The Chained Ones... [Robert, Aello]

[Robert Cithon]

Robert had halted for just a moment to survey the situation, allowing him to better judge where to run if things got out of control Though his footsteps only halted for a moment, Aello soon passed him. She must have been on his heels as soon as his head was turned. The think headed woman decided she would take the lead. And Robert would have objected if her words hadn’t rubbed him the wrong way earlier. He was, tempted to let her do all the exploring on her own. Despite knowing there were unknown dangers lurking in the shadows. But despite all Roberts not so noble thoughts, he could not leave a woman to face death on her own. “Miss..” Robert was about to protest her actions, demanding her to remain back and keep her bow up for back up. But before he could gain her attention pale appendages latched onto her small frame. Gaining a hold wherever they could manage a grip. The snowy white hands disappeared back into the alley, never revealing what they were attached to. Aello was pulled into the think shadows along with them. It took Robert only a moment to register what had happened. “Aello!” He yelled as his sword instinctively came up protecting his body from any unseen danger. Robert should have let her die from her own designs. But there was no way he could live with him self if he allowed her to die while he could have helped. Robert sprinted into the blackness, the think shadows hiding nearly everything to his sight. Robert slowed his steps, using his ears more than eyesight. He heard scuffling and footfalls, and followed toward the sounds blindly. Robert never looked back to seek approval from Syndre. If he would have rejected to idea of Robert following her into danger, Robert would have likely run him through and left the rogue for dead. Robert may have been a mercenary, but he was not without his sense of pride and responsibility. He was a firm believer in helping those he could, whilst dispatching those who he deemed unfit for life. But Robert had no idea if his employer was attempting to follow him into danger, time would only tell. OOCSorry it's short. I'll wait for Syndre to follow into the alley and describe what we are up against.

[Aello]

The hands that grabbed her were cold, and deathly pale, almost otherworldly. As they pulled her into the darkness, Aello couldn't help but wonder if now was her time to die. Her time to become like one of the ghosts she so often tried to save- at least emotionally. After all, they were already dead. Or perhaps, she was to be sold into slavery, much as Cassandra's ghost had been by her deceitful lover. But she couldn't think of such things now, she knew, as she forced herself to push such thoughts out of her mind, after all, she still had time to save herself. The hands seemed to dig into her flesh. Thin fingers entwining themselves in her own sweaty fingers. Yune chirping madly before she flapped off her shoulder in hope of reaching safety. Or perhaps, of reaching the two men, who may provide some help. Aello doubted it though. Syndre seemed like such a wimp, and Robert, well, he hardly knew her, and their last meeting hadn't exactly gone too well. Add in the fact that he now seemed to be serving Syndre, she was screwed. Again with the negativity Aello! Cut it out! Aello's brain scolded as they pulled her further and further into the shadows. Aello's shortbow was pressed tightly against her flesh. She could feel the bowstring digging into her flesh from time to time, the same with the edges of the wooden frame. She was still gripping it tightly as they pulled and pulled, and she tried to dig her feet into the ground to slow the process down. It would be nearly impossible to fight something in the dark. Six frozen hands, three bodies she knew, at least. There could always be more, slinking in the shadows. Several beads of sweat had appeared on the spiritist's brow. It sucked not knowing where they were taking her, and if there was more. The fact that her companion had left her, and she could no longer hear its reassuring song. The fact that the bowstring vibrated from time to time, singing a sorrowful tune of impending doom. A sound that filled the girl's heart with dread having grown so used to slightly more cheerful things from Yune. Finally, Aello managed to speak past the clump in her throat. "Where... where are you taking me?" she stammered. There was no response from her captors. Well aren't they polite, first they grab you and take you away, and now they don't bother to answer when spoken to? HMPH. Aello's boots were dragging across the ground. Until... a pool of milky white light spilled over Aello and her captors. It seemed to be a rather strange beacon of hope in the darkness. The light caused them all to glow a sickly color, which only made their complexion worse. All of them had deathly white skin, and dark eyes rimmed with red. They seemed to take in everything, much like their eyes appeared to be popping out of their head. "What the petch are you lot?" Aello asked, her voice filled with trepidation, as she began to push downwards with her arms. If only you could free your arms, you could fight. Of course, three against one was victorious due to their sheer numbers. Try kicking them. Aello raised her right leg, and pushed it outwards and into the knee of the monster right in front of her. Her attempt at an attack did nothing other but ensure that the Chained Ones tightened their grip on her. Perfect, now these monstrosities are sure to kill you. "Well you told me to," Aello muttered under her breath. Right about that... Aello rolled her eyes. Sometimes, she really wished she could rip out her brain. It seemed to get her into far more trouble than anything else. Especially now, when it seemed incapable of telling the young spiritist just what sort of creature she had found herself up against. OOCI didn't really get into details with the monsters. As of now, they seem to all be Type II's, but some of the features overlap... so perhaps that could be changed.

