Searching for a murderer (Open, mod needed)

[Albossk]

ooc: still open I assume. I'm also assuming that these are the same murders that Kubri wrote about on the city noteboard thingy and in the herald, not some other ones that nobody's heard of. Not sure what's up with random necromancers, but it's all good.


IC:

An endless nightmare had, indeed, come down to rest and nestle itself into the bosom of lonely Tearsfal and it seemed as though this unending procession of aeternia on earth, this maelstrom of blood and gore might never relent, never leave their sleepy town in peace. Whatever problems or issues or battles with "evil" Tearsfal had had before, all seemingly paled in comparison. Darkness and wretched slitherings etched pathways and hallways and spirals of carnage through the streets. Bodies turned up and people turned up missing.

Thus it had gone.

In the air was flux and in the night was death. Laws that protected people could not protect them if they did not allow it to do so.

A pair of wings stretched out into the nighttime air, unfettered by cloaks or clothes or any sort of constraints, nothing to hide them or temper their presence or to prevent mortal eyes from falling on them. Silently, a hand stretched out into the dark as a murky, black figured crept silently along the roofs, the denizens therein wholly unaware of the ancient, demonic force that lay opposite their thinly shielded hearth and home.

The creature was cloaked, with holes ripped in the back to allow those great, batlike wings room enough to trail behind. A hood, deep and endless had been drawn tight over the creature's head, shadowing all features from sight, especially under the cloak of midnight. The figure's hands clung to roof and to brick as it moved through shadows, the nighttime air concealing him from all. Not that there was really anyone to be shielded from. The death of Tearsfal came at night, every night, wherein daytime hours the streets bustled with traffic, at night not even the most silent of mice dared stir from their lair.

A battle. Or, rather, something akin to it. Furious blades lashed out into the night, and bubbling screams echoed in the air. The denizens of Tearsfal were stirring, come out of the woodwork, out into the night. Out into places where their they lay, unprotected. Unguarded. Unsafe.

Little did Gai know, as he strode through the maze-like streets and alleys and pathways in the heart of Tearsfal, a terrifying and utterly monstrous presence lurked just beyond the wall of darkness. Above, behind, all sides...it truly mattered not. Regardless of what it was that he thought he pursued, the true demon that plagued Tearsfal, the monster that had plunged the city into an unending stream of terror and disarray had chosen him, and not the other way around. Whatever it was that Gai'ron thought he was chasing after meant little, in the face of the unquenchable hunger that lay just outside his perception, trailing him...somewhere within that creature darkness.

[Mystic]

The noise never seemed to get closer as Gye'ron followed. He was in a daze of some sort and his following the sound provided him with tunnel vision. Away from the town and deeper into the woods he walked. His desire for justice clogged his ability to think clearly about what he was doing or where he was going. He felt within that he was to face a necromancer and that such evil was to be removed. One foot after the other he trodded until his mind came back to him clearing his tunnel vision.

His first thought was where was he? He could see footsteps from where he came but not quite sure where he'd walk to or how long he'd been walking. The task was still fresh in his mind and his dread of a necromancer still held a slight fear in his heart. He'd hacked down a zombie and watched a woman turn into one quickly forcing him to cut down the person he had hoped to save.

Now he looked at his surroundings and all he saw were trees and shrubs. One thing that did catch his eye was that where he stood was some form of clearing. He was in the center of an opening with a radius of twenty feet where not even a shrub rested. Trees aligned the edge of the clearing in every direction in patches of two to four. He looked closer to the ground and noted debris of wood chips and twigs everywhere in the opening. It did not make sense but something felt wrong about this whole situation.

[Gye'ron Val Oriden]

The most important thing to him was finding the necromancer and killing the dastardly beast. He didn't fear losing his life for a greater cause, but there was no point dying when something could have been achieved. It was uncommunable how deeply and powerfully he desired to take his current foe's head but the clearing was far too odd to be ignored. The clearing had no obvious purpose, he couldn't spot a single fire pit or stump for a traveler to rest on. It had to have something to do with the necromancer.

Gye'ron drew his broadsword with his right hand, and wrapped his left hand around the bottom of the hilt. He held his sword forward at a slight angle, with his body turned to his right. His left foot was forward and his right foot back as he began to circle around the edge of the clearing, looking every which way, trying to find some trace of his prey, or at least some indication as to the purpose of the clearing.

There was a primal part of himself that was terrified and desired to run. He didn't know how to fight what he faced. He didn't know where to look to find something to fight. A sense of paranoia was beginning to build for him, every single rustling of leaves made him jump. His nerves were in a jumble.

[Mystic]

The dark figure had plenty of time to set his trap for the human-elf severly disaapointed that the vigilante had interfered in his quest. His dark master would not be pleased. For too long, he had sent a minion after a worthless soul to provide his master. He did not know why his master had asked for fresh death, but who was he to argue. His abilities had gotten stronger thanks to the training he was receiving from his master, so he did what he was told. The price of failure was too much to want to bear.

This vigilante had come out of no where and not only destroyed his temporal minion, but also the fresh death his master demanded. At least the vigilante had a one track mind and knew something bigger was causing this scene to take shape. That was when the dark figure devised his plan and had plenty of time for preparation.

