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Feral Bloodrazor

"Cross me the wrong way and I'll skin you alive, fleshbag..."

0 · 295 views · located in The Badlands

a character in “The Fall of Xamos”, as played by BlackIceRocker

Description

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Name: Feral Bloodrazor
Age: 24
Race: Vyldkin
Gender: Female

Appearance
Rather savage-looking, Feral sports most “normal” vyldkin traits—leonine appearance, sharp claws and fangs, horns growing from the top of her head. She has gray fur across her entire body, accented by streaks of black and white across her face and back. When fighting, she is also clad in armor, mostly across her arms and chest. She also carries with her an axe blessed by her tribe leader—she claims that it allows her to inflict deeper wounds.

Personality
Feral has always been hot-blooded, preferring combat and action over words. She loves proving her worth in physical combat, preferring to pit herself against opponents that would not think her a formidable foe. She is constantly training herself to be stronger and better prepared for combat, hoping for the day where her deeds and strength will become the stuff of legends among her people. Among vyldkin, Feral is rather amicable and easy to get along with—unless, of course, she is insulted by being compared to the “fleshbags” (the derogatory term for non-vyldkin among their species) or for her pyromaniacal abilities. When it comes to dealing with other races, however, Feral is cold at best and outright hostile and bloodthirsty at worst. After hearing about the cold-blooded slaughter of her fellow tribesmen, Feral has to maintain herself in order to not lash out against humans in general.

Allegiance
Feral’s pride and honor stays with her clan. She is completely loyal to her tribe’s cause; individual members may not have the greatest relationship with her, but she wants what’s best for her clan. She abhors humans and will not hesitate to attack if she senses any hostility at all. Around the presence of stronger vyldkin, if she is ordered to abstain from attacking humans, she will grudgingly obey; if she is the highest authority, she will display no mercy, as she believes that humans were in fact responsible for the deaths of her fellow vyldkin.

Skills/Abilities
Feral is a relentless combatant; she specializes in close-combat, either with razor-sharp claws or an axe. Like her name implies, she almost takes on a more bestial mentality when she fights, seemingly not caring for personal injury and recklessly throwing herself in harm’s way. In addition, Feral has a very minor affinity for elemental magic, finding fire the easiest to conjure. She rarely uses this ability unless the circumstances are dire, and even then, she only uses it to augment her combat skills by setting her claws or her axe ablaze.

Weaknesses
As attuned to battle and a harsh lifestyle as she is, Feral has no concept of social graces outside of her tribe. She has little patience for “fleshbags”, especially humans, and will not hesitate to challenge anyone to combat unless in the presence of a superior to control her violent tendencies. In addition, she is slightly afraid that her magical abilities will label her an outcast among her own kind; a deeper fear is that she will one day be unable to control it and may perish because of it.

Bio
Born to the Bloodrazor Clan, Feral was brought up like any normal vyldkin—she learned the ways of the hunt and of warfare. Although female, she proved herself a competent warrior from a young age, displaying a strength and ferocity that was most unbecoming of most warriors, let alone females. Feral became involved a hunting band and learned about the other races, the elves and humans in particular. She learned to distrust the other races, viewing them as inferior to the might of her species over the others.

After the attack on a fellow village, Feral’s xenophobia grew to unrealistic new heights. She became even more spiteful toward outsiders, especially humans, and would readily attack them if not for being put under control by someone of higher status. In addition, she has found that she has a slight affinity for elemental magic and can summon a small amount of flames with enough concentration or when she is a deep rage. While an unprecedented asset to her combat capabilities, Feral is afraid to use this often, both from fear of spiraling out of control and also of being taken away from her home to train as a Keeper of the Flame, a special rank given to vyldkin magi who renounce their violent ways and pursue the magical arts.

So begins...

Feral Bloodrazor's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Feral Bloodrazor Character Portrait: Ahn Surestrike
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The Bloodrazor Clan--one of the fiercest vyldkin camps to ever cross the badlands. There was something about this particular tribe that stood out among all the others: whether it was their combat prowess, their tenacity and stubbornness, their survival skills, or even just a certain bloodlust that was uncommon even among their own kind, no one could say for sure. What they did say for sure, though, was that the Bloodrazor Clan was one to always be held in high regard. A friend of this particular clan had powerful allies, but woe to those that may be considered by these vyldkin as enemies...

