Cutthroat Camp (six people)

OoC: Ok here's the thing, any six can join but please no one that has guns/robotic characters/etc. I like old fashioned battle(which shouldn't be hard since most of you have old style characters.) This is a quest type battle, I don't know what the items you could get from it are but you can if the mods approve it, it's up to you. I'll be using my new character Reese Brashe link is in my sig.

BiC: Reese stood on the hill overlooking the Cutthroat Gang's village. Years ago one of their raiding patrols had killed his friend, but at the time he hadn't known it was an organized crime syndicate operating out of the foothills. Now he had connections everywhere, and they had reported what they found about Elias's murder. This wasn't a one man job, though he would have liked it to be.

The village was surrounded by a large palisade wall, and had some good archers standing watch. Reese knew he could take out two or three before they spotted him, but the other nine or ten would be a problem. Beyond the wall- which only had one gate on the south end of the encampment- there was a thriving village full of bandits and their families. They were almost a regular town, in that they had a market they bartered their stolen goods at, as well as taverns, theaters, and shops of almost all kinds. It was almost normal. But the nagging urge to kill everyone in that town was getting the better of Reese, and he would need well trained band to take it on.

The forested hill he stood on overlooked the town from the north-east, although there were hills in almost every direction and a cliff covered the west. This was a good place to build a bandit town, and whoever was in there knew it. There would be fighters in there, and not just cowering teenagers like the bandits he'd killed in the forest so many years ago, but seasoned warriors trained to kill however they could. He'd have to get as much information on this for as he could, and he had the contacts to do it. Wealth was a luxury his abilities had gotten him.

Reese faded back into the wilderness for a few days, appearing at the town in which his bandit contact conducted business. This bandit was different than most, a businessman tried and true. Reese arrived at the man's apartment when he was out, but he frequently did so he knew to leave a message. As he was walking away he spun, shot and arrow, which imbedded itself in the door. The contact knew what that would mean, and would wait around for Reese.

Now all I have to do is find a group that help me out, Reese though. The tavern on the side of town would be the perfect place for the kinds he was searching for. Walking through the slighly damp streets, Reese reached the hotel in a half an hour, just as the sun was going down. Walking in, he surveyed the crowd, Perfect bunch.

"My name's Reese Brashe," he shouted to the tavern at large, "and I'm paying well for anyone that'll help me in a very,very difficult fight."

OoC: There's the setup. I like letting people know what we're doing.

OoC: yay! Quests are fun! First question: can I have two characters?

BiC: Ren had been leaning his chin in the plam of his hand thats elbow was poised on the wood table. His other arm rested on flat on the hard surface. His scarlet stare looked over at the man who shouted with mild interest. Difficult fight, eh? He’s paying too…The Retuson’s mouth curved into a smirk.

“Hey Rontu,” said the boy, looking over at the Dark Elf sitting next to him. “Did ya hear that?”

Rontu grunted in response but continued stared down at his mug. Ren twisted his face into a pout. Jeez, is he in another one of his mood swings? The teen leaned in and put a hand on the older man’s shoulder.

“Well…? What do ya say? We could use some money…and we definitely have the experience…” whispered the half dragon. The Dark Elf’s hawk-like eyes peered from the corner of his stare. Ren saw a snarl curl into his friend’s lips.

“I made it a point to never kill for money again,” growled Rontu. Ren pouted again, his eyes bending with disappointment. “Don’t give me that look!”

“Come on, Rontu!” said the Retuson, with a child-like tone. “Let’s at least hear what the whole thing is about.”

Ren stood up from their table and called to the man, “We’re interested.” Rontu glared at his friend. He clenched his fists.

“Shut up!” he snapped. This was not how he was planning to start his day…

OoC: Eh…I could have done that better…oh well, I’ll do better next time ^_^

Edit: So I can have more than one? Great, in that case I’ll add Khaz for ****s and giggles. (Actually, because I need to use him more often).

BiC: “What are you guys yelling about,” asked a voice behind them. Ren and Rontu turned around. Khaz was staring at them with his midnight-blue eyes and his arms folded across his chest.

“Well, I wanted to do a little fighting for some money but Rontu is a pansy and doesn’t want to,” replied Ren, pointing a finger at the Dark Elf.

“What was that?!” snarled Rontu, standing up from his chair. A dangerous glower was set in his dark face and directed at the Retuson, who only sneered in response.

“Now, now, Rontu,” said Khaz, putting his hands on his hips. A cheerful little smile spread in his lips. “Calm down, you know everything that comes out of his mouth is utter crap.”

Ren narrowed his eyebrows at the Hylian and opened his mouth to say something but Khaz spoke first.

“Well, I do think we need more money,” said the black-haired Hylian, stroking his hairless chin. He peered at Rontu form the corners of his eyes. “We might as well see what the job is…who offered anyway?"

"That guy," answered the teen, pointing to the man standing at the front of the tavern. Khaz walked over to the man, who had been waiting patiently. He offered his hand to him and said with a bright smile,

“Hello, I’m Khaz Spiritwood. Me and my friends are interested in your offer.”

