Darmus By Night

[Ravenloft]

Cervantes:

"Oh, what will we do? What will we do?!" Cervantes mocked with a dark smirk. "Kill them most likely... That or send them packing minus an ear or a leg or some such rot..." He added with a chuckle as he started his mare into a slow canter toward the bridge. "Oh, what DO I mean by a bite to eat Val? Please, do tell..." He said with a knowing look as his horse set hoof upon the bridge. He could smell the anticipation seeping off the ambusher's skin just below the bridge, he didn't even have to see them to know they were there...

 

[LadyDarkFire]

Thorne:

Slowly backing her horse away from the bridge, Thorne studied the two. She had strong suspicions the night before, but they were screaming now. The mocking had snapped her out of the shock, and now she was ready to face what she needed to. Thorne slipped the dagger from her sleeve with minimal movement. Protection spells were all well and good, but she had other means of protecting herself without tipping her hand.

 

[Ravenloft]

Cervantes:

"Oh! Oh! I wonder if I might cross this bridge safely!" Cervantes called out as he made his way to the middle of it. His lips held a beaming smile. He seemed to be really enjoying this situation. "It seems safe enough, why don't you two follow along now, with all your gold and trinkets in tow?! I really don't think anyone will ambush us out here... On this bridge!" Cervantes started to chuckle as he turned his horse back to face the two of them.

 

[LadyDarkFire]

Thorne:

Shooting a "Drop Dead" look at Cervantes, Thorne urged Tal slowly towards the bridge, her eyes darting around as she kept the dagger ready. She decided to not speak this close to the ambush, since she knew what could happen if the sort that were under that bridge found out that there was a female in a party.

 

[Guest]

Cervantes:

"Thats right kiddies, there's nothing to fear along this bridge! I mean, who would want to steal the CROWN JEWELS of BROWNING after all?" Cervantes said, emphasizing a few choice words as he spoke. He could almost hear the fools below begin to salivate over that one. "You there lad! And you!" He called out to Val and Rocky both. "Keep that wagon moving! Yes I know its heavy, laden with such treasure... But we must get it to the camp before night fall!" Cervantes continued to smile wildly as he started toward the far side of the bridge once more. Everyone in his party was now fully on the bridge. Then and only then did the fool bandits crawl out of the... Stone work... One small band took the far side of the bridge, efectively blocking it off, and another showed behind them, sealing escape... One man barked out an order to relinquish all they had of value 'an we might let you live..' he growled. Cervantes tilted his head to the side, rubbing his ear. "Excuse sir, what doth you say?" He said in a strangely mild voice. "Ye heard me ye whoreson!" The man shot back. "Please do forgiveth me sire, but we are but poor simple folk seeking only the shelter of an inn... Little of worth or value is ours to give to thee..." Cervantes said softly, barely able to keep his expression straight. "Bullshit, whoreson! I heard just as clear as day that you carry treasure with you! Now, hand it over!" The man commanded roughly, raising an hand in the air. Men hidding up in trees all around the bridge reveiled themselves and leveled bows upon Cervantes and his band. "Oh, but sire... There is no need for this... We will give you what little we can..." Cervantes said meekly as he slid off his horse slowly, the arrowmen followed him with their eyes from the trees. "This horse... A fine mare, well breed, and trained from a foal... Yours sire..." Cervantes said as he relinquished the reigns to the leader of the bandits. The man furrowed his brow in annoyance as he took hold of the reigns. "Gold, fucker, I wants me gold!" The man hissed. Cervantes stood there before the bandit leader, seeming so unasuming before the wide bulk of the other's muscled frame... "Oh, but sire... You ask for more than we can give..." Cervantes whispered as he gave a half hearted shrug. The leader was about to shout something, his face turning red with exasperation. That is until a sudden and sharp blow from Cervantes' elbow shoved the cartelage of the mans nose into his brain, killing him swiftly. He was dead even before his body fell limply to the ground. Then all hell broke loose. Another twenty odd men clammored from below the bridge, swords drawn and shouting. The two small groups at either end of the bridge advances in a rush. The bowmen launched their first volly of arrows... Cervantes caught the dead leader by the collar just before he fell and used him as a sheild against the arrows, then threw him unerringly toward the advancing bandits. He laughed gleefully the entire while.

 

[LadyDarkFire]

Thorne:

Watching the advancing bandits, Thorne gave Talesin his head, letting him rear up and lash out with sharp shod hooves. Leaning forward slightly, Thorne remained in balance with the horse, allowing the dangerous destier to strike at will.

 

[Nobody Special's wife]

Kiahra:

A reddish blond haired girl sat on a tree branch watching the sceen on the bridge. No one seemed to notice that she was there. Not even cervantes... She watched him with humor in her eyes. "What a dumbass..." She said under her breath. "Always hungry for somethin." She shook her head as she saw the feebe, Rocky tagging along. "Whatever are you gonna do with those two Kiahra?" She sighed to herself as Cervantes threw the dead bandit at the others. She'd already made up her mind to wait and surprise Cervantes after he'd finished his fight, She knew how much he enjoyed it after all... She'd already planned it out, she'd wait till he rode just under the tree she was hiding in and jump down right behind him, give him a good scare! "Heheheh!" She snickered to herself as she rubbed her hands together wickedly. The plan was all set in her mind but the fight was still going on, so she hung her legs down from the tree, swinging them back and forth absently as she enjoyed the rest of the fight...

 

[Rockingham]

Rocky glanced back, seeing the huge angry men walk towarsds them. He stood, not quite knowing what to do. He normally didn't fight people, unless his life was in danger. It seemed to be in danger though, he had no choice.
He looked at the squirrel on his shoulder, "Run my friend. I don't want you to get hurt too."
The squirrel seemed saddened, but then jumped to a low hanging branch over the bridge and hopped off into the forest. He took a stance, his eyes looking so uncertain. He didn't even have a weapon, he sold his last saff for those matches for Cervie.
"I don't think we should fight right now fella's, this is a bit lop sided. You see, I don't even have a weapon or anything, and look, you've all got..."
Swords and daggers and other sharp pointy hurtful things began to appear. A nice group was beginning to circle around him. Sweat was pouring from his brow.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go on your bridge, it's just that I'm with Cervie, I have always been with him. Please don't hurt me."
One man brought up his sword, arching it high to come down on Rocky's head. He ducked, quinting his eyes. He didn't want to see his own death, that was one of the few things he didn't want to see.
A loud scream came from beside him. Opening his eyes in surprise, Rocky saw a squirrel chomping down on the evil bandits arm. The bandit was screaming, running around the bridge, blood falling onto the woodboards. Other squirrels began to follow, a plethara of woodland animals continued to come from the tall trees and the ground as well.
The five or so bandits that had once surrounded him were now running and screaming for their lives. Rabbits, chipmunks, porcupines, blackbirds, bluejay's, gopher's, and even a small elk were attacking like crazy. The bandits surroudning him were now running for their lives.
Rocky couldn't help but laugh, he stood on the side of the bridge, holding onto his stomache. It was so funny.
"Thank you friens," he called as most of them had left with the other bandits. There was only one left around him, who was busy trying to get a blackbird dislodged from his scalp. With red hateful eyes he ran at Rocky, who looked around in horor.
They met with a horrendous crash; the small bridge siding gave way. Rocky looked watching as he fell towards the small river below. His knapsack was the only thing that ha saved him, he stopped with a jerk, rocking back and forth in the air.
The bandit was holding onto his leg, saaing the position he was in. Rocky gave him a mean look.
"You are a meanie, I can't believe you are being so mean to us. What did we do to you? That's what you get for being mean, if you don't be so mean then maybe stuff like this won't happen no more."
He kicked sharply, and the banit landed hard in the shallow water. He held onto his back as he limped off.
Rocky felt a little better, but then looked up at the bridge. He was hanging on too far to pull himself up. He didn't want to fall down, the water was too shallow and it was too far.
He did the only thing he could do.
"HELP!!!"
He called, and the squirrel appeared before him.
"Squirrely," he said, in a happy tone, "Thanks for all your help. I might have been dead if it weren't for you and your friends."
The squirrel seemed to say thank you, kissing his nose. He smiled in such a child like way.
"As soon as you're all done, I could use some help!" he called again. They were all busy fighting though.
(I left plenty for everyone else, didn't want to ruin all the fun by not letting the others fight)