[Syndre]

An idea quickly brightened in his mind as soon as his lengthy strides

had brought him to the entrance of the alley, seeing Robert's slowing form fading
into darkness. "Flush 'em out...," Syndre called out to the mercenary while his
limber frame suddenly changed direction, his swiftly working boots bringing him
into sprint around the front of the left building. The alley was open on the
opposite side, there were few dead ends between buildings in the city for the
lay out of bridges, streets, and canals were created to be accessible to the
citizens. The whip that trailed behind him wouldn't have been much use in the
darkened gap anyway, he needed an open area for the weapon to whirl and gain
momentum.

What exactly were they dealing with here? The rogue didn't have much time

to determine the details of what had just happened. He had seen Aello look back
to them from the opening between the ivory buildings, then it seemed as though
she had been sucked into the black recesses. There was definitely more than one
abductor, for in that flash of movement he head seen at least six hands, all
which were as white as the stone structure he now ran beside. He was positive
that the vicious woman was putting up a fight, which would have been a nuisance
to whomever was dragging her along, ultimately slowing down their movement within
the shaded gap. In fact, this was something the rogue counted on as he rounded
the furthest corner toward the back.

He silently gave his Goddess thanks upon seeing that they had not exited

the other end of the alley yet, his hasteful strides continuing to pound against
the stone paved street. His slithering whip had exchanged hands over the top of
his short spiked hair as he ran, the slightly awkward maneuver necessary to
keep the weapon behind him so that he wouldn't trip on its serpentine length.
He had reached the back of the left building rather quickly, understanding that
if he was to assist his bodyguard that time was of the essence. His right hand,
now free from wielding the snake-like weapon, moved to his ebon hued sash where
a variety of tied pouches bounced with each vigorous bound of his legs.

As soon as he closed the distance to the alley's exit, he forcefully tore

one of the larger pouches away from the cloth tightly surrounding his slender
waist. The sack was designed to be ripped away, for the way it had been loosely
stitched allowed the mouth to immediately spread open without the assistance of
another hand. Sprinting pass the opening of the alley, Syndre flung the torn
pouch with a low sweep of his right arm, almost as if he were rolling a ball
against the ground. The sack slid a few feet into the shadowy gap, releasing
its ample contents across the inlaid stone. Large black marbles, an inch in
circumference, spilled noisily in every direction before the opened pouch finally
ceased its slide.

The swarm of solid miniature spheres rolled across the stone floor in a

spreading sea of chaos, filling the end of the alley like an infestation of
crawling black bugs. It was a trick his father taught him when he was but an
aspiring thief, a technique that was usually used when you were running away
and someone was on your heels chasing you. Syndre had used the maneuver many a
time with satisfying results, though now he had modified it as an attack rather
than defensive purposes. If the mercenary was able to chase the abductors out
of the alley, or if escaping the confines of the gap was their intent all along,
their extremely pale foes would unexpectedly take the smooth marbles underfoot.

What are we dealing with? :

The Chained Ones

[Robert Cithon]