The clash of metal rang through the stale badlands air as two muscle-bound vyldkin sparred in the middle of the camp. Of course, among vyldkin, this was a common practice--fighting to hone one's physical prowess was considered a pasttime and form of recreation, and these two were no exception to this custom. Both hefted greatswords and swung them with the grace of veteran warriors, each one concentrated on getting the "finishing" blow against their partner.

Off to the side sat a slightly younger vyldkin, more feminine in nature but still rather imposing like any other member of her species. In one sharpened claw, she held a small whetstone which she scraped across a rather vicious-looking axe. The shhhhhhhhhhink of stone across the metal added another element to the symphony of steel, another percussive sound that blended well with the grunts and shouts and the clanging of steel against steel. She enjoyed watching her kin battle with one another--as much as they learned from fighting, she enjoyed not only the entertainment of observing the battles but learning from their mistakes or and strategies in the process.

Suddenly, the two ceased their combat, the older of the two suddenly struggling to catch his breath and placing his sword on the ground. The other, a silver-furred youth with a huge broadsword to boot, walked forward and began to comfort the older of the pair. The female continued to sharpen her blade, keeping her eye on the duo all the while. The younger of the two she recognized as a warrior a few years her senior: Ahn Surestrike, one of the best with a broadsword she had even seen in battle. Granted, he was no stranger to the other weapons, but the woman with the axe was rather confident that she could defeat him in combat using her preferred weapon, perhaps in in hand-to-hand combat too.

The older of the two slapped the silver-furred youth across the back, spewing out into a bout of laughterand mentioning the hunt that would be taking place this afternoon. Most of the stronger vyldkin would be participating; Ahn was no exception, and neither was the woman with the axe and the whetstone. As the youth walked toward the congregation that was gathering for the aforementioned hunt, the female followed him, pocketing her stone and spinning her axe in her hand as she walked. She figured that during the hunt that she would be able to run on all fours, but for now there was an "air of sophistication"--as the elders had called it--that they needed to uphold in case any fleshbags decided to wander too close to their camp.

Does it matter how we walk when the other races view us as beasts for the slaughter? If they think us as animals, the least we could do is humor that idea...

She found Ahn standing next close to a larger vyldkin than even he, one with a golden-brown mane and battle scars across his face and arms. One of the elder's eyes was milky-white, decorated with a scar running vertically across his face over this blind eye. The female pushed her way through the crowd and stood next to the vyldkin with the greatsword, keeping an eye on his reaction as she came near.

"Brothers and sisters!" he cried, addressing the crowd. "The time has come once again for the final hunt before our exodus! Those that wish to prove themselves worthy in the eyes of the Bloodrazors, step forward and hunt for your people!"

She had heard this whole call-to-arms before and had seen this ritual of the Last Hunt many times before, but something felt... different about this time in particular. Could it have something to do with the tension that was building up between her people and the other races? Was this hunt supposed to be a hunt for game... or for something else? Her eyes flashed with a bit of a spark, something that alerted the others to a bit of an adrenaline rush that she felt. Of course, she had been deeply impacted by the needless slaughter of her people; all of her fellow tribesmen had felt this sorrow, but it seemed to linger in the young vyldkin. Most would call this a hinderance; however, the vyldkin realized that she could use this as a release for combat purposes.

"I, Gnash Skinrender, accept this trial," an older vyldkin called from the crowd, stepping forward to meet the gaze of the elder who had called out for those that would hunt.

"I, Bane Marrowsworn, accept this trial," another vyldkin cried, stepping forward. The young woman cleared her throat and stepped out ahead of the crowd, twirling her axe in her hand as if to emphasize her enthusiasm.

"I, Feral Bloodrazor, accept this trial," the female vyldkin exclaimed, stepping forward and taking a quick glance back toward Ahn. "Are you coming, blade-brother, or am I going to have to drag you along by your mane?" she joked, gesturing to the gathering crowd around the elder.

The setting changes from The Badlands to Xamos

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Feral Bloodrazor Character Portrait: Beryl Shatterheart Character Portrait: Havinthir Leitni Character Portrait: Ahn Surestrike
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#, as written by Siryn
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He'd noted her watching as he and Rothgar had been sparring, it wasn't uncommon for many of the other Vyldkin to watch a fight. It was how they all learned, how they grew together and became stronger. So when she fell in beside him during the ritual to begin the last hunt, he was hardly surprised.

"Brothers and sisters! The time has come once again for the final hunt before our exodus! Those that wish to prove themselves worthy in the eyes of the Bloodrazors, step forward and hunt for your people!"

Ahn growled in appreciation for the words and witnessed several of the people around him step forward, this included the smaller Vyldkin next to him, Feral Bloodrazor. Once she stated her name she shifted and looked back at him, her eyes wild with anticipation and fire that told him of her blood pumping and the adrenaline that was sure to be rushing through her.

"Are you coming, blade-brother, or am I going to have to drag you along by your mane?" She waved her hand at the group that had stepped forward. Ahn grinned at her and lowered his posture so that he was closer to her.

"Only you would wish to grab hold of my mane, dear battle-sister," he commented slyly then straightened as he stood up next to her. His size was quite formidable, but nothing too surprising for a Vyldkin, "I, Ahn Surestrike, accept this trial."

Glancing over to her, he grinned again at her, "Perhaps we'll see who can bring down the largest of the herd?" He chuckled softly to himself as he watched her interested to see her response but knowing full well she wouldn't let the challenge go unanswered either. He had yet to spar with the fiery Vyldkin next to him, though he'd seen her in combat a few times before. She was just as good as any of them there and sometimes better depending on the situation. Ahn was eager to get the hunt underway, more eager to take the challenge against his battle-sister.

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“’Ello, stranger. I’ve got t’ say, I wasn’ quite expecting t’ run int’ anyone what wasn’ vyldkin, out ‘ere.”

Havinthir was slightly startled by the noise that came from his waist. Looking downwards he witnessed a little girl suddenly walking beside him. He hadn't heard her coming and it was either a testament to her abilities or that he was daydreaming all too much. The elf shook his head slightly, then smiled at her. Seeing as she'd not drawn weapons against him, she was obviously friendly. He continued walking while she fell into step next to him. As he continued to observe her while talking, he realized that this wasn't a girl, but rather a dwarf.

"Pleasure, my dear. I'm Havinthir, but you may call me Havi for short if you wish," he offered to her. As he walked, he wondered why she was out there, but then her speech to him was pretty much the same question she was thinking for as to why the elf was wandering the badlands as well.

"To answer your question," Havinthir started, giving her a knowing smile, "I'm looking for another Vyldkin tribe to settle with for a short while. I just left one recently and have been wandering these lands for a few days in search of another. I find them fascinating to learn from and live with," the elf reached up and adjusted the strap along his chest that held his staff like weapon. A blade was on each end of the long green staff, the silver catching the sunlight every now and then as he walked.

"What about you, dwarf? Why are you wandering the expanse of the badlands? Seeking the Vyldkin as well?" He asked her, lifting an eyebrow as he looked down at her again.

The setting changes from Xamos to The Badlands

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Feral Bloodrazor Character Portrait: Ahn Surestrike
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"Only you would wish to grab hold of my mane, dear battle-sister," the silver-furred vyldkin responded with a coy smirk. Feral watched as he straightened himself out just to announce his intention of joining the hunt. The female heard his remark and did her best to hide a creeping smile that threatened to betray the formality of the gathering. She seemed to appreciate Ahn's sense of humor more than most others in the tribe, perhaps due to their relative youth compared to most of the veteran hunters. Being allowed to engage in the final hunt before an exodus was an honor reserved for the best hunters of the trube; however, with youth and honor came a sense of recklessness that Feral still carried. The elders had always warned her about being particularly overzealous when it came to combat and battling, especially since it seemed she had a certain... aptitude to become overtaken by bloodlust at times. Feral, however, never claimed to see this as a problem, instead believing it to be a blessing by the gods to increase her ferocity in combat.

Ahn walked up toward the others gathered around the elder, passing Feral along the way. "Perhaps we'll see who can bring down the largest of the herd?" he chuckled as he took his place next to the others. The female's eyes lit up at the sound of the challenge--he knew all too well that she was rather competitive, especially after that incident where she had nearly ripped a fellow tribesman's arm out of his socket for trying to steal her prey from under her nose. At least now she knew better than to allow her rage to get away from her that easily...

"With that blade weighing you down? I'll be dragging the carcass back to the camp before you can even raise your weapon above your head," Feral smirked, looking up toward the blade-brother out of the corner of her eye. "Bet I can even do it without my axe, too..." There was something about proving herself to the others, something about showing that even the females are just as successful of hunters as the males in the tribe, if not even more so. Whether for this reason or to continue to uphold the reputation of her namesake tribe, she was determined to make good on her boast.

"Warriors of the Bloodrazor Clan, we bless you in the name of the gods so that your senses grow sharp and your aim strikes true," the elder continued, reaching for a silver bowl with intricate carvings and patterns etched into the metal. A thick red liquid sat within the concave surface, and the elder dipped three claws into the bowl, letting the liquid soak deep in his fur. He slowly pulled them out once more, drops falling back into the bowl with a slow methodical drip drip drip.

