The Curse of the Shadow Walkers (freestyle RP)

[The Duelist]

Trigger nodded, "If'n we do dis, we'll need some sorta alahm...fact is, I'd feel a whoole lot betta if I knew when and where this bas'tad might be...an that everything's Aaaooookayy with da poysonal guard."

He sighed, "An da girl's been enchanted...she maiiight just try ta help him out, so da poysonal gaaad's gotta be ready."

He pulled out his travel bag, revealing an old, but serviceable rifle that had been field stripped. Putting the rifle together quickly, he was also seen putting his Poncho/cloak back on...he'd need all his surprises for this one.

[ChristianC]

Dovev nodded solemnly, "I will do my duty," he looked over at Harris, "But tell me, how long is this going to be?" he raised his voice slightly. For him, it was a sign of irritation, but for others who didn't know him, he was just raising his voice to a normal tone, "I was merely passing through Baron, and I was given the impression that this would be a "problem-solving" type of work, not a "baby-sitting" one.

[Celeste of Elvenhame]

"I understand." Sybil raised a cool brow at Maelstrom. "I hope that the House Guard at the doors can at least manage those duties successfully. I should not wish to have him slip past us and in through a more normal route."

[wkz]

"Idiot magic boy. Gah!!" Klaus thought to himself as he looked for a sutable place to store his backpack. "All I am is inattentive, not stupid!"

He then untied and took his father's broadsword in hand. "Mr Maelstrom" he said across the room from the doorway "I'll be outside, if anyone needs me."

[Nick Shogun]

Harris sighed. "Weirdo," he muttered as Klaus left.

Meryle watched him go. He was a good mage, that was true, he was just... young. And old people hate young people. It is the way of the world. "Okay, well, I think any sort of loud scream of horror would suffice as an alarm," noted Meryle in a smug manner. "Unless someone has a better idea."

Harris was near Dovev now. "You see, bounty hunter, my daughter has been ranting and raving for the past three days, about how tonight is such a special night. She says tonight is the night where the demon comes to take her hand..." he shuddered in anger, "in marriage. I'm certain he'll show himself tonight. And when he does, you'll all eliminate him, right?"

[The Duelist]

"Yeaaaah...of course, dat assumes you 'ave da chance ta scream." Trigger noted, "If dis guy's any good, screamin's gonna be a waste a breath...but so's pretty much anyting else, so it'll do."

He continued putting the rifle together. It had been made under nastier circumstances, when you needed a long range, quick action rifle that used the same ammo as your handgun, generally because finding new bullets was a pain in the ass. It worked incredibly well, reloading was a bit slower than with say, Trigger's pistol...but nobody could reload as fast as he did.

Maelstrom then said his bit over the 'Demon' wanting to take his daughter for marraige.

"Sounds like fun. I'd like to change the plan a bit." He took another drag of his last Cigar of the night, "Fact is, I'm not a patrolman. But what I'm thinkin this could work better. I've got dis rifle 'ere...I can hit justabout anythin that moves in da woods or da yard from a good point near da top of da mansion. If I do dis, I'd do it neah dat window close 'ta da lady, fer obvious reasons...anybody comin' ta get 'er'd have ta go through me, eitha way, and I'd be able to cover everybody downstairs pretty damn quick if somethin' happened in the gal's room. We'd need ta switch up the patrols a bit...but I'm not a very good patrolman anyway...I like to sit, and wait for the otha guy to get close."

[SALSAlys]

Zakara crossed her legs slightly, then uncrossed them as she rested her weight on one side.

"I don't really care where I go, but I could send up flares or signals if need be," she volunteered. "Just a nice big jolt of lightning..."

[wkz]

In the cool night, Klaus walked around the manor, trying to locate the girl's window. A breeze picked up, scattering leafs in the bright moonlight.

"Oh GREAT, this is just great!" Klaus thought to himself, as he located the window, in the shadow of the manor. Not only that, the thick forest is only a few steps away, the darkness of the shady leafs covering details and adding a heavy feeling of forboding to the air. Klaus had survived enough nighttime ambushes in his years of wandering to understand the potential dangers of such an area.