Robert heard Syndre’s words, “Flush em out…” But when he looked back the rogue had disappeared. Or Robert’s eyes could not penetrate the darkness. Either way he nodded and picked up his pace, following the footsteps of the creatures and Aello’s relentless fighting. Robert figured she would be putting up a hell of a fight, she didn’t seem like one to go down so easy. Robert moved through the darkness fluidly, his feet barely making a sound on the smooth worn pavement underneath. He was alone and out numbered until he could free Aello or Syndre reappeared. “Best not to let them know I’m coming..” He said under his breath as he continued forward. After what seemed like an eternity of following blindly in the dark he finally caught a glimpse of the monstrosities. The pale skin almost glowing in the darkness. Robert moved closer, he could see two of them. And what he thought must have been Aello stuck into the middle being drug along. His sword held in front of him, he began sprinting in the direction of the newfound light and creatures. Robert was a few strides away from the two beings holding on to Aello. She was his first priority. He had done all this to keep her from winding up as another body being found floating in Ravok’s canals. Robert raised his arm high, his intent was to sever the head of the closest creature. He did not know what they were, but from experience most things died once they had no head. Robert leaped into the air, easily clearing the little distance the remained between him and Aello’s group. A heart beat away from making the first kill and beginning the fight for her life. But another creature appeared from within the darkness and smashed into his side. The creature ruined his attempt at another life, his sword just barely glazing the neck of his target. And it sent Robert crashing onto the floor, the one that rammed him right behind him pursuing the attack. It came at him while he was on his back, jumping onto him it’s hands reaching for his eyes as if it was going to tear them out. Robert had to drop his sword in order to keep it from succeeding. Both hands holding the creature at bay, it was powerful but Robert managed to keep it from squirming to much. He maneuvered his booted foot, and gave the beast a powerful shove, it went flying into moonlit air. Where Robert watched it land on dozens of small shiny objects. “marbles?” Robert asked out loud, and his question was answered when he saw Syndre standing there, whip in hand ready for the fight. Robert picked his sword up the metal still vibrating in his hand from hitting the solid surface. He ran back toward Aello and her captors, leaving the attacker for Syndre to deal with. It was having trouble gaining any sort of footing in the trap Syndre had placed. A well thought of defense and attack idea, Robert would have to implement that into his strategy one time. Though h thought it would work best for a any sort of ranged weapon. He came close to the group again, this time they saw him coming and their grip seemed to tighten on Aello. They were going to use her as a meat shield if he began swing his weapon. “Aello, they are going to throw you in front of my sword if I come for you. You have to struggle and their backside to me for me to help you.” Technically she did not have to, she could stand right there which would only give Robert two options. Run headlong into the monsters with only his fists to tear them away from the woman. Or he could sheathe his sword and run and leap into the group, sending everyone Aello included sprawling onto the ground. It would be a fair fight then, whoever stood first would have the upper hand. He was waiting on her to give some sort of sign as to what he which path he should choose.

OOCYeah I made the connection with the title and the beasts right after my last post.

[Aello]

Aello was digging her heels into the ground. They cannot take you without a fight. She was furiously trying to get away, pulling her arms away from them as they reeled her in, like a fish caught on a hook. "Let go!" Aello screamed, as her bow continued to press into her side. She was gritting her teeth, and her eyes were flashing with a mixture of fear and anger. They are not going to get away with this! Almost as if on que, Robert appeared in the girl's peripheral vision. "Well it's about time," Aello called as she tugged on her left arm, trying to inch it closer to her. Then thud. Oh Dira, does the spiritist have to do everything? "Goodness Robert, if you were just going to fall flat on your arse, you might as well have stayed behind. We don't need another person to join a fight when they can hardly fend for themselves... or stay on their feet." Aello rolled her eyes. Of course, we aren't faring all that much better over here, so we should probably keep our mouths shut. "Also, next time you fall, you may want..." Aello looked up. There were marbles littered across the floor, and one of the chained ones had been hurled onto them. Standing in a patch of moonlight was Syndre. Perhaps we underestimated him a bit, he is not a total and complete wuss. But he's still pretty lame... look at him with that whip, just lurking in the shadows, waiting for the leftovers. Aello laughed, before spitting in the face of her nearest captor. "Get the fuck off asshole," she growled, before looking over her shoulder at Robert. "And can't you see I'm trying? Forgive me for getting captured by three strange monsters, and being generally incapable of freeing my arms," Aello exclaimed. "But at least we got this party started, and now have something to do with our time. A bit of a pre-bedtime workout, don't you think?" Aello was tempted to add care to join us Syndre? Because she thought the man could really use it. Syndre seemed far more slender, and no where near as built up as Robert, or some of the other men she had met in her travels, but she wasn't so sure she wanted to give his presence away... yet. After all, maybe he could come in handy. Serve as a bit of bait while the people who could actually fight finished the monsters off. "Tell you what Robert, on three, I shall shift my body away from them and lean outwards. You, are going to run over here, and hack off their legs as soon as you think you are clear to do so. Think you can handle that?" Aello asked. "Surely they'll be easy enough to finish off as soon as they have lost their limbs." Aello smiled amusedly, as her eyes flashed playfully. The moonlight was bathing her in its pale glow, and the girl was beginning to appear as otherworldly as her captors. Hopefully they haven't one-upped us the entire time, and made it appear as though they didn't speak a word of Common. Otherwise, Robert and the spirtist are not going to be in good shape. After all, we can't count on that body-guarded brat to do much. "Alright, Robert, you ready for this?" Aello asked as she gave a slight nod, just before she started counting. "One," Aello pulled her heels out of the ground, and stepped back. "Two," Aello stepped back further, and then pressed her feet into the ground. Her body was forming a "C" shape with the ground as the chained ones dragged her along behind them. "Three," Aello's body began to shake, and her arms to ache. The position wasn't remotely stable, and the monsters could easily fix it should they want to. Perhaps she should have tried kneeling, that would have distributed her weight a bit better. Made her heavier, a little harder to drag. But it is too late now. Aello's heart was pounding. Robert better not fuck this up and chop off her limbs or something. OOCSorry Syndre, for continually hating on your pc. Aello is a bit judgmental. >.<

