[Sanctuary] Black Clouds and Blood Red Rain (Private)

[Riki Stormheart]

With wide eyes Riki looked at the man on top of him. He had actually made a hit? He was a bit scared when he heard the pop but that fear doubled when he saw his hit really did not do much to his attacker. The rope loosened. That was a blessing within itself. He took a deep breath in. He had never felt so thankful for air in his entire life. The rope was still there and it threatened to loosen again but there was hope. As long as he was breathing and able to fight there was hope. His mind raced with what he should do next. An arrow to the stomach? He could not shoot it of course. He was too close. Maybe he could gouge it into the man's flesh though. There was not time to think. The spider-like man's forehead came crashing down against his own. Was Zintila here because Riki was seeing stars. He felt like he was going to pass out. His hand searched hopelessly behind him as he tried to grasp his fingers around an arrow from the bag off of his back. He felt the long body of the arrow under his fingertips and clutched it like it was his last hope. For all he knew, it could have been. It took almost all of his focus just to pull the arrow from the bag on his back. When it was in his hand he held it as close to the head as possible to make sure the arrow would not break when he stabbed it into the man's side. He closed his eyes and prayed. "Please Rak'keli, anyone. Please let me get out of this alive." His hand thrust forward and with it the arrow aiming to pierce the man's side. "If I get out of this alive I am definitely going to work on fighting." If he had not been so confused and dizzy maybe he could have tried another punch. He needed some time to get his mind back in order. It seemed as though every move was to gain more time. Sooner or later he was going to have to face the man. He just needed to find the right niche in time to do it.

[Mizuriel]

OOCI’m sorry for the wait. The voice in Mizuriel’s head did not get any weaker as the situation progressed, instead it was as high and mighty as the thunder that Zulrav would sometimes cast upon the land. As he saw one of the strangers take Samantha, everything else in the world perished. The others had serious problem even without him adding onto it and he was doing his best not to screw up any further until his own family was in immediate danger; his only family. Trying to get up, all the beaten father could feel was pain. For Rak’keli’s sake, why was he allowed to be so weak at an important time such as this? Getting up was beyond impossible as the most he could lift himself off the ground was about one foot, maybe foot and a half. Each next attempt was harder and more painful, but nearly as much as the fall after it. Mizuriel had only once before broken a bone, and what he could feel now quite possible suggested to a broken rib. Crawling was the most he could do at the moment, but he wasn’t yet hopeless enough to be a fool. Instead of helplessly crawling after the man, he just yelled: “Don’t let them take her! Stop them! Anyone!” there his weak scream died out as his muscles contracted in pain. As he pushed off the ground once more, he knew it was pointless to follow the stranger that was holding Sam, instead he turned to Riki. The man could feel tears raining down his cheeks, had he really given up on ever seeing Samantha again? He slithered on the ground like a cross breed between sloth and a snake, trying his best to reach Riki. Once there he would try to bite one of the attacker’s limbs and hold onto it as hard as possible, unless the situation changed significantly. He could not protect his daughter, but maybe he was a better friend than a father. The thought lingered in his brain, still it wasn’t really comforting.

[Vahn Gremio]

The blood rage that consumed Vahn's mind was intense, his hooves striking flesh in multiple areas. The feeling of another person pressing against his side all of a sudden made him turn, trying to see who it was, if they were an enemy or friend. The moment he turned, his focus upon the man was broken, his hooves striking blindly...He never even noticed the misplaced stomp that landed on Kavala, nor heard her scream in agony. He had never meant to harm her, he wanted to harm the one who dared to threaten her...yet even he could not control his angry stampeding with the sudden distraction that had presented itself upon his side.

His berserk state let him to practically shrug off the whalebone across his skin, considering it a measly fly bite. His tail whipped around to smack his hindquarters to be rid of the pest, but the next bite was something he would not be able to ignore. The moment the mace hit his rear, the pain erupted throughout his body. He whinnied loud in agony, his rear hooves striking back to try and attack this person near his side. She had shown herself to be an enemy, a threat to the herd.

