Tales of the Lonely Road (Open)

[Angmor]

Teiris stood in awe atop the hill, gazing across the unbroken field of green before him. Having been born and raised in one of the densest cities in Alagaesia, the sheer weight of the emptiness was overwhelming. He had heard the stories of course, but those had done nothing to prepare him for the real thing. The view before him was spread out in a sea of unbroken green, eerily flat, reaching from horizon to horizon to the north and west. Here and were patches of rolling hills, identifiable only by their shadows, all covered with the same long bladegrass at Teiris' feet. He shook his head.
Amazing. This must be what a fly on the wall feels like.
For several moments he stood there, drinking in the sight. Finally he shook himself out of his reverie. Well, no point standing here and presenting a neat target.
Cinching his small knapsack a little higher on his back, he struck off strongly down the hill, his leather boots rustling through the grass.

Teiris had not begun the week expecting to be taking this journey. For the past several days, he had been hiding in a small village near the edge of the plain, serving as little more than a waypoint for travelers and a meeting place for farmers. He had become employed as a farmhand there. It had been sweating, back-breaking work, but it had provided the things of which he was usually in need, food, shelter for the night, and a little coin for his troubles. It was a familiar pattern by now, and one for which Teiris thanked the gods. Ever since escaping his captors, he had to do some serious thinking about his plans and motivations, about what drove him onwards. He'd realized that, in the end, all he really wanted was a simple, normal life. His entire existence had been spent as a pawn in another's game, whether his uncle's, the Broddring Kingdom's or the Hand's. After all he had been through, he decided that all he wished to do was find some quiet, out of the way place, meet a girl, settle down with nothing but a simple profession and a modest income. It was his dream, and he was determined to realize it. The Hand could chase him all it wanted. He was so small, and Alagaesia was so large, finding him would be extremely difficult.
Of course, that didn't mean that they couldn't get lucky.
The previous day, three strange men had entered the village, taking up residence in the inn. They would not state their intention or their business, but Teiris had been able to catch a glimpse of them without them seeing him. They had all possessed the hard, grim faces that he had seen on so many mercenaries and bounty hunters.
Naturally, he had thought it prudent not to linger, and slipped away without a word to anyone. After doing his best to lay a false trail to the south, he had then struck out northwest into the Silent Plains.

The name had taken on an almost legendary status in his mind by then. After wandering its fringes for months, he had amassed an impressive collection of stories surrounding it. But, for all its majesty, he was somewhat underwhelmed. In the bright day, allowing him to see for miles in any direction, he somehow doubted that they could be big enough to hide bandits, urgal tribes, avenging spirits or mysterious roving lights. There was nothing but hills, grass, and the occasional wildflower. It was at least a pleasant day for walking. With the cooler weather entering the throes of summer, the weather had taken a turn for the chaotic, with the sky sporting a covering of mottled clouds, threatening in places with rain even next to patches of blue sky. The morning sun beat down the humid air, broken only by a gentle southerly breeze that whispered playfully through the grass. By the time Teiris was an hour into his march, he had removed his worn leather jacket and tied it around his waist, rolling the sleeves of his loose green tunic up to his elbows. He allowed himself to fall into an unconscious rhythm with his steps, one foot falling naturally in front of the other, setting an easy lope that he knew from experience would eat up the miles. He even found himself singing an old walking song that he had once heard from a party of merchants in his youth, brought back to his recall by his eidetic memory.

Upon the hearth the fire is red,
Beneath the roof there is a bed,
But not yet weary are our feet,
Still round the corner we may meet
A sudden tree or standing stone
That none have seen but we alone.
Tree and flower and leaf and grass,
Let them pass, let them pass!
Hill and water under sky,
Pass them by, pass them by!

Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate,
And though we pass them by today,
Tomorrow we may come this way
And take the hidden paths that run
Towards the moon or to the sun.
Apple, thorn and nut and sloe,
Let them go, let them go!
Sand and stone and pool and dell,
Fare you well, Fare you well!

[/center]

There had been more, but he had not been able to hear it at the time, and it was lost to the ages.

It was about midmorning when he found himself climbing into a clump of hills, he thought perhaps the same ones he had seen from afar when he had entered the plains. If they were, then his far-off vision had done nothing to communicate the scale. The hill he was scaling was taller and steeper than he would have thought, leaving him breathing heavily by the time he reached the summit. He found himself standing atop a crater-like depression in the top of the hill, as if a star had fallen in a past age and dug a shallow bowl into the top of the hill before being covered by the ubiquitous grass.
Not a bad place to rest, He decided, shrugging off his knapsack. As he sat down on the grass, reclining against the sides of the depression, he found that he was comfortably concealed from anyone except a Dragon Rider. Thus assured, he allowed himself to relax, removing some bread and cheese from his satchel for a light snack.