OoC: Ok, this is unrelated, but Shrub.........your sig really freaks me out. :S

BiC: Vetch watched as the man who had adressed the whole tavern walked over to the two men sitting at the table next to his. He signaled the waitress for another drink and leaned over casually.

Damn unruly drunks. I can hardly hear a word and I'm right next to them. He took the mug from the waitress and leaned back even farther. He strained his ears, but he only caught snatches of the conversation.

"....bandits. Its a tough job....."

"We can handle it....."

".......why?!"

"I told you no........and thats why....."

"Enough...........are you in?"

Vetch turned his head to try and look at the three. The man who had responded to the stranger who had adressed the tavern seemed rather eager to accept the job, but his friend was just as reluctant.

The elf snorted and downed the rest of his drink. He stood up and approached the confrence. "I don't know about these two, but I'll help you with those bandits." He placed a hand on his fire flachion and pulled it out of it's sheath a few inches. "I assure you that I have enough skills for the both of us."

OoC: Ooo, I'd like to join. I'll use Cila Marid.

BiC:

Cila sat alone in a corner table. Being around groups of people tended to make her uncomfortable but most people didn’t mess with her. Her black dragon wings were wrapped around her like a cape and she had a simple drink in front of her. The dark dragoon had heard about a bandit town nearby and that somebody might be looking for help to deal with it. Though she usually never made actual contact with employers, she was willing to make exception once in a while. Though she was in a corner, the tavern was hardly quiet. Drunks talked noising and even some people ended up in fights. Humans, she thought. Most humans never acted the same. They were too unpredictable for Cila taste.

Speaking of humans, one happened to walk in the bar door. He was well build with dark brown hair and a yew bow on his back. He stood in the doorway for a second then shouted, "My name's Reese Brashe and I'm paying well for anyone that'll help me in a very, very difficult fight."

So, he’s the one that plans to go after the bandits, Cila observed. I wonder who will help him. She didn’t have to wait long as a boy stood up from a table and said, “We’re interested.” He looked large for an elf and had white hair. He could have been frightening with his blood-red eyes with they weren’t full of kindness. He sat back down and the dragoon noticed that his two other friends were a dark elf, who didn’t look too happy, and a high elf that looked very happy. What an odd culmination of people. I have never heard of elves traveling comfortably with their dark cousins, Cila said silently.

Then, another elf stood up. He walked over to the group of four that were talking and pulled out one of his falchions out of it’s sheath a little ways. Four elves and a human. This looks like an interesting little venture. Cila decided that this was too good to pass up. She stood up from her table and walked over to the small group, which would probably be fair-sized once they got started. The dragoon received a few stares from drunken men but she didn’t really cared what they thought. “I would like to join you,” she said to the human leader.

Lance was sitting in one of the far tables,most humans took to the demon with fear. So then a man with brown hair and a yew bow came in,and he anounced that he'd pay well for help on a hard fight. Now that got interesting when a elf looking being said that he and his group were interested.

Then another that looked different walked over and pulled out a small part of his blade and sayed somthing too hard too here. Then a strange women with dragon wings walked over and started to speak with the already growing group. Lance flew over and with a smirk said "give me the details."

OOC: Gack! Did you forget everything I told you in our practice battle Zelda's Guard??? Oh well, joining with Gorin. We'll say this takes place after Gorin and Lance's current battle.

BIC: Gorin sat in the bar. He was trying to decide if he should ask one of the various women in the bar out. Finally, he decided to ask a dark haired woman. The echo strode across the bar to the lady.

"Excuse me, but would you-" Gorin was cut off by a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see a burly man. "What are you talking to my girlfriend for!" growled the man.

Gorin sighed. "The good ones are always taken by fools." he mumbled to himself. He turned to go back to his seat, but was stopped by the man.

"You trying to take my girl from me asswipe?!" the man shouted. Some people in the bar turned towards him, one of which he recognized as Lance. Gorin merely pushed past the man.

"Your going to get it!!!" shouted the man. He took a knife from his pocket and advanced on the echo. Gorin spun around and socked the man in the gut. The burly man clutched his stomach in pain, coughing up blood.

The man's companions stood up and advanced towards Gorin. The echo took the first one out by giving him a haymaker to the face. Gorin took the other one out with a simple kick to the chin.

Gorin strode over to Lance and the others. "What's up?" he asked.

Ok only one more. And the posting order is not gunna be the order you guys posted in... I think I should let you know that.

OoC: I like quests way more than regular battles. I’ll join I’ll be using Droz in my sig.

BiC:

The black dragon was sitting at a table when a man with dark brown hair walked into the tavern. “My name's Reese Brashe and I'm paying well for anyone that'll help me in a very, very difficult fight.” This caught the dragon’s attention very quickly. Difficult eh? Okay, I’ll join, Droz thought, Droz saw a man with jet-black hair come up. Then an Elf with long silver hair came up to the man as well. Then a woman with wings and black hair stood up and went towards the group. Then an Immortal Demon with black hair stood up. Then an Echo stood up and started a little rumble then went overt to the group.

That’s quite a large group, Droz thought as he looked at them. Let’s see how many there are, Droz then started counting all the people. In all there’s eight, with me it makes nine. I guess I’ll go along, he thought as he made his way to the group. “Hi I’m Droz, I’ll join your group. So where are we off to?” the black dragon asked.

