Acumin Under Attack [Private - Telcontar, Casandera & Ral'ne�m]

[Buccaneer]

OOC: Firstly, let me apologize for being slow. Secondly, let the fun begin! *Evil Piratey Cackle*

IC: The undead army swarmed over the city like a plague of locusts, attacking anything that stood between them and their goal, the Sooty Cavern Inn & Tavern. The Inn, as Acumin's last remaining building, the only structure to survive the fire, was their natural target. If they could destroy it, Acumin's morale would be completely broken, even more than it already was.

As they neared the tavern, however, the undead came up before an obstacle that promised to prove slightly more challenging than the infirm elderly and the defenseless youngsters that they had already run into. For there in the middle of the street stood Telcontar travelling the same path that they desired to use, straight for the door of the Inn.

The water elf first noticed something was amiss by the sudden sense of others outside in the cold night air near him. The presence felt...wrong, somehow. As he turned to investigate and confront this unknown danger, Telcontar's eyes are drawn to motion out in the shadows, beyond the reach of the Inn's friendly firelight. Eventually, one of the shadowy presences grows bold enough to advance slowly, shamblingly into the light. A skeletal foot shuffles slowly into the light, followed by a leg, tatters of rotting flesh hanging from it here and there, but mostly bone. Eventually, the rest of the skeletal zombie enters Telcontar's sight, tottering slowly towards him with a deadly, nameless malice towards all living things in its dead eyes.

The first zombie is followed by others, numerous and intent on causing carnage in the Sooty Cavern. Only four headed towards him, the leading zombie, one other in a slightly less-decayed state, and two standard sized skeletons that looked to have once been human. Evidently he would have some quick thinking to do.

Meanwhile, inside the tavern, Casandera was treated to a similarly unpleasant surprise. The peaceful atmosphere of the Sooty Cavern shattered suddenly, as undead monstrosities burst into the room. Across the common room, Casandera could see the little Lutran, the halfling and the human were being attacked by a massive, undead Giant! Off to one side, a live Giant and a Dwarf were charged by an Orc zombie, but her attention could not remain on the others in the room for long.

For at that moment, the window nearest her also shattered inwards, sending shards of glass everywhere, some narrowly missing the elf, by no more than an inch or two. Through the broken windowframe came a skeleton that looked to be human, but this particular human must have been quite imposing in life, since his skeleton was at least six feet tall, and brandishing a wicked-looking morningstar. Its dead eyes fixed on Casandera, its skull fixed in what seems to be a hideous rictus of a grin.

With an eerie silence and frightening speed, the massive skeleton charges towards her, as another skeleton just as large climbed through the window after the first. Casandera too, it seemed, was going to need to think quickly if she wished to stay alive.

[Casandera Windmoon]

Having heard the window shatter she turned towards the noise thinking it was due to little more than a rock. However rude that would have been it wasn't life threating, unlike what had appeared in what used to be the window.

She stared at for a second before grasping fully what she was seeing. Unless this was a dream and she was almost certian she was fully awake it appeared that two skeletons were making their way into the taveren.

Judging by the scene outside things were no better there, but she would have more room out there, inside there just wasn't enough space and she could be traped far to easly. The door she had just came in not so long again seemed like it was impossbily far to reach.

Reach she would have to though if she stood any chance of getting though the night alive, and judging by the attackers she didn't want to die here, there was no promise of her staying that way. She ran for the door hoping to get out before either of skeltons reached her, then that would be a whole nother set of promblems.

She nearly laughed out loud at what might well prove to be her last though, ' I though necromancy was outlawed in the empire.'

[Telcontar]

He was at peace with himself and with the world as much as possible in such a place, the picture of misery and suffering painted with uncanny detail on the canvas that is the village. It was night, cool and silent, most people having retired for the darkening or gone in to the tavern, which was also the last building to survive what could only have been a fire, to destroy the quaint little village. Strolling past ruined remnants of charred buildings and toppled structures hand in hand with Jesaka, Telc felt an intricate mix of peace and contentedness, but balanced off by a nearly overwhelming sense of pity and sorrow for the plight of these people. They had suffered so much already, and then this. Talking to several despondent citizens during the day had revealed naught in the way of information regarding Lehan Y�las, brother to Endran of Port Constantine who had healed Jesaka for the simple price of discovering the fate of his brother, which was what Telc was doing right then.

