Dead Vengence (Tiroth)

Ooc: Will be using my characters Nyle and Sudran.

Bic:

The two men slowly rode over the rocky outcrop, several times their horses nearly falling because of the lack of sturdy ground. The flame warrior watched the other man with mild interest, and the soldier kept looking around them, searching for any hidden threat that might loom nearby. The two had met in a bar, and after an impressive feat from Nyle where he killed three men with one bullet for trying to harm an innocent boy, the flame warrior had decided to recruit him into their group of bounty hunters.

“There’s something up ahead.” Nyle said suddenly, his hand automatically straying to his left leg holster.

Sheesh this guy’s jumpy… Sudran thought in his head, the thought nearly making him laugh out loud. But a moment later there came cries of an animal, and from its tone it was in trouble. Not wanting to admit that the soldier was better than him, the flame warrior spurred his horse into a gallop, making it nearly fall over. There was a similar sound and Nyle followed suit. After a few second of precarious riding, the two came to a stone crop, the ledges practically worn away and no way for a horse to walk on properly, and in the middle of it was a horse, its legs bloody and bent. It was laid down, and from its breathing it was near death.

“The animal is near dead, its legs have broken from trying to walk on this unstable ground,” Nyle stated, reading the horse like a book. Feeling compassion for the creature, Sudran dismounted his horse, determined to end the animals suffering. Nyle looked puzzled, but followed the flame warrior. Patting the animals head as he neared it, Sudran calmed it and stopped its wails of pain. Bowing his head, the flame warrior drew his sword.

“That would be very inefficient,” Nyle said simply, and brought out his left leg gun. Before Sudran could stop him the soldier let off 5 blasts, each one striking the beast in its head, instantly killing it.

“That might have been better for the horse, but it wasn’t better for me.” Sudran grunted, blood droplets now covering his face and armor. Before Nyle could reply that it was his fault there was a sound of hooves, sounding from in front of them.

OoC: *three months later*

Sorry I haven't done anything about this sooner. I'll make sure I'm more prompt from now on.

BiC: The old centaur heard the five shots ring out in the direction the wounded horse had raced in, silencing the animal’s final cries of pain. Grim-faced, the warrior of the Moon-Gods increased his pace, long strides eating up the distance between himself and the source of the shots.

Ignoring the broken ground beneath his hooves, Chetarren held his spear aloft as he crested the final rise and found himself face-to-face with what appeared to be a pair of young humans. One held a strange-looking black powder weapon in one hand, evidently the source of the shots fired moments earlier, earlier the other wielded a well-crafted sword. Both figures stared at the centaur as he approached

The old general stared at the pair for a moment before speaking. “While I am grateful you showed this creature mercy,” he said, “it was not impossible to heal it’s wounds. The horse need not of died.”

Obviously taken aback by the centaur’s attitude, the two looked at each other for a moment in bafflement before turning back to Chetarren. The man with the black powder weapon was about to speak when his companion nudged him slightly.

OoC: And sorry it's so short, but I didn't want to take it too far in one post. I was thinking perhaps there might be a bounty out on a centuar, as these two are supposedly bounty hunters? Just a thought.

Ooc: Meh, better late than never. Oh and, that link for Chetarren’s picture doesn’t work.

Bic:

“Check the database, if he’s above the higher ranked rewards, we’ll bag him and take him back to HQ.” Sudran muttered. Reaching a hand slowly into his pocket, Nyle drew out his small hand held screen, and began pushing various buttons. Stepping in front of the ex-soldier to shield what he was doing, the fire wielder sheathed Ignis.

“I am sorry, but since I know little healing magic, and my friend here knows none, we thought that it would be the best way, instead of letting it suffer. If we had known you were here, we would have left the animal alone, and continued traveling.”

The centaur looked over Sudran with a wary eye, checking for any hint of lies.