Turning away from the man he had inflicted grievous wounds upon, the kelvic turned his gaze to the person nearby. he saw her grabbing at Kavala, and at Kavala fighting her off, biting and hitting at the woman. He saw the bloodied mace, and felt the warm trickle of his blood run down his flanks.

His rage found a new target...

Shouting a loud warlike neigh, the kelvic kicked out his forehooves at the blue-skinned woman. With both her and kavala in plain sight, he would make certain to avoid striking at the woman who had shown him kindness. This akalak, however, would see Vahn was striking to kill...

[Hatot]

His feet pounded along the floorboards as Hatot suddenly came running into Sanctuary where the battle had seemed to spill over. Hatot’s eyes raced across the entire scene as both he and Radris assessed the situation, his tall frame now towering over most as fierce golden iris gazed over the entire group of combatants. “Enough!” Hatot had finally screamed out. Both Raiha and Kavala, who had known him longest of those there, would note that it was the loudest Hatot had ever been, and likely the first sign of real anger that was displayed on the lighter of the two souls.

He would hope, that at the very least, it would cause Vahn to calm his own rage as he continued stepping forward towards the nearest of the aggressors. The man held a knife to a child’s throat. It was an unforgivable act in Hatot’s mind as Radris scoffed in their head, of the same mind on the matter. If the child had been Akalak, the man would have been beheaded by the city guards by now.

“What do you think?” Radris then suddenly echoed in Hatot’s mind. “Seeing what I’m seeing?”

“Yes, I see it.” Hatot said as he began looking over the robed figure’s body, the way he held himself, held the knife. His posture, tensing muscles. Several open spots on the man’s body seemed to appear before Hatot, almost like a tunnel vision of sorts. He saw each spot and how to precisely strike it where it would do the most damage, even with attempting to use the child as a shield. The adam’s apple or hollow of the throat, the clavicle, the eyes, bridge of the nose, temples along the side of the head. He saw them all, and with his speed, skill and reach, he knew he could strike out and connect, likely before the man would even notice his arm was moving. “I can see at least fifteen different ways to kill you right now. Release the child, and I’ll give you a head start.”

Then Hatot waited for the hint of debate in the man’s eyes. That subtle shifting of the eyes, the slight relaxing or tensing of muscles. The tightening of the jaw before he would speak of complying or uttering a threat. When it happened, his right hand shot out in a blur, tendons and muscles tightening in his wrist, fingers extending, his upper torso turning at the hip as feet planted and knees bent leaning into the strike slightly. The problem for such an attack, would be stopping its course just as deep enough pressure was applied to that one point he aimed for. The shoulder joint, and a small nerve cluster under layers of flesh, muscle and tendons. If he followed through with full force of the strike, he could tear muscle, tendons and nerve tissue, dislocating the shoulder, but doing such risked brining to blade the man had at the child’s throat to cut into such. Instead, he aimed for just enough pressure to damage the nerve cluster, a strike that if successful would move his upper body little, but cause his entire arm to go numb and drop his knife.

[Raiha]

You never went behind a strange horse if you could avoid it. It was a lesson Raiha and Kanikra had learned from the Konti who owned the retired Zavian gelding that the Akontak had learned to ride on. That was why, when she scratched his side with the suvai, when she whacked him with the mace, she did it from the side, and aimed to make sure that with the force of the blow, he wasn’t going to be arching towards her right away. She lost her mace, though, from the force of the blow, and Kanikra noted where she heard it clatter as Kavala turned on her. Drop her, her twin snapped as something inside of Kavala broke loose. Put the turtle in the corner and leave her there. We don’t have time for this. She straightened up, looking to try to get out of Kavala’s reach, as unlikely as it was – she wasn’t as tall as her father’s people were. The Konti's blows rained down on the blue-skinned teenager. Talking wasn’t going to work, either.