Or trying to, questioning several townsfolk had proved to be quite fruitless, the people either too traumatized and raw from what had just happed for the second time, or too busy with other things to bother helping a couple of strangers find out about someone who was probably dead. A great portion of the population of Acumin had died on the day of the attack, and even more were expected to in the next few days, those who did not survive their injuries. He had discovered, from wandering around the town during the daylight hours, that one could see clearly from one end of the village to the other, baring the only building that remained standing, the Sooty Cavern Inn & Tavern which had become a meeting place of sorts. A place where those people who still survived gathered to lament to each other and find comfort in human contact with a good glass of ale.

The two travellers, Telc and Jesaka, had taken the day slowly, not expending very much energy in their first day, but both moved profusely by what they saw before them. Jesaka seemed to be more openly affected by the destruction and desolation surrounding them at every step, at the beginning seeing everything in wide-eyed surprise, but an otherwise calm outward appearance. The male th�lyri, on the other hand, could have cared less if his face was any indication, though in reality the plight of Acumin�s residence touched some deep nerve. His demeanor, if anything, had hardened, as he had looked out upon ruins of a once quiet and peaceful village, and a secret anger burned deep inside him. The more he saw, the more fuel was added to the fire, until by nighttime, he knew that he needed either some way to release the pent up energy or a good nights sleep to wear it off. The latter looked to be more plausible, for the moment none seemed ready to attack the village.

As they wandered idly past in Inn and Tavern, traversing the debris filled streets with subtlety quiet footfalls, Jesaka began to become the slightest bit irritated. They had been wandering around forever and she wanted to have a night�s sleep and perhaps a bath. Telcontar seemed bent on taking in as much of the carnage as he could in the one brightening, but how much more could he take before he burst. She could sense the stretching bubble of energy pulsing from his large frame, one of the things she had learned to notice about him in their time together while travelling the heartlands of the Empire towards Acumin. He needed rest as well, and she would make him if she had to. Still holding onto his hand she spun quickly in front of him, effectively blocking his path and forcing him to look down slightly into her eyes, questioningly. �Yes?� He inquired softly, the word rolling smoothly off his lips, yet touched with curiosity. �I really think it is time for us to find somewhere to spend the night. I need a good night�s sleep, and so do you. No, don�t argue with me, I know.� She said firmly while tracing idle circles along the skin of his arm while staring him back in the eye. If there was one thing not to do while trying to force him to do something against his will, the t�lera knew it was to keep eye contact. He was stubborn as a mule sometimes, and would always find a way to refuse if she looked away.

Standing there in front of him, her back to the softly illuminating moon, he watched almost shamefully as the beams of white moon light sheathed her in a wrapping of silky beauty that tantalized his senses, particularly sight. She didn�t realise it, but the light caught her thin light blue dress and lit it up from behind, letting him see in nearly complete detail the figure the gods had given her. Her fingers sent electric shocks of tingling pleasure up his arm, and though he would never it admit it verbally to her, he longed for those times when she touched him. Casually sliding his hands onto her waist and drawing her closer, dropping his bag in the process, he bared a small smile and nodded. He was just about to slide his arms farther around her waist when something made him stiffen.

In the deadened silence that hung like a suffocating blanket over the village, his extremely keen ears heard something, long before any feeling of wrongness appeared. There was something, or several something�s, that were moving through the streets towards them, and not like to any living creature he had yet encountered. Letting go of Jesaka�s slim and alluring form, he peered squinted-eyed into the darkness and saw the vague forms of moving figures. Being a th�lyri had its high and low points, both coming to play at that time. His race was blessed with incredible hearing capabilities that was often likened to that of bats, but their eyesight outside of the four metre range was quite bad, though inside that bubble of space it was quite good, go figure. Whatever was out there wasn�t moving properly, and why they weren�t was revealed by the light of the Inn�s fire. They were undead.

