Never Trust
Chereen switched quickly from the pleasure of the race to warrior mode. He also switched his command of Nature's Weaving from clearing a path to entangling the ambusher. At the same time he slowed down, releasing Speed of the Deer and used his normal senses to warn him of any other enemies that might be around.
"Beware the path!" he shouted. "Ambush!"
OOC: If he can't do all this in one round the priority is to shout a warning, and then entangle the opponent, then slow down.
Trump delenda est
MAYONNAISE
Melqarth gripped his spear already at the sound of disturbed flies, and then the shout from Chereen confirmed his suspicions.
He moved quickly but with caution.
Holding the spear with both hands, preparing to fight.
1.5 imperial gallons of tea were consumed during the writing of this post
Upon hearing the call about the ambush, Zak-thaael calmly raises her arm with the bracelet and whispers a name calling up a bunch of whispy spirits that start moving toward Chereen . Without another word, she continues walking toward the temple.
Rise Above Fate
Upon hearing the announcement of an ambush, Buliwyf raised his Warhorn to his lips and let forth a mighty blast which would Inspire his allies to fight harder as well as alert anyone who didn't hear Chereen's warning. When he was finished, Buliwyf hung his horn back on his belt, drew Valor and began marching towards where he heard Chereen cry out.
The Rhyming Wizard
While Xyka was still not fully aware of what was going on, he knew battle was joining. He roared and ran towards Chereen, readying his spear as he charged to face whatever these unknown (to him) creatures were.
He ran towards the elf, his innate agility allowed him to speed past the others, and the Einherjar's horn further inspired him to get into the thick of combat.
grup we please
Anyways Here's Darude Sandstorm
Solhildr readied her spear and shield amd approached with Melqarth.
"What manner of beast could be here?"
GIVE ME YOUR FACE
Full-Conversion Cyborg
Chereen's warning cry was returned with the much louder bellow of a encouraging war horn. The crossbowman's shot went wide, and thudded into a nearby tree as the elf began to entangle his legs in vines. His pale leather hood obscured his face, but the man smelled like the dead. He dropped the empty gastraphetes, and drew what appeared to be a meat cleaver, beginning to hack at the plants grabbing him.
It was not long before Buliwyf and the lizardman ran up in support, weapons in hand. What appeared to be several screaming souls followed, slamming into the leather-clad crossbowman and halting his attempts to free himself.
The bellowing war horn seemed to stir whatever they had come upon. The buzzing of flies grew louder, and its source became apparent. Melquarth and Solhildr watched as what looked like a man's corpse, bloated after being left in the water for too long, made its way around the building. Its steps were uncertain and plodding, and its pale skin was covered in sores writhing with insects. Most horrifically, perhaps, was the look in its eyes; a glimmer that only the living possessed. In its bony clutches it carried a sharp, wavy knife, which it slowly raised above its head in both hands with dire intent.
edited 23rd Apr '14 9:40:53 PM by StygianEmperor
Flesh is a design flaw.
"Hey, look out!" Shaq shouted out at the harpy when the bolts started flying.
Lacking in the range department, he did the next best thing he could think of - he held his arms out and put his hands in front of his face (mostly out of decades of ingrained instincts). With that, he started running towards the pale figures, rolling occasionally, hoping to close the distance and bowl some of them over.
Not even glancing at the fragmented spirit that she had sent after the crossbowman, Zak-thaael continues her leisurely walk toward the temple.
Never Trust
Chereen, unslung Heartstrike, strung an arrow and took a headshot at the entrapped zombie to see if that worked.
Trump delenda est
MAYONNAISE
Melqarth looked at the bloated figure, narrowing his eyes.
He tried to take advantage of his speed as he charged forward for a quick Spear-jab to the neck.
1.5 imperial gallons of tea were consumed during the writing of this post
Anyways Here's Darude Sandstorm
Solhildr followed up beside Melqarth, aiming for the bloated zombie's gut with her spear.
GIVE ME YOUR FACE
Guess Who?
Heeding Shaq's warning, Roxane dived low, also dodging the bolts, to gain even better accuracy. Speaking of accuracy, Roxane's hands went to her back as she threw her two axes placed there with unerring accuracy at the figure's necks. She did the same with the axes at her waist, leaving her knives in reserve.
An idea springing to mind, Roxane complimented her axe throws with the sudden appearance of harpies and minotaurs taking the place of the figures still left, in order to encourage some accidental friendly fire.
If you're reading this you have 5 seconds to...
Full-Conversion Cyborg
Ishaq's heavy plate was able to deflect most of the bolts that sailed toward him, but as he closed the distance, their accuracy only improved. Of ten crossbowmen, one was lucky enough to catch the Falconman in the armpit where the armor was thinner. Ishaq's raised right arm suddenly felt very cold, and went limp just as he tackled one of the pale figures. The others dropped their gastraphetai and drew small axes, many resembling cleavers, and advanced on Ishaq.
Chereen punctured the man's hooded head easily, causing him to go limp. Shouts from the left alerted him to the rest of the ambush team, now advancing through the brush on the position of the elf, einherjar, and lizardman.
Two of the pale leather-clad men around Ishaq stopped suddenly. One's arms clutched at a head that was no longer there in post-mortem spasms. The other looked down in shock at the wicked axe that appeared in his sternum. He collapsed with the other as he attempted to remove it with his free hand.
Then the rest began to yell and swing wildly, seemingly at thin air. Ishaq was by no means safe in the midst of the frenzy, but he clearly was no longer their main target.
Melqarth and Solhilder struck the bloated horror almost simultaneously with their spears. He let out a roar, and for a split second, his eyes rolled up in his head euphorically. It dawned on them that the knife he carried was not meant for the two of them, but for himself.