[Syndre]

Syndre had hoped his trick would have caught them all off guard, but

it had seemed as though a good portion of the marbles had gathered to one side
of the alley. This would make since if the gap between the buildings was slightly
slanted, for the tiny black spheres would follow the dip of the ground. One of
the creatures had been caught in the rolling swarm though thanks to Robert who
had pushed the pale being onto them with a forceful kick. His position behind
the battle gave the rogue two options: Assist the struggling woman with her two
entangling captors, or go after the lone opponent that was trying desperately
to stand without much success because of the constantly moving pieces beneath
its feet.

This was an easy choice for the thief who slipped into the mouth of the

alley with careful steps. Though the abundant spill of marbles had gathered
mostly to one side, there were still many of the diminutive objects littered
about the area that he didn't want to slip on. The alley was wide enough for
Syndre to avoid Aello's conflict, moving beside her and the white hued
creatures as she counted aloud to the mercenary. They seemed to have the
situation under control, well enough for the rogue not to get involved as of
yet. The third humanoid needed to be taken care of, for if it managed to
regain its composure it could attack them from behind. If anyone here was
going to implement a surprise attack it was going to be Syndre.

When he was within seven feet of the awkwardly rising creature, the thief

flung the coiling length of his whip back over his head and cracked the leathery
weapon firmly forward. The thin tip snapped painfully across the gaunt man's
face, ripping a piece of his weak skin off from his visage from the corner of
his gapping mouth to mid cheek. Syndre expected to see a splash of blood, but
there was no trace of crimson liquid even though the flesh was torn open. This
was no man he was attacking, and the hiss it exuded from its deeply wounded
mouth sent the rogue's thoughts reeling. What in Akajia's shadows was this
thing struggling to rise? Two more lashes echoed loudly within the confined space
between the tall structures, his biting whip cutting into the creature's easily
opened skin in rapid succession, though all it seemed to do was bring more
angered hissing from the stumbling foe. No blood was shed.

Needing to reroute his failing tactics, Syndre took a long stride forward

and whirled his leather serpent with less force, his attack more of a fluid
swing rather than a snapping lash. His step forward had given his weapon a longer
reach, which he now used to wrap around a planted appendage that the monster was
using to balance itself. The ensnaring leather tightened along the creature's
extended arm when Syndre pulled back, and as soon as the thief felt the whip's
length tighten, both of his gloved hands gripped the weapon's handle with a
surge of force. The undead being was pulled forward while trying to stand and the
slick marbles beneath its feet rolled with the sudden pressure, causing his foe
to fall flat against its stomach.

The rogue's whip fell to the ground when the creature hit the floor and

Syndre rushed forward as best as he could, each step using only the front of
his boots with his heels raised upward to avoid the scattered marbles. He would
take an advantageous position whenever possible, and taking the undead's backside
seemed like as good an opportunity as any. Quickly straddling his opponent's
back, Syndre worked his bent knees forward until they pressed up within armpits
of the deceased foe, placing the majority of his weight upon its upper back. This
position allowed for more control of the situation, making it extremely difficult
for the undead to lift itself off the ground, essentially pinning it down. The
wicked noises issued from its ripped maw were intimidating to say the least, but
his surge of adrenaline kept his thoughts focused on the task at hand.