He looked towards the window once again. Inside the manor just now, he had managed to find out the details, and frankly, there is nothing at all nearby enough for anyone to climb up to that window. That should meant magic of some kind He sighed. This fight, if any, is going to be fast and brutal, the exact two things Klaus does not excel at.

Klaus glanced at the forest again, then walked towards it. Better to hide, adjust his eyes to the darkness and make an ambush rather than stand in the open.

(OOC: Note that Klaus immediately skipped things like climbing rope & hooks when he is evaluating the area. Also, he will most likely be only be looking out for anything magical. A good thief/sneak should be able to get pass him...)

Edited by: [url=http://b3.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=wkz@rpgww60462>wkz</A] at: 4/22/04 12:27 pm

[Nick Shogun]

Maelstrom glared at Trigger. "I will have NO men in my daughter's room unless absolutely necessary. You'll be the watch." He noticed Klaus' absence. "Your mage friend has the right idea! He's probably already outside! Listen, I don't have time for this! Figure it out yourselves," he growled, trudging out of the room.

"What a confusing little man," Meryle said to Trigger as Harris mounted the stairs. "So, what do you want to do? Hide in her room? You can have my spot, and I'll patrol outside, if you want."

OOC: Next update will be illustrated.

[The Duelist]

"Eghhhh...yer misunderstandin me 'ere. My site's on da roof, where I 'can see juuust about everything. I'm just sayin I could get back to ya through a window if something goes wrong. GetwhadImean?"

He had thought he had made that clear...oh well. He finished loading the rifle.

[Nick Shogun]

Meryle took the opportunity of Harris' exit to take control. The others were muddling about, and this situation required specific action. Meryle tapped Trigger on the shoulder, and he glared at her with his Italian-Gun-Wielding-Lunatic-But-Still-Level-Headed-Stare.



“Okay, Trigger, your idea sounds good. So why don’t you stake out the roof? Ask a butler where the attic is or something and find a window. Good idea.”

That’s it, she though. Appealing to his raw manliness by making him feel important.

~

Dovev took up his position outside Mona’s door, and Zakara stayed inside with the young girl, trying to make small talk and take her mind off her (possibly demonic) lover. Klaus, meanwhile, scanned the edges of the woods around the mansion’s clearing, searching for possible traps or any sort of hidden things.




Meryle and Sybil joined Klaus outside to do the rounds. The elf sorceress tapped him on the shoulder as he peered into the woods. “How about if you keep an eye on the front of the house? Sybil and I can guard the sides and the back. We’ll stand on the corners, or something…” Three people for four corners was an offbeat idea, in her opinion. “I’m confident you’ll give the signal for help if any threat should appear, rather than foolishly acting on your own?

Without waiting for an answer, she wrapped her arm around Sybil’s and walked the young morose girl to the left side of the mansion. It was about fifty meters long… a big mansion for a man and his daughter, Meryle considered. She looked at the calm, silent girl. She hadn’t said much of… come to think of it, had she said anything since she arrived? Meryle couldn’t remember. So she tried to make small talk.

“So… are you from around here?”



Edited by: Nick Shogun at: 4/23/04 3:15 pm

[wkz]

"Alright then" Klaus replied, then walked off towards the far end of the mansion. He entered the dark forest again, then leaned agaist a tree and settled in for what seems to be a long night....

[Celeste of Elvenhame]

Sybil sniffed with obvious disdain. "I could hardly be from such...quaint....surrroundings such as this. No, I am a child of the cities." She grinned, a flash of the chesire cat in the dark. "Which city would you like me to be from, I can assure you that I can convince you I am from most any major city." she laughed, a low soft sound of amusement, one the seemed to be slightly rusty and out of use.

[The Duelist]

Trigger adjusted his cloth poncho, and the items hidden within, as he sat on the roof top. He knew his employer wouldn't like it, but he'd put a spike on the roof and attached a rope to it. If anything went wrong below him, he could just swing in, and one dramatic entrance later and he'd be in Mona's room.