He hadn't realized he had fallen asleep, but between the heat and the pleasant fatigue of his walk, he had fallen into a dreamless doze. He was grateful enough that he had managed to rest without his nightmares visiting him, but something had obviously woken him...
Then it came again. The rustling of movement through the grass, louder than it had been before.
Teiris froze, his jovial mood instantly forgotten.
Stupid stupid stupid! How could you have dozed off like that? All you would have had to do was peek your head over the edge and you would have been able to see for miles, but no, you had to go and fall asleep and let who knows what sneak up on you...
The sound of movement came again, and there was no longer any mistaking it. Someone or something was climbing the hill. If they crested the top of the bowl, they would see him. Lying as still as he could, Teiris put his hand on the hilt of the dagger on his belt, listening as hard as he could.[/size][/blockquote]

Well, I was bored last night, so I sat down in front of the keyboard for about an hour during a thunderstorm, and... This came out. My first post under 2000 words long in pretty close to three years. Just a simple setup for a random encounter thread. If you're up for some really simple, casual stuff, or have something of a plot in mind, go head and jump in.

PS: I'm more intending this for other people who are wanting to get their characters into more threads, but are not sure how. Not necessarily for someone who has ten threads already and is looking thinking 'Heck, why not.'

[Riley]

Riley rode into the plains, he had been here once before when he was still working for his former boss. He knew it was a particularly good place to hide after a job, especially one that went south. His former teammate had sent a bounty hunter after him, and though he failed, he still felt the urge to hide for now. Though the truce with his former boss stood, Riley and Mari had no such deal. It struck him as odd though, why would Mari send people after him now? It was pointless, neither of them could ever go back to Furnost as it was. Even if one managed to kill the other, it wouldn't do any good. They would still be killed. Then again, maybe Mari didn't send the bounty hunter after him after all.

While he had been thinking, Riley had ridden for hours and he came to a clump of hills. "This'll do nicely." He thought, and with that began his ascent. Dismounting his horse and walking up, he was tired of riding for the moment, a saddle was not the most comfortable place to sit for hours. It took him time to reach the top, he was in no hurry this far from civilization, and when he did he whistled. Riley hadn't expected a crater, he hadn't seen this on his last visit. Granted his last visit only skirted the edges of the plains on his way from a job.

Riley then began to look around, and spotted a man slightly younger than himself, his hand on a dagger. The mercenary stood still, and left his arms at his side. "Relax stranger, I mean you no harm." Riley, almost painfully slowly, reached to the left side of his belt and unclipped the longsword that hung their. Letting it fall to the ground with a soft thump. He still had a dagger hidden in the insides of his hooded tunic however, he didn't want to fight, he wasn't stupid. "Name's Riley Wolfsbane."

[Angmor]

Teiris' entire existence was devoted to listening. His ears, he knew, could tell him many things if he let them. First of all, they could tell him that whoever was on their way up the hill was probably not a large individual. The step was light, without any of the heavy thumping through the ground that a heavy foot would have created. They also told him that the person wasn't in any particular hurry. The cadence was too slow, and yet not quite slow enough to suggest that the person was trying to sneak up on him. A moment later, the evidence was multiplied as the sound of whistling joined the rustle in the grass. It was a laid-back and casual sound, rising and falling lazily with no particular tune. It could have meant they didn't know he was there. It could also suggest that they did, and didn't want him to think they did. As useful as his hearing was, there were many things that his ears could not tell him. Like, for example, whether the approaching person was someone out to kill him.

As the sounds grew closer, Teiris tensed, preparing to leap to his feet and run, either to attack or retreat depending on who was there. He did not rise just yet. There was still a tiny chance that the unknown might pass him by, and he did not want to ruin it with noise. Quieting his nerves, he waited...
The rustling grew to a crescendo, and then suddenly, rising up over the edge of the crater was the skylighted shape of a man.

Teiris tensed even further, his system flooding with adrenaline as he readied himself to jump...
The man spotted him an instant later, and Teiris felt his heart leap into his throat as his hand tightened on the hilt of his dagger...
"Relax stranger,” The man said suddenly. “I mean you no harm." Teiris knew he shouldn't hesitate, but something in the man's clear, youthful voice gave him pause to consider.
Go. He told himself. He can say he doesn't want to kill you, but talk is cheap...
Even as he thought it, the man, moving with infinite care, reached to his side and untied the sword that rode there, the blade making a dull metallic sound within its sheath as it hit the grass. The man then extended his hands, palms outward in the universal sign of peace. "Name’s Riley Wolfsbane."