“Not bad, not bad at all. This centaurs profile checks out. He is Chetarren Caesar, warrior of Moon Gods. He’s been around for quite a while, and the amount of people who slapped a bounty on him has exceeded a five star status, more than any person I’ve seen in this era. He would be worth more to us dead than alive.” Nyle muttered into Sudran’s ear. A smile crossed the flame warrior’s lips for a moment, thinking of what he could do with the money he could gain.

“Chetarren Caesar, under the BTU Act, paragraph seven, I am honored to take down the highest bounty for this century.” Sudran shouted, slowly sliding both swords out of their scabbards. Sliding the screen back into his pocket. Nyle drew his other NCMG from its holster, taking careful aim over Sudran’s shoulder.

“Let him draw his weapons, I want the pleasure of fighting him before we bag his centaur butt.” The flame warrior muttered, knocking the other mercenaries’ weapon up. Shaking his head, Chetarren drew a spear and hammer, slowly trotting forward.

“If you think that you can bag me, try to do so.” The centaur laughed, obviously thinking very little of the two’s actions. Swinging Pyro deftly in one hand, Sudran watched as the edge of the sword set alit, blue and orange flames licking the edge.

“Fiery sword through the heart it is then.” The fire wielder muttered, and ran forward. Laughing, the centaur reared up and lashed out with a hoof, knocking Sudran back. Before he could do anything, the sound of shooting filled the air, and a shot scraped Chetarren’s shoulder, dangerously close to his face. Looking past Sudran, the centaur found Nyle aiming a gun directly at him.

“Sudran’s only here to play around with you, I can end this without much effort. Knowing that, your fate is sealed, and your corpse will be ours before the sun sets.” The ex-soldier grunted. Holstering an NCMG, he drew Glamrin from his back, intent to have some fun before the final blow.

OoC: *fixes pic link* Thanks for telling me about that.

BiC: Chetarren ignored the sting of the bullet wound in his shoulder as he watched the second human advance towards him. Still standing on his hind legs, the centaur swiftly danced around the fire-swordsman and sent him sprawling with a well-timed kick, never taking his eyes off the gunman beyond. The old warrior could sense there was something peculiar about him and the sword he held in one hand, but even his enhanced senses couldn’t tell what.

Dropping back down to all four legs, the centaur pointed his spear at the gunman’s heart. “If it is my corpse you desire,” he said, “then perhaps you should first ensure it is available.”

Stepping towards Chetarren, the fire-swordsman muttered, “That will be a pleasure.”

Seeing the movement from the corner of his eye, the centaur stallion spun his spear one-handed and drove the razor’s edge towards the closer opponent. The swordsman nimbly blocked the strike with his twinned blades and lunged forward for an attack of his own. Chetarren danced backwards from the strike, and whipped his hammer around to block a second shot from the sword-wielding gunman.

Letting a predator’s grin creep onto his face, the warrior of the Moon-Gods surged past the swordsman and galloped straight for his companion, spear held ready to skewer the human.

OoC: Perhaps a little shorter than you were expecting again, but I'd rather not fight the whole battle myself.

Before Nyle could move out of the way, the centaur came charging past him, striking out with his spear. The weapon simply bounced off the bullet proof armor attached to the mercenaries’ skin, but it didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt. Still, the blow knocked Nyle to the floor. Before he could clamber to his feet, Chetarren was above him, hammer poised to strike.

“I thought you said my fate was sealed.” The centaur muttered, and raised him hammer to strike. But before he could attack, a sudden thump sound was heard, and the horse warrior reared up on his back legs, his hammer stuck behind him. Sudran had taken the advantage and jumped onto Chetarren’s back, grabbing his arm and stopping the attack. Rolling over as the centaurs hooves crashed down, Nyle flipped over onto his feet, holstering his gun so he could wield Glamrin with both hands.

“Get off!” the centaur yelled, grabbing the flame warrior most unceremoniously over his head, striking out with his spear, raking a deep cut across Sudran’s left arm. Yelling more in shock than pain, he landed with a thump on the dead horse, sending blood spurting everywhere. Grunting curses under his breath, Sudran got to his feet, standing next to Nyle.