Carefully Gye'ron walked the perimeter of the clearing fearing that there was something more to it. Good call by the human-elf for from the opposite side of the clearing two skepeltons emerged carrying great swords and slowly walking towards Gye'ron. They kept themselves at fifteen feet apart to make combat more difficult for their foe. They held a look of death within the orbs where eyes used to reside when flesh hung on the bones.

Gye'ron was already over cautious and thus prepared for the fight. What he was not prepared for was the Necro using them as his distraction. From the depths of the forest, the necromancer released his prepared spell. The spell was silent providing no noise for Gye'ron to have heard and it came from behind him on the left side not anywhere near the clearing. The poison bolt struck Gye'ron on his left hip not really doing any damage other than providing a pressure that would make Gye'ron know something had occured. The dark greenish bolt dissipated upon contact though Gye'ron knew it was magic that struck him catching a glimpse of the arcanic spell as it dissolved.

Instantly the poison began to take affect and Gye'ron felt his strength weakening with each passing moment. The Necromancer was not so powerful that the spell sent Gye'ron to his knees, but he did feel extremely sluggish with weapon in hand and armor donned. He knew it would take both hands just to operate his blade and the skeletons had advanced to within ten feet with the spell serving as a distraction for them to advance. Both held their swords ready to swing at Gye'ron. with his eyes and body having to be focused on the attacks in front of him, the necro was able to slip into the shadows with the skill of a thief.

[Gye'ron Val Oriden]

The skeletons came, and he felt proud to have evaded a trap that would have been set by rushing into the clearing. As he patted his own back he was suddenly hit with a bolt of some kind of arcanic energy, and immediately he felt it's effects. It was necromany, he didn't know what the spell was, but it was obviously cast by the necromancer. What a fool he had been. Any half-decent warrior would have known not to be so brash, would have known not to underestimate an opponent like he had.

He advanced toward the skeletons, wary of the swords as his own became heavier and heavier. If he had the time he would've taken off his armour, but attempting such a thing would have spelt certain death for him. Instead he simply bore the terrible weight of the iron ringmail.

Gye'ron paid special attention to his technique, maintaining his previous stance and grip. He began to circle to the right of the skeletons, trying to distance himself from the place where the necromancers attack had come from as well as gaining positional advantage on the skeletons. At the very least he hoped to make them dance to his tune. He would have to be careful, he'd never fought two opponents at the same time by himself.

He didn't know how to attack them, but he did have an idea of how to defend against them. Gye'ron would wait for them to attack him, or at least wait to see how they planned to trap him. Or, at least how the necromancer planned on trapping him. The only problem was that he kept getting weaker and weaker, he didn't know how long he could play the waiting game, if they didn't attack soon he would be forced to.

[Hazudar]

And thus, via a simple tactical ploy--moving in such a way that the necro's skeletal troops were pincered between he and his hidden foe--Gye'ron Val Oriden was saved from what would otherwise have been a most disgraceful end!

With a sound of vile magicks being released, the necromancer heaved another bolt from out of the cover of the trees, this one of glowing acid. The lumbering skeletons were both focused on Gye'ron with mindless intensity, and one of them moved directly into the bolt's path, its lower body degenerating into molten bone and dust even as it raised it sword to attack!

As an added bonus, the other skeleton stumbled as well, its legs caught in the collapsing ile of bones that had once been its fellow. A brittle snapping noise filled the clearing, rising over the sizzle of acid - the arm that had been holding the sword had broken upon impact with the ground, leaving the remaining skeleton defenseless and open to attack.

"CURSES!" came a ghastly voice from the shadows, followed by the scampering of cowardly heels. "I WILL DESTROY YOU NEXT TIME, HERO!" Apparently the necromancer had decided to cut his losses. Perhaps the act of summoning and throwing about destructive spells had left him weak, open to pursuit. Or he could simply be trying to to lure Gye'ron into another trap...

[Gye'ron Val Oriden]

Much to his disdain Gye'ron knew he could not pursue the necromancer any farther. He was weakened too much by dark magic, and truthfully incapable of serious combat. The necromancer would be allowed to escape, and in this way Gye'ron too would be able to live to fight another day. He would be back for that demon servant of Aeternia, perhaps not in a cycle, or a season, or even an era, but someday he would return and on that brightening he would be ready.

He was now prepared to leave, the first chapter of his quest concluded, with only one thing left to take care of. Even with a broken sword arm the undead skeleton presented a threat to the citizens of Tearsfall. As unworthy as they were of his protection they were still the children of the Gods and it was thus still his duty to protect them.

Gye'ron walked slowly over to the fallen skeleton, the speed of his movement impeded by his weakening body. He raised his broadsword into the air and brought it down with deadly intent, aimed to shatter the skeletons skull. After that there would be nothing left for him in that small clearing just outside of Tearsfall. He would limp and crawl all the way back into the town and find himself a thaumaturgist. Arcane poison was a special breed of ailment.

[Hazudar]

ooc done, find a mod to verify any combat exps.

[fetch]

Gye'ron One general combat expeirence point awarded .