Teiris relaxed, but only a little. He figured he was no longer in any immediate danger, but that did not mean he was safe. The man could very easily be stalling him in order to cover the approach of others. Teiris slowly slid his hand from his dagger, but not very far.
Free of the focus of survival, he was about to take in more of the details of the intruder. He was a young man, probably on a few years older than himself, although considerably taller. Sharp, handsome features, close-cropped brown hair, deep, expressionless blue eyes. Very neat and ordinary. As Teiris had thought before, he was not a big man, but the width of his shoulders and the set of his stance indicated that he was no slouch. His clothing made it harder to tell. He was dressed in some dark-colored breeches and a tunic of somewhat peculiar design, with a hood sewn directly into the back without the use of a cloak. Unfortunately, the clothes were loose enough to conceal the prints of any hidden weapons, if there were any. But Teiris did not doubt their existence. In order to separate himself with his weapon right before a random stranger in the middle of the wilds, the man would have to fatally stupid. And Teiris did not think he was stupid. There was something about the man that projected an aura of competence, like he was very good at something, and very confident in his abilities.

Glad that none of these things made it past the steel barrier of his eyes, Teiris decided to play it cool. If he was being conned, he would not let on until the last possible moment. Instead, he would find a casual way to look out over the hill and get a look around, to find out if his suspicion of others was correct. He put on an expression of relief, forcing himself to relax further.
"You must forgive me, friend," He said as casually as he could. "I never expected that I would meet another traveler out here in the middle of this gods-forsaken wilderness."

[/blockquote]

[Riley]

Riley didn't like something about this guy, he was almost forcing himself to calm. But maybe that was just his own natural paranoia leaking out, it tended to happen when you fought for your life on a regular basis. He hoped that he was merely over thinking this situation, and wouldn't get a dagger shoved into his body. He, again slowly, turned slightly and clicked his tongue a few times. His horse began the trek up the hill, "I didn't expect to find anyone myself, I came here to hide from bounty hunters sent to find me. I killed one, but I don't know if there are more." Riley said turning back to the younger man, he didn't feel like lying at the moment.

His horse stopped just behind him, Riley attached the sword to the saddle with careful movements, and removed his waterskin and food. He then let the horse wander slightly. Using his mind he made sure the horse would stay close, just in case. The mercenary took two steps forward, and sat on the ground and began to eat. "Ah, my apologies would you like some food? Water?" Riley asked after taking a few bites and a drink of his water, his parents had taught him better than to not offer. So had the Riders. Though he tended to treasure the Rider's lessons more than his parents, the Rider's never looked down on him because of his magic. No matter how limited it was.

Riley took in the younger man, he was thin but he did have muscles. His eyes were dead, emotionless. His clothes were worn, but not overly. The archer's vambraces and the scarf around his neck were used to hide something, scars most likely. At least he assumed as such, with the lack of a bow. He guessed that the younger man had skill with the dagger, why else would he have gripped it as such. In any case, his size indicated speed over strength, he might have that advantage over Riley. He could be wrong however, though he hopped that he wouldn't find out.

[ryan]

The thunderous footsteps of the massive creatures filled the air around them. Eight urgals had been running as fast as they could, the tired look upon their face expressed how long they had been running. Urgals could run for days on end, they were a very athletic race, only stopping few times when out on an expedition. But, this was not boar-hunt, this was serious business. They all knew that, they all would not stop until they were safe. They had to move on, or they would be slaughtered by the creatures that trailed not to far behind them. This was a common event amongst the urgals.

A tribe war had occurred. Behind the few that lived trailed twenty urgals, all lead by one massive leader. Gormak, their kull warchieftan. One of the most well-known kull in his land. His tribe had not lost a battle in years, and they were known for starting them up. The massive nine foot tall, blue toned kull ran roaring out in anger. He wanted to finish the fight. He had taken a portion of his tribe to track down the few that had cowered and began to run, everyone else had been slaughtered. He was no man of mercy, mess with Gormak, face the wraith of his double-bladed ax.

They had been in this chase for days, none of them had given way, but both tribes were close. The only one who remained fresh was Gormak. To him, this was nothing, he had run much further, and much faster before. He was supposed to be superior, and that he was. The eight urgals dropped to a knee, pulling whatever weapon they wielded out. They could not run anymore, they had to stop, had to fight for their lives now. Gormak shouted once more, his weapon had already been in hand, the rest of the tribe followed.

The distance between them had closed in minutes, the battle had begun. Gormak was the first to strike, swinging his ax through the sky, and planting itself within the skull of an opposing urgal. All that could be heard was the sickening split of the creatures skull. Blood poured out as it hit the ground. The twenty other urgals engaged, suffering no casualties, the battle was over within seconds. It seemed like such a waste of effort, a two day run, for a fifteen second battle. But they deserved what they had gotten, the war was over.

