Miroslaw took a moment to contemplate Neko's words. These cards possessed great power, that was certain. He thought that perhaps it was a trick to sway him to her side, but then why would Grayson be so set on these cards? Miroslaw decided not to mistrust the words. He also decided that it truly wouldn’t be right to let Grayson have such power. Grayson has displayed he is not an honorable man in any sense of the word. This was one of the most difficult dilemmas Miroslaw has ever had to faced. So many elements were present, each weighing on a scale. The act of Neko stealing from Grayson hardly carried any weight at this point.
Miroslaw sent to Neko, “Then lets make sure he doesn’t get that card.” Miroslaw immediately draws his sword. He acknowledged Grayson would be ready for him to make a move, with the position of one of his Hydras poised to strike. If the attack came, it would be faster than he could pull his weapon. He would attempt to dodge, rolling away and positioning himself closer to where Neko stood. Despite the certain lack of payment for all this trouble and loss of the possibility to join the Sellswords for work, Miroslaw found this to be the right course of action. He couldn’t let Grayson wield such power.
Death is no more than turning us over from time to eternity. Whether that eternity is damnation or salvation is determined in the time we have.
Grayson laughed, "Your funeral kiddies, no hard feelings."
Hydra lashed out like vipers, precise and with murderous intent. Two spears went for either of the mercenaries striking several times at their bodies.
The blades went for the cheek, arms, shoulder, loins, legs, and arms. They were almost toying with them as they struck for nonfatal areas, testing their skill.
Quick was just warming up checking their reflexes as he stood there motionless while his weapon did all the work for him, only it wasn't the case. To control his weapon it took years of harsh mental training to cultivate this whirlwind of steel. The Sellsword leader was capable of directing and killing four foes at once with Hydra.
Last Edit: Mar 1, 2014 16:07:19 GMT -5 by Serenity
::Neko was ready for this. She had seen this weapon in action before and knew that was where the attacks would come from.
She dropped her blade back into its sheath, letting the weight and gravity lock it back into place as the hand that once held it reached to grab Miroslaw by whatever she could reach and pull back as she too moved to back away as quickly as possible in the hopes of getting out of the range of their strikes. She would gladly take a few probing, teasing blows if it meant she could get away.
The hand that had been held across her stomach whipped out at the same time as small glass vials flew from her grasp to shatter against anything they hit. Once broken, smoke would begin to billow out from them.
-RUN!
We have to get him out of the open if we want to stand a chance against those things! He controls them with his mind!
If we reach the trees we can use them to our advantage or escape if we can.-
She turned and sprinted for the treeline, hoping Miroslaw would follow...::
((Bomb pouch contains 3 of these... Smoke Bomb! - The simplest and most popular bomb in store! - Bomb is thrown and detonates on impact. - Causes an a suddenly spreading cloud of thick smoke. - Area of effect is 6 feet. - Dissipates quickly, no ill effect. - $25.))
Seeing the many, simultaneous strikes of the strange weapons that Grayson used, Miroslaw was going to dumbly attempt to fight them, dodging and parrying what he could. That is when he felt the pull of Neko. He got the hint and dodged backward, trying to increase the distance from Grayson and his weapons. He then heard Neko speaking, and took her proposal, turning and running with her.
He sent, “We will fight him! The trees will be great against those strange weapons of his.” Miroslaw hated fleeing from a fight, but there was nothing wrong with tactical repositioning. He was fearful of the power that Grayson had, being able to control his weapons without moving a finger.
Death is no more than turning us over from time to eternity. Whether that eternity is damnation or salvation is determined in the time we have.
Neko suffers a few cuts and knicks as she tries to escape with Miroslaw, who managed to parry the hydra weapon away from him.
Quick raised his arm to cover his mouth, almost instinctively, as he noticed what Neko was doing. When the cloud of smoke appeared, though the mercenaries couldn't see, Grayson appeared hardly surprised. Having battled alongside Neko he knew her to have an assortment of helpful items at her disposal.
