death's envoys [c]

[Cain]

Cain was snapped awake as the carriage he was upon road over a rock, causing the entire transport to jerk upwards. The Mercenary immediately stood up straight, his right hand coming up to rub the side of his head, a soft hiss escaping his lips. He glanced around, gazing upon the other passengers that rode upon the long carriage. Some of them, like him, had fallen asleep. Others were whispering to each other, and a handful were either busying themselves with their own trinkets, or blankly staring out into space. The young Feroxi groaned, stretching his chin towards his shoulder, staring out of the carriage through the opening at the back. He was upon one of those civilian transports that certain merchants provided, hitching a ride to get to the next town in his road to nowhere. Unlike these people, however, Cain did not have to pay. Instead, he offered his service of helping to protect and safe guard the carriage from threats like bandits. Something that Regna Ferox was rather famous for. Getting up on his feet and placing a hand upon the ceiling of the carriage for support, he slowly made his way to the back. Taking in a deep whiff of the fresh air, he would release a deep audible sigh, before placing his hands on his hips. He wondered if this was going to be a rather peaceful ride. It had been thus far, and really, Cain would prefer if it remained that way for the duration of the ride. They only had had three other hired men guarding the carriage, after all, and all the other three were upon horses, one in front of the carriage and the other two stationed at each side. Within the carriage itself, Cain wasn't sure if there were any more hired hands, but he was certainly one of them. He only hoped that he would not have to actually work for his mo-- The carriage suddenly jerked to a halt, Cain's reflexes kicking in as he grabbed the edge of the carriage's ceiling, as he stopped himself from falling. Behind him, he heard the soft yelps and moans of the rest of the passengers as they were thrown against each other, the stop having being so abrupt and unexpected. "What the--..." Cain muttered as he quickly leapt out of the carriage. Walking up to the side, he peered past the carriage, and the lead horse rider, and he saw the reason why they had stopped. Before them, a small group of silhouettes had formed, emerging from the trees that bordered the road they were on. Bandits? Cain narrowed his eyes. No... They were walking weird. And then, his eyes widened. Risen. And not just from the front, but the sides too. They were coming from almost every direction. Cain cursed under his breathe. He spoke too soon, it seemed.

◀ MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Penelope]

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words of courage

words: 216 | tags: Cain | notes: good morning.

A arrow hissed into existence with the power of death forged at its tip. It blotted out the ghastly glow a Risen Revenant whom had ventured closer than the others, clawed hands tearing away covering canvas of a wagon even as it fell into muddy disarray and disheveled shapelessness. The removal of its covering only exposed said carriage and its occupants to the situation they were in. Shambling corpses in armor with weapons and neon eyes approached from all directions. Another arrow, this one embedded firmly into the chest of an undead that neared the rear of the transport. From somewhere in the front a horse screamed.

"Look alive you sods," declared a feminine voice from behind Cain. She was near the back, meaning closer to the mercenary's current position, and was now on her feet. Having been one of those that seemed to be sleeping before, she would have been easy to miss beneath the blanket she had carried. It must have hidden her bow from prior view, the curved weapon now resting taut in her left hand. With one booted foot propped up on the bench she had formerly been sitting upon, the archer was already in the process of drawing another bronze tipped arrow from a hip-quiver. "That's death walkin' on our doorstep."

made by Wolf of GS

[Cain]

Whoosh. Cain heard the very movement of the arrow as it whizzed past his right ear, reflexes urging him to lean sidewards so as to avoid the projectile. Had it been aimed towards him? No. It had instead found its home in the undead body of one of the Risen Revenants. Cain blinked, before glancing over his shoulder, finding his golden eyes to be meeting a rather beautiful woman, armed with a bow. Another hired mercenary? Whoever she was, she was definitely a looker. Almost completely forgetting the situation, his right foot would slide back so that he half-faced her, as his golden eyes allowed itself to look at her from head to toe, before reconnecting with the girl's own pair of orbs. "Hey, how ya do--" Before he could finish, though, another arrow would soar past him. This one, however, would find itself connecting with the wooden carriage, right in front of Cain, as it blocked out his vision. His eyes widened, as he leaned away from it, slowly, as if fearing that it would still prove him harm. He turned his head, sidewards, noticing a Risen with a bow, sluggishly aiming it towards him. Well, shit, he had been rather lucky there, hadn't he? He sighed, before turning back to Penelope. Giving a grin and a wink, then, he'd snap a quip at her. "Stay alive, a'ight, babe?" And finally, the mercenary would draw his sword, pulling the weapon out of its sheathe. His other sword, however, remained sheathed, the man finding no reason to draw it as of yet. Then facing towards the front, he knew that the most ideal approach for them here was to try and escape, by bursting through the front lines and ignoring the ones at the side. Trying to fight them all off while keeping the civilian passengers safe would be near impossible. He needed to handle one first. Charging to the front, he descended upon a Risen, his speed proven to be superior as he sliced of the undead's arms and head as it lifted its axe up to attack Cain. Kicking the beheaded corpse back, Cain would come upon another, dodging another swing of an axe by stepping to the side, before thrusting his blade forward, into the neck. Twisting the blade within the wound, Cain would pull the blade upwards, completely slicing the Risen's skull into two. Once again, he kicked that corpse down, before pointing at the driver of the lead of two caravans. "Get moving!"