 

[Guest]

Valdimer Elsworth


Valdimer sat quietly on his horse, as Cervantes stode forward onto the bridge. Looking to Thorne, he said, "As for a bite to eat? I believe you shall find out soon enough." Pulling his two-handed sword out, it's blade looking nearly as black as the shadow that surrounded Val, he began to casually sharpen it with his whetstone. Watching as the bandits began to surround him and the rest of the party, Valdimer slowly and easily climbed off his steed.

Cervantes elbow struck, and Val knew it was time. He let out a hurendous yell and lunged for the first person he saw. Swinging his sword in a high arc, he nailed the man, cleaving him in two. Swiftly moving to the next person, then the next, Val swung his sword, slicing off limbs, or decapitating, or cleaving bodies in seperate peices. Working his way across the bridge, Valdimer watched as Rocky was attacked, and then fell over the bridge. Two other bandits were beinging to make thier way over to Rocky's last spot, seemingly to help thier friend. Pulling his arm back, Val lauched his sword like a spear.....it turned end over end, and finally embedded itself in it's target. The bandit's companion watched as his friend fell, and then turned his attention to Valdimer, who was fastly closing in. "Ye bastard! That be me brother!" the bandit yelled, holding his battle axe high as he ran toward Valdimer. The battle axe came down, and Valdimer simply swatted it away, hearing it fall to the ground in a loud clank.

Valdimer's hands moved almost with a lightning quickness, and he grabbed the bandit on either side of his head and said, " Then join your brother in the abyss!" Roughly turning the bandit's head sideways, Val opened his mouth, exposing two very sharp and pointed teeth. Saliva dripping, he tore into the bandit's throat, drinking, rather messily, the blood that flowed. Letting the dead man fall, leaned over the bridge, and looked at Rocky.

 

[Valdimer]

OOC: Unregistered is me.....

 

[LadyDarkFire]

Thorne:

Watching Valdimer and Cervantes, Thorne looked shocked. She had been suspicious, but to have her thoughts confirmed by seeing a man killed was a shock to her system. The shock had let her control of Talesin slip, and the horse was continuing to strike out with the sharp steel nailed into his hooves. Finally, with a powerful landing, Thorne got shocked awake and regained her senses. Quieting her horse, she urged him straight forward, onto the land that lay across the bridge.

 

[Ravenloft]

Cervantes:

"Hahahah! Ye bloody bastards! Ye'r all gonna die!" Cervantes shouted gleefully as he went into a crouch, his form twisting, his bones and cartilage could be heard popping, shifting, and scrapping... A moment later he was not anything even remotely human. His skin was covered in a thick yellowish brown fur, mared by darker patches of fur. He lifted his head, showing yellowed fangs as he continued to laugh. It was a chilling, unnatural sound... He lept at one of the men before him who had stopped suddenly, transfixed by terror. Claws and teeth ripped through the man as though he were paper. the others suddenly scattered, snapped out of their gripping fear. "Don't run... Don't run! I wanna play!" Cervantes called out to them, his voice quavering with the same unnatural laughter. He launched after another one, pinning him only long enough to end his life. Then he looked for another and another... His laughter never ending as he hunted.

 

[LadyDarkFire]

Thorne:

As she watched in horror, Thorne finally found her voice. "STOP IT!" The words were louder than she'd ever spoken in the presence of another, and filled with horror. They were aimed at Cervantes and carried a minor flash of power that she was unaware of. Terrified, for even though the gore that Valdimer produced was foul, the act of killing for fun, with no reason, was the one thing that would evoke utter fear from her.