Still, the smoke wouldn't help Quick find his target, he was no psychic after all. He just hoped he was lucky enough.
As the mercenaries made their way to the treeline, a horrible shrill like a banshee sounded behind them. Flying over their heads, several balls of flame soared past and hit the tree line, engulfing it in seconds. The fire was arcane in nature and spread quickly in the undergrowth and climbed up the trees.
Quick appeared out of the dissipating smoke with a card in his hand. The portrait was simply of a roaring fire and the name under it was, INFERNO.
"First time I use this one, worked better than I thought it would."
Not wasting another moment, Hydra sought them again only this time for serious damage. A spear aimed for both Neko's hind leg and shoulder and the other two for Miroslaw's sword arm and gut.
Last Edit: Mar 1, 2014 19:24:05 GMT -5 by Serenity
Try to get him off balance. Maybe he'll make a mistake while we try and get around this fire.-
As the chains flew at her, she shifted her stance and spun to get out of their way. Her leg swung behind as she planted it to turn and hopefully be missed by the chain targeting it. Her upper body twisted as well, and as she came around she had her hands up and ready. If the chain had missed her shoulder, its momentum would no doubt carry it passed her. Her intent was to try and grab it and pull with all her strength to try and literally off balance Quick. Her eyes darted from the chains attacking her to the man that controled them, trying to keep an eye on both.::
Miroslaw desired to test these weapons that Grayson possessed. He was up against something he has never seen before and never rushed in with limited knowledge. He needed to find their limitations and to do that, it would take time and a tranquil mind. As the two Hydras rapidly approached, he remained as calm as his body allowed him. He tried not to think about anything except the current situation, purposefully pushing the grotesque murders of the bandits from his mind. He needed to be entirely alert if he was going to live through this battle.
As the strikes came close, Miroslaw turned his body to the side and positioned his blade in front of the Hydra that was aimed at his gut. This maneuver would test both the responsiveness and the might of the strange weapons. He kept his vision on the strikes that were meant for him up to the moment of collision. If the strike aimed at his sword arm was able to react in the, relatively small amount of, time available, he would be ready to fully dodge and dive out of the way. The head on parry was meant to test the strength. His current footing, with his back foot meant entirely for increasing his steadiness from a frontal assault, would be a great test for the power that Grayson's strikes held. If he was able to stop the strike with this method, it would be quite significant to Miroslaw future defensive choices.
Death is no more than turning us over from time to eternity. Whether that eternity is damnation or salvation is determined in the time we have.
The mercenaries were mistaken about the nature of Quick's weapon. It flew not as an arrow, but rather struck like a living serpent; able to coil and twist in a moment's notice. This flexibility was the beauty of Hydra for it allowed Quick to adjust accordingly should his initial strikes fail.
So it was then when Miroslaw and Neko attepted to dodge and parry the weapon, that the blades immediately turned around and struck again with persistence.
For Neko, the chain she attempted to grasp turned on her immediately as the blade went past her, stabbing her behind the shoulder. The other chain in the meantime coiled down low and wrapped around her legs once before pulling back to trip her.
There was little force behind the strike Miroslaw parried. There didn't need to be, Quick's weapon was all about speed and precision and didn't need the strength of a swordsmen behind it. As one of the chains bounced off the flat of Miroslaw's sword, the blade coiled around and stabbed him in the shoulder, while the other nicked his abdomen as it slithered by.
Hydra's heads receded back into a new striking position as Quick glared at them both, "Come on now, I thought we were going to fight! Do you want me to slaughter you like animals?!"
Last Edit: Mar 7, 2014 13:00:19 GMT -5 by Serenity
::Neko picked herself up off the ground already preparing to move to try and dodge the next attacks. She was favoring her wounded shoulder as she moved, trying to push past the pain. Thier retreat was cut off. The blazing inferno at their backs cut them off and took away any advantage they may have found in them. They had to do something else, and FAST, if they wanted to live through this.
-This isn't working! We need to either get out of his range, or get in so close he may risk injuring himself. Focus on Quick whenever you can. If we can take him out, or at least shake him, his weapon will falter...
...I hope...
I'm going in...-
With a heavy sigh she began to race forward as she drew the blade from her back. She kept her limbs loose and reactive as her eyes tried to take in as much of what was going on as possible. Her focus was on fluid movements that would hopefully carry her closer to Quick himself. She would not attack the chains themselves, only react to their attacks when they came and hope that her constant motion and her blade used to deflect would help protect her. Should she get within throwing range, she would grab one of the charms from her necklace with her free hand and toss the bomb low along the ground toward Quick. She hoped the low trajectory would make it harder for the chains to stop it and that it would cause Quick to have to react quickly, thus interfering with his control of the chains.
If things went as she hoped, she would use the opportunity to further close the gap between her and Quick.::
Detonating Pendant Necklace - Each pendant on this necklace is in fact a tiny, clockwork bomb. - Accessory. Bomb - May be used three times per adventure. - The user may throw one of the bomb from about their neck. - The bomb will detonate after 5 seconds. - The bomb deals non elemental, concussive damage equal to a level 2 spell. - $400.
Miroslaw winced at the pain, but was not disappointed by what he learned. They were fluid and controlled well by Grayson, and he would have to adapt to that. Getting up close and distracting Quick seemed like the most viable option. Just as he though it, Neko did too. Her words were perfectly in tune with his thoughts. As soon as she went, he did as well. The two of them approaching would would keep the arms separated, which would be a good thing for them.
He charged forward, heeding what he had learned about the weapons Grayson possessed. Parrying the arms seemed to be the best course of defense against them, as it would take them a moment to return back from the force in the parry. The only thing is, he needed to put more strength in his parries and make sure he parried them away to the side instead of a head on parry like he had done before. With all this in mind, he maintained a direct charge towards Quick, only diverting from the path to aid in the power and effectiveness of his parries.
Hydra wrapped two of its arms around Quick's and the Captain jumped backward to avoid the worst of the tiny bomb. When it exploded he covered his face and took the brunt of the force, allowing the two mercenaries to get in close.
"Did you really think you were safer up close than you were at a distance? How'd ya two figure I got through life before Hydra?"
When they got up close, like a scorpion's tail the two remaining arms would strike down sharply. When the blades were parried away, Quick launched a sweeping kick toward Neko.
::Neko had been focused on deflecting the chains with her sword as they came driving down from above and thus did not have the time to avoid the sweeping kick that knocked her legs out from under her and left her laying flat on her back in the dirt.
As she felt the impact of the hard earth against her back she did not hesitate, but rolled towards Quick. Hydra would no doubt already be trying to strike her as she lay prone and she had to hope that moving closer to the man would be to her advantage. He may not want to risk injury to himself if controlling the chains was indeed more difficult now that he was being forced to move.
Besides...it gave her the opportunity to try and return the favor...
Should she be able to roll within reach of Quick's legs, she will try to hook her sword behind one or both of them and use it to pull herself right up against him before shifting the blade up to behind the knee and sharply shifting her body to roll away. She hoped that her movement, combined with using the blade as a leverage point would cause Quick to buckle and fall.::
Miroslaw was not expecting an explosion, but he was able to pick up on the ques that Quick gave. Taking a defensive position as he did gave away what Neko had thrown. Miroslaw kept running, working his way into striking position of Quick. The smoke created from the explosion, not to mention the force that Grayson had to defend against gave some time and cover for Miroslaw.
Miroslaw charged in, following closely behind Neko. He saw Neko get taken down by Grayson's sweeping kick and in that moment, Miroslaw darted to the left of where Neko fell, aiming to get some attacks in. It would be cooperation that would bring down a man so resolute and experienced as this. Close range was even more of his specialty than ranged however. Now that he had that, he hoped the fight would go a bit smoother. Arrows were seemingly ineffective against his weaponry, but steel surely still pierced his skin like any other flesh-made being.
