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Post by Gnoll Cutthroat on Aug 30, 2006 22:27:55 GMT -5
Gromesh's bearded axe ran with fresh, warm blood; his furry coat was thick with the same material, and he looked up from his feast. Before him lay the remains of the latest caravan he had attacked and completely decimated, the carts overturned, the horses slaughtered, and the people maimed beyond recognition. His axe tapped silently against his beastial leg, finally stopping once it was strapped on with a clever knot designed to give when he yanked the axe off correctly.
Taking a final bite of a middle-aged man's muscular arm and savoring the flavor (he loved the iron taste that ran with the delicious blood), Gromesh threw it down and continued to look through a crate of fake jewelry; cheap glass beads, wire earings, dented rings, pointless things of the sort. He jumped off the side of the cart he had been standing on, and his landing did not throw up any dust; the ground was a muddy mixture of gore and dirt.
Less than a mile off stood the walls of the human city he so despised; if the filthy wall guards had seen him, which they probably had, he would be able to spot soldiers running out of a side gate by now. He assumed that by this time they were smart enough not to bother; his muscular legs could carry him faster than those of an armored man, and the safety of the woods was just a mile's run away. If, however, the opposition was pathetic, he would simply stay and tear them limb from limp; the Gnoll was strong enough to carry a cart built for horses, heaped with delicious bodies for his comrades. His hideous face contorted into a fiendish, toothy grin.
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Post by Gnoll Marauder on Aug 30, 2006 22:56:48 GMT -5
Gromesh wasn't the only one that had come across the Caravan; Ravok also had picked up the scent of kin and gore mixed together and was instantly drawn by the primal allure of blood. And there stood Gromesh, one of the best warriors in the pack, and this was his doing of course. Ravok too was feared for his skill in ripping limbs from sockets and skulls from their casings, but it was Gromesh that had always done the feats that the pack still howled about to this day. Well the second Gnoll would soon have his day, and if he were to have it besides pack brother Gromesh; all the more glory to them.
Tossing his cutlass, scarred with numerous notches counting how many humans he had savagily slaughtered, from hand to hand as he eyed the human dwelling with hatred that only a beast can bear. With his rusty copper breast plate clanking against him as he plodded over to his pack brother and large shield slung over his hunched back, Ravok barked to get Gromesh's attention before nodding over to the dwellings of the Humans.
Speaking in his native language, which comprised of barks, snarls and strained whines of varying pitches; Ravok pointed his cutlass toward the Walls before saying, "They come from here, no? Humans come from dat place; we kill'em. Dat the plan Gromesh?". While Ravok stood a head taller than the average human when hunched over, he lacked the brains to formulate the words that many other pack members used. Gromesh, while smaller, had the intelligence that Ravok lacked and so Ravok looked up to the other Gnoll in times such as these.
"We kill'em soon Gromesh?"
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Post by Gnoll Cutthroat on Aug 30, 2006 23:12:55 GMT -5
The cutthroat answered his brother with the same tongue, sniffing the air and eyeing the walls of Avaren once again. "They are smarter this time, I don't think them'll come. Grr, help me get this meat on a good cart, the tribe's Shaman will be happy. But watch your back, them's may come when they thinks we least expect it"
Loading a few of the fresh bodies onto a cart he hadn't hacked completely beyond recognition, he checked the wood and bindings before tipping it off the ground to test it. It was sturdy; the cart would hold the tribe's evening feast. Before leaving, Gromesh eyed a barrel of stained jewelry he had begun to collect before Ravok arrived. "Methinks our elders will love the shinies," he barked, lodging the barrel into the heap. Ten bodies; five male merchants, one woman, two young girls, and two wet-behind-the-ears young guards. The woman was pregnant, he determined with grim satisfaction.
"Eleven bodies," he called, before taking an arm of the cart and beckoning for Ravok to do the same with the other arm. A mile to the safety of the woods, then another half a mile or so to their closest outpost; checking behind him, as he would do every few seconds once they started moving, he pushed down on the arm, steadying the cart and getting ready to pull it with Ravok's help.
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Post by lilyparis on Aug 31, 2006 7:39:00 GMT -5
Susan had spotted the attack on the caravan and blew her horn to summon Gaurds knowing this was a danger to the city she started warning people to lock there doors and seek shelter Gaurds bolted the front gate the city was In pandamoneum Susan retriueted to the saftey of the castle toi alarm the king and the captain of Gaurd
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Post by Gnoll Marauder on Aug 31, 2006 8:48:46 GMT -5
Nodding his furred head once in agreement with Gromesh's plans and understanding of the situation, there was a part of Ravok that was pleased to seemingly get away with so much plunder; but there was that savagry that made the Gnoll want to storm those walls himself. Following what his pack brother had told him to do, Ravok sheathed his cutlass and threw two corpses over his shoulder; then heaved them into the cart that Gromesh had decided to use. At the mention of the shinies, Ravok grinned wolfish and in his native tongue said, "Oh they like em good ya; shinies much good for Elders.". However as the larger of the Gnolls was scooping up the last corpse onto his left shoulder and holding the barrel of jewelry in the other; a clear trumpt blasted through the morning.