But he didn't expect it to come to that. Pushing up on the cocking mechanism by the trigger, he now knew he was loaded and ready. He had attached a small telescopic sight to the the rifle...but that wouldn't be much use until it came time to shoot. Now, he was depending on his eyes and his attention to detail. Growing up in an orphanage did that for you, you learned to spot all the details, especially as parents came to look at kids. You wanted to get a good idea for what kind of parents they were very quickly, and efficiently. You made it a point to figure out who was most likely to want you, and you tried to get to where he could see you. You learned from the looks on the faces of the people to see what your chances were, or what exactly they thought of you...and you learned what made people tick.

This time though, it wasn't a parent coming in to look at a kid, it was a strange, shadowy bastard coming in to kidnap and magick a poor girl. And attention to detail would be very important now.

And so he waited, and watched. No more cigars, they'd ruin his night vision anyway. No more accent, no more trick shots. Just that deadly calm before the rain and hail of war, and his own personal thunder to match.

[Nick Shogun]

Meryle laughed with Sybil, albeit uncomfortably.

She's very... intense, Meryle thought.

~

Meanwhile, the sound of footsteps and crunching leaves echoed through the woods. The glow of the candles and torches illuminating the mansion grew nearer and nearer every second. Several figures walked in unison, in single file. The first one came to a halt, as did the others. He saw the guard at the front. He wanted to do reconnaissance, but was in a hurry.

"I see... it is time, at last."

[wkz]

Klaus jolted out of his nap. "Man, that was close" he thought to himself, as he looked around quickly. Meryle is still standing where she was, which suggested the nap was not very long...
(OOC: I am assuming Sybil is out of sight)

"Great, in this shade and the cool night air, even standing up is not going to keep me awake. Guess I am going to have to do the old pinching trick.........huh?"

Klaus looked into the depth of the forest, his fatigue forgotten. Something he could not place his finger on has drawn his attention but there is nothing to be seen.....

"Sigh." Klaus thought to himself "Am I thinking of ambushes around every tree nowdays?". Yet he is worried. Something in there just managed to scare him, and he continued to scan the forest warily...

[Nick Shogun]

The night was silent, as was usual in such a deep area of the woods. Meryle wondered why Harris built it so far away from civilization... Oh well. It wasn’t her concern, after all. Though this was a weird job. She sat down on a crate that had conveniently been left outside, next to the side of the house, and rested her eyes… just for a moment, of course…

Sybil stood on the opposite side of the house, near the backside. There were several windows on this wall; all had their curtains shut. Precaution, perhaps. She continued to monitor the area. It seemed like the air had suddenly become much warmer, almost as though the humidity had increased, or body heat was rising…

Alert, she turned, and saw the massive, black shadow of a man standing there, looming over her.

~

If Trigger were watching the forest, he would have seen four figures trudge out of the brush. They moved awkwardly, as though unaccustomed to walking. The shadows of the night bathed them in blackness. Most curious of all, they made no sound beside the crunch of grass and scattered branches. They didn’t seem to breathe…

Klaus had been walking back and forth for about an hour now. A little break wouldn’t hurt, would it? The bench next to the main doors was there for a reason, after all.

He stopped as he felt a finger prod his shoulder. “Paaaardon meeeez…” was the first thing he heard, and the last thing he’d want to hear. The voice was chilling, and disgusting (if a voice could sound disgusting). Klaus turned to the speaker. It looked back at him with empty sockets.



“Nooot means to botherrrr you, siiiiir… would youuuu mind letting ussss… inside?”

Us? Klaus looked around. There were four in total, standing quite still, quite silent, on the grass in a triangle around him and the speaker. The smart wizard, which Klaus may or may not be, would have thought to himself, “zombies.”

[wkz]

"Zombies!" Klaus exclaimed, then he heard one of them continue to talk.

“Nooot means to botherrrr you, siiiiir… would youuuu mind letting ussss… inside?”

Klaus swore for the few times in his life, (and for the 3rd time today). Talking zombies! Not only that, for all his knowledge, Zombies are reanimated corpses, meaning they have a big dose of magic in them. To be able to creep up on an attentive mage such as Klaus (ok, 1/2 attentive, but still good enough) and not trigger his attention, the caster.... (Klaus IM:they call those types necromancers don't they),..... is GOOD.