His left gloved hand gripped the back of the Chained One's neck, having to

squeeze the sunken flesh firmly to gain an acceptable hold. His right hand
meanwhile reached back to his right buckle graced boot, his coated thumb flicking
the release strap upon the sheath that resided there. His prized cold steel
dagger, which was rumored to have a nasty bite against the undead, slid forth
with a metallic ring and stabbed down into creature's back just below his left
hand. The animated being bucked wildly as the unnaturally cold iron pierced its
drawn flesh, its agitated hissing rising in volume to a horrid groan.

OOCI take no offense to anything that happens IC, so no worries

[Robert Cithon]

Robert heard Aello’s words. She was sharp tongued and spoke as she would under normal circumstances. Damn woman, she ever have anything nice to say?. He thought silently to himself as he moved into position. One, Robert’s grip tightened on his old sword, the hilt seemed to be in need of repair. A splinter was poking into his palm, causing minor amounts of discomfort. Two, Robert crouched low intending to sever four knees at once. It was a difficult task and needed a lot of force behind the blow. Three, it was show time. Aello was ready as well. And by the looks of it, she couldn’t hold the position for long. Robert pushed hard of the surface, all 240 pounds flying low in the air. His targets were only a few feet away. Robert held his sword tightly, it was only extended just enough to tear into the joints halfway. Enough to take the fight out of the beasts, yet far enough from accidentally harming Aello. Though, she would most defiantly find something to complain about once it was all said and done. Damned woman... A loud pop sounded when Roberts blade collided with the first creature. It’s legs tore without much of a fight, sending the beast flailing toward the ground. Only, the pale skinned creature he had just wound fell on his back. It caused his momentum to slow and his continued attack on the second beast failed. His blade cut into it’s leg, only wounded it. The steel did not severe enough tissue to force it’s assaults to stop. Robert not paying the legless beast behind him any mind quickly recovered from the attack. He was on his feet in a moment. Though his blade was lodged in the leg of the one he intended to kill. “Shit” Robert cursed loudly as he took another step toward the hideous being. Aello had been released from the cold white hands when Robert first launched his assault. The lone being not being able to control the feisty young lady, it quickly decided to defend itself rather then pursue her as a target. Robert withdrew his battle axe, it would be best for the job any ways. Just as Robert lifted the heavy weapon into the air, the pale thing charged him. A vicious hissing emitting from it’s mouth. Robert barely managed to spin out of it’s way while managing to trip it, ith a little help from Syndre’s marbles. The thing went down hissing violently. Robert was quick to react though, ad was upon it in a flash. His boot landing squarely in it’s chest effectively pinning it down. He raised his axe high into the air, and with a final look down at the struggling beast “Ugly little bastard” Robert’s words were spoken a moment before he brought the axe smashing downward. Severing the head completely, while also undoubtedly chipping the blade. Robert left his axe where it sat, instead he retrieved his sword from the beasts half severed leg. Robert looked over his shoulder in time to catch Syndre ending another of the things pitiful lives. He walked closer to what remained of the last creature. A legless being flailing it’s arms desperately to reach his feet. “What should we do with this one?” He asked loud enough for all to hear. Then he looked toward Aello, she was showing visible signs from her struggle for freedom. A smiled crossed Robert’s faced and he hefted his sword up, hilt extending toward her. “It is only fair you exact revenge upon at least one.” He said smiling toward her. [ooc-OOC]Sorry for the mix up Aello.[/ooc]

[Aello]

