Thar Shaddin

Wulf walked up, whistling harshly and tossing a chunk of raw rabbit meat to Kori. The giant took a huge bite from it, the blood dribbling into his beard. Wulf shook his head and began to flash hand signals at Kori. The big giant translated between bites of raw meat.

Kori translated to Leni.

"Nothing for six leagues except the rocks and that town. Sparse game, even less water. Thin borders between reality and other dimensions, horrible things have and keep breaking through. I found- something about flapping wings-big. No way around it. Cheery message ya fucking half breed."

Jibes between Wulf and Kori were pretty much a show of respect and affection. Wulf shook his head and walked by, catching Kori in the balls with his bow as he walked by. Not bad, just a tap. He smiled as he heard the Northman curse.

Wulf looked to Lenis and signed.

What happened to Ko this time?

The arrow hurt again but that was okay, Fay was too drunk to care. Hell it wouldn't have surprised her if alcohol leaked from the wound and not blood. Gleefully she scooped the not-so-small trickle of blood and licked her gloves clean.

"Why dun ya wanna work wif me Stwonghammer?" Fay slurred, the pain having sobered her up slightly. Quickly she dug into her pouch and dug out her flask, taking a deep swig before hiding it from Leni's mean crossbow.

"S'why we here anyways?" Fay asked, leaning on Kori, oblivious to his obvious distrust of her.

Endra smiled at Leni as she scolded him, wondering why she even bothered anymore. She knew well enough that Endra did what Endra did, and no more or less forethought or warning would change his mind once he'd made it up. Besides, in the end, it was Vexako's own fault for tempting him and, to make a point of his indifference to Leni's reasoning, Endra gave the body a sharp kick in the ribs – after Leni'd focussed her attention elsewhere, of course.

But that was all the attention he was willing to give Ko for today. Instead, he wandered over to stand beside the flaky old sea-creature.

"Nice trip?" Endra asked Sam with mock sincerity, as he turned to watch the recently-returned Wulf. Briefly, he glanced skyward and added, "I hear the weather's been interesting."

He hadn't felt the deaf man's approach earlier, but that wasn't so surprising. The earth was restless today, harder to read and easily concealing the gentle sound of footsteps. Of course, rain didn't help much, and Wulf was a naturally light-footed creature. Not that it mattered once the man was standing before them.

The report the half-elf gave was grim but Endra chose not to pay too much attention. For one thing, it was more exciting to go in blind, swinging whatever you could get your hands on at whatever you could see; and, for another, the whole hand signals and translation thing was... well, annoying, mostly. Even a deaf man could learn to speak; Endra'd seen it, and sound was all just vibration anyway. What was so hard about it?

And he was all set to voice his opinion on the matter, too, until the newcomer came out with the inevitable, yet hilariously naive, "Why are we here?" Endra couldn't help but laugh. He was always laughing: laughing at nothing; or everything, depending on your perspective. It didn't make much sense to him, half the time, but he preferred that to allowing his unending frustration to show itself directly.

He might have asked how long they were expected to wait, if he weren't too busy snickering.

"I didn't -- " Leni's retort to Stronghammer was interrupted part way, and then she was ignored. The group of them'd always been like that, quarrelsome and like as not to be their own worst enemies. They didn't listen to shit, tied each to personal daimons good or bad that over time showed them all mad. Crazy wasn't bad for Diosus' purpose. He kept his little pets for his war against the other Changers, and when it came to violence Leni and the rest were well known for competence.

They'd been together a long time, as such things went. Leni knew why each of them'd been saved from true death when the Seal busted -- if 'saved' was at all applicable. Kori was their best warrior, and more than satisfactory at smithing to boot; Leni and Sam combined made scouting a breeze, and assassination (not that death stuck long for the soldiers in the Changer's wars) was a simple matter; Ulfric their tracker, sharpshooter and followup scouter and assassin in places where water was scarce; and Endra was easily their most powerful. Endra was also the most batshit loopy, in Leni's opinion, and where reliability was needed the chit had none.

Each of them, in their own way, didn't have much against true death. The problem was that Diosus wasn't the gentle or merciful type. Only he could unmake them, but there was no such guaruntee he would. Diosus had taken several of their number for pissing him off when they'd thought to revolt long ago, and they'd all thought he would unmake the lucky bastards. He hadn't. As far as Leni knew the men and women were still somewhat alive past all the fucked weird shit Diosus had done to 'em. They didn't even look like people any more, and any with eyes or ears could tell they were crazed with pain and fear.

And here Diosus was so thoughtful to send a new piece of meat for his most favorite team. Maybe he'd forgiven them for being in the same group as them fuckers who'd thought it possible to take on a Changer and win. Far as Leni knew none of 'em remaining had been apart of the plot, but they'd never been real close bosom buddies. She sure hadn't. Changers were fucked in the head. You didn't mess with 'em, even when you wanted to die for true.

Wulf was flapping his hands at her. Leni wasn't much for figuring the signs. She'd never tried too hard to learn 'em, but she caught Ko's name and shrugged. "Ask Endra."

Leni scooped up her bloodied bolt and tucked it back in its pouch with the others. She approached Fayane, looking the woman up and down. No real way to tell if she was raw to Diosus' troops, or a transfer from another group similar to their own. She wasn't some refugee or survivor, else she'd be dead. Leni'd always been direct, no sense tip-toeing even if the woman was drunker'n a dead rat floating in beer.

"Hey, Diosus send you?"

Fay opened her mouth to reply, only to snap it shut and ponder. Did the Changer send her? She wasn't sure, all she could remember was a tavern, lots of ale and something about her table dancing nude when they tossed her and her clothes out. Blue eyes crossed as she tried to think.

"I 'onno.... I was dancin' and I was drinkin' and then I was here and saw you and was shot." Fay grumbled, staggering whe her world began to spin. "Sh-shit was goi' on, where'm I goin'?" Fay asked as she stumbled, before faceplanting directly into a freezing cold puddle. Stunned and more than a little bit drunk, Fay couldn't figure out how to sit up and flailed in a panic... and people thought she was a assassin.

Leni wasn't impressed. She scratched her brow, where sweat and dirt had collected and coated her skin, bit her lips and looked down at the ground. "Fucking. . ." She cussed at the dirt, which the sun had already leeched of what moisture hadn't been sucked down deep. Carelessly, she waved a hand at the drying puddle Fayane was lying in, and gave the moisture to Sam. No point being so bitchy to him as to forget why he was with her in the first place.

"Now listen here, girly. However the fuck you got sent to us, and why the fuck you're here don't matter so much no more, much as I'd like to know. You're with us now, and 'till you prove you're worth the sweat off Endra's balls I'll have none o' us watching your skinny ass if it means avoiding death. Waste of fucking time to die. We don't lose. Maybe we're fuckups, but we're so very good at violence."

Leni directed her teeth at Fayane's dirty face, all traces of the water she'd fallen into gone. She shared that feral smile around at them who were hers, as she was theirs; cursed to the man. "Yeah? Hear me fuck ups? Stuff your fucking issues, 'less you want to be turned to one of Diosus' curs."

Kori grinned, a animal feral thing.

"Violence. I'm guessing we're all gathered here to do some. Wulf says there's something on the horizon. Let's go kill it."

Kori stooped, throwing the rabbit bone to the side and grabbing his war gear. He'd fought in this war for a long time now, and had accumulated quite a stash. Most of the 'two-handed' weapons the others used were one handed for him, or at most one and half handed bastard weapons. He clinched the Claymore and it's belt across his back and grabbed the two war axes, slipping them through his belt.

"Well? We going to go fight or what? Diosus didn't bring us here to sit around and talk. "

Wulf watched Kori get his gear together. Which usually only meant one thing, so Wulf grabbed his things out of the pack Kori lugged shit around it. Light leather and lacquered wood armor for the half elf, and he refilled his quiver with war arrows, sharp, barbed steel points. He strapped his daggers to his side and stood next to the giant, fingers flying fast to get an answer from him about what in the hell they were doing.

Sobered considerably from the cool water and Leni's sharp words, Fay pushed herself up and forced herself into assassin mode. She staggered upright before drawing her twin blades ad giving them an experimental twirl.

"Very well... kill it we shall." Fay shook her head to try and clear her mind of the double vision. "If only I hadn't had that last flask..." She grumbled and stretched. A couple very hard and fast slashes at the air later Fay was satisfied she was at least sober enough to do some damage. If not barely...

Sam absorbed what little remained of the moisture in the air, along with what water Leni had managed to pull from the ground for him. The dry, flaky, scale-like skin that had been covering his face and hands softened into what looked like healthy, well-moistened flesh once again. Any signs of premature aging receded, for now.

Now was not the time to worry about dehydration. As Leni had said, they had work to do and if they didn't accomplish their work they would have far worse things to worry about. Death was one thing, but Diosus had a way of making death look like reward for good behavior.

Sam had stood by quietly as Leni had scolded their newest member. The girl looked young and rather inexperienced with her drunken swordplay, she would have to work hard to prove herself. As much as Leni may have called them all fuckups, they did work well together when it was called for. They had to, or they wouldn't last.

As they prepared to head off to the horizon to face their next challenge, he gave the girl a friendly pat on the back. "Stick with us and you should be fine. Leni's only looking out for the good of everyone, there's a heart buried somewhere under all those nasty looks." He reached into his pocket and offered the girl what looked like two small balls of hardened candle wax. "If things get bad you may want these."

He would have continued to walk alongside her and explained their basic attack plan and their procedures for assessing how big of a threat they may be encountering, but he wanted to speak with the half-elf before they reached the horizon. So he broke stride with the girl and headed over to where the tanned giant was gathering up his equipment.

Speaking with the man was never an easy talk. Sam had to try to form his questions into hand gestures that he made up as he went along. He doubted that the man understood half of what he was trying to ask and he knew that he understood less than half of what was said back. However, that didn't stop him from trying. He pointed to the horizon, then he pointed at the bow the man was holding, then he lifted up one finger. He waited a moment then he held out all of his fingers.

Leni's upper lip lifted, a small hint of movement that conveyed more emotion than all of the rest of her. She'd spit, but wasing moisture wasn't smart where they were. Wherever they were. Leni followed the call like alla 'em, wherever it was on Pal Tahrenor or elsewhere. Wherever Diosus' interests needed protecting or aquiring. They had been playing the shuffle game for a good long while, being sent here or there to act as discouragement to Diosus' enemies. It had worked. They were restless. The group of them with too much pent up energy meant stupidity. Ko's act of getting himself sacrified was proof enough of that.

She shrugged one shoulder and walked before Ko. He was conscious, his body sprawled and unmoving from where he'd fallen. Leni crouched and turned his head so when his eyelids fluttered she'd be right in front of him.

"Hey ugly," he said.

Leni resisted the urge to snap his head around. Ko enjoyed pain.

"Wulf spotted summat big and different. Maybe against Diosus, maybe not. We're gonna hunt it. Let Saterre know when he arrives we're getting rid of a threat."

"Yeah. Let Endra know my balls need scratching."

Leni dropped Ko's head, her lips twisting. "Wulf takes point. Spread." She eyed Fayane. "Sam, girlie goes with you."

She didn't seem to notice the attempted conversation between Wulf and Sam.

So now they were walking, and Endra's smile faded.

He didn't want to walk but the ground here was difficult to move through. He had wanted to attach himself to something belonging to the new girl -- maybe that flask of hers -- but she was already going with Sam. Besides, the way she swung those knives of hers, she'd probably accidentally gut him on his way out. Even if death wasn't really a problem, Endra didn't like it when his guts were hanging out; it was unflattering, and painful.

"Ah, fuck it," he muttered, and strode off past the others, roughly in the direction he was supposed to. The whole experience might have been better if he'd brought clothes, or even shoes, but then he'd just have to abandon them whenever he sent his body elsewhere anyway. So Endra just ignored the discomfort, and walked.

He almost had his mind solely on the difficult task ahead, until he spotted a lizard. It looked sharp. Endra wanted it. He bent slowly, crouching low to stare at the thing, before disappearing into the earth. He was still for a moment, feeling the animal's scaly-smooth feet and belly and tail, its pulse, making sure it was in a state of rest. Then he dropped onto it, on his knees, with his hands covering the thing's body to keep it from escaping.

He laughed at the creature's wriggling as he gripped it gently and picked it up, turning it to stare into its little eyes full of fright. He touched its horns and caressed its long tail and toes. Then he realized that something was coming up behind him -- something large and fast -- so he dropped the lizard and ducked back into the dirt.

Wulf smiled at Sam. He rummaged into the pack he carried and threw a water skin at him, then spread his fingers. He flashed them all once, and then put up on finger, and looked to Kori, flashing several signs. The big giant grunted and flashed some hand sings back. Wulf grinned and took off running in the direction he was supposed to. He turned and ran backwards, calling out to his group.

"EEP OP EHF UOOU KUN!"

He hoped Kori warned them. Maybe one, or all of them would get true death this time. There was only five or six little guys with them, poorly armored, but they had good swords and four arms. The big guy was frightening. The giant creature stood at least 15 feet tall, and it's arms stretched to the ground. It had three eyes, and was a strange hybrid between a bird and serpent. And maybe monkey of some kind. Definitely not one of Diousus' creatures. Probably one of that bastards from Tzalxochitl. It was big. The best chance they would have is Kori and Endra working together.

Fuck. was all Kori could think.

He took off after Wulf, and pulled his axes from his belt as he did.

"Leni! We're all going to fucking die this time! He says there's a fucking 15 foot monkey snake bird thing! KILL TIME!"

Kori charged over the small dips and rises in the land, following his little half-Elf friend. The further he ran, the more he called up the blood rage in his body, dredging painful memories and striking himself with axe handle and closed fist to build up his frenzy. He bit through his bottom lip with his sharp canine teeth, and roared gibberish and ancient words as he cleared the one of the last ridges and passed Wulf, who has calmly lining up shots on the creatures. Kori trailed a stream of blood and froth from his mouth, his black hair blowing in the wind as he started running down the plain between him and his kills.

He could see the giant, through his red tinted eyes. It was big, its arms and chest swollen with muscle. Its legs looked weak and spindly though, something they could exploit. The arms on it dragged the ground, and the 3 fingers on each paw where tipped with what had to be foot long claws, coated with grime and gore. A true challenge for this pack of killers. He jumped the down the from the slight rise in the ground, swinging both his axes as he flew through the air.

He had to get some now or Leni would kill every fucking one of them like she did last time.

Fay heard Kori, saw Ulfric run and felt her own blood-lust rise. Her eyes darkened even as she moved across the ground, only to leap and shift - her half-fox form carrying her swiftly to the group of seven monsters. Seeing Kori already flying at the largest of the group, Fay chose to take out one of the smaller ones present.

Silent as a shadow Fay flanked the monster before leaping at it, powerful jaws clamping at what she assumed was its neck. Turns out it was its rather large tail. Fay was flung backwards enough to get an eyeful of the snake-humanoid. Well... fuck Fay jumped to the side to narrowly avoid the tail coming down, but not it sweeping to the side and flinging her against a boulder.

This... is going to be fun.