In fact, Klaus was torn between 3 choices: Scream like a little girl running away, grabbing the nearest zombie and trying to find out how this is done, or shouting out a warning....

(OOC: At risk of turning Klaus into a clown, my hands are almost itching for Klaus to take option 2. Almost....)

Edited by: [url=http://b3.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=wkz@rpgww60462>wkz</A] at: 4/26/04 3:07 am

[The Duelist]

Trigger wasn't stupid. Klaus was freaked, and whatever was moving was doing a sort of slow shuffle, and wasn't breathing. Maybe he was wrong, but this reeked of an undead assault. Or did it? Would anybody send just send four zombies at you and expect them to take you down if you were even half-way near decent at your job. It was pointless to start shooting yet...although...it was too early to go crashing through Mona's window. However...he'd keep an eye on Klaus and the Probable-zombie. If something stupid happened, a bullet or two would drop them to the floor.

[Nick Shogun]

OOC: Wkz, I didn't think about the whole "magic detects magic" thing. I'm sorry. That's me, not being a good GM. Won't happen again.

IC:

The speaker flinched slightly as an upstair light was put out. It lurched its head in the direction of the windows on the second floor. "Iiiiiiss... she alseeeeep? We aaaaare quiiite hungry," it muttered, teeth jingling in its mouth.

A second one ambled from behind toward Klaus, and gripped his shoulder with it's right arm. It didn't have a left arm. It looked old... and used. "Do usssss... a favor... and don't mooooooove....."

The third zombie took two unsteady steps toward Klaus' left. "We'lllllll let you goooo... if you arrrre not fooooolish. So do noooooooot moveeee...."

[The Duelist]

He saw the Zombie grab Klaus, wasting no more time, he opened fire on one that was to his side...he didn't wanna risk accidentally hitting Klaus just yet...He wasn't confident of hittng the creature in the head at this range, so he aimed straight for its chest area.

He also knew: His bullet would let everyone else know that the shit had hit the Magic Whirlwind.

[wkz]

Klaus sure looked freaked looking this way and that, but not in the way Trigger imagined it. In fact, being rooted to the spot was actually more of choice, as he was taking in every minute detail of appearance and magic aura of all the zombies. After all, his interest is magic and spell-casting, and even when repulsive, zombie-raising contains the basics of an entire branch of study.

Then again, somehow some words from one of the zombies managed to pierce his awareness "......... aaaaare quiiite hungry.......". "Wait a minute" Klaus thought to himself, "Zombies are.... they are.... They do....... oh no" As if to confirm what every other living human knows about zombie munching on brains, the other zombie gripped his shoulder.

Immediately, Klaus's mind went into overdrive (surprisingly, he can do that), as he reviewed his few options. The broardsword is leaning agaist a tree, 5 steps away but for all pratical purpose as far as the moon. Shield spell, too close. Wind spell, with one zombie holding on, too weak. Wind sphere takes too long to cast, he would be zombie food by the time one sphere is done. Zombies does not exactly see, so a large blast of light will hinder more than help. That left only one last spell.

And Klaus immediately closed his right fist, pointing his forefinger and middlefinger outwards. The air shimmered, as Klaus casted the 2nd of his 3 self-made spells. A flat shield appeared, but it was shaped more like a blade, extending from his fingers. The moment the blade appeared, Klaus turned, intent on cutting the zombie at the back, the only one holding onto him.

Just then, a gunshot rang out. As (bad) luck would have it, it glanced off a corner of the shield blade and broke Klaus's concentration. It hit the zombie in front, and toppled it towards another zombie, possibly buying some time. But Klaus knew that he needs to re-concentrate to re-make the shielded-blade, and there's still the one behind him, holding onto his shoulder with undead strength. He knows, with fear now rising in his heart, that he is now in very Very deep trouble....

Edited by: [url=http://b3.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=wkz@rpgww60462>wkz</A] at: 4/26/04 3:19 pm

[Nick Shogun]

There was a thick, SPLOUCH sound, and the zombie nearest the woods and farthest from Klaus stumbled back. The one that had a firm hold on Klaus' shoulder released it, and moved away, unsure of what had happened. It looked at its fellow zombie, who now had a gaping hole in its chest. The bullet that had glanced off Klaus' shield had ripped a hole in the right side of the zombie's chest.

