It'll only cost me an Arm and a Leg. [Soldier]

[Ramadi Tanin]

In the Season of Autumn,
Era II of the Celestine Mandate,
Era XIV PF

Late Afternoon


A Relequis is a curious creature. They've a remarkable ability to get themselves into ridiculous amounts of trouble, it's often said, and this time is likely to be anything but an exception. The soft three-footed walk of the young man walking with his trusty cane held casually in his right hand was quite the opposite of how he felt--He was alert with his every sense, and walking through what could safely be called ground zero of a scarcely-averted apocalypse. He was very glad to have the companionship of his beating stick, considering that he was likely being watched at that very moment by some sort of evil, stalking corpse-thing.
He pulled his goggles down over his eyes and took stock of his surroundings, resting the shaft of his trusty truncheon on his right shoulder. He'd considered simply getting a job like most unskilled commoners did, but he wouldn't be able to keep focus on it, he knew, so why should he waste the time it would take, wandering the marketplaces looking for someone who had enough of a shop left after the fiery mess to even need an employee? He'd much rather seek the bounty for some blundering deader than do a hard day's labor on the docks, anyways, and as such, chose to do just that.
The sight of the charred city was certainly sad in every sense of the word, but there was no time for reverence. Every second was a new way to get killed, and life was rather important to Rami, as it tends to be with any sensible person. The question was, where were all the deaders at, exactly?

The hunt was on, then. The Relequis set his cane back to the dirt and continued on along the path away from the safety behind the palisade. He wasn't exactly afraid, per se, so much as feeling the tension of the place. He'd been in a few fights before, and was very familiar with the balance and strike of his cane--but he'd never taken on anything so dangerous as an undead. He was hoping, really, to find a partially-damaged one or two, sweep them up, and collect the bounty, though he certainly didn't expect such luck. He just knew he had to be careful, keep his wits about him, and not get disemboweled by skeletons.

[Soldier]

The ruins were clearing up, but they still looked like… Well… Ruins. Once through the palisade, the Reliquis found himself on a deserted street, flanked on each side by charred, crumbling hovels. There was no hint of any life, but the smell of rotten meat faintly drifted to the Rodenti’s sensitive nostrils. The smell seemed to come from one of the hovels to the right, but before he could make any decision, he spotted a movement down the street. Sunlight glinted off a moving figure that headed down a side street and disappeared from view. It would be a simple matter to follow, if Ramadi chose.

[Ramadi Tanin]

Rami wasn't stupid. He was many things, but stupid was not among them. Still, he saw a thing that was moving in a scorched wasteland infested with undead. It was either a target, or an ally, and in either case, he'd need to persue. He wasn't quite ready to charge in blindly, however, and switched his grip on his cane, setting himself to defend himself. He sprinted to the corner and set his back to the wall, leaning out cautiously to peek around the corner for the fleeing figure, or signs of an ambush--such as a large red X, or the stink of dead things. He wasn't entirely certain deaders had the intellect to create an ambush, but he wasn't taking any chances, either.

[Soldier]

The street was empty, at least as far as Ramadi could tell. There was no sign of the glinting object, though he did hear the slight scrape of metal on stone nearby. It was too faint to pinpoint exactly where it had gone, but a sharp glint of light in an alley a few yards down the street showed the Reliquis where it had probably gone. The sound of a voice came to Ramdi’s sharp ears, but it was too low to make anything out. It was moot anyway…

From the dark doorway came a rather hideous creature. Thin, papery flesh hung in tatters from yellowed bone, and tattered, rusted chain mail hung from bony shoulderes. A cracked, rusted helmet covered a bony skull, and arrows jutting from bony ribs told of how the skeletal Warrior had died. Death didn’t make him any less frisky, however, and the Undead soldier turned empty eye sockets to look about. It didn’t seem to notice the Reliquis, and turned to advance up the street, heading away from the corner that protected Ramdi.

[Ramadi Tanin]

His first victim! Rami was an apt, if inexperienced, fighter, and was well-ready to take on the relatively frail-looking undead... But the Relequis was, as stated, not stupid. If one deader stepped from one doorway, it's likely that there were a few more, and he wasn't ready to fight a horde. He hatched a split-second plan and judged the distance from his hiding place to his target. He turned his cane over in his hands and crouched like a coiled spring. Stepping cautiously from his corner, ready to dodge aside in the case of projectiles or extra enemies, he swung his cane to catch the skeleton at the ribs--hopefully breaking at least one--and set his foot against the wall, planning on using his leg and arms both the pull the deader back heavily. Once he had it off-balance and within range, he intended to sweep it from it's feet and hammer it repeatedly until it was too broken to move. He, again, doubted it'd be so easy, but he figured that he couldn't plan for everything, and that it's better to make a plan and improvise as needed than to over- or under-plan.