Gormak shouted out to his fellow tribesman who began to set up whatever they could in an attempt to make a make-shift camp. They needed very little. All they did was set up a small fire, just enough to cook their food. Urgals slept on the ground, to them that was comfort enough, especially after the run. The urgals devoured their food as quickly as they could, waiting to see who would have first watch. "Rest easy, all of you." He picked up his battle ax and moved a few meters away from the relieved urgals. He had the best endurance, he was fine. But his soldiers needed rest, and he would give it to them.

He piled up the bodies of the one's who had been slaughtered, spitting on each and every one of them. They were weak, therefore deserved death. It was as simple as that in his mind. No need for remorse, mercy was just a way for the weak to survive. A way for the land to breed more weak foes. Gormak's job was to slaughter each and everyone he laid eyes upon, it had been a while since he had killed one from another race. That was one disappointment. He despised the other races, they were all weak. If only he had a human before him now. He swung his axe once more into one of the bodies, slicing it nearly in two. The sheer strength of Gormak was impressive. He withdrew his weapons, and scanned the area around him.

[Angmor]

Teiris blinked. Did the man just… No, it couldn’t be. He must have heard wrong. But that was impossible. His ears were working, and so was his perfect memory.
…I came here to hide from bounty hunters sent to find me. I killed one, but I don't know if there are more…"
So, it was true. The man had come here, sat down in front of a total stranger, and admitted that he was some sort of wanted man and obviously a killer. The sheer amount of nerve for such a statement was mind-boggling. The fact that he himself had a bounty on his head was entirely beside the point. There was no way the man could know that. There could be no way that he would know Teiris wouldn’t get it in his head to try and collect. And yet, there it was, just as casual and back-handed as you please.
He sat there, blankly following the newcomer’s movements as he dispassionately sent his horse out to graze before sitting down at a comfortable distance, removing a small satchel. Teiris eyes it warily as the man reached in, coming out with…
Bread and water.
The man was just sitting there, eating lunch. Teiris was totally unsure what to think. Either this man was really not concerned with him being a threat, or…
…Or it’s a shakedown. To see how I react when he mentions bounty-hunters. Maybe he’s one of them, but he’s not sure if I’m the one he’s after.
After a moment, the man seemed not notice his stare, looking up from his meal. "Ah, my apologies would you like some food? Water?"
Teiris shook his head inwardly, absolutely amazed. He was no longer totally concerned for an ambush. He was simply entirely confused. He had no precedent or similar situation to fall back on, and even his uncle’s training gave him no ideas. But one thing was certain. He did not want to be anywhere near someone who could be so unpredictable.

“Er, no, thank you.” He answered, standing slowly to his feet, collecting his jacket and knapsack on the way up. “Actually, I was just leaving. Thanks for the offer… “ As he spoke, he scanned the hillside behind the man and on either side. To his mild surprise, there was no one crawling silently up to try and capture him. Except for the man’s horse a short distance away, The horizon was clear. Satisfied, he glanced back to the man. “…And I suppose, good luck in your travels. I may see you somewhere. Like in prison…” He muttered quietly. With that, he turned an about-face, fully intending to walk away. There it was. He had presented his back. The perfect opportunity. If the man was after him, now would have to be the time. Teiris kept walking, straining his ears, waiting for the sound that would indicate the man’s attack… As he reached the crest of the crater’s side, however, he stopped, his eyes drawn to a moving mass on the horizon. Strange, he had not yet seen that color brown anywhere on the plains. Perhaps it was an odd wildflower that he cropped up there…
He blinked, suddenly realizing that the mass wasn’t just shifting and undulating, it was getting closer. At almost the same instant, the individual forms were suddenly visible. Even with the distance, they looked grotesque. Huge, stocky bodies, long, thick limbs, large heads ringed with horns somewhat reminiscent of a ram.
For several seconds, Teiris just stared, unable to process what he was seeing. It could not be real. He had never seen anything like them before, and yet… So many stories, so many horrific legends. There was only one thing they could be.
Urgals.
As the word percolated through his brain, he gradually realized the danger he was in, standing on the hilltop, lit up against the sky. With an emphatic curse, he threw himself back down below the edge of the crater. This time, it was the man’s turn to stare at him. He pointed sharply.
“You may want to take a look at that, just to make sure I’m not dreaming.”

As he raised himself carefully over the lip, exposing as little of himself as possible as he looked out, it was quite apparent that he was not dreaming. The urgals where much closer now, close enough for him to see what was going on. There were two distinct groups, a small, ragged band being chased mercilessly but one much larger. This one was also led by a even more massive form. Even as he watched, the smaller group lurched to a halt, seemingly exhausted, turning to fight their pursuers. It was a doomed effort, and the defeated where almost instantly overwhelmed, mostly by the behemoth with the axe. Wincing, Teiris ducked back below the edge, forcing himself to calm down and consider.
“Well.” He said to the man, who had by then joined him. “This was… unexpected.”