OoC: Ok here's the posting order, I'm gunna go first, then we'll keep Shrub in second, followed by onilinkc4, then Mikey B, and bringing up the rear we'll have graceful_sheik, HyrulianHero, and Zelda's Guard. Please stick to this unless you ask permission. Ok here we go.

BiC: Surveying his group, Reese wondered at his luck. The dragoon was bound to be an asset, as she could scout the camp from the air, and the others gave the impression that they could hold their own in a fight, probably better than Reese could.

"Ok everyone, this is the target," he said, laying down a rough map he'd made of the bandit village, "Cutthroat Camp. I have a good contact that can get me a better map and some info, but mainly I'm doing this for personal reasons that aren't your business. Got that?" He waited for confirmation from the rest of the group then continued.

"The camp is heavily guarded by several archers. I can get two or three before they figure out, but it's a good system and they know what they're doing," he paused briefly and pointed at the gate, " This gate is the only weak spot in the wall, but has three of about fourteen gaurds constantly watching it."

Reese's entire table seemed to not care about the defenses, so he skipped to the point, "Ok well the main thing is this: you'll be getting paid in gold. Fifty pound bag each," the table perked up immediately- for the most part- and Reese knew he'd chosen a good price. These guys were foaming at the mouth to kill bandits, "and whatever loot you happen to find. My only request is that if it's loot just don't get in fights until I'm gone."

"When do we leave?" asked the young Hylian that'd called him at first.

"We leave tomorrow night," he said, but then turned to the dragoon, "You leave tonight. I need your opinion of the camp from the air before we make our move. If that's ok with you," he added quickly.

"Fine, I should be back in a few hours," she replied, walking toward the door.

"The rest of you get some sleep, unless you need to talk to me. I'll be outside."

OoC: Shrub's turn.

OoC: Sorry for confusing everyone, but just so everyone knows Khaz is taking part in this.

BiC: Reese gathered his maps and headed outside. Khaz studied the man as he went, as did Rontu and Ren. I wonder why he wants to kill them… wondered the Hylian. Revenge … isn’t it obvious? Takai answered his other half’s pondering. Khaz’s midnight blue eyes turned down to the floor. You’re going to help him … but not for the money. Khaz nodded to himself. Got a problem with that, Takai? He felt his other half’s smirk curved his lips. You know the answer to that.

“Khaz … you look f***ing creepy when you smile like that,” said Ren, which bumped Khaz out of his trance. His simper transformed in a warm smile that looked like the Khaz the Retuson knew.

“Sorry … anyway, we should get some sleep, ya know,” said the black-haired Hylian. He turned his back to his friends … he didn’t want them to question his odd behavior. But he knew Rontu would notice, Ren would be slower to catch on.

“I can’t believe you,” snarled the Dark Elf. Khaz turned back around to give him a bewildered stare. “You got us into this in spite of my protest! I didn’t want to do this, you moron!”

Khaz took a step back from Rontu, who was glaring at him as if he was prepared to cut his throat. Pissing off Rontu was as dangerous as poking a dragon in the eye…..

“Heh heh … well, you don’t have to do anything. You can stay here if you want to,” replied Khaz, laughing nervously. Rontu folded his arms moodily over his chest.

“And I thought you wanted to find Leita and the others, you haven’t forgotten about them have you?” inquired the angered man. Khaz frowned at Rontu’s harsh words. His eye tensed with discomfort.

“Of course I haven’t!” snapped the Hylian, his quick temper made Ren’s scarlet eyes widen. “There’s—there’s nothing we can do about that now and we need money if we’re going to keep looking for them…” His fury was gone as quickly as it had come. He turned his head way from Rontu. He was worried about Leita too … but she could handle herself. She was a mage after all … and powerful one at that. But even with all that in mind, he knew Leita probably better than anyone else. He knew she would hesitate to hurt anyone … and that is just the sort of thing that could get her killed. Khaz turned away from his friends and began to walk away.

“All right then … Takai.”

Khaz’s feet immediately came to a halt. His face hardened with his shock, not that they could see it. Hows does he … thought the Hylian. He turned his head over his shoulder to look at the Dark Elf. His hawk-like eyes bore into Khaz’s midnight blue ones. I’ve spoken to him before, he knows of my existance … or have you forgotten that? The Hylian turned his head away and continued on his way to the room he had rented. There was a lot he had forgotten since the war in Hyrule ended.

Ren looked from Khaz to Rontu, confusion infected his eyes and the frown on his lips. What on Ranelu? Why did Rontu call Khaz, Takai? The Dark Elf turned back to his drink, lifting the mug to his lips. The Retuson was still watching Khaz leave. That Hylian was the most puzzling man he had ever met.

“What’s up with Khaz? He’s been acting strange ever since … well you know, his fight with Nottuu,” whispered Ren to Rontu. The Dark Elf didn’t reply. The white-haired boy turned his head to give him a questioning glance.

“I was wondering …” began Rontu, he still wasn’t looking at the Retuson. “Where did you run off to when we all got separated?”