◀ MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Penelope]

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fight or flight

words: 488 | tags: Cain | notes: do we stay or do we go now

Want to talk about something really dangerous? Confuse someone in the middle of an undead ambush. Penelope was driven to kill these things. It was they who had robbed her of her parents, of her family and a quiet life as a shepherd. If not them specifically then monsters like them, monsters and whatever puppeteers that plucked their strings. A cold fury steeled her arm and made every arrow she loosed find its mark. Well, usually. While she had a keen eye and was an excellent shot the girl was a farmer in the end of things. Not some pretty Ylissian groomed for sport. It made that first arrow, whatever the proximity, a very exciting moment. All around the sounds of battle flared to life.

But then there was this guy. This guy that had originally nothing to do with her and was trying to flirt in a fight besides. She knew him for one of the caravan guards but he wouldn't know her for one, primarily because she wasn't. She was one of the strangers that had bummed a ride on this death trap of a bus wagon. There were details, but for now she couldn't be bothered to recall. What had he just called her? She gawked like a fool, completely forgetting for those next few seconds just what was going on. Typically a comment like that would have earned the sharp side of her tongue and a fist to go with it. But this guy just had to go all hero mode afterwards, stifling her initial response and otherwise making her look like a nilly-witted farmgirl. A flustered mouth worked to find some sort of retaliation-- some words in general. "Wh--Ty-- You--"

"We can't! They have to clear the way first!!" The answering shout to Cain's order came from a skinny man who seemed on the verge of panic. The horses at the front of the carriages were throwing a fit, yet that wasn't where the driver's outstretched arm was pointing towards. At the front, some dozen paces ahead, the three guard's on horseback were weeding through the Risen that had bunched in their path. From the looks of things they weren't struggling but to the trained eye it was obvious they would need a few minutes to clear the road. By this point several of the carriage inhabitants were already on the verge of bailing. Others yammered with fear; somewhere a kid started to cry. Penelope glanced towards Cain.

She had caught on to the situation, apparently, and had her head in the game again. Leaning out the back of the carriage she was spying over the top towards the front of the road. Her glance carried with it uncertainty. They were likely cut of the same cloth, them and those passengers that were in the process of making a break for it. Things were going South and this caravan wasn't moving. Decisions, decisions...

made by Wolf of GS

[Cain]

"What?!" Cain snapped back in retaliation, in clear disbelief, before he glanced over his shoulder. And there, true enough, the three other mercenaries that had been hired, the ones on horseback, had chosen to lead forward to try and cut a path through the Risen. Cain frowned, before turning back to the driver. "I know, that's why we have to go now! They'll clear the path, just focus on moving! Take too long and the Risen will overrun them, and we'll all be trapped here!" Despite his somewhat playful personality, and not to mention immature antics, Cain was nonetheless an experienced and battle-hardened mercenary, who had seen his fair share of FUBAR situations. You know, fucked up beyond all recognition. This was just one of those moments. If the caravan chose to remain in place, then the Risen at the sides would have succeeded in trapping it in between their ranks. He clicked his tongue, turning his back to the driver and allowing himself to descend upon the nearest Risen he could reach. A quick horizontal swing of his blade parried away a vertical slash. Reversing the swing of his arm, he allowed the sword to retrace its steps, as he succeeded them in throwing the entirety of the Risen's arm away from its front, leaving it entirely open for the Mercenary to capitalize. He stabbed his sword into its throat, before twisting the blade, enlarging the hole that had been freshly added onto its grotesque appearance. Kicking the corpse back, Cain would be quick to draw back as he narrowly dodged a spear, as it sliced the air right in front of him. Another click of his tongue, and he reached forward, catching the spear as it came in a second time. His body would weave leftwards, his left hand pushing the weapon's trajectory way off-course and thus saving his life, Cain created another opening for himself. A slash, and the undead's intestines would come flopping out from its fresh wound, of which would finally be killed, or re-killed, as Cain sliced the entire head cleanly off its neck. He was doing rather we-- There was a sharp scream, and Cain's eyes widened, as he glanced over his shoulder. Clawing at the cloth of the caravan apart and reaching inside was another Risen. And apparently, it had found a prey within its grasp, that being of a small girl, from the sound of the shriek. Cain gritted his teeth, as he twirled on his left foot, right hand reeling back before snapping forward. His sword would leave his grip, flipping through the air, before embedding the Risen's corpse onto the side of the cabin, its blade cutting cleanly into its chest. Great. Now he was unarmed. And he'd pay for it almost immediately, as he felt a heavy weight on his side, as a Risen draped itself over him, pressing the shaft of its spear against Cain's throat as the undead corpse propped itself above Cain's downed person. His hands came up, trying to push the shaft of the spear off his neck, but the Risen was proving to be a lot heavier than he thought.