She’s pregnant, are you…?! Kanikra cut Raiha off as soon as her twin started to argue, forcing her into the back as she took over. Kanikra had no such qualms about dropping Kavala. She had no such qualms about taking the suvai to the horse’s stomach and seeing if his entrails could come out. She had no such qualms about any of it. Horse, horse, horse! She shouted at her sister-soul as Kanikra took a step back, her pupils shrinking to the size of pinpricks in her gold eyes. It was a small detail, easily missed in the heat of battle, but she heard the horse roaring, and that meant action. Hatot’s shout cut through the rest of it, and while she heard it, Kanikra wasn’t stopping. Stopping now meant potential death and injuries. She pushed Kavala out of the way of the flashing hooves - she didn’t see any other option to protect her, short of jerking the turtle towards her – and that would only have the enraged Konti on top of them while the petching horse kept going, and probably get her stomped on some more. Granted, she might have made a nice shield... Besides, he was after the Akontak. That was what he was focused on. The man with the daggers was gone, after all, and with Hatot after him, which meant Kanikra would just have to distract the horse.

Diallo lunged for the horse’s rear leg. The massive deerstalker looked to bite down on his cannon as Kanikra didn’t even pause to formulate a plan. In her wildest dreams, in all the battle and combat situations she had played out in her head, she could never have anticipated this one. When they got out of it, she’d have to make an offering to Lhex, because this was simply incredible. She did know she needed her mace, she knew where it was, and chances were the Kelvic would probably follow her. Probably. She didn’t know; didn’t care. That was enough for her to go on. Where Raiha was more concerned for each and every person in Sanctuary, from the kittens upwards, Kanikra’s first concern was their own self-preservation, even as she listened to what the shadows had to say, trying to track where the man with the daggers went. They didn’t have time for Reimancy, much as she wanted to draw out her Djed and cover the horse’s eyes and nose in it. All they had time for was very basic survival. She threw herself to the side where she heard her mace clatter, keeping her arms and elbows tight against her side and chest, drawing her legs under her to try to avoid giving the horse anything to come down on, looking to prevent breaking something and avoid disrupting her own momentum.

Connecting with the ground jarred her, but she reached for the fallen mace, snatching it up and scrambling to get to her feet. “Release,” she snapped at the dog in Kontinese, nudging the dog in the side with her fingers, going for the table and looking to put that between her and the horse as the dog followed her, ears pricked up. As much as she may have wanted to kill the Kelvic, she wasn’t stupid enough to think it was a fight she could win against a stallion, and certainly not like this. The suvai had scored him – with a little luck, that would get into the bloodstream, and then, -then- she would have a bit of a chance. Of course, she didn’t have time for that. Assess it, she ordered Raiha. Break it down.

Psychotic Kelvic, dead ahead, Raiha deadpanned quickly as Kanikra kept her eyes on Vahn, as blood dripped from her cheek, where Kavala had caught her, mace in one hand, suvai in the other, keeping herself ready to go for either side that proved an exit. There’s a confrontation further down, the shadows say. Hatot and the leader here and the child. Riki’s fighting one, Mizuriel’s going for him. Best shot? This, clearly, was what Hatot and Radris had meant when they said one always looked out for the other. No longer in control, Raiha could sit back, translate the heat of battle into easy information for Kanikra, who could use it as she saw fit.

Dealing with the Gods-forsaken horse. Kanikra sighed, her gold eyes on the stallion. We don’t have any other option until it goes down, because it’s not thinking in terms of what has to be done. Where in the Ukalas is that bear of yours?

What, like I know? Raiha shot back. Focus on the horse, would you? The others could probably use a hand, too.