Ren’s gaze abruptly turned away from Rontu, even though he knew he wasn’t looking at him. He knew this would happen. Well, I did run off to the Dome while they tangled with a demon … Ren knew Rontu wouldn’t be pleased, but he owned him the truth.

“I went … to train,” replied the boy, leaning his elbow on the table with his back to it also. He could almost feel Rontu’s anger begin to stirand bubble next to him.

“Train? You went to train …” the madness in his friend’s voice was obvious. **** … he’s so going to kill me … “You ran off to train and left us to deal with Nelu?!” growled the Dark Elf. Rontu had finally turned his head to stare at Ren with his narrowed gold eyes and his lips twisting into a growl. The Retuson bowed his head, not looking at him.

“…Yeah, I did.”

Thud! Rontu and lanched himself on top of the teen, knocking their chairs to the floor. Ren’s eyes were wide open with shock. Holy ****! He really is going to kill me! The Dark Elf’s gloved hands wrapped around the boy’s throat as he pinned him to the ground. Ren grasped at his friend’s wrists, trying to pull them away but Rontu’s hands had successfully blocked his wind pipe. The boy gasped and struggled for air.

“You bastard! Do you realize we could have died!” hissed the former assassin, squeezing his throat. Ren’s lungs were burning for air, screaming at him. He was sure his face was turning purple. His nails dug into the cloth of Rontu’s black gloves. “Leita is out there, probably alone, perhaps even in danger! And thanks to your loud mouth we’re stuck doing some guy’s dirty work!”

Ren tried to say he was sorry but he could only get out a few squeaks. Surprisingly, the Dark Elf let go of his neck and stood up. The Retuson rolled over, rubbing his throat and coughed as he started to breathe once more. His forehead pressed against the cold, wooden floor. “S-sorry …” he sputtered.

“So you’re sorry, are you?” snarled Rontu’s coarse voice from above. “… You can take your apology back, because it means nothing more to me than dirt does.” Rontu’s boot was shoved into the yougn man’s side, causing him to gasp and cringe on the floor. Ren wrapped his arms around his middle, he managed to push himself up onto his knees. He heard the Dark Elf’s thunderous foot steps fade away. Okay … so I deserved that. His torso throbbed for a few minutes but the pain slowly began to fade away. Rontu sure could kick hard when he pissed off...

OoC: M’kay. NEXT!

Droz was sitting a few seats away from the Retuson. “Excuse me,” Droz said to the waitress. “What would you recommend to drink here?” the black dragon asked. “We have excellent red wine,” she said. “I’d like a bottle please,” Droz said to her. The waitress then left to get some red wine.

Droz then looked over to his left to the two Dark Elves who were talking. The oldest one had an angry look on his face. “You ran off to train and left us to deal with Nelu?!” the oldest growled. Nelu? Who is that? thought the black dragon. They then said some other stuff and the younger Dark Elf was tackled out of his chair. “S***!” Droz yelled as the Retuson almost hit him. The oldest then got up, kicked the younger one, and left.

Droz then made his way over to the Dark Elf on the ground.
“Gods damn! He can sure go off can he,” Droz said as he extended his hand at the Retuson. Ren then grabbed it and said,
“You don’t know the half of it. He goes through horrible mood swings. It’s all account of… uh, never mind. He wouldn’t like it if I told a total stranger about his life,” Ren said, not wanting Rontu to come back and try to kill him again.
“I understand. What’s your name, kid?” Droz asked.
“I’m not a kid and my name is Ren,” the Retuson answered.
“Oh, nice to meet you Ren. My name is Droz. Pull up a seat,” Droz said.
“Actually, I’m going to go get some shut eye,” the Retuson answered.
“Suit yourself. I’m going to stay here for a few more minutes,” the black dragon told him.
“Okay, see you tomorrow I guess,” Ren said as he left the tavern.

The waitress then came back with a bottle of red wine. Droz then grabbed it and pulled a few gold coins from under his trench coat and dropped it in the waitress’s hand. Droz then pulled the cork off the bottle and started drinking from it.

OoC: Tell me if I didn't portray your character Ren right, Shrub.

Gorin went out the front door of the bar. One of the others noticed Gorin leaving and thought about following him. The echo merely stood outside the door however, rather than leaving.

"Hmmm... Maybe this cutthroat camp has something to do with Grasthos. He always did like helping bandits in exchange for experimenting with them." mumbled Gorin. The echo was still thinking about Grasthos even though he hadn't seen any trace of him for weeks.

"YOU!!!" Gorin spun around in surprise. The man he had kicked in the chin was standing there. His chin looked slightly disfigured, as it was very likely that Gorin's foot had smashed the man's jaw slightly.

"What do you want, more broken bones?" asked Gorin. The man growled and lunged at the echo. Gorin allowed the man to beat him up, he had better things to do than kill the man. After smashing several random objects on Gorin, and socking him in the face a few times, the man left.

The man had really done nothing more than annoy Gorin. The echo had no wounds at all, and the man had broken his knuckles open from punching Gorin. Despite this, one of the others came over to help him up.