◀ MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Penelope]

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heads up

words: 455 | tags: Cain | notes: sorry, experimenting with colors!

No worries. This was what she was here for, right? Just in case this caravan's little mercenary-cavalier lineup didn't work all that well. Just in case they needed a little feminine support. An arrow took the spear-wielding Risen in the chest, feathered shaft still quivering from the impact when another rammed its way through the thing's nasal cavity. It sagged, lighted eyes losing their focus and glare before eventually fading altogether. Whatever rotten flesh and smell of zombie was left Cain would have to deal with on his own.

"Why don'cha leave the shootin' to me, hotshot." grunted a voice from directly behind him. All the mercenary would have to do is tilt his head upwards and he'd find her there. Having abandoned her perch on the back of the wagon the archer now didn't stop in the process of knock, draw and loose. Wherever an arrow flew from her bow it landed true, though that wasn't saying much. It was a rare occurrence for the projectiles to nail a zombie in the head but it /did/ happen. Just in the end there were too many for her to hold back, and Risen didn't flinch when you put an arrowhead through their guts.

"Get up yeah snot. I ain't got enough in the quiver for this lot." True enough to her words already a few of the undead were closing in on them. Most had arrows protruding from them in some place or another. Pausing in her rhythm Penelope would swing her bow to the side, arching her back as she hiked a leg and /chest kicked/ a foe that wandered too close. It had carried a curved sword, winding it up towards a brutal overhead strike when the heel of her boot sent it stumbling backwards. Relatively no damage dealt, but it earned her the time she needed to put another arrow through its heart. There were more on the way, from the same direction and otherwise.

On the bright side the drivers were finally getting things on the move. The lurch forward from the caravan had any clinging Risen flailing and thrown off balance. As it were the passengers were chattering with fear, but relatively few of them had been injured and none had been slain. Yet. On the downside, the caravan's retreat meant Penelope and Cain were soon to be left without cover. And made evident by an arrow whizzing passed her face, the Risen had archers of their own. Biting off a senseless curse Piper dropped to one knee while simultaneously yanking another arrow from her hip-quiver. It took her a moment to find the shooter, another to line up the shot. Moments that gave approaching Risen to close the gap.

made by Wolf of GS

[Cain]

The Risen would sudden convulse, stiffening for a brief moment, before collapsing onto Cain, dead. He blinked, confused for a moment, until he saw the arrow's shaft sticking out of its back. It did not take long for Cain to realize where the arrow had come from, and his lips curled into a smirk. Good shot, for a girl. Grunting, he proceeded to shove the corpse off from above him, as it rolled to the side and away from worry. Releasing a soft sigh, he placed both of his hands on the ground and was about to get up when he heard the familiar voice of the archer. He blinked, before tilting his head upwards, seeing the beautiful brunette there once again. Cain smirked, before giving a nod of his head. "Aye, aye, thanks for the save." And with that, Cain wasted no time in getting up onto his feet, just as a Risen sought to attack the two of them, coming at Penelope from the side. The Mercenary was a tad bit faster, though, despite having just recovered from a fall. He would swing his right leg inwards, pulling it as high as he could, allowing his boot to collide with the undead's face, knocking him back. He would follow-up quickly, taking two steps forward, before taking into the air, swinging in a left roundhouse kick, the rotten flesh unable to take the force as the entire head was ripped out by the neck. "Fine, fine." Cain snapped back as he turned towards Penelope, before returning to his last kill before that spearman undead caught him off-guard. Placing his boot on the corpse, he grabbed the sword and pulled the weapon out, before proceeding to ensure that the corpse was defeated by beheading it with a swing of his blade. Wasting no time, Cain brought the fight back to the undead, running past Penelope to ensure that he'd take the zombies down before the reached her. A parry of a blade, and a right boot sufficed in knocking back one of them, before Cain proceeded to slice the arm off an ax-wielding zombie. Reversing the momentum of the swing, he'd allow his sword to decapitate the Risen, putting him out of combat. "Start moving back to the caravan! I'd love to spend some time with ya, but this is far from the perfect setting for a date." Cain yelled over to Penelope as he pushed back another Risen after crossing swords with him, momentarily distracted as an arrow grazed his arm, causing him to reel back to escape the follow-up slash by his current opponent. This was getting harder by the second. Could he really last long enough against this horde until the caravan was safe from their grasp?

◀ MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS