Cain's Story

Cain clambered over a giant bust of a some long forgotten mythical beast hanging from the side of a cathedral sized Greco-Roman structure. To survive in this city it was best to stay silently out of sight and only observe. He slipped past the traps he had left at the entrance to this section of the city's tunnel system, into a narrow, dark passageway. The whole of Necropolis was honeycombed with tunnels large and small, entrances hidden on the smooth black stone that made up the city.

Once inside he ripped off the rag wrapped around his left hand, stashing it in a pouch on his sash. The light rune engraved on surface of his leather glove glowed softly. With the passageway illuminated he continued on through the tunnel, ducking into passages this way and that he slowly ascended to the higher, more inhabited sections of the city. He was trying to reach the lookout point he had found on a tower near the top of the mound that was Necropolis. It was a dangerous place to attempt to reach, but it provided one of the best views over the surrounding landscapes which made it worth it. Cain ducked out of another tunnel into a wide square. As usual, it was very sparsely populated with no true threats in sight. He moved smoothly and silently, sticking close to the wall of the square before ducking into an alleyway. Cain then kicked off one of the side of the alley, leaping up to a handhold overhead and using it to then scramble onto the rooftops. The dark city was illuminated by the red glow of lava-flows running through the area like rivers giving it a eery and sinister mood.

Cain could see the tower now, he dashed towards it, passing over rooftops like a ghost. He slipped through one of the lower windows and began his ascent of the black tower. He reached the observation room with little incident, gaining access to the view the tower offered. He scanned the city for activity, though there was little at this hour, it was why he chose to make his rounds now. He looked off in the distance, searching for a sign of the main Templar force's arrival. The signal-fire had not been lit yet.
"Maybe tomorrow..." Cain growled quietly to himself. He turned to make his way back to his regular hiding spot before the feeling overcame him. Always trusting his instincts Cain slipped his bow off his back and strung it with the speed only a true adept could achieve. He was no longer alone, someone knew he was here. He fingered his quiver nervously, eyes darting in every direction, waiting to see if his gut was right.

Cain blinked once, though with only one eye it could seem almost like a wink, and lowered his bow.
"Oh..." Cain murmured, "You ain't half ugly enough ta be a demon, quit spookin' me like that... Shame ya weren't somethin' I could loose at though, thin's are gettin' too tense in this godforsak'n city..."
He continued in a slightly louder, gravely tone, "So Durz, have ya spotted any signs o' the force today?"
He glanced over the slim, white haired Templar across the fields of lava and stone, not expecting to see anything new, but more to emphasize his question.

From the highest tower of the unholy city, the lich stood on the balcony of her tower, looking over the vast cavern she had created long ago. After taking in a deep breath, Mahvan looked around with intrege, muttering to herself, "Life..." After taking another breath, she turned around and walked into her tower, and picked up her septor from a stand it had been resting it.

"Avasus, kell roa." She spoke as she picked up the staff and looked into the large head piece, then pointed it outside of the balcony again. Suddenly, a blast of fire erupted from the end of the staff, and shot into the are of the vast cavern, lighting the entire city. The blast from the explosion somehow cause the cavern to shake, and groan with air. Then the thick smell of the dead filled the air.

When Durzo snuck his way into the city in the first place, he noticed piles of bones at almost every street corner, and wondered what they were. Suddenly, the piles of bones started to move, and grown to life. Soon after, the bones took form as massive giants made of bones. The giants stood almost 10 feet tall, with bodys crafted out of rotting flesh and bone. There weapons were the same, maces out of skulls, swords out of femurs, and shields made from breastplates and ribs.

Only a few moments after there construction, the giants started to walk. Up and down the streets the giants patrolled, taking in deep breaths as they went along to find what ever it was there master called them for. They also acted as a warning to the people of the city, to stay inside. For something, or some one, was in the city.

Durzo closed his eyes as he chuckled at Cain's remark. He reopened them as he followed Cain's gaze that fell onto the scene below them.

"Well not all Demon's are ugly..." Durzo turned back to Cain with a smirk that hinted at sarcastic humor directed at the race of Demons that inhabited the underworld.

He let out a sigh as he turned his attention back toward the direction that the High Priest would soon be leading the army from, asking himself the same question that came out of Cain's scarred up mouth. Then he noticed movement in multiple positions below them throughout the city. The multiple piles of bones that Durzo had noticed but paid no attention to when he firt entered the city, were now moving and building themselves into shambling creatures. It was happening all over the city.

With a raised, platinum eyebrow, he turned back around towards Cain.
"A force? Yes. But not ours..." he trailed off as he motioned with his thumb down to the street levels, where patrols of shambling horrors now filled the streets, obviously searching for something. Had they been found out? Durzo wouldn't be around much longer to figure out the answer to that question.
He looked at Cain, his sarcastic raised eyebrow now gone, replaced by lowered thin platinum eyebrows that betrayed a hint of concern over their newly changed situation.

