Cleaning up the Vermin

[Haldir]

☠ 60th of Ash, Year 120 ☠
Company: Sick Patients | Thoughts: Let the Experiment Begin| Mood: Intrigued

---

☠ We had a moment to catch our breath,

That is before things went to shit. For the most part, I could say it worked out in our favor. Things just seemed to take a turbulent path for a while once we were upstairs.

Once I was able to be back on my feet, I watched as the little lizard man crept towards the door, and nodded towards the wooden barrier that seemed to have been set up. Taking up my position there, I began to form a weave around the one who seemed to be the leader, by the looks of him that is.

When Arkash fired his caster shell, I held onto the man within my weave as hard as I could. Once the initial impact of the shell had passed I compelled the man towards us. Unsheathing Nevermore from its holdings, I sliced across the man's chest as he flew by me. I would leave him to Arkash, this was his mission after all.

I decided I would be of better use dealing with the goons that survived. Jumping into the cloud of smoke and haze from the shell, I followed the beautiful songs of pain and confusion, as the guards were still flailing from either the pain of the impact or simply how disoriented they were.

Using their cries as a lead, I gave them the end of my sword, either stabing through the chest or slicing across their throats. I figured as long as I kept the fodder off of him, Arkash could handle the boss all on his own, but I would remain close just in case I had to help him out. In the meantime I formed small weaves around the bladed weapons the dead thugs held, ready to compel them into the first thug to come within view. ☠

---

"Common Tongue"
"Silvain Tongue"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Arkash]

Everything fell into place the moment the trigger was pulled. Arkash was ultimately knocked off his feet by the shockwave of the blasts, but Cyrus kept his footing and delivered Arkash's prize straight to his feet. Meanwhile, the good doctor got to work dispatching the goons in the room. Those that kept their wits opened fire on him, of course, but through the smoke and their broken senses, none could land their mark. Every gunshot rocked the house's foundations and let rivets of stone run from cracks in the ceiling; it almost looked as though it would collapse. Rien homes weren't designed to take such a beating, let alone from within.
Meanwhile, Arkash was floored beside his target. The gun had left his grasp by the will of the recoil, but he still had his blades. With a swing of his arm, he buried the hook of his prosthetic in the leg of the man beside him and elicited a cry of pain. As Arkash pulled his weight across the floor, the man drove the heel of his boot into Arkash's face on the blindside. Arkash reeled from the blow, hissed, and continued his crawl to the human's throat. Another heel-kick drove itself at Arkash's head, but the lizard was ready. He caught the man's boot in his jaws and squeezed hard. More cries of pain echoed, accompanied by the ambiance of crunching bones. Thick venomous drool ran over the boot as Arkash squeezed in an effort to inject his payload of toxins into the man, to no avail.
Despite having suffered a shockwave near the epicenter of the caster shell's landing spot, the man was plenty capable of fighting back. He drew a small knife on his hip and tried to stab Arkash on the sighted side of his head, but the dextrous rath lifted his claws to catch the human's wrist and held it there by the force of his adrenaline alone.
On the floor, he struggled with the human's weight while trying to pull himself along with his diminished arm muscles. He growled and grunted while his teeth bared and his claws frantically kicked at the ground in an effort to find footing as he regained his senses.
The moment he found it, he dug his claws into the human's wrist and forced a flinch of pain in the man. Simultaneously, Arkash kicked off the ground and threw all the weight he could muster into the man from an elevated position, and drove the human's own knife into his chest between the ribs. The human jolted and breathed through a choke that saw blood trail from his lips in a violent sputter. All the while, Arkash stared at the man from above, then came to rest on his knees as he moved his claw to push the mobster's head into the ground, then bit into the man's neck.
The gore that covered him only grew in thickness as he sank his teeth into the tender skin and ripped violently from the man's body in a motion that tore out his jugular and severed his arteries. Fresh spatters of red sprayed his visage as he pulled away with the junk of neck squeezed firmly in his jaws, and Arkash shut his one good eye to prevent blood from getting in it. Fresh blood liberally coated his palette as he squeezed the neck chunk in his jaws.
He'd have swallowed it if his throat wasn't ruined, but alas, he was forced to spit it out with a cry of victory. His one yellow eye fell upon the sputtering, broken hole that the man's neck once rested in as he wiped the blood from his face, then looked to the room Cyrus was in. It seemed he'd finished with the men in there, so Arkash carefully lifted himself from the dying, paralyzed man and began to draw the symbol of the bloody eye around the body. He could barely see through the carnage, but he'd drawn the bloody eye so many times that it came almost naturally.
When at last he was done, he let both his blood-caked arms fall limp at his sides, and pointed his bloody, parted lips skyward. The job was done, and he recognized so while he breathed and recovered. All they had to do was escape. The door broke in on the floor below him and Cyrus, and men began to flood the lower levels. Time was scarce, they were coming for their leader.