"With the blood of our ancestors, we bless you with vigor, strength, and speed," the elder commented before walking up to Feral. With the three sanguine fingers, the elder drew three parallel lines down the left side of the vyldkin's face, leaving a definite pattern in her fur. Feral felt a surging sense of power and pride welling within her--as much as she knew that this was more for tradition and ritual than anything else at this point, there was always something... visceral about this particular part of the pre-hunting ritual.

The elder repeated his mantra, dipping his fingeres into the blood once more for Ahn, Gnash, and Bane before drawing the same three lines down the left side of their faces. When this was finished, the elder took his place behind the fire pit. With his bloodstained hand, he reached into another bowl--this one much more earthen and plain in appearance--and pulled from this one a handful of gray powder. With a roar, the elder tossed the powder into the fire and the vyldkin watched as the flames transformed from orange to--

...green?

Feral stared into the emerald fire, not quite sure what to make of this sign. She had never seen this happen before--had the elder done something wrong with the ritual? Normally the flames would have turned crimson-red, which would have signaled to the others that a successful hunt, but... what did a green flame mean? Murmurs of discontent began to rise up from the crowd behind the hunters.

"Settle down!" the elder roared with a newfound ferocity. Immediately, the voices softened to dull whispers as the elder walked around the green fire burning in the pit. "This is a sign indeed... A great change is upon us all, brothers and sisters; do not fear it, but rather embrace it and let us seize the opportunity to determine where our new destiny shall lead us!"

A few males in the crowd roared with approval, letting the air ring with the depth of their battlecry. The elder nodded once more before turning back to the four hunters. "Do not fear the omen, hunters--our ancestors still grant you a portion of their strength. You will be successful." With that, the elder bowed before the group ahead of him. "Now go--prowl as one, strike as one, hunt as one."

With those words, Feral nodded and followed behind Gnash and Bane, staying close to Ahn as he carried his greatsword. She, on the other hand, found the loops on the straps around her belt and tied the axe to it before stretching her arms toward the sky, eyes toward the horizon. Of course, she was worried about the outburst of the flames--she knew that all four of them were; she knew that the entire village was concerned. Still, there was something more important that they were to deal with, and of course she would attempt to perform her task to the best of her ability.

Feral fell forward, catching herself on powerful paws as she began to walk around using all four limbs. This was when she felt most comfortable for whatever reason--there was something about being in this more primal state that really appealed to her more than standing on two legs all the time. As she walked alongside the group, she continued glancing up toward Ahn occasionally as Gnash and Bane talked amongst themselves. She still felt that spark in her eye; something about the hunt always put that spark there, and she was more than content with it, especially if it meant proving herself to competent hunters.

"So... the portent..." Feral growled, hoping to strike up some sort of conversation as they passed the time wandering the badlands. "What do you make of it...?"

The setting changes from The Badlands to Xamos

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Feral Bloodrazor Character Portrait: Beryl Shatterheart Character Portrait: Havinthir Leitni Character Portrait: Ahn Surestrike
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#, as written by Siryn
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"With that blade weighing you down? I'll be dragging the carcass back to the camp before you can even raise your weapon above your head. Bet I can even do it without my axe, too..."

Ahn glanced down to her and grinned. Of course she would challenge him to a hand to hand competition. She was always like this, filled with so much energy and boasting her own skills. He didn't blame her though, not in the least. In a clan where the men were the warriors and the toughest out of them all, she needed something to prove her worth and her words were always backed up by her actions. Feral was strong, just as strong as their seasoned warriors, probably more so. He would responded to her, but their elder spoke up, cutting through the light rabble.

"Warriors of the Bloodrazor Clan, we bless you in the name of the gods so that your senses grow sharp and your aim strikes true," the elder spoke as he dipped his clawed hands into a bowl of blood. The crimson liquid soaked deep into his fur and he walked forward to the others, "With the blood of our ancestors, we bless you with vigor, strength, and speed," the elder ran his fingers along the side of Feral's face, staining her striped fur with the blood. He repeated the move with Ahn, Gnash and then Bane. Each member of the hunting party now marked with their ancestors blood to help them hunt. There was a bit of a rush as he was marked with the blood, a sense of being blessed.