Four of them were heading his way, stooped figures that shuffled forward slowly, and two more skeletons behind that looked to have once been humanoid. Jesaka, who had subsequently ended up behind him when he had turned looked out past his side, and with the same eyesight as he, saw basically what was coming towards them, and a scream of horror stuck in her throat. Just like when she had seen the Megalodon coming towards them in the pleasant waters off the coast of Port Constantine, the t�lera froze completely unable to move or react. Sensing this, and knowing the importance of her being able to react, Telc was forced to use several of his precious moments to do something very un-gentlemanly in order to get her to wake up. He cringed as his hand slapped briskly across her face, not unlike the sharp blast of a wintry wind, and shook her hard for a second. �Jesaka, you can�t freeze up on me now. Come on, get with it!� He said a little more sharply than he should have, but necessity forced his words.

Turning from the woman who meant the world to him, Telc threw open the ties of the bag he always carried and pulled forth his weapons of war. The mesh armour went over his head; the mace into his recently healed right hand, and the spiked shield into his left. Just before striding forward to meet the advancing minions of Aeternia, he looked Jesaka straight in the eye. �There is a hand crossbow in the bag. Use it!� Then he turned again, both fearful for her safety, and consciously bringing up the energy of the anger he had fostered so short a time ago, and harnessing it, using it like an extra feed of adrenaline pumping through his veins. Coming down upon the enemy, the undead, with the crushing force of his mace and deadly spikes of the shield, taking on the first of the rotting corpses first. Behind him, Jesaka had just come out of her state of utter fear, and raised the loaded crossbow, taking careful aim at one of the creatures to the side. She fired.

[Buccaneer]

Casandera: The elven woman, recongizing her peril at the hands of the undead aberrations invading the Sooty Cavern, turned tail and fled. She darted between the tables and dodged back and forth, avoiding the other small scrimmages that had arisen between undead and other patrons. So quick were her adrenaline-sharpened reflexes that when she was faced with no option but to somehow get through a table, she hopped up on the bench and over the table without a moment's pause.

After a few seconds that seemed like eternity, she reached the door of the inn and flung it open, having left her undead pursuers safely far behind her for the moment.

Unfortunately, this proved to be a mixed blessing, as there were many more undead approaching the building from all sides, and Casandera had just attracted an awful lot of attention, both from the undead and from two other travellers that were outside, approaching the door.

Telcontar: Tel and Jesaka quickly overcame their astonishment at the appearance of the undead menace from the shadows. Telcontar, spurred to action by not only the mortal peril he himself was in but also the danger to his beloved, almost immediately launches himself at the leading zombie. The corpse's slow movements and deteriorated reflexes could not move its dessicated arms fast enough to stop the blow the elf aimed at it, even with the extra time it had had for preparation while Telcontar had donned his armor. The elf's overhead blow, fueled by anger and adrenaline, smashed into the zombie's skull with a sickening *CRUNCH* and a sound of shattering bone. The zombie fell lifelessly to the ground at Telcontar's feet as bits and gobbets of rotting brains showered the area for several yards around, not sparing either Tel or Jesa.

Meanwhile, Jesaka herself took careful aim with the hand crossbow, and let the bolt fly straight at the skeleton nearest the leading zombie. Her aim is true, and the bolt buried itself deep in the breastbone of the undead creature. Unfortunately, it did little damage, and the skeleton hardly seemed to notice that it had been shot. Jesaka's perfect shot went to waste as the abominations continued their menacing advance.

Just then, the Sooty Cavern's door, the objective Telcontar and Jesaka had been making for when hell broke loose, was slammed open from inside. Jesaka let out a small, startled shriek, but fortunately it was only another elf running from the carnage that had apparently enveloped the inside of the Inn just as it had the outside.

[Casandera Windmoon]

The door she had made it and she had the insane urge to dance for seer joy of making it out alive. Leaping over the table was a new one if she lived long enough to have grandchildren she would be sure to include that in a story some time.

After throwing open the door with such force that she fairly stubbled out of the tavern. Looking around and taking the scene she had the urge to go stubbling right back in. If it was tight in the tavern it was worse out here. The area was swarming with undead, and it wasn't looking like it was going to get any better soon. She wondered who could behind all of this.