 

[Ravenloft]

Cervantes:

Cervantes was too much the beast to hear Thorne's shout. He was focused on the hunt and little more. Two others fell before they made their escape... And he chased one last man down... His scream of horror cut short somewhere out of sight, in the forest. A few minutes later, Cervantes came walking back, he was human again... He whiped his bloody forearm across his lips as he stepped down to the waters edge and started to clean himself off without a word.

 

[LadyDarkFire]

Thorne:

Backing her horse away from Cervantes, Thorne looked like a wraith under her hood. Her face paled even beyond what she normally looked like, she had a look of shocked horror still upon her face. "You. . . You Killed them, and you. . . Enjoyed it!"

 

[Ravenloft]

Cervantes:

Lifting his head slowly and laying a look of annoyance upon the magess, Cervantes spoke. "They would have killed us, raped you, and slaughtered the horses for meat... They were BANDITS! What do you think they were waiting her for? Tea and crumpets?" He stood, looked up toward Rocky, who was still hanging from the half broken bridge. "You okay up there?" He asked, not waiting for an answer.

 

[LadyDarkFire]

Thorne:

Still aghast at Cervantes, Thorne didn't realize just how much her power was feeding into her emotions, her words nearly spell like as she spoke: "We could have found an alternate rout. You could have incapacitated them without killing! You didn't have to Enjoy it! What is so pleasurable about another's pain? Why could you not just strike them unconcious? To Feed, I can understand, it is life against life, but You! You kill for a Thrill! Even Bandits are beings! Look at you! You are disreguarding the peril of a person you put into that danger!" She pointed to poor Rocky.

 

[Ravenloft]

Cervantes:

"What? Like knocking them out? That wouldn't have put the fear of god in them Magess... They would have come back to bother us later on... Probably slit your throat while you slept all sweet and content in dreams I should think... Unless they be fools, I am sure the ones I let go are gonna find themselves a new line of work... If anything, I did a service to those who cross this bridge from now on! No more bandits raping and pillaging round these parts! Nope! No more! Hah!" Cervantes called out as he twirled about once, then stopped to face her again. "Enjoyed it? Val... Do you think I enjoyed that?" He asked innocently, again not waiting for an answer. "Oh, Rocky can take care of himself... he's been through worse you know... This one time at a bugbear camp..." Cervantes said with a sly smile. Leveling his eyes on the magess again, he could see that she was not settled whatsoever. "Listen Magess... If they had been a pack of gnolls, goblins, what the fuck ever... You wouldn't have had a fucking problem with it! In my opinion, humans can be a hell of alot more beastly than a pack of goblins... So stow your high and mighty humanitarian noncence for someone who will lend HALF AND EAR!" He said, his tone growing more and more sharp as he did.

 

[LadyDarkFire]

Thorne:

"My Sleeping habits are, and never will be any of your buisness! As for what I do and do not care about, that is something you know nothing about! If you want to be completely murderous, don't try defending it to me. I don't much care for my fellow humans, or their habits, but I still think they have a right to not be slaughtered for Fun." With that, Thorne looked at Cervantes, her eyes stubborn, but with a hint of something, a certain sorrow in them, past wounds reopening and threatening to bleed as tears keeping her from speaking anymore.

 

[Ravenloft]

Cervantes:

Cervantes stood there in silence for a moment after Thorne had spoken. He seemed to be pondering her words. His only responce was a slight huff. He walked past them and crouched down toward Rocky. "Get yerself up her ye little twerp." He growled as he reached down and took the boy by the collar and placed him firmly up on his feet next to him. He looked up at Thorne once more, huffed again, then absently brushed some dirt off Rocky's tunic. He stopped suddenly, leaving Rocky half dusty as he turned away and started to stalk off into the woods. "Bring the horses boy, I have a friend in these here woods..." He half grumbled as he slipped out of sight.