“I think it was time we kicked this up a notch.” The ex-soldier muttered. Nodding, Sudran grabbed his arm. Chetarren was in interest, amused by what they were doing. Focusing, Nyle stuck his sword into the stony ground, sending out three waves of silver energy.

“Twenty seconds, what should we do?” the mercenary grunted, pulling his hands off his weapon.

“I have an idea. Help me with the dead horse.” Sudran muttered. Twenty seconds later, and the time flow returned to normal, and the warrior of the Moon-Gods buckled under the weight of the dead horse on his back. Looking at his hands, the centaur found that his weapons were no longer there.

“Looking for these?” the flame warrior shouted, swinging Chetarren’s hammer in one hand. Nyle had his spear trained on him, aiming for his heart.

“What sorcery is this?” the centaur shouted, trying to pull the dead animal off his back.

“Time manipulation, something I doubt you would be able to get your mind around.” The hunter grunted, wiping his brow. Finally pulling the creature off him, Chetarren stood up again, a determined look in his eye.

OoC: Sorry for the month-long wait. A few problems cropped up, like the computer not working.

BiC: "Indeed?" the centaur rumbled. "I believe you will find that I understand more than you think, fool." A predator's smile tugged at the corners of Chetarren's mouth as he spoke and summoned the magic from deep inside himself. Letting it rush through his body, the old warrior raised one hand and pointed turned his palm towards the two warriors who had attacked him.

Both swordsmen were suddenly enveloped in sheets of lightning that seemed to emanate from the weapons they had just stolen. The magically-induced storms arced across their bodies, leaving dark char marks at every point they touched. Shrieking in shock and pain, the two men convulsed and lost their grip on the centaur's arms. Freed from the sudden onslaught, they stumbled backwards a few steps and stared at their mark, who had already re-armed himself and stood watching them.

"As you can see," the old general said, "I too know something of mgic." Them dropping into a battle-stance, he added, "Now come and die or flee and live, it matters not to me."

OoC: There. The next one will be longer, guaranteed, but I wanted to get this moving again.

"That… was unexpected,” Sudran said softly. Drawing Pyro from its crimson sheath, the fire wielder waited for his companion to draw. Moments passed, and Sudran suddenly got anxious about the fact that he was being left high and dry by the ex-soldier. Craning his head to the left, the warrior found that the other mercenary was rapidly pressing button that adorned his PDA.

“This isn’t the perfect time to be doing something like that Nyle,” Sudran grunted, a slightly offended look in his eye. Holding up his hand to silence his companion, the ex-soldier stuck the PDA in front of his face.

Name: Chetarren Caesar
Birth Date: Unknown
Death Date: Unknown
Star Status: Seven
Accumulated Bounty: 58,300 Salas
Tag/Bag: Bag

“What’s that supposed to mean?” the fire wielder asked nervously, scanning over the information again.

“No death date means no re-assurance that we collect this bounty. It means this battle can swing both ways, in his death, or our defeat,” Nyle muttered, deciding to say their defeat instead of their death to keep his companion from panicking.

“So, now what?”

Pocketing the PDA, the ex-soldier withdrew both NCMG’s from their holsters once more. Clicking off the safety’s, he nodded to his partner; the sign that they should advance. Twirling Pyro deftly around in his hand, the fire wielder let it ignite. Vermillion flames sprung up along its edge, continually immersing the blade in fire until it was completely covered.

“Lets just try to get this over with,” Sudran said simply. Charging forward, he swung the sword at an angle, its edge emitting a clang! as it met Chetarren’s spear. Pushing him back, the centaur stabbed forward with his spear, which scraped against the side of the fire wielder’s armor. Using this one moment, Nyle took his chance to enter the fray. Taking careful aim, the ex-soldier loosed off several shots, but all of them were blocked by Chetarren’s hammer before they could pose any threat.

Ignoring the sparks that erupted from the bullets striking his hammer, Chetarren swung the old weapon at the fire-wielder's head, hoping to knock the swordsman out of the fight so he could deal with his companion. Seeing the weapon descend, Sudran able to turn his body so that the blow glanced off his arm instead of slamming into his head. Grunting from the sudden pain, the swordsman pulled from his centaur opponent and tried to bring his own weapon to bear, but Chetarren suddenly spun and ran straight for Nyle as the gunman lined up another shot.