"Don't worry I'm not dead, not yet any way. But, we're all going to be if we don't get out of here soon. So, if either of you know a way out of here it would be nice if you were to speak up."

[Ral'ne�m B�zli�l]

As he walked into the ruins of the city, he noticed some odd sounds... "well probably it is just the wind, or some other normal cause..." He had asked the guard the locations of the tavern before he moved into the wasted city. As he walked on to the location of the tavern, the sounds got even louder and louder. First he thought he was losing his mind, or something was permanently damaging his ears. But it sounded to real for such things he wanted to test that... But how he thought... very easy... he lifted his left hand... and put one of the five fingers in one of his ears.

Ok� he was "not" losing his mind or such thing. But this made him very curious about what was making the noise so he moved with a little more speed to the tavern...

OOC: I have posted at the gate and he send me to the attack thread and since this is my first figth ever, I hope i'm creative enough...

OOC2: I'll be on vacation for nine day's so i won't replay for that time.

[Telcontar]

Even if he wasn�t the quickest of elves, the most dextrous or graceful, he was still a good deal faster and more agile than any zombie or undead could ever hope to achieve, if they even had the capacity to try, which he seriously doubted. They had died�or just never lived in the first place�and had their bodies resurrected unwillingly back onto the mortal plane to do the bidding of whatever evil entity had ripped them from the realm of Jalat. And he was utilizing that advantage to the maximum extent, and pushing it beyond. Whatever skill he possessed, some courage, and a fair bit of luck were the things he recognized that would see him through the battle if he wanted to survive; Telc held no illusions about that fact that he would come out unscathed, the possibilities of that were mind numbingly low.

Several long, quick strides of his well muscled swimming legs covered the distance between himself and the first entity of evil he had fixated his mind on, one at a time, and the one he intended to bring down first. It was a decrepit thing, barely holding itself upright, much less moving with bits of rotting flesh breaking off from the decaying body and dropping lifelessly to the dirt caked ground. It was a soulless being, summoned by an evil master that had yet to show his or her self, brought into the realm of being for one purpose and one purpose only: to kill. The stench washed over his body as he came upon them, flooding into his nostrils and burning the insides with the overpowering odour of decomposing flesh.

The th�lyri was a tower of strength as he struck out against the first of the undead beings, one moment the mace held tightly in his right fist waving slightly at the side of his body, the next it was singing through the air with a fell speed and dire intent, the spiked head crashing down upon the skull of the monstrosity before it could react and try to protect itself. The sickening crunch of crushed bone both resonated through the air and sent minor shock waves through the wooden shaft of the weapon to the sweat absorbent hilt still clutched in his hand. Looking down very for a split second at the zombie he had slain in one fatal blow, he wondered briefly it had once had a soul�been a person before passing away. None of it mattered either way, even if they had, it had no choice anymore other than to do its master bidding.

Returning his attentions to the battle at hand, the armoured t�leris immediately stuck out against the next foe closed to him, using both shield at mace. With the shield bearing left arm Telc shoved it straight at the zombies body taking out any chance of it attacking with its arms while driving the spikes into its body. The mace followed in short order, coming over the top and at its head. With each movement, each crushing swing of his mace, passions beat furiously around Telcontar, fuelled by his anger and sudden hatred of the incarcerated souls that ravaged the town in blind obedience. It was they who did this. Something told him it was true, these beings or their masters were the ones who destroyed the town, and he would revenge them as he could.

Watching the bolt fly through the air and seconds later strike true into the breast of the stalking undead creature, Jesaka felt the flings of elation rise up in her own chest, and then collapse again when it became apparent that her perfect shot had been for naught. Had it being a living entity, any at all, the bolt surely would have ended its life, but the dead did not have hearts to pump life through their cursed bodies, and so could not die from a simple shot to the chest. A head shot would do more damage, but I can�t. I don�t want to hit him. Biting her lip, the t�lera cast aside the now useless weapon and stood for a moment, once again succumbing to the absolute and consuming terror that loomed in her heart. Jesaka was stuck, completely still in her fear and anxiety, and wouldn�t have moved if it had not been for another elven women bursting from the Inn, shaking her from the prison in her mind.