Then he exploded.
The two champions were sent flying backward: Solhildr struck a nearby column, bringing it down with sheer force and knocking her unconscious. Melqarth landed dozens of yards down the main road, and he became very aware that most of the bones in his body were broken. He was unable to stand.
Zak-thaael felt the shockwave from the explosion shake her bones, but was otherwise unaffected as Melqarth landed nearby. The jackalman was covered in black gore.
edited 24th Apr '14 3:27:22 PM by StygianEmperor
Flesh is a design flaw.
MAYONNAISE
Melqarth groaned in agony.
And he looked to his coin, before looking back at the temple.
He decided that he needed to do something, at least to get him up on his feet to get to somewhere safer. Maybe even if he could afford it to pick up Solhildr.
He whispered a few words; " Goddess of the Styx... Ferryman of the river's waters... grant me strength to endure this pain and to soldier forth... give me a drop from that sacred river between our mortal life and the life in the Underworld... so that I may have vitality to bring me and a fellow traveler to safety... "
When he was finished, he waited to see whether he would be bestowed with the water from the Styx.
1.5 imperial gallons of tea were consumed during the writing of this post
"Radammit!" Ishaq muttered. With a grunt, he reached his left hand up to the arrow, and yanked it right out. At least now while his right arm was hanging around, it wouldn't have a big wooden shaft sticking out of it.
He spread his wings out wide, but, remembering his promise to not use his wings to fly towards the temple, did not intend to use them to fly away. Instead, with them stretched out, he bent over to put them parallel to the ground, and began to spin around, slamming the bladed edges of his wings into his nearby foes.
Never Trust
Advancing through the brush? thought Chereen. Thank you oh Uller for stupid enemies. he invoked Nature's Weaving, commanding the grass and bushes to trap them.
edited 24th Apr '14 4:25:12 PM by tricksterson
Trump delenda est
Anyways Here's Darude Sandstorm
Solhildr just layed there unconscious. If she comes to she'll seek out the Jackalman.
GIVE ME YOUR FACE
The Rhyming Wizard
Not exactly wanting to get close to these things, Xyka held Gorgon's Wrath as if he were going to throw it. Instead, he readied, aimed, and beam of light shot from the tip of his spear, impaling one of the crossbowmen. With the rest immobilized by Chereen, they would make easy game for the lizardman.
grup we please
Guess Who?
Giving a smile that her trick had worked, Roxane groaned as Shaq, instead of moving away, continued fighting. Sighing, she cloaked him, her illusion making the falconman look like air. The axe that had beheaded one of the figures reappeared in Roxane's hands allowing her to throw it at another one of the figures, the objective, again, being to behead the figure.
edited 25th Apr '14 10:39:30 AM by Tricksen
If you're reading this you have 5 seconds to...
Rise Above Fate
When Buliwyf spotted the latest group of foes emerging from the brush, the first thought to go through his head was I can probably take this lot by myself. Which was followed by Chereen entangling their foes with the foliage they were stepping through. Not willing to let a perfectly good opportunity go to waste, Buliwyf charged the group and started hacking and slashing at everything within arm's reach.
Full-Conversion Cyborg
The entangled crossbowmen were no match for the combined front of Xyka and Buliwyf. As he was being cut down, the last one screamed a word unfamiliar to either of them,
"Parlaaat!"
Ten corpses now comprised the ambush team. The stench was unbearable.
His insides felt like they were writhing with maggots, eating away his bones. Intense nausia made his incantation difficult, but he uttered every word.
Melqarth squinted against the pain, but he was sure he could see her moving toward him. Her only scrap of clothing, a long silk wrap, was a deep, dark indigo, and it flowed like the river itself. She reached out, forefinger dripping with the divine waters of the underworld. She stopped abruptly, yet several feet away. In a voice like a shade she intoned,
"You're safe now. You'll need this later."
The skin of the goddess's apparition became smoke, and a horrifying crowned skeleton stood in her place.
Ishaq's armor was far from the most effective weapon, but it kept him from recieving any additional injuries as he buffeted his enemies, maddened by illusion, with sharp metal wings. The harpy above was picking them off with relative ease - any time an axe found purchase in one of the leather cloaks, it would reappear in her talon, only to be thrown at the next one.
In a short time, all ten of their ambush team were dead or incapacitated on the ground.
Solhildr came to with a headache unlike any the valkyrie had ever experienced in her considerable time. Her body and face were covered in sick, black gore, and every muscle in her body screamed. With effort, she could stand, and limping, found the lich standing over Melqarth. The jackalman was groaning in pain on the ground. She felt no better than he looked, and severe nausia crept up from her stomach.
With no further enemies immediately apparent, the eight champions had a well-earned respite from the fighting there on the main road.
edited 25th Apr '14 11:20:47 PM by StygianEmperor
Flesh is a design flaw.
Never Trust
Chereen looked around and, not seeing any foes left standing asked, "Any left alive to question?"
Trump delenda est
MAYONNAISE
Melqarth writhed a little on the ground.
He wasn't sure whether he was betrayed or re-assured that he would survive.
He wanted to ask for help but after uttering his plea to Styx, he felt the nausia and focused what little energy he had on staying awake.
1.5 imperial gallons of tea were consumed during the writing of this post
Buliwyf placed a hand on the pommel of his sword and headed towards the temple while keeping an eye on Zak-thaael. The Einherjar wasn't willing to risk letting a potentially powerful member of the undead roam completely free.
edited 23rd Apr '14 4:39:50 PM by Eachiunn