"Looks like our break is over..." he muttered glancing back down towards the scene below them.

"A force? Yes. But not ours... Looks like our break is over..."

Cain grimaced, his face twisting in a way that exaggerated his facial scarring.
"Then I guess 's time ta-" Cain was cut off by a rumbling sound, the tower shook underfoot. Cain kept his footing through the bout of shaking, viewing it's source through one of the windows of the observatory. Part of one of the sides of the giant underground cavern had collapsed, blocking off the entrance to necropolis. It only took a moment for Cain to see why this had happened. The signal-fire had been lit, the main Templar force had arrived, and someone had wanted to trap them inside the cavern. Cain's grimace transformed into a sly smile, "Looks like there's two forces o' mindless minions on the field today... Have ya finnish'd wi' tha welcome mat? If so, let's steal down ta the gatehouse ta greet our glorious brothers..."

Durzo held his ground with somewhat of a struggle when the shaking started, interrupting Cain mid sentence. He glanced up and out one of the windows along with Cain to see what the cause of the interruption was. He saw rocks that had just fallen and were blocking the entrance to the massive cavern and large amounts of dust settling. As Cains words left his grinning mouth, Durzo was quick to catch on as his eyes saw the glowing signal fire lit by the High Priest, along with his massive force of Templars.

'We're not trapped in here with you... You're trapped in here with us.' he thought to himself as his lips curled into a devious smile. He glanced through a different window towards the she-lich's tower, and chuckled at the thought.

As Cains words rang through his ears, Durzo looked at him with a mischievous grin and a twinkle in his real colored eyes. "Of course I laid out the welcome mat, what kind of guest would I be without giving our gracious lich host a fine gift for their generosity?" he chuckled as he tightened the leather straps that held his gear snugly against his slim body, in preparation for the acrobatic trip over rooftops towards the gate that separated this city from complete destruction.

"After you, my friend." he said cheerfully motioning toward the fate with a slender arm.

Cain nodded, and started down the staircase at a moderate pace, then suddenly picked up speed before vaulting out the window onto the building adjacent to the tower. He landed on his feet and kept pace, leaping from rooftop to rooftop with Durzo close behind. Up on the roofs they seemed to be safe from the lumbering giant skeletons on the streets below. After all, no one ever bothers to look up.

Cain made way for the entrance to the vertical shaft he knew would take them to the base of Necropolis, making it easier to reach the main gate. He dashed over an archway stretching between two villa like structures before coming to an abrupt halt. Couple of loose roof-slates later he swung into the top floor of the building. He landed softly in the dimly lit hallway in a crouched position.
"Quick, quick... Don't wake any sleepers now..." Cain whispered urgently through the hole in the roof to Durzo. Before starting to pad softly towards the third door on the left hand side of the hallway, where the entrance to the tunnel was located.

"Quick, quick... Don't wake any sleepers now..."

Durzo nodded silently at the words whispered to him from below, as he quietly hopped into the hole, landing nimbly on his heels, and directing his weight forward into a controlled somersault, and stopping with one knee on the ground. He stood up silently, with a soft clink from the sword on his back slightly bumping the dirk at his waist. He smoothly strode forward, eyes open, using his perephials to watch his surroundings as he crept forward, behind Cain. His heartbeat quickened, his grip on the dirk at his waist hidden by his cloak tightened, and his breath was steady. Durzo would not be caught off guard. Cain would lead, and Durzo would watch and follow. He was not fond of surprises.

Cain moved like a shadow over the wall until he stood by the door. He opened it a crack and peered inside. Darkness. He slipped a small pebble out of a pouch in his sash and after whispering a single word to it, rolled it in. The pebble rolled to a stop making little sound that could betray their presence, then began to glow, bathing the room in a soft red light. The room seemed empty. Cain opened the door a little more to allow himself inside. He noticed the slight resistance of the wire on the door too late, the trap had been sprung.

A gout of flame shot from the doorway, engulfing Cain's left arm before he could move out of the way. He stumbled backwards, arm aflame, trying to tear his burning attire from his body. The dancing flames cast shadows in all directions, but some of the shadows were not human. Cain tore off his burning sleeve and threw it to the ground with his runed glove which was sparking, and blasting rays of light in random directions at irregular intervals. The skin on his left arm was red raw with newly forming blisters, but Cain didn't let that slow him. He whipped his bow into position from his back and notched an arrow. He could now make out the source of the shadows without the distraction of the flames. They were about a head shorter than him, dark skin, with twisted, animalistic faces, short horns protruding from their foreheads, and their signature cloven hooves. Satyrs.

