgement." He pat the girl on the back roughly, and then went to go after Jassur, his reconnaissance will have likely been completed, and he should know about the new addition. He makes his way through the sewage grates and pipes and finds the wooden ladder leading up into the waste management building. Morgrim see's that Jassur is gone and in his place is a little girl. "What the hell...? You, where is my companion, did he say where he was going?" He asked the girl as he went over to the window. The building was made from stone, not wood. All the faeces and soggy garbage would do damage to the wood, the window was left open, a last ditch effort to remove the smell from the building, an attempt that failed horribly. As he scanned the perimeter he say no signs of the mercenary, and was thus left to follow the last message given to a little and traumatized girl. This was starting to go downhill fast. One could say the shit was hitting the fan.

 

[shadowz1995]

"Nothing dramatic about dying my friend. I am too well acquainted with death. I'm only too well aware that this girl has the smell of a many kills stuck on her body. She wears the smell of blood like a cloak heheh. But your friend is right miss. Do you want to die here with me and be together forever....in death?" Ether adds the last part with a laugh and powers up the hex a bit more for added effect. "Or do you want to see if maybe our goals line up? Your choice."

 

[Javax]

(Sorry. I needed to a break from reality and decided to catch up on Cryaotic's playthrough of Soma. Also, I'm going to bed now. G'night.)





Her ears laid back and her teeth were bared as she snarled, resembling a greatly angered dog. A few moments passed as she glared into the stranger's eyes, determining the truth behind his words. Much to her displeasure, there was no trace of dishonesty behind his threats, so she unwillingly let go of her captive—though not without a last, short, angry shove against the wall of the sewer. Stepping back a bit, once again grateful for her small stature, the Lythari kept her hard gaze on him to make sure he made no sudden movements. Despite the necromancer's dark magic, she was not afraid to risk her life to kill the man, even if that meant using his own magic against him.


After studying her opponent for a few more quick moments in the darkness, thankful for her enhanced eyesight, she finally spoke: "You are released." Her voice was cold and each word dripped with venom. The wolf-elf demanded, "Answers. Now."


@shadowz1995

 

[AnimusLight]

In the north side in a back alley, two bandits patrol while bantering about what they've done today. Jass's figure looms behind.


"She screamed like a whore! The bitch with the red head and large tits-"


The two bandits' heads drop to the floor with a retched squish. Jass spits at their headless corpses, "Scum... shit." Out of his short burst for the need to kill, Jass notices his slight mistake. He made a mess. For the past runins with other bandits, he's been knocking them out but now he made a bloody mess. He pushes the bodies with his foot to the side of the building. A pool of blood has already formed under him. He wipes his boots on the ground away from the bodies; he doesn't want to leave bloody tracks.


Great, he smells like sewer AND blood. The enemies blood slowly comes off the blade with a few flicks. "I better hurry. I hope no one discovers the bodies," he looks around spotting a few stacked empty crates and a bag of garbage. He moved them over to cover his mistake. He stares at his work, "Well. Shit. Got to hurry now." If someone looked in the alleyway but didn't come though it, they won't see the dead bodies. If they do take the alleyway, well, the group will have to hurry up on their objective.


Jass curses his sudden rage and not keeping calm. He continues through the alleyways, making his way closer to the west side.


His plan is to assess how heavily guarded the tavern is and wait for the others.


A few minutes and knocking out more bandits, Jass reaches a block away from the Lion's Mane. Jass breaks into a house near the tavern after forcing the lock open. He enters the building quickly and heads up to the second floor. He searches the house and finds a perfect viewpoint of both the front entrance of the tavern and the inside because of a few open windows. The distance between the tavern and the house is enough for him to jump from one window to the other. He crouches down so no hostiles can discover him.

 

[shadowz1995]

"Hm....My name is Ether. I am a necromancer that his been hired to kill the adviser of the Marquis. I was paid well and I always complete my job." With his release, Ether stops the flow of mana into his spell and the hex dissipates into the shadows, as if it never existed in the first place. He gestures for his sentries to make a path for them, as he sure she wants to keep up with her comrades. "Let's go. Your friend went this way yeah? " He gestures with his head in the direction the cloaked man went. "Now your turn. What are you guys doing here? Or...I should say who are you here to kill? You wouldn't need an assassin, a....mage of some sorts, and a tough warrior to just go in for the sake of getting all wonderfully mucky in the sewers."