Whirling about in confusion and anger, Ravok tossed what he was holding into the back of the cart, and ran to the front with Gromesh. "You said you no think they come!", barked Ravok in anger, "Dat's der warcry; they come soon!". Since Gromesh had already grabbed a hold of the cart, Ravok grabbed onto the arm closet to him and he lifted it up so that he and his pack brother could make it out safely.
"We run now ya?"
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Post by Gnoll Cutthroat on Aug 31, 2006 9:00:17 GMT -5
"Ya, now we run," he said, wincing at his brother's growl in his address. Indeed, that had been the piercing shriek of a war horn; not bothering to climb up the heap of bodies and check, Gromesh began running with Ravok, the laden cart bumping along behind them. "If them's come out close to us, we leave cart and run back to forest!" he growled, glancing behind him every few seconds in anticipation of the soldiers who would come out. "It no matter, we faster than them, even with da cart."
After a few minutes of steady running, Gromesh looked behind to see a group approaching; three men, burdened by the heavy armor they wore and the massive swords they dragged along behind them, panting. "I says we kill dem," he growled, "but look out for more humans, them's may be just the first wave!" He kept running, waiting for Ravok's reply; his brother was definately stronger, so it was mutually assumed that he did the sizing up. "Well?"
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Post by Gnoll Marauder on Aug 31, 2006 9:30:38 GMT -5
ooc: Heh; that's amusing and amazing to no end^^ "We run now ya?" followed by ".....Ya, now we run."
Ic: "Good plan", replied the larger Gnoll as both he and Gromesh began to run with the cart in the direction of the Dark Forest and safety. Normally Gromesh was never wrong about these sort of things and it angered Ravok to see such a valued pack brother be proven wrong when he was almost always right. Then again thinking wasn't his forte. Leave the thinking to Gromesh and the Elders; give Ravok a weapon and he do what they think. As the two Gnolls ran toward the Forest, the line of trees began to grow and Ravok's heart leaped with primitive joy that they were almost there.
However Gromesh had the intelligence to look back over the cart as he ran and called out in warning that they were being pursued. Looking over his hairy shoulder, Ravok counted three men in pursuit and their heavy armor bore them down. Kill them now or let them tire themselves some more...too much thinking bad for Ravok. Nodding to his pack brother, Ravok indicated with his head which man he would take out while saying, "We take em; kill'em and bring back der stuff. Make Elder's happy ya? Me take da big one in da center; you take whatever one you want."
Dropping his arm of the cart as he clumsily unsheathed his cutlass from his back, Ravok hurled himself over the entire length of the cart in one leap and hit the ground running toward the oncoming guards. The fools hadn't been expecting this and it took them some time to get their nerves under control; cause to see a wolf-like creature in armor pounding toward you has that affect on a person. The lead guard had no time to react as Ravok thrust his cutlass through the man's unprotected necked. Watching his prey squeal in it's death throes, Ravok ripped his bloodly blade from the man's throat and roared out his victory; sending the other two guards retreating some distance away.
"DATS GOOD YA! RAVOK KILL ALL!"
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Post by Gnoll Cutthroat on Aug 31, 2006 9:54:06 GMT -5
Gromesh simply smiled - though it was more like a deathly scowl - as his brother stopped running and lept easily over the length and height of the cart, curved blade in hand. Deftly pulling his own axe off its knotted holder, the Cutthroat ran around the cart, sprinting as Ravok plunged his blade into a soldier's neck. The other two turned to run; one of them was slower, and while Ravok howled in victory, Gromesh lept onto the slower man. He toppled over limply, and, once on the ground, the Gnoll dislodged his axe blade from the man's face and continued running, slamming the side of the second soldier's chest with enough force to break through the maille and pour fresh blood out onto the grass.
Checking the corpse with experienced nimbleness, he made sure there was no piece of armor that he needed; heaving the man over his shoulder, he ran back to the other man and did the same. Once all three bodies were on the cart, Gromesh climbed atop the heap and checked in the direction of the gate, resting as he did so. The gate was open, but was anyone else going to come out?