Miroslaw aimed his swings, hard and true, opening by swinging it down at an angle into his left shoulder. If he could acquired enough of his attention, it would give Neko more allowance in taking advantage her prone position. If his attack were parried, he would not let up, following with a flurry of powerful attacks. Each of the strikes were surely powerful enough to end the fight with one contact, assuming the man to be mortal. Each would be well placed. He assumed he would be able to use Hydra to block his attacks. He was not sure if he could actually use them while wrapped around his arms as parrying tools, but he would soon find out. Either way, he was on the offensive now.
Death is no more than turning us over from time to eternity. Whether that eternity is damnation or salvation is determined in the time we have.
Quick couldn't keep his eye on little Neko when Miroslaw came blade ready swinging. The chains around his arms tightened and the Captain began to parry away the sword with each swing. Metal clashed against metal and sparks flew as Quick knocked away each swing.
Hydra's free arms, in the mean time, tried to stab away at a rolling Neko but Quick's focus was primarily on Miroslaw. Using her agility with her lithe body the Hatchling managed to get back up whilst crippling Quick. As the sword hooked at his legs, the Captain felt himself giving way and kneeling with one leg.
It was a moment of foolishness on his part, he had to admit that to himself. Underestimating Neko is one thing, but her and this kid were going to get the best of him he continued to play around.
His arms were heavy, and he knelt he knew he'd never be able to block that next oncoming attack in the split second that it was coming. In that crucial moment the Captain made a decision to reveal one last ace up his sleeve.
Miroslaw's sword, before it could hit, ended up being caught by something he didn't expect. It was almost a grizzly sight.
Two arms suddenly appeared from under Quick's coat, branded with marks like they were bound by something before.
"I like to keep all my aces up my sleeve."
The coat flew off, revealing Quick to be some sort of four armed being. An upper set of arms had caught Miroslaw's sword and were holding it firm. The Captain's bare skin revealed a history of violence, with scars of various sizes and degree marking his skin. The worst was a seared brand, the number 23 in the center of his upper back that Neko could see.
Hydra was an ornate plate of sorts that rested against Quick's lower back and wrapped around his waist with the chains coming out of a mouth of a serpent.
All of the chains suddenly wrapped around Quick's waist once more, leaving his upper body relatively bare.
Miroslaw felt himself being pulled forward as Quick used his strength to pull back up. As the warrior stumbled forward Quick's forehead came crashing into his with the force of a warhammer.
"My turn!"
Punches came flying toward the warrior from seemingly everywhere. Four large fists hitting with the force of an iron ball, perfectly synchronized with great speed so that the warrior could not get the chance to raise his sword again. Quick's monk like attacks would end with a two palm thrust from his right arms.
::Neko felt the satisfying shift in weight that meant her trip was at least partially successful. She only hoped that Miroslaw would be able to take advantage of any opening it would create.
She had no time to divert her attention to see how he was fairing however as she continued to have to move to avoid the strikes from Hydra. She tried to stay as close as she could though to Quick as she dodged the strikes that suddenly stopped coming. She glaced up just in time to see the branded number on Quick's back before his coat fell over her. She swiped it away with one arm as her focus shifted again to his legs. She had to something fast to bring this fight to a close and she was running out of options.
So she leaned forward from her crouch behind Quick and pulled another charm from her necklace and tried to drop it in the opening of Quick's boot before quickly turning diving towards Miroslaw in an effort to either shield him, or knock him back from the blast that would come...
-FIRE IN THE HOLE!-::
Detonating Pendant Necklace - Each pendant on this necklace is in fact a tiny, clockwork bomb. - Accessory. Bomb - May be used three times per adventure. - The user may throw one of the bomb from about their neck. - The bomb will detonate after 5 seconds. - The bomb deals non elemental, concussive damage equal to a level 2 spell. - $400.