Cain loosed a heavy arrow at the closest one. At this range his arrows, which were made more for puncturing thick armors than flesh and bone, were more than effective. The arrow hit clean in the satyr's forehead, with enough force to end up protruding from the back minor demon's head and pin it to the wall. In the time it took to notch the next arrow he growled what was meant to be a lighthearted quip, but came out more aggressively that he intended as the battle-fever came over him, "This is why we discourage the practice of goat-fucking where I come from!"
He loosed the second arrow catching another in the shoulder, spinning it around with the force.
"Move toward the chute Durz, we can't afford ta be cornered here when more arrive invest'gate tha pand'monium."
Judging by the power of the trap it had been meant as a deterrent more than to kill, which meant whoever set it had no idea of who it was they were trying to catch off guard. They probably though it was just a bunch of pests trying to get a free room for the night and not Templar scouts using the hidden tunnel system entrance in the house. Cain had been lucky, but his luck had it's limits, and if they were caught before the main Templar force had entered the city all the luck in the world couldn't save him.

Durzo had drawn the long dirk at his side as soon as he saw Cain react to the snap of something being set off. He had sprung backwards when he saw the flames erupt from the trap, hoping Cain hadnt just gotten himself killed. Before he had time to react and try to help his comrade, he felt a muscular arm wrap around his neck from behind and tighten. Durzo's reflexes kicked in, and before the arm could tighten any more, Durzo shoved his dirk behind him, and felt it enter the flesh of whatever it was that had grabbed him. The arm that was around his neck twitched and he heard a cry of pain from behind him. The arm loosened, allowing Durzo to slip out of the Demons grip. He quickly ducked down into a crouching position, putting the palm of his free hand on the ground to support his weight as he swung his lightly armored right leg around in a circular motion, with the intent of connecting it with the Demons head.

Durzo's crouching roundhouse kick slammed into the demons jaw, and a crunch could be heard and felt through the thin steel plate strapped to his shin, obviously the sound of bones breaking. The short yet muscular demon fell to the ground with a hard thud, and Durzo knelt beside it, and looked into the slits of its eyes for a split second before burying his dirk into it again, except this time right into the middle of the neck, severing its spine with the force of the stab.

Durzo took no chances on letting an enemy that crossed him survive. He never got caught off guard, and for good reason.

"Move toward the chute Durz, we can't afford ta be cornered here when more arrive invest'gate tha pand'monium."

Transfixed onto the dark colored blood of the demon puring out of the wound, Durzo heard Cain's words echo through the room, or maybe it just seemed to echo. Either way, Durzo yanked his dirk free and stood, turning his head towards Cain to quickly assess if the other scout was in mortal danger of dying from his burns. After a quick moment, satisfied that Cains condition was non-lethal, Durzo sheathed his dirk and bolted towards the chute before any more Demons could block him from it. He ran as quick as his legs could move him, his black cloak trailing in the air behind him, and dropped his body downwards onto the ground, turning his sprint into a slide, and dropped down into the chute. He felt the pull of gravity as his body dropped downwards, and he grunted as he swung his legs so that they were positioned below him, just in time as he felt the ground reach him. He landed slightly off balance, and felt pain shoot up his left leg from his ankle, involuntarily sending a short cry of pain from behind his clenched teeth. Probably a sprained ankle, judging from how hard he hit and how he landed. He hoped it was just a sprained ankle, and not a broken one at least.

Durzo immediately drew his burnt colored yew bow and notched an arrow to its string as he scooted backwards a few feet on his ass until he felt his back touch a wall. It was dark, and he did not know if there were any Demons around, waiting to ambush him after hearing the commotion above. He steadied his breaths, and didnt make a sound, trying to listen for any signs of movement around him, and waiting for Cain to join him. He felt pain throbbing in his ankle, and prayed that it was not broken. He was not able to stand, and that meant he was at a disadvantage if any demons got close enough. That was why he drew his bow. Archery required good stance, yes, but on your ass it was better to kill an enemy from afar rather than let them get close and try to gut them with a dagger. Using his sword was also out of the question, it was too long to be wielded efficiently from his position. So he held it horizontally, like a crossbow, and waited in silence and darkness for Cain to join him, and hoping his comrade hadnt gotten himself killed.