Sucking in a deep, supposedly calming breath, Jesaka slowly drew the two daggers from her belt, taking comfort in the cool grip of the bladed weapon and the confidence she had in her abilities. Though he did not know it, the woman he had come to care about more than anything was actually more skilled with a weapon than he was. Telc was fighting on instinct and controlled anger alone, but she had been trained and was determined to help him out. Ignoring the woman who had exited the only building that remained standing, the t�lera darted forward into the fray, blades flashing in the pale moonlight, protecting the back of her beloved.

[Buccaneer]

The elven woman Casandera's words seemed to go unnoticed by both of the other living creatures outside the Sooty Cavern. Understandable, as they were a bit busy trying to stay alive at the moment. The male sea-elf ran towards the next assailant, glaring his hatred at it in a hideous, deadly expression as he slammed into the zombie with his shield. His female companion, though obviously terrified, was nervously flitting back and forth behind him, trying to keep the two skeletons, one of which still had a crossbow bolt protruding from its breastbone, away from the man while he dealt with the zombie.

The two skeletons, however, were pressing Jesaka very hard, and it seemed that it was all she could do to keep them from killing her, much less control their movement. If she did not receive aid soon, she looked to be in a very bad situation...

Telcontar, meanwhile, attacked the second zombie with much the same anger as he had the first. But whether because it had warning, or because its lesser state of decay let this particular zombie move faster than its recently-re-killed fellow, this zombie managed to dodge the swipe from the elf's mace. Instead, Tel only managed to knock the zombie back a few yards as it staggered to regain its already-precarious balance.

And this was the first sign of trouble that greeted Ral'ne�m as he neared the inn, a zombie reeling backwards in an attempt to stay on its feet, obviously hit by something. For the noise had been growing steadily louder as the dracon had neared the Sooty Cavern, and a foul stench, as of the grave, had become more and more noticeable. As the dracon's eye's got used to the darkness of the town, he noticed a great many more of the evil creatures crowding around the building. His night's rest, it seemed, was going to be slightly delayed.

[Telcontar]

After the first kill, Telc�s lust for revenge and his almost overwhelming desire to see the creatures that had decimated the town pay accordingly. It did not pass away completely, rather it simmered, boiled dangerously under the surface, waiting ever so patiently for that brief moment of control lost when it would break free again. But until that time, it was his to control and to utilize in anyway he wished, in this case being the extra boost of energy and determination needed in the fight he had engaged in. He held it back with an effort, gradually letting it seep out evenly, until those moments when more was needed, then opening the flood gates for the briefest of moments, conscious of that fact that if he did not cap down on it right after, he would exhaust him too quickly and very likely die. The whole fighting this was a new concept, not completely a foreign one, but enough so that he tread very carefully in those places he had never ventured before.

The soulless being that had been summoned up from the eternal halls of cursed existence were blessed with an inhuman strength that sustained them on the mortal plane, whereas neither he nor any of the others who might be faced with a similar situation did not have a helping hand of any kind, to his knowledge at least. So he was forced to use what skills and strengths he already possessed in the combat for his life and the life of others. Please let her get through this alive. Give me the strength to protect her, please, only that. With yet another new source of determination, the angered yet complacent appearing t�leris took only an instant to size up the situation and his newest opponent. Whether because it was younger in how long ago they had died, or just by some chance had turned out stronger than the other, the zombie he had attacked possessed some degree of agility, or perhaps just pure luck. Either way, Telc had not struck the fatal blow he had intended and he started at it with a critical eye even as he made his way to intercept it as it stumbled.

Grim faced and tight lipped, he surged forward not wanting to allow the undead creature anymore time to recover than he was forced to. Lashing out like a viper lunging for the deadly strike, Telc brought the mace around with all the force he could muster through his strong arms, using momentum from his powerfully constructed legs. He was neither as quick nor as agile as any of the other races of elves, but because of the way his people had evolved, he had inherited the traditional bulky look. As a th�lyri he could take hits that would have made others stumble, and held more natural strength behind his arm, which�as he fought�led him to both thank and curse his ancestors. From their choices, he now had the strength and ability to survive in this the dire situation he was in.