It only cut through one of their legs? Well, that went according to plan. Aello rolled her eyes. "Don't you hate the weakness of one's arm? Always seems to become a problem in situations such as this," Aello commented. "Or something goes wrong with the weapons," she finished, as she gave both of her arms a violent jerk, trying desperately to free them from her remaining captors. But their long, pale fingers held fast and pulled her back toward them. Aello braced herself as the remaining hands pulled her along. Her feet were dragged closer to them, and she did her best to dig her heels back into the ground. She was not going anywhere. Aello grit her teeth again before pulling back on her arms. The chained ones let go, and the young spiritst stumbled backwards. Within seconds, she was falling through the cold night air, and had landed on her butt with a muffled thud. Well aren't they polite? Aello thought as she picked herself up, somewhat reluctantly. Her arms ached from where the chained ones had dug their fingers into her. Hopefully it wouldn't leave too many large purple splotches in the morning. It looked like Robert and Syndre were doing ok on their own, and now, it was Aello's turn to join in the fun. She was standing in the shadows, looking at the fighting that was going on in the moonlight. Screams, the clashing of metal, the crack of a whip. She wanted to jump in; but knew that the bow was her best weapon, and that she'd best use it while they remained so far away from her. Aello could always pull out the cursed blade later, after all. Aello transferred her shortbow to her left hand. She was holding the grip tightly, her knuckles growing white. She tilted the bow to the side, so that it would be easier for her to knock an arrow as her right hand reached over her shoulder, and pulled an arrow from her quiver. She knocked the arrow she held between her fingertips onto the serving of her bow. There was a low clicking noise as the arrow slid into place. Aello turned her bow, so that its wooden frame was running up and down again. The peacock feathers that tipped her arrows tickled her fingers as she slowly raised her bow to the shooting position, and pulled the string back past her smile. Aello's left eye was shut while her right eye was staring down the length of the arrow. Aello moved her bow a few inches to the left, so that the tip of the arrow would be pointed towards one of the monsters the men were so desperately to fend off. Her left hand was clenching more and more tightly on the grip with anticipation, her thumb guiding the arrow. The three middle fingers of her right hand were growing sore as they pulled back more and more tightly on the string. Aello was barely breathing, as she sighted down the arrow, forcing her right eye to remain as widely open as possible as she did her best to perfect her aim. Be careful, you wouldn't want to shoot Syndre or Robert by mistake. The chained one moved again, and Aello followed it with the tip of her arrow, just before Robert finished it off. Well, you could always get the next one. Another chained one, who had been unfortunate to enough to have his limbs chopped off, lay on the ground by Robert. "We can leave that one for now, it's not as though the thing can do much of anything anymore," Aello replied as another creature ran out of the darkness and towards Robert. Startled, Aello quickly jerked her bow in the creature's direction, before letting go of the bow string. The arrow soared through the air in a relatively straight line. It dipped at the end, and struck the creature's right shoulder. Although it pierced the creature's flesh, it drew no blood. That's strange, Aello thought as the creature hesitated for a moment. It let out a loud scream, which nearly caused the girl to wince. As soon as the blood-curdling sound had finished erupting from the creature's lips, it rounded on Aello. Petch! Aello's right hand inched behind her back, and quickly grabbed another arrow. She laced it onto her bowstring, and raised the bow again. There was no time to aim; as soon as she had drawn the bowstring back to her smile, Aello let go. The arrow erupted from the bow and soon met with the creature's right foot. Why is the second thing you hit always the foot? The creature seemed to ignore its new wound. It lashed out at Aello, trying to claw her. She quickly sidestepped to the right, and tossed the bow lightly to the side. She knew her shortbow would be no use in close combat. Aello's right hand rested atop her dagger's hiding place. The creature was continually lunging for her, while she rushed to side-step, there wasn't much of an opening for her to retrieve it until several minutes had gone by. Aello held the hilt of her dagger tightly. The blood and the blade was glowing ominously in the pale moonlight. Here we go, Aello's brain whispered as she lowered her body into a crouch and prepared herself for a close combat battle. OOCAwesome. I hope I got all the details right.

[Syndre]

The undead creature below him would not cease it's dreadful

objections or rigorous squirming, even though he had already driven his hollow
pommel dagger into its upper back. He had felt the fine edged knife slide easily
thru the gaunt flesh of his enemy and against the boney column of its spine, but
where this would have been excruciating to a human, the deceased continued to
fight for a better position. His left arm was weary and strained from the force
he projected down against the monster's neck, successfully keeping its head from
rearing upward and possibly biting his thigh. The rogue didn't know what these
being were exactly, and if their condition was contagious he didn't want to get
infected.

With the veins in his left appendage becoming visibly larger from

the strain and his sturdy sinew screaming for the pressure to end, Syndre knew
he needed to quickly dispatch this wretch before he tired. The chilling length
of his cold iron blade came down repeatedly with an increased amount of urgency
over the area of pale flesh that was exposed between his gripping left hand and
the region dividing his straddling legs. Over and over he stabbed downward while
the Chained One struggled to rise, the sickening sound of his knife's numerous
insertions and the foul groans filling his ears. Eventually the trembling
animation shuddered after his cherished weapon had penetrated its corrupted
heart from behind, allowing his exhausted grip to ease a bit with much relief.