The Speaker turned its limp head to Gaping Hole and sized up the situation. "Okaaaaay?"

Gaping Hole looked down, at the hole, and nudged the worms crawling around the inside of its belly. It grabbed a few and shoved them down its throat, where they promptly fell... back into its stomach. "Yeeeeah, I'm fine."

"Wheeeere," began Speaker, not taking its empty sockets off Klaus, "did ittttt come frommm?"

Gaping Hole lifted its chin and looked directly at Trigger. It couldn't see Trigger, of course, but it had identified the bullet's point of origin. "The rooooof."

Speaker nodded to Grippy and the fourth zombie. "Which ooooone offff you was aaa mounnnntain climbbber, again?"

The two zombies stood silently for a moment. The fourth zombie raised its left hand, or rather, stump. There were three good fingers left on it. Speaker nodded again. "Up yoooooou go."

Climber lurched over to the wall of the manor. It jerked as it stepped and bashed its skull against the stone, but remained uninjured. It did look a bit dizzy. With a shaking foot, it began to ascend the wall, the mold of dried blood on its hands acting as a crude adherence to the cobbles.

Speaker turned back to Klaus. "Sooooo... what are you goinnnnnng to do, ahhhh?"

OOC: See, I'm naming the zombies after their actions, as to lessen confusion!
~

A strong hand reached out for Sybil, but halted in midstretch. The figure stepped into the light. Burke. "Aye, dun hurt me or nothing! I was gonna grab you ta get yer attention, that's all! I woke up about half an' hour ago and went to find the pond ah' passed on me way here... don't hurt me?" He held his hands out protectively. It seemed he had learned not to mess with small women clad in black.

There was a gunshot from the roof.

~

Meryle startled as the CRACK of gunfire. She had dozed off! On a job! Unforgivable! Better not mention that, she thought. Now what was going on?

The elf girl rushed to the corner of the house and peeked around the side. There were four figures illuminated in the torchlight: Klaus and three men. They looked ugly. Then, she heard scraping. She looked up, hesitantly. There was another man directly above her, climbing the wall of the house toward the roof.

"I'd better not move in until I'm sure of the situation," she whispered to herself. "There could be more."

~

The gunshot had awoken Mona, who had almost been asleep by that time of the night. She looked at the window, frightened, and then relaxed. Zakara sat in a comfortable chair in the corner. In the darkness, she couldn't tell if the sprite was awake or asleep.

A dreamy look entered Mona's eyes. "Finally... my beloved has come for me."


Edited by: Nick Shogun at: 4/26/04 3:19 pm

[ChristianC]

((OOC - Sorry for lack of posts, was gone this weekend, >_> ))

Dovev was sitting on a chair outside the room, reading a small novel he carried with him... Oh what, just because he was a hardened, battle-scarred bounty hunter he wasn't allowed to enjoy a good book?

He took out his pipe, was about to lit it, then thought better of it (he didn't think Maelstrom much enjoyed Trigger smoking inside anyway) and leaned back. He was going to leave tomorrow, preferrably with the money Maelstrom had promised, and most likely no one would appear tonight anyway.

[wkz]

Somehow or other, 'Grippy' released its grip on Klaus's shoulder. Immediately, Klaus half stumbled, half scurried away with as much speed as he could master, recalling and thanking all (including the evil ones) the gods/goddess he could remember.

There is no way the shaken mage could cast another spell anytime soon, but what's left of his wits had directed his escape route well: Klaus is headed towards his father's broadsword, a weapon Klaus is proficient enough. And heavy enough to do some real damage against zombies.

[The Duelist]

Trigger's instincts flew into overdrive. One handed, he thrust the rifle forward while holding the cocking mechanism, then tugged it back, sending its grip and butt back into shooting position. Normally, he wouldn't indulge in such a pointless trick, but not having the rifle scope in front of his face for even that short period of time gave him a much better view of the area around him...he quickly spotted climber, and cursed. He shouldn't have waited to shoot. Using torchlight as his guide, he aimed down at Climber's skull.