Cain felt a gust as Durzo dashed past him into the room, but when he tried to follow one of the demons moved in to intercept him. There was no time to draw his dirk, in a quick motion Cain unstrung the bottom of his bow, releasing the tension that made it a deadly ranged weapon. What he had in his hands now was a heavy, club-like, stick. He swung at the demons legs, hearing a sharp crack as the bow hit flesh and broke bone. The demon dropped to it's knees with the force of the blow, and without breaking stride Cain leaped forwards, smashing his knee into the demon's face. The blow knocked the satyr's head back into the ground as Cain passed over it with only the slightest change in momentum. He came skidding to a sudden stop before the hole, barked a phrase, then dropped two pouches from his sash to the ground before leaping after Durzo.

Cain landed less gracefully than he had hoped, managing a roll to lessen the impact, but still managing to knock the knee he'd used to attack the satyr on the hard stone ground, numbing it completely. He pulled himself to his feet and after a quick equipment check, he whispered for Durzo in the darkness of the tunnels.

Durzo's eyes had slightly began to adjust to the darkness when he heard a scramble that could only be someone or something falling through the hole Durzo had just moments earlier jumped through. He heard more sounds of movement, and he could see a shape standing up and fumbling with its attire. He aimed his bow at the shape and quietly pulled the arrow back, stretching the string as far back as being in a sitting position would allow. He held the bow horizontally, drawn back enough to puncture leather at least, more than enough to slice through flesh. His heartbeat quickened, and he listened for anything that would identify the shape.

Durzo was relieved when he heard Cain voice whisper his name. He let out a heavy sigh of relief and lowered his bow, relaxing the strained bowstring as he did so. He allowed himself to breath out loud and heavy, grateful for the opportunity to catch his breath without fear of being loud.

He leaned his head back against the wall and an opened mouth grin spread across his face. He closed his eyes and a hearty chuckle escaped his throat. He relaxed his tense body for a moment, grateful for the opportunity to rest for a minute. His ankle still throbbed with pain. He wouldnt know if he could walk until he tried. He opened his eyes and glanced towards the shape that was thankfully Cain's.

"Nope, Demon got me. I'm dead." He said aloud, and followed it with a sarcastic chuckle.

"Damn shame... Rest 'n peace Templar Durzo, the only broth'r who managed ta choke his vanquisher ta death by bein' too bony a meal..." Durzo laughed so hard that he almost choked on his saliva, which immediately made his laughing turn to coughing. He coughed for a few moments while Cain laughed a short raspy laugh. Durzo's grin stayed on his face as he listened to Cain finish the rest of his statement.

He glanced up at Cain's shape and cleared his throat. "Im doing just peachy, as a matter of fact. Figured this was a good spot to sit and stare at darkness for a while, and pretend that im surrounded by naked wenches in a tavern drinking my body weight in wine." He laughed at his own sarcasm for a moment.

"I landed wrong, hopefully sprained my ankle. A broken ankle would do little to assist me in our situation. Regardless, I dont know if i can walk, havent tried yet." He put his arrow back into his quiver, and strapped his bow back onto his back as he spoke.

"Do you feel like being a crutch for a bony meal, Cain?" Durzo said with a grin unseen in the darkness.

Cain snorted at Durzo's jape, but his brow still furrowed in annoyance as Durzo informed him of his leg. This would slow them down, and they couldn't afford to waste time here...
"Do you feel like being a crutch for a bony meal, Cain?"
"I thought people were meant ta use sticks as crutches, not the other way around..." Cain muttered bitterly as he grabbed hold of Durzo's arm lifting him to his feet roughly, and placing it over his shoulder to give the other scout something to lean upon.
"Hope I got the right side, 'cause this is gonna be a bit of a trek..." Without waiting for an answer Cain set off, half-dragging Durzo at his side.

"Look at us, two Templar scouts trudging through hell's sewers, one with a swollen ankle and the other with a crispy arm. We'd make a mighty meal for some lucky Demon... Well, maybe just you... And not to mention that a pitiful sight like us will be what brings the downfall of the lich bitch and her city of freaks."

Cain grinned maliciously at the thought of what was to come, but he knew it wouldn't be the end of his crusade, far from it, the debt he owed demonkind was far too large.
"The anticipation's killin' me..." He muttered to himself.
The pair carried on in science for a while before they reached the stairs. The chute had taken them quite a ways down, but there was still a bit to go.
"This is gonna be a bit o' a both'r..." Cain announced, studying the narrow staircase which had been built with no railings, and with the intention of only letting people descend it one by one. His arm was beggining to sting as the adrenalin from before left his system.
"We'll have ta' go down sideways."

Cain struggled with Durzo, maneuvering down the last few sets of stairs. He sighed with relief when they reached the bottom, and had to remind himself there was still a bit left to go.
"C'mon, almost there..." He half muttered to himself in reassurance. Once they reached the trigger point they wouldn't have to set of individual charges, they could all be set off remotely through a set of enchantments Cain had worked into their detenators. The pair struggled on through the tunnels towards destiny and destruction.