As their elder continued the ritual, he threw dust into the fire and the flames burst forth in the color of green. Ahn's eyes widened slightly and he felt unsettled for a moment. Next to him, Feral was watching with the same amount of anxiety as he had. He doubled over slightly, his ears perked forward and his heart in his throat. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Settle down!" the elder roared with a newfound ferocity. Immediately, the voices softened to dull whispers as the elder walked around the green fire burning in the pit. "This is a sign indeed... A great change is upon us all, brothers and sisters; do not fear it, but rather embrace it and let us seize the opportunity to determine where our new destiny shall lead us!"

Upon hearing the elders words, Ahn straightened and let his voice join those of the other male warriors around them. His roar was deep and vibrated his chest, no doubt reaching out to each Vyldkin that stood close to him. His elongated teeth were shown entirely then as he opened his mouth wide to roar his approval.

"Do not fear the omen, hunters--our ancestors still grant you a portion of their strength. You will be successful. Now go--prowl as one, strike as one, hunt as one."

Ahn followed after Bane and Gnash as they lead the way out of their camp. They were going deep into the badlands to hunt the herds around there before following them further east. Next to him, Feral had kept pace and then fallen forward to walk on all fours. He grinned at her as she caught herself and moved swiftly across the earth. He would follow her but his sword was far to long for him to carry on all fours. Besides, he could keep up well enough on his two feet.

"So... the portent...What do you make of it...?"

Ahn turned his silver gaze back down to Feral and sighed. Reaching up he rubbed the fur along his jawline as he thought, "I'm not sure, Feral. It could mean many things for us. Perhaps our hunt will not be of the herd we've been tracking? Or maybe we will hunt very well today," he kept his fears to himself. Ahn didn't wish to give her cause to worry or be rash. She did that well enough on her own, "Perhaps it means that I will win my challenge given to you," he grinned at her and watched her for her reaction.

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“Beryl, or Berry; I do like tha’ a bi’ better. I’m ‘ere because… well, I’m looking for t’ Shatterheart clan. A friend o’ mine was of them, and I owe ‘im a lot, so since I can’ repay ‘im, I thought I might see ‘f there was anything I could do for t’em.”

"Ah, I see. That is very honorable of you, Berry," Havinthir replied to her, smiling warmly as they walked along the grass.

“’S well-made, that. N’er seen any with two blades like that. Issit vyldkin?”

"You have keen eyes, my dear. This weapon has been modified by Vyldkin weaponry yes. The staff was originally my own design from the forest I hail from. However, it did me no good if it could not protect me properly. Thus the clan I first visited modified it for me and this is what it became," he answered her, looking over his shoulder for a second to eye the silver of the curved blade that was attached to one end of the staff.

Next to him the dwarf suddenly began to sneeze, gaining his attention. Havinthir looked down at her and watched with a slightly amused and worried look on his face. It seemed she did not wish to cut through the grass before her, so she instead pulled a scarf up around her nose and mouth. Berry looked up at him then and he grinned at her in return.

"Leitvendi," he said to her in elvish. In the common tongue it would mean 'may you be blessed', but he was using it to excuse her for sneezing. Though he'd not been with humans for very long, he'd picked up on a couple things that they did, and blessing someone after they sneezed was one of them. A strange thing, but Havinthir had come to use it often.

“So which clan were y’ staying with?”

Havinthir sighed, "I wish I could say the Shatterhearts as to make your quest easier, but alas I was not with them. I just recently left the Dragonhide clan a few days ago. Now I am here looking for another clan to join and learn from. I've not been with a clan named the 'Shatterhearts' yet, but I'm intrigued to know of them now. Tell me, Berry, would you be interested in coming with me? Perhaps we could find the Shatterhearts together?"

The setting changes from Xamos to The Badlands

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Talael Tamira Character Portrait: Geoffrey Ivorygate Character Portrait: Jura "Dodger" Darling Character Portrait: Feral Bloodrazor Character Portrait: Aransandorian Dwin'shadr Character Portrait: Ahn Surestrike
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The ambassador was relieved to hear that the drow at least had some extra provisions for herself, but the girl was going to be slightly problematic. At the rate that they were adding people, they might not have enough supplies to feed everyone for the rest of the day--or at least, make sure they had somewhat full stomachs in order to feel comfortable. Still, Ivorygate was not about to leave someone out in the middle of the plains who required help; that would be too cold and cruel, even for the vyldkin. The guard, as correct as he was in his assertion that they could not sustain many more mouths especially with their already-limited supplies, did not seem to realize that being cold-hearted was making them more and more like the war-faring beasts that they did not want to emulate.