He knew that the sounds of his firing had probably reached everyone by now...good. Backup would be good. He declined to make a dramatic entrance in Mona's room. He had a feeling that enchantments or no, Zakara could handle whatever came next. And besides, at this point, he'd probably just get himself zapped by Zakara.

[Celeste of Elvenhame]

Sybil suppressed a grin and raised a brow while Burke attempted to explain himself. At the sound of a gunshot she snapped around and headed towards the noise. Glancing over her shoulder she shouted at Burke. "Stay here, keep an eye on things." Then she darted around the corner and into chaos.

[Nick Shogun]

Speaker and Gaping Hole ran (or, as zombies do very often, lurched) after Klaus as he ran for his sword. He reached the tree long before they did, of course, because zombies aren't renowned for their extraordinary speed. Now that Klaus had his broadsword, the zombies realized he wasn’t just some idiot. With what little brains they had left, then began to step back.

“Do noooot do anyyyything foolishhhh, fellowwww,” Speaker exclaimed.

Grippy was watching the other zombies as Sybil rounded the corner of the house, its back turned to her. Climber was almost to the roof’s gutter by this point. Another shot rang out, ricocheting against the drain and giving Climber a start. “Ogh! Gunssss,” he hissed, edging around the corner of the house by gripping the gutter.

Harris, who had been startled awake by the first shot, was hurriedly getting dressed. “Those idiots! Firing guns around he—erh…” He paused as a rotting corpse edged in front of his window. It took a minute for the creature to notice the frozen Maelstrom, but when it did, it waved as if greeting an old friend, then hauled itself on to the roof. Harris fainted.

Climber was now on the roof, and could see Trigger’s body illuminated in the pale moonlight. He smiled (or did what zombies considered a smile). “Got you…”

~

Meanwhile, Dovev sat in the hall, enjoying his book. Six candles on the second floor illuminated the pages, and a large stained-glass window above the front doors allowed moonlight to flow in.

There was a creak at the top of the stairs. A shadowy figure stood against the rail, brushing off his sleeves.



Dovev looked up. The man returned his gaze, a cold, hard, penetrating stare. “Don’t call for help. You and I. Right now.” The man’s voice sounded like severed flesh. It was a disconcerting sound. He approached Dovev and stood at the corner of the rail. “I’ll kill you.”

[ChristianC]

Dovev stared at the man for a moment, folded a corner on the page he was at and put the book inside one of his pockets.

"You must be Bardent," Dovev said as he rose from the chair, his back cracking a bit and his eyes falling upon the scar across the mans left eye, "I was going to warn you about coming here again, considering the enmity you've earned from the duke," he readjusted his glasses and, somehow, when his hands were back down he was holding a long, slender bullwhip with quite a few fastened metal plates on it, barely showing the leather. "However, I don't take kindly to deaththreats." Dovev wasn't showing it, but inside he wasn't so sure this battle would be to his advantage. There had been talk about witchcraft and enchantments, none of which were up his alley, and something just felt plain wrong about the man, but Dovev couldn't place it.

Rather relucantly he stretched the whip between his hand, waiting to counter if the young man would attack first. A whip was not a good attacking weapon, but it could be a devastating guard...

[SALSAlys]

Zakara would still be glowing in the darkness, but her eyes focussed as she tilted her head slightly, listening to the occurences outside before sliding to her feet, starting to pace the room while staying alert as she could. The others were out there, and she didn't think that letting off a spark for them would warn them of anything they didn't already know, and would give the attackers a warning.

[The Duelist]

Trigger shook his head as he re-cocked his rifle. That was three shots wasted, three more to go. Not even blinking as Climber spoke, he started forward. He'd had to stand and move on far more treacherous terrains than this roof, that was certain...as he quickly closed the distance between himself and the zombie, he smiled. This was going to be very funny.

Not even pausing as he finished cocking the rifle, He immediately shoved the rifle into the zombie's solar plexus...Hard. Pulling the trigger, he noted that his decision was an easy one. Push the bastard off the roof and give 'em one for the road while you're at it.