The dark dragoon left the tavern as soon as Reese had told her what to do. She spread her winds and, with one powerful thrust, was up in the air. From the information the archer had told the group, Cutthroat Camp was southwest of this village. Cila looked up at the stars, using them to find the right direction. The celestial bodies never lied and in a few minutes, she off to the bandit town.

The flight took about an hour. The only things the dragoon saw was forest, forest, and more forest. But she hardly minded. Cila preferred to be on her own for jobs and she had even conducted a few scouting missions with her father. Though, those always ended with someone dead. Torch light in the distance caught her attention. That must be the bandit town, she observed. The female cast her Shadow spell so that no one would be able to see her against the blackened sky. But she stopped before arriving above the village. The town was surrounded by hills on all sides except to the west which was a steep cliff. They know were to build. The cliff looked unscalable while protecting them from an attack from that angle and the guard would be able to see anybody that stood at the top of one of the hills. I would imagine that a place full of criminals would need such tight defenses.

She glided closer to the town. The archer had excellent information. The high walls, about 7 feet high, were made of iron poles ending in sharp spikes, enough to deter anyone from climbing over. Each corner had a tower built with about two archers at each. Cila detested fighting archers, an arrow through the wings would stop her from any flying. She flew around to inspect the only weak point, the gate that led into the town. It was hardly a weak point, though. It was built of strong oak. Floating a little into Cutthroat Camp, she saw that large planks of wood were set near the door. Those were used to reinforce the gate should any attack come upon them.

The inside was a different story. There were regular shops, bars, houses, markets, and even few theaters. It seemed to be a normal place on the inside. A few guards were patrolling the streets but they were lax about it. She saw clothes lines and a few children toys left in the front of houses. Most of these bandits seems to have families. Is that human planning to kill everyone in this village. That thought slightly disturbed Cila. It was one thing to attack bandits but women and children? Then the dragoon shook her head, What he does is not my concern. Feeling as though her objective was obtained, Cila rose out of the town and headed back to where Reese was waiting for her.

The human archer was waiting for her outside. He had been staring into the heavenly stars, most likely thinking about the upcoming battle. “So?” he asked as the dragoon landed. Cila wrapped her wings around her and told him of what she had seen.

“It seems more heavily guarded than you thought,” she commented.

He waved his hand, “No, not really. I expected a heavy defense.”

“How will we penetrate it?”

“I’ll formulate a plan once my contact bring the better map. For now, you had best get some sleep.” Cila walked back inside. She didn’t feel like sleeping but knew that she would need it to deal with the bandits tomorrow. The room wasn’t too bad, simply a mattress and a mirror. She laid on the bed and feel asleep quickly.

OoC: I hope I didn't mess up your Cutthroat Camp, HA.

Vetch woke as a bird glided threw the open window and landed on his head. "Mmm...." he grumbled. "G'way stupid bird...." The bird only hopped around, chirping happily. The elf grabbed the bird and tossed it back out the window.

"Damn bird. Its barely dawn. Oh, well." Strapping on his belt and swords, the teen walked down stairs into the courtyard. Shaking his hair back, he grabbed a passing stableboy. "Do you have a practice yard?"

"Yes, sirra." the young boy replied. "Through that gate there."

"Thanks." Vetch opened the gate and slid his flachions from their sheaths. Immeadiatly, he set to work against the pells, warming up for the attack against the bandit town. As his flachions thudded into the wood, he heard the gate open and close again.

"You know, Its easier to practice parrys against a real opponite then one made of wood." Vetch heard a strange voice, followed by the sound of metal scraping against metal. The elf turned around to see a dark elf standing with twin swords poised in front of him.

"My name is Droz. I believe that we are working together on this job."

Vetch smiled as he remembered the man from the night before. "So we are. Well, what do you say, shall we warm up for the attack?" Droz smiled and nodded. The two advanced on each other, swords weaving patterns as they went.

They moved slowly at first, but the two moved faster and faster as the sun rose. Finally, Vetch sheathed his weapons and held out his hand. "That was a good practice, Droz."

"Yes, it was." The two walked back into the tavern to see if any of the others were awake yet.

OoC: Ok I'm doing this because I'm impatient, bored, and.... I feel like it. Ok Zelda's Guard I'm gunna let you post whenever you have time >DURING THIS TURN<. Hokay, this is my post.

BiC:

Reese returned from his long night gathering information to see two of his crew entering the tavern, practically dripping with sweat. Wonder what those two were up to, he thought to himself as he scanned the street carefully on his way to the inn. This had been an eventful night, and his contact had given him invaluably information about the camp. The queer business man had gotten Reese maps, floor plans, and even a few profiles on some of the bandit leaders.

The most wonderful morsel of information he found though, involved a tunnel. Built by the bandits themselves, the tunnel was unguarded and anyone that entered the town through the tunnel was immediately pinned as an ally, as they believed no one knew about it but them. The tunnel would be the entrance for two of Reese's party, namely the dark elf and his cheery high elf friend, who would open the gate for their "gang" to enter the town.

When all hell broke loose, Reese and his band would have a definite advantage over the enemy: confusion. If it weren't such a grim prospect Reese would be smiling about his plan, but as it was he just scanned the street, walking slowly towards the inn.