Icy voids, widened with the mixture of fear and aggression, scanned

the darkness of the alley for the others. The mercenary had decapitated one of the
undead creatures and another had fallen from a grisly injury, though it
relentlessly moved with the help of some preternatural malice. The unfriendly
woman had managed to free herself from the downed foes, but was now in a
stand off with a fourth monster that had been previously unnoticed. His cobalt
gaze shifted swiftly from one person to the next, alive and dead, before another
nearby body caught his attention. His eyes narrowed deeply, trying to make out
what or who it was that was lying still in the opaque shadows.

Syndre was taking his time now as the battle persisted, carefully

sheathing his unusually cold dagger and securing it with a binding leather strap.
His attentive blue pools washed over Robert and Aello once more before deciding
they could manage without his assistance, and instead slipped off the corpse he
was straddling. Crawling quietly over to the unmoving form of who he guessed to
be the informant, the rogue began working his nimble hands over the torn and
bloodied body. No pocket was safe from the thief's searching digits, and anything
worth taking was transferred from the ravaged figure to the various pockets lining
his black stained pants. His thorough inspection was rewarded with a small note
that was tightly rolled and tied with a black string, this was the exact item
he was looking for.

Cleary he was more worried about retrieving the note than he was about

Aello's safety, taking his time while the fighting ensued. The bottom tip of his
sheathed dagger was designed with dark blue pyramid, a religious symbol of his
secretive Goddess, which could be cleverly removed. Taking the decorative piece
between his gloved fingers, Syndre slowly unscrewed it from the bottom of the
hollow black hilt to reveal a hidden compartment. The miniature scroll slid easily
into the small confines, as if it was designed to do so, and the three sided
segment was then twisted back into place to conceal his looted prize. Satisfied
with his findings, the unharmed thief moved back to creature he had disposed of,
working the end of his entangled whip free before recovering the weapon in a
bundle of black leather.

[Robert Cithon]

Robert was watching as Syndre was struggling with the the chained one he had taken on. It seemed like the beast was giving him a troublesome fight, and Syndre looked to be tiring quickly. Robert, being the body was about to take a step toward the struggle. He would just cleave the struggling monsters head off. It seemed the easiest way to end the monsters pitiful lives. Footsteps halted his attempt though, another chained one had gone unnoticed the entire time. It was lurking in the dark waiting for a chance to surprise somebody, and I had locked sights on Robert. Being completely un aware of it’s presence until Aello fired upon it, Robert was thankful she had her bow ready. If she had not gained it’s attention, Robert would undoubtedly be on his back fighting for his life. Aello’s shot had presented a new problem though, Robert could manage a one on one fight with one of the beasts, or so he thought. Aello was no match if it got past her weapons, she would be all but defenseless. Robert looked to Syndre again, he seemed to have got things under control on his end. He watched as Syndre walked in another direction, another chained one perhaps? Robert did not know nor care at the moment. Robert with a swift movement placed himself behind the attacking chained one. Aello seemed ready to fight to the death, with a look of hatred in her eyes. Robert he would never receive that specific look from her himself. She could be intimidating, for such a small woman. Roert had to time his attack perfect for it to succeed right. His sword would Aello in danger, he could easily accidentally strike her if he was not careful. Robert decided to go in unarmed, and distract the beast while Aello, used her dagger to finish it off. A dagger was less likely to become a danger to an ally in close quarters. Robert watched from a few feet back, the chained ones rage was focused on Aello. Who had managed to put two holes in it’s body, thought no blood showed from the wounds. Robert waited, when the beast lunged one more time he moved. Robert rushed in from behind, managing to snag one arm and forced it behind it’s back with his one. With Robert’s free arm, he grabbed the arrow that punctured the chained ones shoulder. With a quickness and before the beast managed to make use of it’s somewhat free arm. Robert yanked the arrow free, only to plunge it back into the beasts body, repeatedly. An agonizing scream ripped from the creatures mouth. Robert countered the blood chilling scream by taking the arrow, and driving it deep into the chained ones throat. Robert with furry filling his eyes twisted, turned, repeatedly drove the arrow home. He lost himself in the moment, and paid no heed to the arm that was slowly working it’s way toward his face. The creature would easily reach Robert’s throat if he did not snap out of his anger induced attack. Or unless someone prevented the arm from making successful grip on his throat.

OOCPsst Aello I know you PC is mean and hates everyonebut don't let me die. lol.

ALso, everything alright on your end Syndre. Or you just been busier than usual?