Atharen, A Fantasy Roleplay Forum

The bad on raiders that Constantine and the Jaegers were waiting for would finally arrive after what would feel like hours of waiting, because it had been hours. In an eerie turn of events, the raiders seem to have waited until nightfall to move through the pass below the ridge. There caravan would arrive, with no lights on it to give themselves away- but that wouldn't matter for Constantine and his party who sat in waiting for them to arrive. Instead what would gain the attention of Constantine and his allies was a crossbow bolt that seemed to have suddenly sprouted from the ground beside them. Then another... and then one came directly for Constantine himself.

In a matter of seconds, Constantine's concern about being ambushed was confirmed. A small band of seven raiders charged at the party lying in wait for them atop the ridge while the raiders moving through the pass (the distraction) below seemed to pick up their pace to move through. But where were they going? Where did these snakes burrow into the dirt? It was a question no one would get an answer to without allowing one of the raiders to lead them there... and no one was doing that.

Not a moment after the attack on Constantine's group occurred, an outcry emerged from the raiders inside the pass as the sound of colliding steel filled the air. A swordsman had rushed into the smaller number of raiders in the pass, unaware of the battle on the ridge above. In the pass there were roughly five raiders, two on horseback and three on foot. Two of the three on foot were armed with crossbows and shortswords. The third had a large axe and a shield. The riders carried spears but Caliban couldn't see what else they had in the dark. It didn't matter, they'd moved into the funnel he had been planning to ambush them from.

The only reason Caliban would have gone unnoticed by Constantine and his group before the battle began, was because Caliban had been hiding within a bit of overhang created by the ridge Constantine was hiding on top of. When the raiders moved into his view, Caliban held his right arm out to the side and manifested his sword. The blade shimmered into existence in his hand and Caliban cautiously moved from his cover towards the raiders that had just moved passed him. He moved slowly at first, trying to creep up on the raiders but when he saw one of the men with a crossbow beginning to turn (he'd heard Cal's plodding steps), Caliban picked up speed so that he reach the party before they knew he was there

Caliban slashed his blade across the back of one of the crossbow-armed raiders causing the man to cry out in pain. Then he threw his left arm out at one of the horsemen who's horse had reared in surprise and Caliban pushed a ripple through the flux to knock the horse and rider over. Then the real battle began.

While the battle atop the ridge was waged, a battle at the base kept the last of the raider party from escaping. After his sword had cleaved across the back of the first bowman and Cal had used the flux to knock over one of the riders, the other crossbow-wielding raider leveled his weapon at Cal- the young Siltori moving in at the same time for a killing blow. Cal reached out with his hand and sent another ripple through the flux only this time he quickly curled his hand into a fist and pulled it towards himself- ripping the crossbow out of the raider's hand just a moment before he sliced his sword across the raider's face.

Blood, a chunk of a nose, and some teeth splashed onto the ground followed by the thudding body of another dead crossbowman, but the fight continued. The large one with the shield slammed into Caliban, throwing him backwards away from the wounded crossbow man. The raiders struck in tandem, the one with the shield pushed Caliban into the open and the rider charging at Caliban with his spear. A moment after being knocked back, the blade of the spear came in towards Caliban's chest. He dropped his sword instinctively and tried to catch the spear but he only succeeded in redirecting it so it merely sliced his shoulder rather than pierce it. (About now, Constantine had just gone over the edge of the ridge with the crash pillow of a raider.)

The rider road a little bit down the path, slowly bringing his horse around for another charge but Caliban couldn't focus on him, not with the axeman still coming for him. Cal turned to find the axe-wielding warrior charging at him and so Cal reached his hand out and called his sword back to him. The blade trembled on the ground for a second and then just as it began to rise, Cal had to abandon his effort. He leapt backwards to avoid a wide arching axe and then had to pivot to dodge another swipe.

Caliban was on a backpedal now and the axeman kept coming. That was when he heard the trotting steed behind him. Caliban saw the raider look up and then dive to the side and without a moments hesitation Cal did the same. The rider with the spear narrowly missed Caliban who groaned when he hit the ground- the slice in his shoulder beginning to burn. Caliban rose to his feet a little slower than the axeman and reached out for his sword again- calling it into his hand. He could feel the strain on his soul beginning to take it's toll but he convinced himself he could handle it for a little bit longer.

Just as his sword was about to reach his hand, the axeman got in the way and the hilt of the blade crashed into the back of his head. The raider stumbled forward and Caliban thrust his hand out, sending a forceful wave through the flux into the man's right leg and knocking it out from under him. Then Cal reached out for his sword again and this time it finally made the full trip to his hand.

Meanwhile the rider who's horse had fallen on him finally managed to crawl free of his horse and began a limping charge at Constantine- fortunately for the raider his mounted companion was performing a similar charge.

While Constantine dispatched the two raiders from the pass advancing on him, Caliban went to work on the axeman. He parried a strike to the left, then the right and then he ducked under a large swing. The man was slow but Caliban was having a hard time getting past his shield. He thrust his blade forward only for it to be smacked aside by the shield over and over again. One one clash, Caliban got too close and after parrying the incoming blow from the axe, the raider smacked Cal with his shield. The dazed Siltori stumbled backwards a good distance and the axeman advanced- but before he'd reach Caliban the Siltori would make another move.