[/blockquote]

[Riley]

So this man thought that he wanted to claim a bounty? Well he didn't care about this man's bounty, if he wanted to leave than he could. It didn't seem as though he had hurt anyone, and he didn't think he would be turned in himself. Where was the harm? Just in case though, he thought he should erase his name and appearance from the man's mind. Just when he was going to do that however, he asked him to look at something.

Riley stood and crossed to the stranger, crawling up the hill just in case he wasn't dreaming. The moment he saw the two groups of Urgals fight, he was worried. Especially since the larger of the two didn't loose any warriors. And they were led by a Kull. The mercenary turned pale, he could fight several Urgals, and possibly outrun the rest on his horse. But a Kull? He wasn't sure on that one, nor did he particularly want to find out right now. "That large one is a Kull. I've never seen one before, but that's all it could be." He began in a whisper, "They're bigger, stronger, faster, meaner. They can run for days and equal if not surpass a horse."

Riley swore in a whisper, trying to find a possible way to escape. The only way he could think of was to head back in the direction they came. That wouldn't do for him, and he was pretty sure the man next to him wouldn't like that either. The mercenary slowly and carefully went down to the center of the crater, where his horse now stood out of site. He quickly clipped his sword back to his belt, and strapped on his bracers and greaves.

Returning to the edge of the crater, he peeked over once more before ducking back down. "The Kull is actively looking around, escaping while he's there would be impossible." He leaned his head against the ground for a second, thinking. If only he could use magic without killing himself, that would solve the Kull problem. The rest of the Urgals though, he didn't know any magicians or human who could defeat twenty Urgals on their own. "Ideas? The only one I can think of is a distraction. Which I won't be, and won't ask you to be." His eyes fell to his horse, and he thought of it for a second, but didn't like it.

[ryan]

Gormak continued to scan the empty plains, watching for anything. He was tired of eating the boar that had caught the previous day, the meat had dried out, he wanted a fresh kill. Something he could devour without having a bland taste, something that didn't make him want to kill one of his own and eat them. The same old food, day after day, what he would do now for a fresh wolf, or horse. The only thing on his mind was food, and how to obtain some, but as his questions began to pile up he saw the answer. Grazing out in the field there was a figure. A four legged creature gazed the field. He knew exactly what it was, a horse.

Wild horses were rare to Gormak, anything that was that smart could sense an urgal near by, and would run away. Though he was able to catch up to one, he found it an unnecessary effort to hunt. It would take to much effort to catch up to a full sprinting horse, but that's why he was the chieftain. He did not have to do such labor. He slowly made his way back to his band of soldiers, and kicked the littlest one he could find, one of the archers. As the urgal shifted, groaned, then realized what was happening Gormak continued to eye the horse. The urgal had jolted upright, in respect to his leader's necessity of him.

"Jefghar, I want horse. Go lop' head off," he pointed into the direction of the animal as it continued to graze the field. The archer grunted in acknowledgment. He drew his bow, then slowly crept across the plain. He would have to use the hill as cover in fear of the horse sensing him. The urgals were veterans when it came to hunting animals, and they knew exactly how to do it, each animal held different traits, each was hunted differently. Wolves always traveled in packs, and were territorial, step in the wrong path, they all attack. Easily slaughtered by an urgal or two. Boar another creature one took head on. But deer, and horses were different. One must stalk it's prey.

As the lonely urgal crept up toward the hill, he had his eyes on one thing only. Oblivious to all else around him. This was his first battle, he had to prove himself in front of the tribe. This was also the reason he was chosen. If he failed, he was clearly not worthy of coming with the tribe on this battle. He lacked a kill, and could at least provide food for his chieftain now. As it reached the base of the hill, it slowly, and quietly crept it's way up toward the tip of the hill, trying to reach the top in order to shoot down upon the horse, the easiest way to kill this beast.

[Riley]

Riley swore, and extended a single tendril of thought toward his companion. "Stay quite and hide. Think your reply and I'll hear it. When the Urgal gets here I'll kill him. We might need to make a quick escape, so be ready to move. We'll be safer together against Urgals. Especially that Kull." He kept the connection open for the moment, and ducked down below the edge once again. At the same time he reached into his tunic and pulled out a dagger with a very old looking hilt. He hid the weapon in his shadow, so it wouldn't case a glare. And he started waiting.