 

[Javax]

Her eyes flicked and caught every single movement the necromancer made, who introduced himself as "Ether". She was sure to make note of every single muscle movement as he spoke, determining the ratio of honesty and dishonesty in his explanations. Once again, the male was speaking the truth. The hybrid softened her entire demeanor, but maintained her cold gaze and courageous, fearless posture. Roxii wanted to make sure that the necromancer understood that, even though she believed him, she wasn't going to let her guard down. Not even for a moment.


The sentries, whom she had just now began to actually observe since they were of little importance to her earlier, moved aside and revealed the path back to where the other two had gone. Ether asked her the same questions, and she turned and began walking away. She gestured for him to follow since they had similar objectives in the same location. "A liberation, of sorts," the elf hybrid responded. "The bandits are a common enemy between us three," she elaborated, "the three" referring to her and the two other males who accompanied her.


@shadowz1995

 

[catspit]

((Mind filling me in on what's happened? Not to be lazy, but I REALLY don't wanna read through all that text ;- )

 

[catspit]

Nitiri walked down a few alleys, heading towards her favorite tavern, the Lion's Mane. She had just come from another tavern ascroos the village and had tricked, or seduced rather, a man into spending all his coins. Judging by her rather, erm, 'revealing' apparel it wouldn't be hard to guess how she had earned that (what some would say was) 'dishonest' coin. Along her usual route to the tavern, tossing and catching her pouch of coins, Nitiri spotted something rather.. odd.


There was an open door, what seemed to be broken into, not just left open. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Nitiri had never had thief competition before. She practically ran the town, and everyone but the guards knew it. Poking her whiskered nose into the open door, she creaked it open a bit more. She padded in softly, careful not to let her coins jingle around. Sniffing around and keeping her ears perked, she knew someone was around.


She looked up, there was a second floor. She grinned, knowing that's were her competition was. She could her the ragged breathing. Male. She quickly slinked up the stairs to the second floor were she saw a man in heavy armor crouched near a window. Nitiri took another step up the steps, but it was a mistake. The step creaked, and Nitiri cringed, knowing all her stealthiness getting up here was wasted.


@AnimusLight

 

[Morgrim]

Morgrim had retrieved all the information he would need to get out of her, with his words. He was mad, but not heartless to those who didn't deserve what happens to them. He follows her instructions on where his companion has headed off to. When he spotted the blood stains on the ground from his kill he knew that his friend was close by. It was still fresh and hung with the smell of copper, something he was incapable of noticing. There was only one place that he could be and it was either at the Lion's Mane or close enough to it so that he can gain a tactical advantage. There was a door slightly ajar, and hopefully the location of the knight, he enters into the area with as much stealth as he can provide, though the wood was worn and creaky, and his smell would do little to give him the element of surprise. "Jassur, if you are in here answer. If you are someone else come out screaming, I could certainly do with target practice."


@AnimusLight

 

[catspit]

Nitiri flinched, and slowly turned, her blue eyes casting a eerie glow into the dark room. Pulling her hood over her head, she slowly unsheathed her dagger and glared at the figure outlined in the door from the dim light outside. Flicking her tail in irritation, she hoped the guy, another male, wouldn't see her. Tightening her grip on her blade, Nitiri brushed an irritating whisker out of her mouth. Stupid whiskers, she had gotten her long whiskers from her mother. Too bad she couldn't have had her father's, which were at least normal sized. Twitching her lip, she made sure they were out of her face so she would scent properly.

 

[AnimusLight]

(@Morgrim @GoldenWolf lol time to do this with force. u guys will be arriving literally one after the other)


The mercenary continues to watch the tavern at his vantage point. He wonders if the others are near and if Millia is still safe. His mind wanders:


He hasn't worked with a group in a long time now that he thinks about it. The last time was probably when he tried grouping with a few bounty hunters going after a difficult target; it didn't end well.