 

[LadyDarkFire]

Thorne:

Shocked, Thorne turned her head away, hiding her expression and any other telltale signs from the traveling companions. She gathered Talesin's reins and calmed the horse, waiting to find out what their next move was. She didn't realize that she was shaking in remembered fear, and that her eyes would betray her in less than a beat of her pounding heart.

 

[Nobody Special's wife]

Kiahra:

Looking down from her perch, Kiahra saw the bridge giving way, and Cervantes flipping out... As usual... "Aw, the poor feebe's in a fix now..." With a silent call, Kiahra drew out all the animals in the area to help the boy. "That should keep him safe..." She said to herself with a smile. Before long, the show was over and Cervie came stalking back, looking a mite bit gruesome... The girl with them didn't seem to like that at all... "Wonder whats got her up in a tissy... And what's she saying to the ass anyway?" Kiahra said aloud, her curiosity never in check. "Mmm, on to the surprise... Heheheh! Always fun to pull one over on the ass! I know! I'll just hop down on his horse as the cabin boy brings it by..." Snapping her fingers, she's engulfed by a smokey green light. A second later she's setting proudly up on the back of Cervies horse, snickering.

 

[Rockingham]

Rocky thanked Vlad for helping him up, less than a minute later however, he fell in the exact same spot.
"Help," he called from time to time, seeing the new girl and Cervie fighting below him. He knew he wasn't supposed to interrupt, no matter how much danger he was in. He sighed, dangling from the bridgeside, no one but his squirrel to keep him company.
"Thank you for bringing your friends," he said, the squirrel whispered in his ear.
"What? It wasn't you? Who?"
The squirrel whispered some more.
"Wow... a friend? Well, if you see her, tell her I said thank you. I owe her my life."
Finally he was hauled up, and he hugged Cervie thanking him for being so nice.
He grabbed the horses reigns, moving alongside the bridge and into the other side.
"I'm sorry, we haven't been formally introduced, my name is Rocky," he shook the female's hand warmly. His smile was nothing but kind.
"I know Cervie is a bit tough around the edges, but sometimes you just have to get to know him. He can do some pretty stupid things, but he does some very nice things too. One time, there was this lonely girl, and she needed help. Cervie took her to a room, and spent the entire night with her. They must have been talking about some emotional stuff cause I heard screaming coming from that room all night. Anyway, in the morning, he even gave her a couple of dollars to help her on her way. That's just like my Cervie, always being helpful."
Rocky made his way along the path, confused as to how far to go, "Well, Cervie will tell us to stop or not. He knows a lot about the woods and stuff, especially when he turns into his puppy dog form. I would like to pet him, but he never lets me."
Rocky realized he had been talking all this time, and hadn't let her get a word in edgewise, "I'm so sorry, you need to tell me if I'm talking too much. I have a bad habit, sometimes I'll just keep talking forever."

 

[Valdimer]

Valdimer Elsworth




"Enjoy it?...Val, did I enjoy that?" he heard Cervantes bark from below the bridge. "Hardly." he said with a sarcastic tone about him. Stepping on the man that had been embedded by his sword, Valdimer pulled, the body still having a slight grip on it. A nasty, sickining sound could be heard as Val pulled his sword free, and wiped it clean on the shirt of the dead man. Ripping a somewhat clean piece of the man's clothing, Valdimer wiped the slightly dried blood off his chin and mouth.


Sheathing his sword, Valdimer walked up to his horse and mounted. Pulling the cloak tighter to himself, he said to Cervantes, "Shall we continue, I'd like to cover more ground before dark.....you know how these woods can be...." He dug his heels into his horse's sides, and moved to were Thorne waited......

 

[Nobody Special's wife]

Kiahra:

Turning toward Rocky as she continued to ride Cervies horse. Kiahra smiled sweetly, whispering directly into the boys mind. "Shhh, don't let Cervie know I'm here... And you can keep one of the squirrlies if you want."