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Post by lilyparis on Aug 31, 2006 10:17:45 GMT -5
Susan heard the gates open as she darted threw the streets "are you stupid" she said but ii was to late the group had left she manned the walls "load up guys and shoot if they attack"she shouted Susan watched as the gaurds were killed one by one"FIRE"she shouted and the gaurds did so she allso ordered the gates closed and they were the men loaded up to shoot a second round
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Post by Gnoll Cutthroat on Aug 31, 2006 10:32:31 GMT -5
As a volley of arrows whistled through the air, Gromesh jumped behind the cart and pulled Ravok close to him, leaving them fully protected from the zipping missiles. The sound of arrows embedding themselves into the bodies over their heads was satisfying; one of them groaned briefly before being silenced forever, and this brought yet another smile/scowl to the Gnoll's face. Moving some of the corpses in the stack around such that the two of them would be protected on the run, he picked up an arm of the cart again, motioning for Ravok to do the same.
"Ya, now we run!!"
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Post by Gnoll Marauder on Aug 31, 2006 10:44:54 GMT -5
In his frenzied state, Ravok was unable to comprehend the sound of whirling arrows as a danger to him, but thankfully Gromesh still had his senses about him and pulled the large Gnoll behind the cart. Hearing the squishing sounds of flesh being punctured in the cart behind him, Ravok nodded furiously with adrenaline pumping through his veins. "Dat was too close", said Ravok as he hurriedly picked up his arm of the cart. "But den again; me like close. Close is good.", snarled Ravok as he glared over his shoulder at the imposing Wall.
Beginning to run forward with Gromesh and gaining momentum behind them, Ravok muttered to Gromesh, "Ya ya; first we run now; den we stop. Now we run again ya. When you think da run from us Gromesh?"
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Post by lilyparis on Aug 31, 2006 10:48:13 GMT -5
Susan saw how the arrows missed "light them on fire" she demanded the gaurds did so and shot another round of flaming arrows
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Post by Gnoll Cutthroat on Aug 31, 2006 11:32:19 GMT -5
Another volley dove over them, only this time there was a hissing and sputtering sound instead of a whistle; without even looking up, Gromesh judged that they were lit on fire - but that was no problem, for they were far enough -
Crack!
- away for the arrows to make a higher arch, leaving the heap of bodies to their backs a useless defence. The arrows showered them directly from the top, and a stray drove deep into the Cutthroat's skull, cracking it at the top and bottom from the impact. He fell with a muffled thump, the wagon still moving due to momentum; it bounced as a wheel thudded over his limp body.
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Post by lilyparis on Aug 31, 2006 11:37:31 GMT -5
Susan saw one of them fall "Fire anover round"and after that fetch that body with me she said
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Post by Gnoll Marauder on Aug 31, 2006 12:02:36 GMT -5
Almost there; the line of trees were so near that Ravok could smell the scent of the pines and of the outpost that lie just on the outskirts. Gromesh and himself were making good time, and Ravok ignored the second volley of arrows that he heard fluttering toward them; the cart had protected them before so it made sense that it would shield them a second time. But apparently it was not so; for the flurry of arrows fluttered down from higher than the last time, and it was only the shield on his back that saved Ravok life.
Gromesh; wasn't as lucky.
Ravok felt the cart shudder as it ran over something, but that didn't make sense to the dull Gnoll; there wasn't anything that was in front of them, so what could it have been? Looking over his left shoulder as he continued to run, unaware of the heavier load he was carrying, Ravok halted the cart to a jarring stop as his eyes caught sight of what he had run over. Dropping the cart right on the border of the Forest, hearing the shuffling sounds of other Gnolls running to carry the cartload back to the Pack, Ravok turned around and ran back toward the corpse of Gromesh.
Falling to his knees next to Gromesh's corpse, Ravok cradled the head of his pack brother in his hands while whining like a newborn pup. However the whining didn't last long and Ravok let Gromesh's splintered head drop to the ground as he stood to his fullest, and howled out his fury. Taking the shield off of his back and clutching his cutlass in his right hand, Ravok roared out, "YOU KILL GROMESH!!!!!! RAVOK KILL ALL!!!!!!" and charged toward the Wall with his shield covering him from arrow attacks.
Upon reaching the Wall, Ravok tossed aside his shield and placed his cutlass in his jaws before he began to climb the wallface to avenge his fallen brother. With the speed that humans could only dream of acheiving, Ravok had climbed the Wall and was in the midst of the bowmen; a heavy slash from his cutlass spilled the guts of two that stood too close together. Seeing the girl, apparently the leader, Ravok leveled his cutlass at her and roared in his native tongue, "You!!!!! You kill Gromesh! Now Ravok kill ya!!!"
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