Behind him, Jesaka was having her weapon skills seriously put to the test. Practicing against someone else in a mock battle, perfecting techniques without actually striking another person was completely different than fighting for her, and Telc�s, life. Not to mention the fact that she was pitted against two enemies at the same time that had no regard for their own safety, bend only upon killing her. Her instinct to freeze in the face of danger was constantly battling her normally calm demeanour and fear that something would happen to Telcontar if she were to fail, a tenuous medium holding on. Fighting them back with every once of skill and talent she possessed, Jesaka gradually was forced to give ground, daring not to take even a moments time to wipe the sweat that slowly dripped down her face, nearly running into her eyes.

�Telc, help me�� She called back in a strained voice, falling back quickly, grudgingly giving ground before the onslaught of the skeletal creatures. Her breathing was becoming laboured, more so from the fear than from the taxing affect of fighting. Owning her own shell diving shop required hours of diving had gotten the t�lera into very good shape, so when Telc heard how hard she was breathing behind him, he knew something was wrong. Whipping around the moment he had finished with the second zombie, he immediately yelled out and attacked the skeleton, doing whatever he could to take its attention away from Jesaka.

[Buccaneer]

OOC: Sorry about the wait, I was waiting for the other two to post. But it's not fair to you to make you wait so long, so:

IC: Telcontar smashed his mace into the side of the second zombie, splattering the nearby area with blood and bits of decaying flesh. The zombie looked at the gaping hole in its side incuriously, even as the malevolent light of unlife faded from its eyes. Even now at the end it was still devoid of any signs of intelligence, even to the point where it could not recognize the wound that had killed it.

The th�Eyri whirled around at the sound of his beloved's frightened voice, the motion fortuitously freeing his mace from the corpse in which it had been embedded. The closer skeleton, not able to cope with the sudden added threat of Telc's attack, continued its singleminded assault on Jesaka, whose efforts to protect herself were rapidly failing.

Unable to keep up, Jesaka's defenses were finally breached, and the skeleton that Telc was attacking managed to get a lucky thrust in, stabbing the female sea-elf in the shoulder. It was the last action of the skeleton against her, however, as before the aberration could even begin to recover its sword, Telcontar was upon him. Pulling its sword cruelly out of Jesaka's flesh and leaving a bleeding hole in her shoulder, the skeleton turned to meet the new attack. Without even pausing to size up its new opponent, it aimed a vicious slash at the th�Eyri's neck, even as Jesaka screamed in pain and surprise and the other skeleton bore down on her...

[Telcontar]

When the spiked head of the iron-forged mace collided with a heavy force from behind the th�lyri�s arm directly onto the torso of the zombie, the result had both its upside and its downside, though the former by far outweighed the latter. The pointed spikes carved deep ruts into what flesh the undead still possessed, and the main head smashed its way through the resistance posed by bone and sinew. A hole was forced into the zombie�s body, and bits of bone, flesh, and muscle flew every which way at the moment of impact, some splattering against Telc�s face and clothing. Instinctively he wiped it from his face with a spare bit of sleeve while whipping around hastily to give aid to his beloved who was hard set to just stay alive.

When he turned so suddenly, Telc was inadvertently lucky enough to pull free his mace from the broken body of his enemy as they were sucked away back to the land from whence they had been summoned. But even all his efforts to draw attention away from Jesaka were not enough, as she was wounded, a sword biting deeply into her exposed shoulder as she faltered, and when he saw that happen the rage that it influenced was such that he could barely control the urge to let go and succumb to the powerful and destructive emotion. The moment he reached the trio of fighters, two skeletons and one t�lera, Telc reached out and snatched Jesaka away from the fight and shoved her in behind him with his mace arm, throwing up his shield held on the left arm to counter the sudden offence of the first skeleton.