[Pescado Branch]

Upon entrance to the city, Pescado began working his way though, and weaving himself through the city streets. Taking his time, and working meticulously, he'd enter the area that perhaps might have held a skeleton or two. He could take his time, and make his way there, slinking through the streets, his mechanical tail following him everywhere he went. Hissing abit at anyone who passed him, he'd take his leave of the crowds that might have gathered to see the strange sight, and move towards the area he intended on going to.

The death that he would fight that night may not take his life, or it may take his life, hopefully the latter would not happen. Power was within his grasp, and the spell that he had crafted would give him that power, but that was all in good time. For now, he would settle for killing some things, even if the things he was killing were evil, he'd take on anything at this moment, still drunk with the power that grew within him. His family had no clue what was happening with him, he had not seen them in quite some time, for they knew he was on his journeyman journey...

[Soldier]

Ramadi
The cane entangled with the Skeleton’s ribs, locking into place, though the Reliquis hadn’t the strength or leverage to crack a rib. The Skeleton may have been dead, but that was hardly stopping it as it took a step back to catch its balance. A viscious, bony fist sailed back to connect solidly with Ramadi’s furry cheek, sending the Rodenti sailing into the wall with a thud. A sabre appeared in its dead grip, Ramadi wondering if the red stains on the blade were rust or old blood. Before he had time to wonder too much, the Skeleton raised its weapon and brought it down, aiming a viscious chop that was ready to cut the squirrel from crown to gullet. From the dark doorway came the figure of a second Skeleton, its bony claws clutching a sabre as filthy and streaked as the first one. It, too, started to advance toward the Reliquis.

Pescado
The Raptorian known as Pescado found himself square in the middle of a deserted street, the gate behind him closed with a loud bang by the Warriors guarding it. Charred houses flanked the street, the smell of death and suffering thick on his nostrils. From one of the houses further down came an unfamiliar smell, a slight smell that reminded him of old meat, but the scent was strange, as if the meat refused to rot. From inside came a clattering and jangling, and then the unmistakable sounds of combat.

[Ramadi Tanin]

Rami did not expect the punch at all, and to say he was dazed would be a massive understatement. He could feel the heavy swelling already. Of course, in a normal state of mind, he'd have been down for the count, but his adrenaline was pumping before the fight even began. The pain in his face gave him a moment of clarity, and he rolled to his right in an attempt to dodge the heavy stroke, attempting to recover his feet. Should he succeed, he would attempt a strike at the Skeleton's arm-bearing wrist in an an attempt to rattle loose it's weapon. He knew that if he could make it lose it's weapon, he could take advantage of his cane's reach and get in a few good strikes, and perhaps down the second deader, as well. Suddenly, with the throbbing in his jaw and the pain in his back from where he landed so hard, he was beginning to realize that he was a bit in over his head--overpowered, outnumbered, and under-equipped.

[Soldier]

The blade of the first Skeleton was intercepted by the incoming blade of the second, the two weapons becoming entangled. The blows the Rodenti sent on the Skeletons rattled off without apparent harm, the small Ramadi unable to cause much damage. The two Skeletons lost interest as they started a tug of war, each trying to get its blade out of the other’s. Finally, the two weapons slid apart and they turned to advance, only to fall apart into crumbling ruin of bone.

Standing behind his kills was an armored figure, the symbol of Aslan proudly etched into the breastplate. In his hand was a large longsword, and his other hand held a tower shield emblazoned with the same holy symbol. “You seem out of your depth, young one,” came the voice from inside the helmet. “What are you going here?”

[Ramadi Tanin]

Rami regarded the stranger. True, he had likely just saved the Relequis' life, but he had also, just as likely, robbed him of his bounty--which was, of course, the reason he was among the ruins in the first place. The Relequis leaned on his cane, his head still spinning. Now that he was running out of adrenaline, everything seemed to be a tad fuzzy around the edges. It took an effort for the Relequis to not spit at this warrior, who, in Rami's eyes, was clearly an opportunist--Rami was certain that, given a few more moments, he could have bested the deaders. Such thoughts were irrelevant at the moment, however, and the Relequis shook his head to clear his vision.
"Out of my depth, I was not. I simply took initiative, when I should have been opportunistic."
The boy ran a hand over his tail, shaking dust from it the best that he could, thankful that he hadn't lost any of the fur from his most treasured appendage.
"As for why I am here--I could ask the same of you, as it were."