The sound of a step creaking from the stairs breaks him from his thoughts. He tenses, hand gripped on his sword. Someone found him?


Jass hears his name being called out from the first floor. Morgrim's found him.


He didn't want to announce his location upstairs in fear that the distance between the two buildings was enough for anyone to hear him from where he's at. Jass makes his way closer to the steps cautiously not noticing the enemy in the room. The smell of rotting flesh confirmed the person is Morgrim giving Jass a sense of relief. At the top of the stairs, he spots the robed man and gestures briefly. Did Morgrim make that sound? That can't be...

 

[catspit]

Nitiri nearly jumped out of her fur in surprise, the idiot had nearly stepped on her for Christ's sake! Pinning her ears to her head and keeping her hood up, Nitiri spun her dagger once and held it low, prepared to strike if the man came closer. Two people? It seems like they know each other, this guy isn't attacking the one on the floor.... Flicking her tail from side to side in irritation, Nitiri kept her gaze glued on the man at the top of the stairs. Her nose twitched. He smelled like blood, Gross. Nitiri didn't usually kill, just stole and roughed people up. Of course, she had to have killed one or two victims along the way, and she was excellent with her daggers. Well, she used to have twin blades, but one had been lodged too deep into- Nevermind. The Khajiit blinked a few times, her eyes still giving off a faint yet eerie glow in the dark.

 

[Morgrim]

I won't be able to take on the entire tavern without some innocent lives lost, and neither will you. I can bait a trap outside, but I'll need someone to play the scape goat," His plan and mention of scapegoat was directed right at Jassur, it seems the only way this will work out for Morgrim is if Jassur gathers the attention of everyone inside the building, luring them out and leaving behind the hostages. "Think you can do it? If it works this will go off without a hitch." Said Morgrim.


@AnimusLight


Sadly however it would not go off this easily, as for starters there was all ready a bandit in the same building as them, though not one of the common ones that all it takes is a few amateur blows and swings to take out, this one would be more difficult. Not only that some bandits, two in fact have taken a drunken brawl outside of the tavern. There were exchanging rapid punches and slurred kicks with each other. If they left know they would be spotted and alert a few dozen angry men and women, or possible kill the hostages.

 

[AnimusLight]

Jass nods, "I could do that. I'll need detailed instructions if we want this trap to take down a lot of them. Besides it's only the two of us - speaking of which, Roxii is still in the sewers?"


He hears the scuffle of the two drunken bandits outside, causing his guard to be higher. Jass and Morgrim are standing on a dangerous thread. Enemies outnumber the two and most of the bandits are roaming around. The sun's barley beginning to go down. Both of them stink and have not much luck in stealth - well so far they've not alerted the whole town of their presence. Their third member is still not present.


(ooo i got food)

 

[catspit]

Nitiri sighed. It was time, now or never. They were going to find her at some point, may as well be now. Standing up, she kept her hood on though, she held her weapon at her side. She stilled her lashing tail and looked over at the man at the top of the stair, then down at the man at the door. Nitiri was about halfway up on the staircase. A sly grin covered her face and she looked up at the man on the stair. "Did you guys seriously not notice me?" She chuckled. "And here you are, spouting out your plans like some bubbering idiots." She laughed again, stretching her arms above her head, showing herself off in a rather lewd manner.


((I'll be off soon, idk what time it is where you guys live, but it's practically midnight ova here. I'll stay on for a few more minutes, then i'm out))

 

[Morgrim]

"What in the...?" Morgrim lunched forward, he placed his hand right in front of her throat, and a sharp bloodied bone extended from the palm of his hand inching closer to her throat. "Make any moves and I'll make it very difficult to breath as you choke on your own blood." He meant the threat and he would do it, though this one at least talked instead of swinging blades around like a psychopath. "Who are you and what do you think you are doing here." If she screamed it would her last words, but somehow Morgrim didn't think she would do that, she maintained an air of confidence. "You know it's useful you stumbled by like this, it really helps with my plan. Jassur get some rope we have a new scapegoat."


@AnimusLight @GoldenWolf