Abandoning his position, Nyle leapt out of the way of the oncoming centaur and rolled to bring his sights back on the old warrior. But instead of staring down the barrel of his gun at half a ton of charging horseflesh, there was a vast expanse of...nothing.

His head snapped round at a yell from Sudran. Their mark, instead of being where the two of them had expected, was trying to run the fire swordsman down with his powerful hooves. Chetarren's spear was lowered at one side of him, apparently in an attempt to skewer the swordsman as he scrambled out of the stallion's path.

Cursing under his breath, Nyle brought his weapons round and opened fire on the charging centaur. The bullets raced in towards his unprotected flank, then suddenly ricocheted away from him just before penetrating Chetarren's hide.

This was going to be a lot harder than he'd thought.

As soon as the bullets bounced off the centaurs hide, Nyle ceased firing. There was no point in wasting rounds on this foe if he could simply deflect them. However, the attack had at least slowed the creature, giving Sudran enough time to move himself out of the way of the impeding charge. Rolling to the right and out of range for any type of melee attack Chetarren would’ve tried. Scrambling over to the ex-soldier, he stood defensively as the centaur turned back to them.

“Do we have a plan?”

“Not anymore, we’re pulling out. I’ve got absolutely no idea what this guy can do. In a situation like this, the best thing to do is regroup at base, and maybe try again another time.”

“What now?!” Sudran bellowed hysterically.

“Stall while I open a gateway.” Holstering both guns, Nyle withdrew Glamrin from its sheath once more, and began focusing on the precise time and date.

OOC You can either end it with your post, or post, and let me finish. It's up to you.

Chetarren leapt for the two warriors as the gunman drew his sword again. The centaur was determined not to let the pair pull another trick on him with their time magic. He threw his great spear in mid-leap, aiming for the fire-wielder's companion, then ignored it as his charge brought him into contact with the swordsman.

The old warrior swerved his body to one side as the human tried to strike at him with his sword. Chetarren's hammer swung round and clashed against the blade, driving it further along it's arc than his opponent had intended and throwing the fire-wielder off-balance. Instead of panicing as many less experienced men would have, the swordsman went with the motion and dove forward. The centaur's return swing passed cleanly over his body, allowing the human to regain his feet and turn back to face his attacker.

Instead of concentrating on the fire-wielder again, Chetarren put on a fresh burst of speed and ran straight for his companion. The gunman stood next to the centaur's spear, apparently oblivious to the world, but he looked up as the centaur thundered towards him.

Then Chetarren felt a burning pain in his back, staggered, and turned to snarl at the fire-wielder behind him.

OoC: You can provide the finish now. Call me for a re-match anytime you like. ^_^

Letting the fire in his palm disperse into the air once more, Sudran wrapped his hand around the hilt of Pyro.

“Come and get me, you overgrown hybrid!” Sudran yelled mockingly. If he could goad the centaur into just a few more moments of attack, Nyle would have the portal open and they could escape. Chetarren, his attention diverted for the moment, charged forward at the flame warrior. Weapons met again, sparks flying to the sides as they grated against once another.

“What have you done in your life that makes you such a wanted creature?” Sudran grunted, pushing all his weight up against the centaur. The answer never came. The centaur opened his mouth to reply, and suddenly, Sudran was on the floor of his office, his head aching. Groaning, he accepted the helping hand From Nyle, who was standing at his side.

“What happened?” Even though the effects were starting to wear off, the room was still spinning.

“I opened the portal and froze the place again before Chetarren could injure you. His hammer was angled to crack one or two of your ribs on the next swing.”

“Thanks for the save, I guess.” Slightly taken aback by the ex-soldiers intellect, the fire warrior dusted himself and made for the door, Nyle following close behind him.

OOC: This was a good battle, no matter how short. I’ll pm you when I think I would have enough time for another one.