Image source.

[Haldir]

☠ 60th of Ash, Year 120 ☠
Company: Sick Patients | Thoughts: Let the Experiment Begin| Mood: Intrigued

---

☠ The first to come into view was a haggard man,

blade high above his head as he came through the smoke. He announced his position to me rather well, as I was able to take the direction his voice came from and compel the blade in my left weave into his chest. It wasn't easy for me either, but allowing my ears to focus on the nearest sounds, I could find their general direction.

Another figure came through the smoke, but he was caught by a stray bullet that was meant for me instead. The weapon in my right weave was sent behind me, as I could hear the yelling cry of another thug, proceeded by the loud thud of them hitting the floor. Something about killing criminals lit a fire within me as I cut down each thug that appeared. It felt right in my mind, it felt like I was meant to erase the vermin of this country.

With a smirk on my face, I let out a chuckle as I commanded the flow of death within the corridor. Without any further hesitation, I took hold of Nevermore, carving down one thug after another. I refused to allow any to live. In my mind, it would be doing a greater service to the world by wiping them out completely.

As two thugs charged me, one swinging a crude blade, which I moved in and caught with my blade, parrying the weapon from the man and stabbing him between the eyes with the rapier. In a rising slash to the neck, I ended the second one’s life as well. The other thugs within the hallway would find the same fate as the first two, as I made quick work of them as I could.

When it was all said and done, the thugs dead and the call of gunfire subsided, I looked back to see as Arkash had killed the target, a chunk of the man's neck in his maw as he bleeds out, Arkash covered in blood. It was finally over, but it didn't mean we were safe just yet. I could hear footsteps coming and immediately pointed my blade in the direction of the source. To my surprise, it was Cullen of all people.

"I followed you here, and when I heard the gunshots I came to help, but it doesn't look like you need it sir. he spoke, stepping over bodies to get to me. "We must leave this place before more come, can you secure an escape route for us?" I inquired, ushering Arkash in front of me when he came near.

With a nod, Cullen guided out of the home, and back into the alleyways leading away from the home. Looking to Arkash, I finally removed my mask and flashed him a smile. "Not the best way to kill a target but you know how to get the job done." ☠

---

"Common Tongue"
"Silvain Tongue"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Arkash]