Upon entering the well-lit tavern, Reese spotted most of his group sitting at one table. The dragoon was probably still asleep upstairs, but everyone else seemed to be present. He approached the party swiftly, ready to tell them of his news.

"Okay guys, thanks to my contact we now have a safe way into what would have been an almost impossible to attack fortress," he paused to give them a little anticipation, but seeing none just continued, "The bandits built themselves a tunnel to get in and out of the town. And this tunnel is out of sight of anyone in the city."

The demon spoke up suddenly, "So? Why can't we just take the city head-on?" He said, but Reese just stared at him as if he'd grown another head.

"Because the camp has seven foot high walls made of sharpened iron posts, along with archer towers and a fortified gate," he replied coolly to the demon, who dropped his gaze immediately.

"Is the tunnel guarded?" asked the huge dark elf that had been outside when Reese arrived.

"No, the tunnel is usually left unguarded in the day, with only a few volunteers at night," Reese informed him, "I also have a clear map that should allow you to make it there on your own."

"On our own? Aren't you coming?" asked the high elf confusedly.
"I'll be catching up with you once I tell our winged scout about the tunnel," he said pointing his thumb at the ceiling, "She was up all night flying over the camp so that we'd know what kind of defenses they have. Do one of you want to tell her she didn't have to do that?"

No one piped up so Reese continued, "Okay, for the rest of you, start packing up then follow the map. It should be easy to find the tunnel. I only want two of you to go in at the same time, but you can decide who opens the gate for the rest of you. Don't attack until I've arrived, I want to see this place for myself before we do anything."

As everyone started shuffling about getting ready to leave, Reese rolled up the map and handed it to the dark elf that had not wanted to come, telling him, "I'm giving this to you, because I think you'll keep the others in check if they try something stupid. Don't let the others see where the tunnel is unless you have to."

With that he went to the bar and started up a conversation with the owner, giving him some instructions about rooms and refreshments for when his crew returned. Upstairs the dragoon lay sound asleep, tired from the night.

OoC: Okay, I'm posting out of order because I have to go on a trip and won't be back until Monday. I figured I'd be skipped since our leader has such patients. Shrub, onilinkc4, and Mikey B can just ignore this post since it really only deals with Reese and Cila. So, just pretend it's in the right spot.

BiC:

Despite that she didn’t feel tired when she went to bed, Cila slept longer than she intended. A light knock fell on her room’s door followed by someone saying, “Lady, it’s time to go.” The dark dragoon opened one purple eye to find sunlight pouring through a single window. She stood up and stretched though the room’s smallness didn’t allow her full wingspan. She opened her door to find Reese standing there. “The group has gone on ahead,” he stated.

“You should have woken me earlier. I would not have minded.”

“After the scouting mission I set you on, I figured it would be nice for you to get your sleep.”

Cila couldn’t deny that, “Thank you. I believe I haven’t introduced myself yet,” she made a little bow, “I am Cila Marid.”

The archer also performed a small bow, “And I’m Reese Brashe.” Then he held out a grey tray of food. “Since we’re leaving on such short notice,” he explained, “I got you a small breakfast.” It was nothing more than some bread and wine but Cila took it with thanks and quickly ate it. Afterwards, the two headed out the door and to Cutthroat Camp to meet the rest of the group.

It was an boring trip. Though, Cila was impressed at the human’s tracking abilities. He seemed to know almost everything about the forest and even showed her a few things. He stopped at a large redwood. “Look at this moss,” he pointed to a patch of green fuzz, “This only grows on trees that have lived for more than three decades.”

“Doesn’t moss usually kill trees?” the dragoon asked.

“Some but not all. This moss is actually good for the tree. While it is a parasite, it’s not strong enough to kill the redwood and prevents more dangerous kinds from infecting it,” he said.

“It figures a ranger would know a lot about the forest,” a man’s voice said from behind. Both turned to see a burly man dressed in regular clothing holding an axe. He was accompanied by about four others.

“Who are you?” Cila asked.

“Nobody that you need to worry about, miss. We just want your stuff, that all. And if you don’t hand it over quietly, well, you had just better hand it over,” he said with a grin that revealed decaying teeth. So, we’ve stumbled across bandits before even reaching the village, she figured.

Reese grimaced at them, “If you want our items, come and take them you dogs!”

“Fools,” the bandit said with an even bigger smile. “Alright boys, looks like we get to have a little fun. Kill the ranger but leave the woman alive, she might be fun.”

Cila was repulsed by his want. They’re the fools for attacking us. The four cronies came forward with their axes but in an instant, one had an arrow sticking through his chest. He dropped dead and the archer loaded another arrow.


“Kill him!” the leader shouted and the three others charged at the two. Reese had time to fire another shot and drop him while Cila brought out her whip. She lashed it around one of their necks and with a sharp pull, broke it. The last was too close so the dragoon blinded him with a spell and slit his throat with her dagger. The leader stood there, stunned that his group had been killed so quickly. “Wait,” he pleaded.

“Too late,” the archer hissed and placed an arrow through the bandit’s heart.