Time seemed to creep by slower than he could ever remember it passing, though he knew it didn't change. It was always the same before a fight for him. His perception of time seemed to slow, allowing him to be more aware of his surroundings. The sound of the wind rustling the grass was too loud. His stupid horse grazing seemed like yelling in his ear. The foot steps of the oncoming Urgal were like drums. The grass below him smelled stronger, and seemed greener. The sky seemed more blue that he had ever seen, the few clouds held more fluff than he remembered. The wind was cooler, and his actions seemed slower. Even though it all happened in seconds.

The Urgal stood over the edge of the crater, arrow knocked but the bow was not drawn back. That was his first mistake. His second was not making sure that the area was clear. Riley launched his attack then, jumping up and driving his dagger up through the Urgal's jaw and into his brain. Warm blood poured down over his hand and into his vambrace. Riley couldn't help but smell copper and be reminded of his first kill. The same thing with every fight. He forced the Urgal to fall to his right, the creature landing on it's left side.

Riley scooped up the bow and arrow, knocked the shaft, and took aim. His first instinct was to shoot one of the other nineteen Urgals, but he knew that would be a waste of an arrow. Two people could outrun Urgals on horseback. But no human could outrun a Kull. Nor could two people on horseback. And he knew he couldn't overpower the brute, though he didn't know of the other man's physical abilities, he doubted the younger man could either. And so he did the one thing he thought was best. He took aim at the Kull and let the arrow fly.

The moment the arrow was clear of the bow, he dropped it and drew his longsword. Waiting for the results.

[Angmor]

Reflecting on it later, Teiris would eventually see the irony of it. Before his life was cut short by treachery, Teiris’ uncle had never been much given for profanity. Such displays of extreme emotion, he concluded, were most often counter-productive. As a result of that upbringing, Teiris himself did not swear as much as he might have, considering his situation. Because of this, he had probably used more expletives in the past ten minutes than he had his entire life.
Fear, of course, was nothing new to him these days. It was a constant companion to him, whether it was the swift, biting fear of being chased by superior forces bent on dragging him back to the hell he had barely managed to escape, or the subtle, lurking fear of waiting for those forces to appear. He knew how to deal with those sorts of fear, master them to his own ends.
But this kind was different.
This was the raw fear of something that he did not know or understand.

His mind buzzed with questions, even as he helped the strange man –Riley, he amended- remove the saddle-bags from his horse. Only the man’s intense expression of concentration stopped Teiris from voicing them. Clearly, this Riley was far more experienced in this sort of thing, so he was perfectly content to let him think. That was the root of his fear, Teiris realized. Throughout his life, he had been able to use his uncle’s teaching to extrapolate anything he knew from a situation and use it to think his way out. Out-thinking, not out-fighting. But there was no way that he could do anything of the sort here. There was far too much that he didn’t know. Reaching back into his eidetic memory, he pondered Riley’s words.
"That large one is a Kull. I've never seen one before, but that's all it could be. They're bigger, stronger, faster, meaner. They can run for days and equal if not surpass a horse."
Well, that was all well and good, but all that really told him was that if it came down to fighting, he might as well slit his own throat. But what of its behavior? Were urgals truly the mindless, monstrous destroyers that all the tales said, incapable of anything but killing? Or were they intelligent? Was he dealing with a beast, or a warrior? It would seem to him that the success of the horse as a decoy was contingent on the answer to that question. But as far as he could see, it was the best option they had.

A moment later, they finished unburdening the horse of Riley’s supplies. As he settled back into a crouch against the sides of the crater, it suddenly occurred to Teiris that he had no idea how the man would get the beast to wander out into the plain and draw the urgals away. If the horse were so well-trained, he doubted that Riley would be willing to let it go so readily. Oddly enough, his concern was unfounded. Without so much as a whistle or a word of command, the horse gave a soft snort and trotted briskly over the edge of the crater and down the side of the hill. By all appearances, Riley hadn’t needed to do anything.
Curious, Teiris thought, frowning.
He hid his sudden interest as the man turned and joined him, and together they turned their attention to the urgal camp.