[Celeste of Elvenhame]

Something was odd about the things chasing after her fellow employees. Something very odd in the way they moved and spoke. Sybil was still moving towards Grippy as it dawned on her that these were probably not living, especially when the stench as she got closer to Grippy nearly floored her. She reached inside her tunic for a single slender dagger that glowed silver in the moonlight.

Although she had yet to have occasion to use it, there were a great deal of supernatural undead things that were reputed not to like silver. This fine weapon was smithed by a dwarf whose shop she liked to frequent. He claimed it would survive anything, even things normal silver would not. 'Time to test the claim.' she thought as she glided as silently as possible up behind Grippy, ready to bring her dagger across it's throat should she be able to get close enough.

[Nick Shogun]

Bardent continued to stare at Dovev from across the railing. "My full name is Bardent Godspyre. I am a living curse. You're lucky, you've caught me in a good mood. Otherwise, you'd probably be dead already." He began walking slowly toward the bend of the second floor, past the doors leading to the servants' quarters. He paused again. He reached his left hand into a pocket, as though searching for something.

"Ah... here it is," he murmured before whipping his hand out of his coat. His hand was hidden in his sleeve, and all that was visible was a long, black knife. Bardent darted forward, and Dovev might have noted how quietly the man's footsteps were. He almost glided across the polished wood...

Dovev managed to move left, meeting the wall, right as Godspyre sent his knife forward. It embedded itself in the wall with a sharp SHICKT. Bardent ripped it back out and backed away from Dovev. Then he leaned confidently against the railing. “I admire you. You’re past your prime, yet you continue to do what you love. It’s beautiful. Unless… you can’t get a better job?”

~

Climber coughed, in an attempt to shout, “Now, waitssssss a minute” but it never even got to the first N. Its pelvis crumbled to pieces as he tried to turn away. The gun was strong. The bullet was strong. Its torso separated from its hips and its upper body rolled down the shingles, flying off the roof. Its left hand stretched out in a last-ditch effort, and barely snagged the gutter again.

“Betttter try annnnother straaaaaa… plan,” it said to itself, starting to shimmy along the gutter toward Mona’s room, where the young maiden lay in the darkness, eyes glowing, muttering to herself. She saw Zakara stand and stopped whispering. “Zakara? Are you awake, too?”

~

Sybil brought the silver dagger across Grippy’s neck with little effort. Grippy was the oldest zombie, next to Speaker, and didn’t have a good reaction time. It felt what skin it had left patched to its neck rip, and angrily, it turned to face Sybil. “Dannnng, ifff ah’s had annnny blood left innnn these oldddd witheeerrry veins, I might’ve bleeeed to death.”

Instead it merely lunged at Sybil, wrapping its corpse around her and sending them both rolling to the ground.

~

Speaker and Gaping Hole were still sizing up Klaus. “Dunnnn be a foooool, boyyyy… we’lllll let you goooo…”

There was magic at work here. Shadow Magic. The worst kind of magic. And it was Bardent’s, of course. He was a mage… of sorts. It was a special type of magic, however, Aura Manipulation. By stretching his aura and turning it into thread, Bardent could create four, thin strings and use them to breath life into corpses… for a limited time. This was the magic Bardent Godspyre was using, and the magic he planned to let him win.


Edited by: Nick Shogun at: 4/27/04 7:39 pm

[The Duelist]

Trigger slid sideways, cradling the rifle in the crook of his shoulder, he activated the Lever-action cocking mechanism, he was ready for his next shot.

That was four, he had two left.

He'd done this often, catching the gutter with his shooting arm (he had the rifle in his left hand) He took a firm hold on the rifle once more. He had tied the rope that was attached to the heavy spike he had driven through the roof around his waist, and he was very confident here. letting go of the gutter, he came down to the house wall...but he wasn't ready to leap over and enter Mona's room rather dramatically yet.

First, he looked down at Klaus. Choosing a random Zombie, he aimed for the head, and opened fire.

[Nick Shogun]

Gaping Hole wasn't having a good day. First, his stomach was blown open. Now there was a large potential for sword-swinging. He had half a mind to--

BLAM

--he did have half a mind, because his skull had just been ripped apart by a bullet. It sailed through Gaping Hole's cranium and lodged itself in the tree behind Klaus, splintering wood. Gaping Hole, jaw dislodged, collapsed in a heap on the ground.