Cila wasn’t happy that she had to kill them but it was for survival. Gods that these men commit themselves to, rest their souls, she prayed. It helped lessen the guilt when Cila did that. Then she looked back to Reese, “We had best go before the bandit village find out five of their own have been slain.”

“Agreed,” he said and he both rushed off. The sun was starting to set.

OoC: Eh … you referred to Ren was a Dark Elf, onilinkc4. He’s not a Dark Elf. He’s a Retuson, or half dragon in other words. And well … I guess you did all right portraying him, but it could have been done better. Don’t feel bad though, Ren can be a tricky character to write.

BiC: “All right,” called Rontu over the group, they all turned their heads up to listen. “Is everyone ready?”

Once they had all said they were prepared, the Dark Elf folded his arms over his chest, his gold eyes tensing pensively at them all and he spoke again, “Right, now everyone follow me and don’t fall behind because we’re not going to stop for a rest. If you can’t keep up then you might as well stay here.”

Khaz raised an eyebrow at Rontu and then turned his gaze to Ren, who shrugged in response. He folded his arms as a frown twisted into his lips. Why does he have to be so harsh? I thought he didn’t even want to come … The Hylian shook his head, his spiky hair swayed with the movement, and walked up behind the Dark Elf, letting his arms fall to his sides, with Ren following him. The others began to file out the door as well. They cut through the town quickly, gathering a few gazes as they went. It was a rather odd group to be traveling together. Rontu’s black skin stuck out like a sore thumb, for he caught the most stares. Khaz walked next to him with Ren on the other side. Everyone talked sliently amoungst themselves. Ren, Rontu, and Khaz walked together in their own still air. The Retuson’s red eyes glanced up at the Dark Elf every so often, they were nervous and questioning gazes. I hope he’s not mad at me anymore …

“So …” began the black-haired Hylian, turning his head so he was staring at the former assassin with his midnight-blue eyes. They had their usual clueless demeanor, that Rontu could feel without really seeing it. “What’s the rush?”

“Yeah and who elected you leader?” questioned the young Retuson, scowling at the Dark Elf. Rontu kept his proud head focused on the land in front of them, now that they were out of the city there was a short stretch of plains ahead of them and the edge of a dark forest. The grass of the plains were tall and ripped in the light breeze. The forest was dark with shadows and cool air.

“Reese did, and it’s going to take some time to get there. The winged woman took a few hours to reach it and that was by flight, we have no time for slackers,” replied the Dark Elf with the coarseness of this voice. “Speaking of which, Ren, could you fly ahead to see if anyone is in the forest? I think it would be best that we remain unseen by all eyes once we get there.”

Ren’s red eyes narrowed and his lips thinned, giving the Dark Elf a soft glare. He folded his arms over his chest as he stepped through the tall grass that was up to his waist. He obviously didn’t seem to like this idea, either that or he didn’t like being ordered around by Rontu. “I thought we were heading for the tunnel,” inquired the boy.

“We are, it would make sense that it would be close to the bandits’ town, wouldn’t it?” said Rontu quickly, Ren saw his jaw tighten slightly as he spoke.

“How do you know where it is?”

“That is none of your concern.”

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” said the teen. Rontu’s eyebrows tensed immediately and his lips curled up into a full out snarl. This glower didn’t even faze the Retuson, it wasn’t like it was the first time Rontu glared at him like that. He wasn’t even afraid that he could attack him again like the day before. This time he would be ready and this time he didn't deserve it.

“Moron! I’m only coming along because you two have made it so. I wouldn’t want to leave you behind to mess this up,” snapped the former assassin. Ren’s glare hardened as he spoke, feeling his own jaw clamp down.

“You think we couldn’t pull this off without you!” accused Ren, through his beared teeth.

“Just go!” growled Rontu, pointing to the forest. His unforgiving eyes peirced into the teenager’s stubborn face. “Stop arguing with me like a spoiled brat!”

“Hmp,” snorted the Retuson, a bright light erupted from his back, spreading out into the shape of wings. When the light faded in its place were two pearly white wings of hard scales and white webbing. The boy bent his knees and then sprang up into the air, pounding his wings to take flight. The Teijson was zooming over to the forest and soon was nothing but a speck above the green tree tops.

Khaz watched the young teen fly off, frowning once more. Why did they always end up fighting like this? The Hylian let out a depressed sigh as his eyebrows sagged with his disappointment. The two continued to lead the way to the forest, keeping a fast pace. Khaz kept casting a glance or two other at the Dark Elf, who pretended not to notice. The Hylian stuck his hands in his pockets as the absence of their voices continued. The wind whistled through their hair and pushed against their bodies.

“So,” said Khaz, breaking the quiet. “You seem more tense than usual …”

“Hmp!” grunted Rontu, still ignoring his gaze. The Hylian’s eyes dropped to the grass passing beneath his boots and his lips formed a pout. His turned his gaze back up to Rontu, hope lingering in his blue eyes. A cheerful smile began to melt back into his mouth. His eyebrow raised upward.

“Come on … it’s about Leita, isn’t it?”