Since he had last looked, the creatures had become well and truly settled onto the spot of their victory. The huge one, -the Kull- was still up and alert, looking over the bodies of the slain urgals that he had apparently piled there himself. Teiris found that interesting. Why not just leave them where they lay…
Even as he watched, the Kull swung its huge, double-bladed axe, the one looking to be a younger cousin of a warship’s anchor, embedding the blade into one of the urgal corpses. Even from such a distance, Teiris clearly heard the sickening squelch of flesh, coupled with the muted popping of shattered bones.
He looked away, sickened. It wasn’t so much the blood and gore that disturbed him, he’d seen plenty of that from the Hand. But the sheer, mindless savagery of the action chilled him. It went a long way to answer his question. No, he was dealing with a beast. There was no honor here.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the horse reaching the bottom of the hill, prancing unwittingly in the grass in just the perfect way to provide the perfect juicy distraction. Gods, that horse was good. Either that or…
Or what, Teiris? He asked himself.
He glanced quickly to his companion. He wasn’t even looking at the horse, his attention fixed solidly on the Kull. Teiris did the same, pushing the thought away for later. It did not take long for the Kull to spot their bait. Although Teiris wasn’t sure what he was expecting to happen, what transpired next was not it. The Kull sauntered over to one of his apparent subordinates, kicking the creature awake and gesturing sharply to where the horse wandered. The urgal, this one much smaller, hurried to obey, taking up a bow and stalking quietly closer…
On a straight path toward their hiding place.

Teiris swore, syncopated by Riley’s own blasphemy. As backfiring plans went, he decided, this had to be the worst of his career. Instead of escape, it was about to doom them both. Just then, he noticed an odd, growing sensation in his head, unlike anything he had ever felt before. If he had to describe it, it would have been something like a hand gently stroking his brain, if such a thing were possible. This was quickly followed by an odd, resonant voice that was somehow also familiar. It was like it was his own thoughts, just in a different voice.
Stay quiet and hide. Think your reply and I'll hear it. When the Urgal gets here I'll kill him. We might need to make a quick escape, so be ready to move. We'll be safer together against Urgals. Especially that Kull.
Teiris' eyes snapped to Riley. "I... Did you...?"
The man was not listening, his sharp face tense with concentration. Reaching into his tunic, he withdrew a long aged-looking knife. Teiris took the hint and locking his teeth together. He would puzzle through how he could hear the man's voice in his head, but later. In the meantime, he followed its advice, tensing himself to run. Holding his breath to listen, he heavy stump sound of the approaching urgal, growing louder in his ears. Finally, the creature's enormous form crested the hill, its attention fixed on the horse.
Its final mistake.
Quick as thought, Riley sprang up, burying his knife deep under the urgal's jawbone, bypassing the creature's horns and driving straight into the brain. If that wasn't a signal, Teiris didn't know what was. His body suddenly flooded with adrenaline, he fairly flew to his feet. Keeping to a low crouch to avoid being seen, he sprinted to the side of the hill opposite the encampment, slowing only to scoop up Riley's saddlebags and drape them around his shoulders. He heard the sharp twang of the bowstring from behind him, but he did not bother to look back. He simply hoped that whatever his companion was doing was distracting enough that none of the urgals would notice the movement as he leapt over the side of the crater, dropping back out of sight on the other side. Free from that worry, he straightened to a full run, sprinting flat out down the hill. As he reached the bottom, he threw himself flat on the ground.
With the clarity of desperate action, his eidetic memory had afforded him knowledge of this hiding place. When he was first climbing the hill, he had nearly tripped over a shallow, roughly coffin-sized depression in the ground. His back sank slightly into the damp earth as he rolled into the depression, praising the gods for his choice of a green tunic that morning. The color blended almost perfectly with the long grass that mostly covered the dip, providing perfect camouflage. The rich smell of the heather would even conceal his scent, if urgals had that acute a sense for it. All the stories said that they did.
Alright, stay quiet and hide... He thought to himself as he finally brought his ragged breathing under control. As his heart rate came back down, he strained his ears to listen, trying to determine what was now happening on the hilltop he had left behind. To his own surprise, he found he was mostly expecting to hear the tortured screams of the man being ripped apart. And if that happened... Well, there would be nothing he could do about it. Coming out of hiding would only get him killed too. But if the urgals managed to kill the man, they would relax their vigilance, perhaps enough for him to slip away. He even had the man's supplies in the saddlebags lying beside him, leaving him with a profit from the situation. He realized of course that it was a cruel, ruthless thought.
He knew, without a doubt, that his uncle would be proud.

[/blockquote]

[ryan]

As the urgal began to climb on top of the mountain he remained oblivious to the two humans that lingered. He did not care, he wanted the kill, and he was clearly not smart enough to check his surroundings. Gormak knew exactly what he was doing when he sent the rookie to get the horse, he was securing his life. He was an urgal, but that didn't make him dumb. He actually was incredibly gifted when it came to battle tactics. Even though it was common for a stray horse to be seen out in the plains, it was still smart to take precautions. The rookie was this precaution.

He didn't know what hit him when the knife made it's way under his jaw, and embedded itself in his brain. A painless death for the young urgal. The blood dripped down his body as he collided with the ground. Gormak watched as the urgal dropped. There was something up there. He shouted as his men jumped up. They had no idea what was going on, nor did they know what they were up against. Gormak guessed no more then four guys. The hill was to small for any number greater then that.