�You hurt her.� The th�lryi was so furious by the hurt that had been done to Jesaka that he was on the verge of trembling. His voice had a dangerous rumble to it, all of his rage and anger poured into it as he confronted the subject of Aeternia, shield raised to block the slicing blade of metal, and once he felt the impact Telc swung his mace around from the side of his body and struck out at the skeleton�s side, hoping to crush hard enough to fell the undead creature. �And you�re going to pay.� After striking back with his mace, the th�lyri bore down on either the same skeleton if it still stood, or the second one, if the first did not. He was venting with his words, keeping a tenuous hold over his passionate hate.

As she fell back more so before the onslaught of the two skeletons, Jesaka felt the cold rise of terror seeping into her mind, threatening to make her freeze up in fear. I don�t want to die, not yet. Not while he still lives. It was the desire to live through the encounter just to see the man she loved one more time that let her find the strength and determination to keep fighting for just a moment longer, until Telcontar finally reached her and snatched her from the jaws of death that snapped at her heels. The pain in her shoulder was great, but no so much as to make it impossible to move, she still possessed some strength left, though she was close to being spent. The elf that had exited from the tavern had yet to offer any assistance, and Jesaka knew she was in need of some. Telc could hold the two skeletons off for a time, but not forever. They only way to stay alive would be to band together with more people.

[Windhaven]

OOC: Hello. As you might have noticed, Buccaneer has become a former staff member. I apologize for the inconvenience that this might cause to the thread that you are currently involved in, but as I will be taking it over, I will try to keep things flowing smoothly. Please feel free to PM me with any questions or concerns you might have. Thanks for being flexible and I look forward to continuing this thread with you.

For the moment, it appears that Telcontar is the only PC still active in this thread. If this is incorrect please PM me but until I hear otherwise I will treat it as such.

IC: Rage threatened to flood Telcontar's mind as her pulled his beloved away from the fray. Thankfully he was able to control his emotions enough as to let reason and battle saviness dictate his actions. Bracing for impact, the Th�lyri raised his spiked shield to parry the skelaton's vicious slash. Burning with hateful revenge, the the water elf quickly responded with his own attack and as he uncoiled from his defensive posture to unleash his lethal intent, he found himself in a dangerously awkward position. Although it looked as if he would be able to deliver his intended blow to the first skeleton with minimal resistance from it, the second skeleton had already turned and started it's own attack. Unfortunately for Telcontar, he was the target. Without a moment spared for hesitation the Th�lyri would have to choose whether to continue his attack knowing the new risk posed to him, or change his course of action.

Meanwhile, knowing that her love would not be able to keep the skeletons back alone, Jesaka summoned her remaining strength so that she might stand again by the side of her beloved Telc. Cringing at the pain coming from her left shoulder, Jesaka was comforted to know that she still had one good arm and the ability to continue to protect her love.

[Telcontar]

Hard grey on black eyes whipped back and forth; from the most imminent dangers at hand then sweeping across the ruined village that was the backdrop for the hideous spectacle for the invasion. Undead of all sorts stomped mindlessly through the rubble of brick and wood and mortar littering the ground in heaps, made horrendous to gaze upon by the stray limbs hanging free from the debris. What looked like the lower part of a leg wavered like a lifeless flag for the oppressors in the staunch breeze; a sign to those who survived of what was to come to for them. That same stiff breeze washed cringingly across Telc�s face, lifting the wayward green-tinged blond hair from his face and splaying it into the air in a brief swell that dissipated after only a moment. Time felt as if it had frozen yet again just for him, but this time not under the false guise of a happy moment; this time he knew the peril that was pending in the timeless second.

Fleeting seconds were all that he was being allowed in which to make a decision that probably didn�t really warrant anymore time than that, but any extras one could squeeze out of life were always useful. Unfortunately, life wasn�t playing along this time, and the worried and tired T�leris had to choose between continuing his vicious, and so far successful, counterattack against the first skeleton with the obvious hope of crushing it to dust, or, he could restrain his first instinct with some effort and avoid an assault from the side and quite possibly save his life. When everything boiled down to it, the choice was quite simple; the hardest part was restraining his �come-from-nowhere� almost animalistic instincts that had the habit of only kicking in when Jesaka was in serious danger. So far that had only happened twice, thankfully, otherwise Telc might not have been there this time. The first time had been just after their first kiss when the Megalodon attacked, the second now. Neither was really that preferable.