Cal reached his hand out and felt the aether flux around the raider. He closed his hand into a fist and swung his arm upward, causing the raider to rise into the sky. The raider, in fear, began to flail with his arms while Caliban moved closer to drive his sword through the raider- which he did with relative ease while holding him in the air. When the raider was dead, a small bead of red began to trickle down Caliban's nose but he wiped it away with his arm before Constantine could see.

Cal dropped back into a defensive stance when Constantine approached him but the man's words made it quickly apparent that they were on the same side in this skirmish at least. The man spoke to him in Silvain, a language familiar to Caliban but one that sounded odd to him all the same. Most raiders in the Badland's cursed at him in common. "Well met." Caliban repeated in the same language. He didn't have an opportunity to say much more before the other number of raiders would arrive so he nodded to Constantine and turned, readying his blade for the battle.

Caliban almost seemed to bounce, his knees springing just slightly, in anticipation of the coming horde. His grip tightened on his bastard sword and he readied his soul for the etching to come when suddenly he heard the rear group of raider's appear. There were far more in number than his contact had told him. If not for these Jaegers, Caliban might have very well died here in this pass. But he wasn't thinking about that when he heard the raiders coming from behind- all he was thinking of was the numbers. Ten raiders from behind. How many from the front? He didn't know that number. Hell they seemed to multiply as they charged and his shoulder hurt so he was too distracted to count. Caliban turned toward the raiders flanking them and reached out with his hand but before he pushed a ripple through the flux, a loud snarling noise caused him to recoil.

Wolves descended upon the raiders flanking them and Caliban backed away. Wolves. He raised his sword. Beasts... he lowered his sword. They were killing raiders. Leave them be till they come for you. Then the sound of clashing steel and the screams of approaching warriors drew Caliban's attention back to the raiders who had charged at them. He turned, gripping the blade of his sword with his left hand to stabilize it a bit as he blocked an incoming blow from a raider's sword. The raider recoiled, but Caliban just let go of his sword and slashed upwards, catching and severing the raider's jaw- but quite horribly not killing him. The raider stumbled backwards, his hand slipping from his weapon and reaching for his hanging jaw.

Before Caliban could move in to finish him off, another raider with two axes came for the Reaver. Cal sidestepped one axe swipe only for another to catch him on the thigh, a light graze but a cut all the same. He stumbled back slightly and caught a raider aiming a crossbow out of the corner of his eye. Caliban grinned and swiped his left hand, pushing the crossbow to the side through a ripple the flux just as the raider fired it. The bolt caught the axeman in the back and his eyes bulged in surprise and pain for only a moment before Caliban swiped his sword through his neck. Then he fell to the ground.

The crossbow-clad raider began to reload but Caliban dropped his sword and picked up the axeman's axes. He flung the first one at the reloading raider and caused the man to flinch so violently that he dropped the bolt he was holding... but he missed. Then Caliban switched the other axe into his right had and moved a little closer. Just as the raider managed to fully draw back his crossbow, an axe flew into his chest. Caliban, remembering his earlier fight, jogged over to the raider still gripping parts of his jaw and crying in pain. Caliban reach his hand out behind himself for his sword and it flew from the ground back into his grip, then in a fluid motion he drove the blade through the dying raider. A small mercy to living without a jaw.

How many of these bastards are there? The thought flickered through Caliban's mind as Constantine joined him in fighting the raiders that had begun to encircle the reaver. Caliban heard Constantine crash into the raiders but had no time to pay him any further attention because he had raiders of his own to kill. A raider with a halberd to be exact. The halberd wielding raider thrust his long weapon towards Caliban who parried the strike aside and tried to move in to slash at the raider- only the raider's weapon gave him a greater range than Caliban's sword gave him and before he could really get to the man, the halberd was coming around for him again.

This time Caliban blocked but he did not parry. He let his blade lock with the halberd and when he felt the raider begin to pull his weapon back, Caliban went with it- driving his shoulder into the raider and knocking him off his feet. Caliban quickly swiped his sword in an arc, catching the raider across the neck before he heard footsteps closing in from behind. Caliban turned quickly to try and block but was a little too slow. The raider swiped his sword across Caliban's side and the reaver grunted in pain before slashing at the raider. His sword cleaved through only air on the first swipe and the adrenaline-engraged Caliban charged forth.

The raider ducked out of the way of swipe after swipe before Caliban reached his hand out and sent a wave through the flux to pull the raider towards him. Caught by surprised and suddenly unbalanced, the raider practically fell into Caliban's sword when it came for him. Then the swordsman shoved the body off his blade and raised it towards the rest of the now skeptical raiders before him. The wolves that had torn through the party in the back had begun picking off other targets and the raiders didn't know what to make of it... well... one did. The big bastard who looked like he must have been the leader charged Caliban and Constantine. Cal looked at the other warrior "Together?" He asked with a nod towards the charging raider.