He shouted at a few man to come up behind him. As they did an arrow sliced through the air, and embedded itself in the Kull's bicep. It barely penetrated his tough skin, but it did penetrate. He yelled out, not in pain, but in anger. He quickly drew up his battle axe and turned to sprint at the mountain. His band of soldiers quickly armed themselves to try and keep up, but it was impossible for them to catch up to their chieftain.

Gormak was in a rage now, he had just been shot, lost a soldier, and was now running blindly at a hill. He was not intimidated by a bow or a few humans trying to fight their way away from Gormak and his tribe. The only thought that flowed through his head was blood. He needed blood. He needed to shed the blood of whoever shot him, to hear him squeal like a pig as he got stuck from Gormak's massive axe. He needed to feel the bones crunch within his massive hands, and under his massive tree-trunk sized legs. He needed to kill.

[Riley]

Maybe attacking the kull had been a bad idea. The creature was now charging straight for him, along with his soldiers. Riley wished he wasn't alone in this, there were too many of them for one man to fight. Maybe if he hadn't been out of paralytic poison he could come up with some plan, but he was out. Another thought struck him, though it would have to be the best of timing. Man he really needed to think these things through better. Though he supposed he shouldn't fault himself too much, he was doing the best he could given the circumstances. But he did have twenty angry urgals charging at him. He best wasn't good enough this time.

Riley couldn't throw that far though, he needed to wait. The seconds went by slowly, excruciatingly so. He extended his mind out, he could sense his companion, and all the urgals. The kull's mind was too clouded by anger to influence, and there were too many urgals to influence them all. However, if he could influence a few of them, that would keep them busy enough to even the odds. Then again, maybe a subtle message over all of them would work. He decided on the latter, and extended a faint presence over all the urgals. Riley inserted the feeling of rage over all of them, directing it at each other.

Drawing his mind back to only surface thoughts, he saw that the kull was far closer. And was well within throwing range. The mercenary reached into one of the pouches at his belt and pulled out two of his five smoke bombs. Riley waited for several seconds, waited for the opportune moment. Then he through the two spheres, aiming for the kull's head. With that he gripped his sword tighter with his right hand, and with his left pulled out the dagger from the dead urgal. Things were about to get messy.

OOC: Note: Angmor says to go ahead and post. Teiris will be sitting aside throughout this fight anyway.))

[ryan]

Gormak continued to charge, he was clearly ahead of the rest of his group. A small bit of blood seeped through the wound that he had received from the arrow. It bothered him no more then a fly buzzing around his head would have. He was oblivious to the small wound, especially in his blood rage. He continued to let out a thunderous roar that would make most men fall in fear, begging for mercy. But the future victims, or victim, of this battle would surely not give up that easily. They were clearly confident, or stupid, enough to tempt the Kull. They had either pulled him in, or their plan had been royally messed up. As he reached the hill he had ducked under some sort of rock, or item thrown at his head. Again oblivious to what it was he made it to the hill and threw his enormous body up.

Jumping to reach the top, he could smell the stench of the human now. As the smoke filled the air behind him five of the urgals broke off behind him. Six more joined in as they reached the smoke. It had drawn most of them away from the current objective. Something had messed with their minds, but eight still managed to get past the barrage of mental attacks, through the smoke, and begin to climb the hill towards their chieftain who would have surely began the battle without them. He probably would already have the bodies of his victims piled up by the time they would reach him. He was clearly in a rage, and they just got in his way when he was this way. They had seen it a few times in battle, and it was almost poetic watching him dance around. Swinging his ax with such strength and precision.

As Gormak laid eyes upon the human he let out one more roar. He was ready to battle. The blood had been flowing through his body at an incredible pace. He had what the human's called an adrenaline rush, but the effects were so much greater for this massive beast. He lifted his battle axe which was almost as tall as the human in front of him, and began to swing it down upon him, aiming towards the top of the head. An attack which would not be to difficult to dodge, but it would indicate preparation of battle, and would signify his strength as it came crashing down into whatever lay beneath it.

[Riley]

Riley was almost ninety percent sure he was going to die, but then he had that thought in every other fight he had ever been in. Then again, he had never fought a kull before. How does one fight someone who's bigger, stronger, meaner, and had thicker skin that you do. Answer: You don't. So how was he going to do this? He didn't know. But he would probably find out very quickly. If he didn't, then he would die.

Riley saw the blow coming down, and it still looked to be in slow motion to him. He could go to either side, but he could possibly slide down the hill. So he did the next stupidest thing he could possibly do. He stepped forward, and launched an attack with his left hand. The dagger, held in a ice pick grip, slashed out aiming for the kull's stomach. At the same time, be brought his sword around to attempt to hamstring the raging beast.