So the choice is made. But how to execute the movements to coincide with his finalized decision was the only thing left to do. A thousand possibilities flashed before his eyes in a moment�s time, most so bizarre he didn�t even know why they were there in the first place, but one kept rising to the forefront above all the others. Not that it was the best of plans, but there was no such thing as a good plan for the predicament Telc now faced. So he picked it out of the ocean of other thoughts and emotions raging like an uncontrolled wildfire through his mind and concentrated everything on it. Everything. Every distracting thought, emotion, and idea were fed into the fire, sucking them away to some other place where they could wait for him. But for a time, there was only what needed to be done, and the knowledge of how he had to pull it off.

Continuing with his brazen forward motion, the Th�lyri male brought the spiked mace whistling through the smoky air towards the original skeleton he was attacking, while at the same time turning his body sideways and using that same momentum to put as much added force into the blow as he could. The purpose of twisting his body was to be able to bring his deadly spiked shield around from the wrong side of his body�the left�to the right side of his body�also called the right�, the action by which he would have his body stretched out fully. Telc�s right hand would be smashing systematically through any defence the skeleton could raise a proper defence. His shield arm would come around his body to obstruct the offence of the second skeleton. It was the T�leris� feet that would either make or break the entire combination; it was their job to make sure they continued to carry him around in a three-quarter turn that would finish with Telc facing the second skeleton with both feet firmly planted on the ground.

Meanwhile, Jesaka had virtually nothing to do but stay safely hidden behind Telcontar, partly out of fear and partly due to her inhibiting injury. Not being able to stand beside him and make sure he came out of the fight only drove the fear for their safety deeper into her heart. All of the saliva in her mouth dried up within seconds so that when she tried to swallow, the only thing that happened was a painful constricting of her throat. The T�lera truly was in a sorry state; her feet were sore, her skin was dry and caked, her gills were in desperate need of some moistening. Worst of all, her hair hadn�t had a comb properly run through it in ages. It was the price she paid for following the man she loved. Whining isn�t going to get me anywhere, though. She though resolutely, and with that she slipped one of the daggers back into her waist belt and kept a firm grip on the other.

[Windhaven]

The attack was brazen and risky. He would be blind to the actions of his foes temporarily as he spun round to bring his spiked shield into the second assaulting skeleton. The dangerous maneuver was a difficult one to land correctly if ones opponent was quick. Thankfully for Telcontar, the skeletons were far from quick, or so he thought. Although he possessed no combat skill, he was no stranger to it's ways and after evaluating his situation in what precious little time he had, this was his best course of action.

Jesaka could do nothing more than watch the Th�lyri and pray for his success and safety. A saddening part to play when the one you loved was riding the cuff of death, but all she could do none the less.

The spiked mace cut quickly through the foul air and found it's mark in the skeleton's spine, just above the pelvic bone. Forged iron shattered the lower vertebra as the added momentum of Telc's body and shoulder turning with the spiked weapon proved beyond the resistance of decaying bone and as the Th�lyri followed through, the dark glow of unlife faded from the eye's of the undead foe. With the easy part accomplished, the protective water elf spun his head round quickly so that he might guide his shield into the body of the remaining skeleton before it's sword found his.

Single minded determination and a bit of luck allowed Telc not only to intercept the attack, but also send the skeleton crashing into an overturned table before finding the ground. His own momentum being so violently interrupted by the exchange of shield and bone was too unbalancing for the green skinned Th�lyri to remain afoot and he too, fell to the floor as a result of the collision. As he landed on his back, his lungs were forced empty and it was all he could do to retain his grasp on his weaponry.

Splotches of red and yellow danced about his vision and the sounds of thundering footsteps seemed to close in. Telcontar tried with no success to get to his feet before remembering to breathe. Fetid air rushed in his nose and mouth burning all the way down before setting his lungs ablaze. Vaugely aware of what was happening, Telc watched two armed men rush past him toward where he had sent his last attacker. They were dressed similarly to the men he had seen at the gate and with this recognition came a wave of hope. His thoughts im