Speaker was in zombie-shock (sort of like human shock, only you're dead when it happans). He looked at Trigger, then at Klaus. "Oh shi--."

[wkz]

The moment Klaus wrapped his hands around his father's sword, some measure of calm returned. It always did, although Klaus could never find out why.

Klaus immediately turned around. The remaining 2 zombies were hissing pleas and lies behind him, not sure how to act. "Where's the other 2 zombies?" Klaus ask himself, and was answered partially when a gunshot ran out and another zombie fell off the roof.

Klaus then noticed a pile on the ground beyond the 2 zombies confronting him. "Oh no... Sybil! Hold on!!" Klaus shouted as he started charging. Another gunshot rang out and caught Gaping Hole in the head. Only 2 left.

And he brought his broadsword around, intending to cleave the obstacle in front of him on his way to Sybil.

Edited by: [url=http://b3.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=wkz@rpgww60462>wkz</A] at: 4/27/04 8:41 pm

[ChristianC]

Dovev smirked at the remark from Bardent.

"Past my prime? Boy, I haven't even reached it yet!"

The aged bounty hunter was surprised, and quite pleased, with the fact that Bardent was his equal, no, perhaps even his superior, in combat. He hadn't met with a good challenge for a while and Dovev thought perhaps he was getting a bit too rusty.

He flicked the handle of his whip, aimed at the hand of the intruder, meant to disarm him. Naturally, he'd miss, he didn't expect anything else, but it'd invite the "living curse" to strike out again, perhaps exposing a weakness for the bounty hunter to target.

[ChristianC]

Dovev smirked at the remark from Bardent.

"Past my prime, boy? I haven't even reached it yet!"

The aged bounty hunter was surprised, and quite pleased, with the fact that Bardent was his equal, no, perhaps even his superior, in combat. He hadn't met with a good challenge for a while and Dovev thought perhaps he was getting a bit too rusty.

He flicked the handle of his whip, aimed at the hand of the intruder, meant to disarm him. Naturally, he'd miss, he didn't expect anything else, but it'd invite the "living curse" to strike out again, perhaps exposing a weakness for the bounty hunter to target.

[Nick Shogun]

Speaker tried to back up as hastily as a zombie could, but zombies were notoriusly un-hasty. Klaus' sword swung into Speaker's upper chest, and lodged itself there. The mage, who was gripping the sword tightly, was pulled to a stop.

The blade was wedged in Speaker's chest, and it was gripping it with all of its zombie strength. "I'lllll forgetttt what I saaaaid about leetttttiiiing yyouuu go...."

It yanked on the blade, hard, and yanked Klaus with it. Speaker began to twirl in circles, but the young mage refused to let go, forcibly being dragged with it. Speaker howled a ghastly noise that sailed into the wind and pierced the confines of the manor.

~

Bardent slide right as Dovev's whip flew at him. It wrapped itself around the wooden rail, and when Dovev pulled it back, the rail came with it. Godspyre watched part of the banister fall down to the first floor, then looked back at Jermija. "Good."

A butler came out of his room, scratching his eyes, clothed in a nightshirt. "I say--what's going on he--"

He was cut short as he spotted Bardent rushing at him, left arm extended. The knife slammed through the butler's chest, impaling him, and emerged through his back. Gurgles escaped the man's mouth and blood dripped from his lips. Godspyre smiled, his chin resting on the butler's shoulder.

He pulled out him arm, let the butler fall to the floor, and turned back to Dovev. His sleeve had been pushed up to the elbow, and now Dovev could see the true nature of Bardent's weapon--he wasn't holding a knife--his arm had literally become a knife!

His skin ended just above the wrist, and strands of metal wove down from it, twisting into a long, thin, jagged knife edge. The metal looked cold and black, an unusual metal. Bardent Godspyre laughed. "I'm not so sure you're going to escape this duel. What's your name, victim?"

[The Duelist]

Trigger couldn't help himself.

"SHUT UP!"

Last shot. He aimed carefully, and attempted to knock Speaker dead.

Edited by: The Duelist at: 4/28/04 10:07 pm