[Soldier]

The armored Knight gave a sigh, the sound drifting from between the bars of his visor. With a swift movement of his fingers, the helmet came undone, and the item removed to reveal the most bizarre of sights. This was a Warrior who was already dead. Thin, papery flesh covered yellowed bones, and dark, wispy hair clung to a mummified scalp. The eyes, however, were as alive as the Reliquis’ own. Bright blue, they seemed to pierce through to the young boy’s soul.

“You were doing quite well, I saw,” he said in thick sarcasm. “Were you planning on making your big move before or after the Undead cleaved you in two?” The Knight tossed his shield aside and sheathed his sword, bending to scoop the two skulls from his kills. He brought his hands together with a loud crash, the skulls dissolving into thick powder. “You seem to know nothing of fighting the dead. The Undead are not living. I ask you again. What are you doing here?”

[Ramadi Tanin]

The Relequis narrowed his eyes at the deathly knight and took a step back, immediately on edge--or, as it were, more on edge--but he didn't feel the need to show it. Rami shook his head once more, to clear his vision again, and fixed an equally-stern gaze on the deathly knight, his black eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"I'd imagine you to be an expert," he growled, ignoring the sarcasm.
"I'm here to lay the dead back to rest, where they belong... and, hopefully, feed myself in the process. What is it that you are doing here?"
He let his eyes slide away from the knights' own, wandering over what was left of the skeletons for some scrap to claim credit for the kills. After all, he had them exactly where he wanted them, he reasoned, until the dead Aslanian decided to steal his bounties. He carefully tracked the warrior from the corner of his eye all the while, still uncertain.
"So, likewise, I ask you again; Why is it that you are here, exactly?"

[Pescado Branch]

OOC: sorry for the delay and short post.

IC: Pescado heard the noises, and then made his way into the place to see what all of the comotion was about. Depending on what happened, he would either place himself under his spell of invisibility and watch, or join into the "combat" that might be taking place within the building...

[Soldier]

Ramadi
The Undead Knight poked the dried bones of the Skeletons with the tip of his armored boot before tossing his shield aside and striding toward the corner of the building. A dark alley showed the Reliquis where the Undead Knight had hidden himself, and Ramadi saw a cache of weapons stored in the dark, along with a creature that sent a chill up his little, furry spine. The War Horse was just as dead as the Knight was, yet was armored just as well. Paper dry skin covered a skeletal frame, and it stood as still as only the dead could be, turning its head only to turn its living eyes on the small creature. Dismissing the Reliquis as no threat, the beast turned back to stand silently.

“I am charged by my Lord to remove the dead and send them to rest,” the Knight said simply. “As for my story, tell me yours and I shall be most happy to tell you mine.” He scooped his shield up from the dust and started to polish it, removing the dust left from the destroyed Skeletons. It would seem he had as much patience as he needed, and intended the Reliquis to tell him what he wanted to know.

Pescado
The Saurid found himself looking inside a room that was burned bare, all of its contents turned to ash. A few charred corpses littered the area, but the sound of combat came from a small Gnome standing in the center of the room. He held a slender sword in his hand, and was using it to desperately hold off the attacks of a large creature that was bringing its heavy weapon down on him. The creature looked like it was sewn together from the corpses of several different people, and the rotted muscles rippled under torn and shredded skin.

The Gnome held a rather bizarre crossbow in his other hand, and as Pescado watched, he raised the weapon and pulled the trigger, the bolt sailing into the creature’s chest to explode with a loud bang. As Pescado watched, the Gnome twisted his wrist, working a lever on the weapon, then pulled the trigger again, sending another exploding bolt into the Undead monstrosity’s chest. The blasts seemed to stagger the creature, but it still came in hard, the Gnome fighting desperately for a fight that Pescado could see he wouldn’t win without help.

[Ramadi Tanin]

The Relequis slightly loosened his grip on his trusty cane and leaned on it, the young man scowling venomously, slightly worried about the gigantic, dead steed.
"Since, apparently, you've got a lot more patience for this back-and-forth drivel, I'll tell you that I'm here because I'm short on money, and some of us need to eat." he couldn't help smirking as he motioned to the Knight's deathly form.
"And that's about it. No ulterior motive--unless you count the secondary benefit of easing the burden of clean-up on others."
He rubbed his aching bumps idly, thinking about grabbing at least one of the weapons from the vanquished undead--he noted that he needed a bit more striking power than his little frame could provide normally, so a heavier weapon might be a bit of a boon, if just temporarily. He looked over at the hefty sabers curiously, wondering if he could figure out how to use one at all, considering his lack of raw strength.