Well, if it’s more help like yours, I suppose Riki and Mizuriel could start chasing us, too…

[Abashai]

OOCAnd here...we...go... [Guest Storytelling] The Battle of Sanctuary raged on as Hatot burst onto the scene, the porch a chaotic twist of animals and humans, denizens fighting intruders, and each other. Whinnying horses, barking dogs, grunting and cursing combatants swelled into a cacophony that mingled with the rumble of the mounting storm clouds overhead. The fog of battle had fallen on the defenders of Sanctuary, confusion and frenzy so thick that even the thunderous bellow of the hulking Akalak could not bring order to the milieu. Some clarity returned to Riki as the rope around his throat loosened, the panic of suffocation passed, even though the rough binding still ensnared his neck. The iron arrowhead poised in his hand plunged into the trembling man's side, slipped in a gap of the fluttering dark cloak. The drykas healer was not warrior, but he knew the anatomy of the human body. Whether by intent or subconscious knowledge, The young man drove the shaft into the attacker's side, angling back towards the kidney. Unprotected by bone and extremely sensitive, a strike to the kidney would elicit extraordinary pain. Assuming that the assailant was indeed human. The arrow did penetrate the thin leather tunic and plunged into his foe's side. The hooded figure howled in pain, his hand releasing the rope, his head flung back, throwing off his cowl to reveal a pale face, tangle of dark hair, and a pair of small fangs apparent in his gaping mouth. The half-blood attacker's hand went to his side to reach for the arrow, his other one shooting out, palm first, against Riki's jaw. It was a glancing blow that sent a wave of pain into the joints of the healer's jaw. Sadie, faithful hound, had ceased her incessant barking and had taken the hem of the shakey man's cloak in her teeth, tugging on it, growling. No longer having Raiha to steady herself against, or to pummel with her fists, Kavala was left to linger on her damaged leg, the pain lost to her deeply-brewed rage. The dagger-wielding visitor, his shattered arm dangling limp at his side, met the Konti's burning gaze. The blade of his bloodied blade was pointed at her, as if to accuse her of causing all of this bloodshed. "We could have made this easy." He seethed, hissing over the din of the fighting. Dodging the bulk of the stallion that moved erratically as it sought to reach Raiha, the Dagger Guy made his way towards Kavala, a murderous grimace on his face. Raiha, from her vantage point behind a table, only caught glimpses of the other goings on, the bulk of the bloodied kelvic stallion blocking her view and distracting her by trying to kill her. Both would hear Hatot's roar, the girl's scream, but would the angered Vahn notice, and would the the split-minded Akontak seek her own survival, or those of her friends? With Vahn and Raiha distracted with each other, Kavala blinded by her rage and Riki entangled with the fanged stranger, few paid notice to the scarred man and his hostage. Only Mizuriel and Hatot saw the frightening sight. Samantha remained silent, aside from a few escaped whimpers, terrified but of enough sense not to aggravate her captor. Mizuriel cried out, but he was unaware whether his plea had fallen on deaf ears as his companions each tangled with an opponent. Only Hatot stood against the scarred man. The Akalak's bold threat met tentative dark eyes, shaded beneath a hood. Then Hatot saw the flinch of a shoulder, the shift of a hip as the man took a step towards the stairs. The blue warrior's lightening strike was well aimed, meeting the intruder's shoulder at the nerve cluster. But the swift movement of the large man had startled Samantha, who cowered involuntarily, forcing the man's momentum in a different direction. In a twist of luck, the threatening blade drew away from the child's neck as she scrunched into the man and Hatot's blow pushed the shoulder back, the razor edge only scratching the girl's shoulder and causing her to yelp suddenly. The man's sudden movement stole the nerve-deadening effect the Akalak had intended, but the force of the blow, and the tangle of the frightened girl against him, threw off the scarred man's balance and he teetered backwards, backpedaling vainly to regain his stance. The cloaked terrorist's heels hit the top of the stairs to the basement, and with wide-eyes, he toppled down, one hand still clutching the screaming Samantha as they slid down out of sight. Mizuriel, finally reaching the embattled Riki, heard the girl's scream. Too late, too late! The taunting voice in his skull quipped. Then Zulrav's own fury was released as the precipitation descended in sheets, blowing into the sides of the porch, riddling friend and foe alike with cold droplets. Lightening flashed, thunder pealed, and the sounds of battle was drowned out by the roar of pounding rain. OOCOK...this is a bit rough, trying to keep straight what all is going on. If I have created an obvious inconsistency, let me know.