“You could say that …” replied the Dark Elf, he still wasn’t looking at Khaz but his grumpy face had relaxed some. He wasn’t snarling anymore, but his eyes were still bent in a sort of glower. The Hylian’s lips spilt into a grin, but that did not last long. The same thought of his yonger sister tingled in his mind.

“Well … I’m worried too,” said Khaz, the tension in his concerned face spoke of it also.

“But it’s not just that she’s lost,” said the Dark Elf, his gold eyes peered out from the corner of his gaze but only for a second. Khaz’s eyes found Rontu’s hand on the hilt of his katana as if he was expecting something to jump out and attack them at any given moment. “Kira and Kai are also gone … and …”

“Yeah?” asked Khaz, trying not to sound to eager. He was actually getting Rontu to talk! That wasn’t something they did since the Empire fell. It was simple enough to say that the former assassin avoided it.

“Before I found you I ran into someone who works for Sheinron—no, he worked for Nottuu like Sheinron did. Well, I found out that Nelu is one of Nottuu’s men … and a Dark Lord,” said the Dark Elf. Khaz’s eyes widened and his lips parted in a mute gasp. The Hylian's hand dropped down to the hilt of his blade just at the thought. Rontu’s words decreased to a low whisper. “Not only that but … we’re on their hit list, they want us dead. Including Leita and the others. That’s why Nelu was after us. Some vampire called Lilith wants us wipped out. She’s sending Sheinron, Nelu, and others to kill us. They’re probably looking for us right now…”

Khaz had almost stopped walking, his eyes were wide open and he looked as if he had been hit over the head with a rock. He almost tripped over his own feet. Khaz stumbled slightly but regained his balance. Dead … they wanted them dead. They were marked by a Dark Lord again and so was Leita! Khaz stared down at his feet and tightly closed his eyes with the sense of doom stirring in his gut. **** … why is it we always get on the wrong people’s sides?

“Perhaps now you understand why I didn’t want to get into this?”

The Hylian looked back up at the Dark Elf and nodded. He wasn’t too sure he wanted to do this either. What if Nelu or someone else attacked them while they were dealing with the bandits? Everyone with them would be in danger, no, they already were in danger just walking with them. It was too late to turn around … and he still wanted to help Reese get his revenge. He felt as if he had met him somewhere before....

“Who was the guy who told you this?” asked Khaz. Maybe the source had been wrong … Dear Akasha, let the source be wrong. Rontu’s face instantly switched back to a hardened glower at his feet. That was a bad sign … it had to be something personal.

“Forget it … it’s not important.”

Khaz bowed his head to stare down at his brown boots. He knew better than to keep bothering Rontu for the real answer. The Dark Elf would sooner die than tell him. Silence danced around them again as they neared the forest. More disturbing thoughts kept falling in and out of Khaz’s mind. What if the others were hurt? They hadn’t seen them for months now ... When they came to the edge Rontu stopped and so did the others. His hawk-like eyes scanned deep into the cool and quiet forest, looking for any movement.

“What is it?” asked the black-haired Hylian. The Dark Elf didn’t reply for a few seconds.

“Nothing … we should wait for Ren to return before continuing.”

“You won’t be waitin’ long,” said a voice unseen.

They all looked around for the owner of the voice. Rontu tilted his head back and his gold eyes rested on the young Teijson standing on a tree branch above them, his arms folded over his chest with a smirk on his face. His white wings were folded over him like a cloak.

“Did you find anything or anyone?” questioned the former assassin. Ren’s wings flexed out for a brief moment and then folded over his shoulders again.

“Five men, they have the appearance of bandits,” reported the boy. “I would have dealt with them myself but I wanted to hear what you had to say about it, oh fearless leader.”

Rontu scowled at Ren’s sarcasism, grinding his teeth together slightly with a snarling lip. I swear that mouth of his is going to kill him someday … Ren never had much of a filter for his words. The teen seemed to notice Rontu’s vexed glower, for his smirk widened. The Dark Elf turned his back to Ren and gazed over their group. His face faded into a more calm but commanding stance.

“We’ll deal with them if we see them, keep your eyes and your ears open!” he ordered, and he turned back around, stepping into the shade of the trees. Ren dropped down to the ground, white light cover his wings and shrank into his back. Khaz followed his friends into the forest. The rest of their party followed the three warriors as well.

OoC: Blah, sorry that took so long.

Ok guys, Shrub and I have been discussing a deeper plot, so instead of attacking the village Shrub's characters Nottuu and Shienron are gunna have already destroyed the camp. Your guys are gunna arrive to find the tunnel collapsed and find a reason to look over the hill at the camp. You guys just each give your descriptions of the destroyed camp. I hate to sound like Shrub(no offense teacher...not the ruler!!!!) but could you guys go into real depth trying to base it on the original descriptions by graceful_sheik or me. The first of you to post can describe the dragon and Sheinron in the middle of the attack if you want.

Wait, wait. I would like to request to have when they find the ruins be in my post because there were some details I would like to go over with my characters. And I thought it was going to be more than Sheinron and Nottuu. Wasn't Emon and Nelu going to be apart of it too? I hate to contridict Aussie, but I would prefer in introduce my own characters.

Ok... hmm... ok how about this: You post about finding the ruins then the order continues? You include the characters you want.