Panting and heaving, the lizard stood while coated in the life-force of various enemies. Dog blood, man blood, elf blood. They were all so red and messy inside, and neither kill weighed on him heavier than the other; they were all the same to him.
His eye fell upon Cyrus as he finished with the last of the goons. The way he used his magic was... Inspiring. It was entirely for combat, and it gave him the edge in any fight. After all, magic was illegal in Lorien, and though the law didn't protect the likes of the nameless, most people that wound up in a place as decrepit as Lower Nivenhain weren't strong in any shape or form. They were the weaklings that people like Cyrus trod over, the filth that society cast its scorn to.
It was sad, in some ways. Arkash was one of those weaklings, had been at some point. It was only when he broke free of the oppressive laws that suffocated him and his kind that he was able to grow strong. Even so, he was no match for a mage like Cyrus, or anyone else with power. Some day, maybe he would be strong. But until that day, the nameless were his people and they slaughtered each other like animals. But that was the price of one's own life.
With a sigh, Arkash stowed his bloodied knife, then straightened out his back to open his lungs, which promoted recovery. He needed rest; he couldn't fight anymore. He wasn't a practiced killer like Asmodei, Fayeth, or Cyrus. All he had going for him was his flexibility, speed, and wit. More often than not, that was enough to pull through and get the job done, but only barely so. Relying on that alone had cost him his arm and eye both at one point.
When the sound of footsteps below met his ears he despaired. His arms and legs were both so tired that they hurt, and he hadn't caught his breath since the moment he and Cyrus left the Alleyway opposite the building. But then, there was no rest for the wicked. He drew his knife again and stared down the hallway as the sound of footsteps ascending filled the quiet passage of carcasses.
What was beheld wasn't quite what Arkash was expecting. It was a human, but one without weapons. Furthermore, he knew Cyrus. An ally? Arkash stowed his blade and let his exhaustion show as the man approached. All the while, he thanked whatever forces that were for the fact that he didn't have to fight again. Their job was done, it really was.
So, as the man led them through the broken, blood-stained house, Arkash merely caught his breath and rested his weary arms. He'd long since spat out the chunk of neck, as it was too big to swallow. That didn't save him from Cyrus's criticisms, however. A scoff accompanied his grin as they entered the streets. "I dunno why I did i' like 'at," he admitted, "jus' instin't I s'pose." He could have ripped his knife from the man's chest and stabbed him in the eye, but in the heat of the moment, that was all he saw and he had to bite it. Something about targeting an enemy's vitals with his claws and teeth felt so liberating: like he was no longer confined by the squeeze of social norms or expectations. Granted, such things rarely affected him as a Nameless, regardless.
"We bes' split," Arkash declared. No doubt, the thugs were coming after them still. "Thank 'ew bof for 'elpin' me wiv 'at dick'ead. I propa owe 'ew one," with that, he lifted his shaky set of working claws and gave Cyrus a brief wave as he stepped backward down the street a couple of paces, then turned to escape into a nearby Alley, where he fled from the approaching mob of angry gun-wielding gangsters.

Image source.

[Fortuna]

YOUR REVIEW❊

Arkash

LoresGunslinging: Rifle: High recoil.
Gunslinging: Rifle: Can knock you off your feet if you're not prepared.
Gunslinging: Rifle: Take aim.
Gunslinging: Rifle: Pull the trigger to fire.
Gunslinging: Rifle: Loading from the barrel.
Gunslinging: Rifle: Shoot at a group of enemies to knock them down with the blast.
Gunslinging: Rifle: Hold the stock in your armpit.
Gunslinging: Rifle: Using your hook extension to balance the weapon.
Gunslinging: Rifle: Requires two hands to operate.
Gunslinging: Rifle: More accurate than the pistol.
Unarmed Combat: Tackle.
Unarmed Combat: Blocking with your prosthetic.
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[PC] Cyrus: Can lift people with magic.
[PC] Cyrus: Lifted you with magic.
[PC] Cyrus: Has a human friend.
[PC] Cyrus: Helped you kill a mob boss.
[PC] Cyrus: Dresses up as a bird to be creepy.
[PC] Cyrus: Called you 'Venom.'
[PC] Cyrus: Experiments with poisons.

Loot: 4 Caster Shells
Injuries: Bruises and scrapes

Points 16 not used for magic

Comments: Great thread! I feels good to read Arkash again, he has changed much. Has a lot more confidence now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Cyrus"/Haldir

LoresBlades{Rapier}: Can deliver quick yet strong attacks
Blades{Rapier}: Slicing across the throat
Mentalism: Using Compell to throw weapons at people
Mentalism: Building the Weave
Mentalism: Forming a weave takes focus
Mentalism: Compelling up the side of a building
Research: Experimenting with live subjects
Poisons: Black Moon Lily is highly toxic
Gunslinging: The Importance of aiming
Gunslinging: As easy as pulling the trigger
Gunslinging: Caster shells have quite the impact
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Arkash: Is a stealthy little guy
Arkash: Has a new prosthetic arm
Arkash: Is taking on jobs by himself now
Arkash: Has shown considerable growth
Arkash: Instincts sometimes guide his actions
Arkash: Has a knack for killing
Arkash: Seems to be growing on me

Loot: Stolen Pistol
Injuries: Bruises and scrapes

Points 6 magic
6 general

Comments: I enjoy reading your writing in the first person, it flows very well. Not often I like first person writing either, great job on the thread!