[Vahn Gremio]

Vahn was never this angry, and the fact that the woman was not only trying to attack him, but take Kavala, possibly kidnap her and turn her into a slave, made the intelligent mind of the kelvic all but vanish. Rather than step back and see what was transpiring around him, his animal instincts took over, focusing on the greatest threat to him and his herd: the blue-skinned woman before him.

Multiple reasons tried to force themselves into his head, each trying to tell him to calm down, that the blue-skins were supposed to be the good guys: however, for every ten good reasons he should calm down, one bad one would make him forget and only make him madder, such as "She wants to get rid of kavala because she took away a possible mate" or "She's jealous of what Kavala has accomplished in her homeland".

As soon as the woman ran past his hind legs, the horse reared it hindlegs and kicked out with all of his might, hoping to cave in her skull. She was fast, but a swift kick was something hard to dodge from such a close range...unfortunately, he had mis-timed it as she darted past his range and grasped a hold of her weapons once more. The small suvai looked of little threat to him, but the mace was something he remembered hitting his haunches. He had to make certain he did not get hit by it.

The large, light-brown horse trotted in place for a moment, watching the woman, before running full speed at her. His speed was incredible, one of the things he prided himself as a horse. No two-leg would be able to outrun him, not when he was intent on making their threat to his herd non-existant...

However, as he began to run, his hooves faltered, the poison from the suvai finally taking effect. His vision blurred as he charged at the woman, his head shaking as he tried to regain focus...

Dammit...not good...can't see clearly...can't run...straight...what's happening to me?

However, regardless of his blurred vision, he had enough momentum and sight to point out the blue skin amongst the dark background of mud and rainclouds. He was confident that he would at least be able to slam his massive body into her smaller body and take her out...

[Kavala]

OOC Note: I'm going to turn this in for an award since our Mod vanished, our guest mod vanished, and there's no one else to take it over.

[Tabarnac]

XP Award! Kavala XP Award: Herbalism +1; Unarmed Combat +3; Observation +2 Lore: Stockholm Syndrome; Berzerker Riki XP Award: Animal Husbandry +2; Stealth +1; Observation +1; Archery +1; Unarmed Combat +1; Brawling +1 Mizuriel XP Award: Running +1; Observation +1; Unarmed Combat +3 Raiha XP Award: Animal Husbandry +1; Suvai +2; Flanged Mace +2 Additional Notes: All right, I awarded XP for those who I could verify were active. If anyone got cheated, feel free to contact me about it. So sorry to see that this thread never got completed, but I did look to see if Seth left any notes, and such was not the case. Raiha, I gave you points in Animal Husbandry for working with Diallo because as I understand it, that covers training as well, but since you have Dog Handling on your Character Sheet, feel free to swap it over if that is what you prefer. The description of her 1-2 with the suvai and the flanged mace looked suspiciously like dual wield, but then she had the suvai between her teeth to help Kavala up, so I’m assuming it wasn’t. Just to remind you, dual wield can’t happen until you have 30 xp in both weapons. Please do not practice them on my face for being the messenger! Kavala, since this thread is rather old, I’m going to assume you played out the recovery from the broken leg. Or healed it! Riki, the Unarmed Combat is for the flailing fists. The Brawling is for grabbing and arrow and making it a stabbing instrument. I see brawling as using your environment as a weapon, too, which sets it apart from unarmed. Good work, y’all! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or concerns. Keep writing!