Geoffrey smiled as he heard the dwehga tell the young girl about the dangers of travelling on the road. At least someone else was trying to bring a bit of logic into the girl's mind, even if Jura was not going to pay attention to the sage words of wisdom that were being imparted by two elders. There was, however, something to her enthusiasm that Geoffrey enjoyed... Perhaps he did take his job a bit too seriously at times... But with the fate of the world at stake, there was no time to shirk off in his duties to the Hold.

He led the others back to the circle of horses, nodding to the guards. "Men, this is Lady Jura Darling and Lady Talael Tamira. They are travellers who I have offered protection to for the time being. Men, you are to treat these two women with respect and dignity at all times, understand?" The guards saluted in response, although Ivorygate could see a bit of apprehension in the mens' eyes.

"Find a guard to sit with, ladies--if they give you any trouble, feel free to call out their attention to me," Geoffrey nodded before climbing up onto his horse. "Men, we ride to the Bloodrazor Grounds." With that, the captain led the way to the east, heading out toward the Badlands.

An hour passed. The group found themselves in an area with quite a bit of overgrowth. It was not long before the travelers came across another group of people--these were rather poor-looking fellows that seemed to be gathered around a slender man...

"Bandits!" Geoffrey exclaimed to no one in particular. "Men, you know what to do." With that, he stopped his horse and dismounted, walking toward the group before watching the bandits suddenly collapse onto the ground as a tremor shook through the immediate area.

"What was that!?" one of the guards exclaimed as the not-bandit of the group seemed to get back up without so much as a scratch on him.

"...must be some sort of magic, I believe..." Ivorygate's voice seemed slightly distant. "Men, make sure this man is able to fend off the rabblerousers. When you've finished, I'd like to speak with the mage."

"...Sir, with all due respect..." the captain muttered through gritted teeth. "We are already behind schedule and overburdened with extra people. Do you really need to talk with this man?"

Ivorygate turned to the cynical captain, a glint in his eye. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I'd like to. It is your job to guard those that require protection, no? If he attacks you, feel free to arrest him in self-defense."

A few of the guards nodded in compliance and ran out to assist the young man with his battle. Geoffrey, in the meantime, watched from the sidelines, giving an occasional glance back to the newcomers. After a few minutes of fighting, the attackers scattered back into the woods, rather infuriated that they could not get their money or goods or whatever they were looking for. Satisfied, the ambassador approached the remaining figure, who he realized upon closer inspection was an elf much like Talael except for the lack of dark-blue skin.

He bowed his head in respect toward the stranger. "Andaran atish'an, fheyga'mal", he greeted, using the proper greeting toward males of this particular race. In the limited time he had spend living and observing the elves, he had picked up snippets of their language. "Are you alright? Who were those men that attacked you just now?"



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The vyldkin on the ground looked up toward her compatriot, catching his smirk out of the corner of her eye. While the first two choices sounded legitimately plausible, the third she knew was a joke--it had to be! How could Ahn say something as ridiculous about her as that? After she had talked up such a big game, too?

"You imply you even had a chance in the first place," she growled back to the silver-furred vyldkin beside her, more of a joke than anything else. Feral knew that she had a tendency to come across as a bit aggressive at times, and she figured that Ahn would have enough common sense to understand that. She had, after all, noticed him watching her when she had sparred with other vyldkin and he had conversed with her in the past. Besides, he was a blade-brother--how could she not joke about this sort of thing with him, despite the fact that it was more than a joke to her?

"Of course I have a chance, battle-sister," he grinned a her, "I have to make it hard for you, otherwise it would not be challenging. Besides, you wouldn't have it any other way, would you?" He asked her as he strode next to her. He looked down at her, his grin reflected in his silver eyes. How he couldn't wait to see her in action once again. It was always entertaining to watch her during her sparring matches.

"Please--you have strength, I give you that much," Feral shot back without missing a beat. "I, on the other hand, can rely on more than my blade. A true hunter must be stealthy, agile, and ruthless. With a huge blade like that, you can be none of those things. If, however, you relish the thought of hunting through instinct and natural prowess alone, well... that is the embodiment of the hunt. It's how our ancestors would want us to hunt--besides, it's more satisfying this way." She managed to keep her pace consistent with the others despite being on all fours. For whatever reason, some vyldkin were more naturally adept in this particular posture; Feral just happened to be one of these hunters.

"You do not think that I am capable of stealth? Or agility? My blade is all that I need, dear Feral. I'm willing to bet that I am much quieter than you," he teased. However she had one thing right: he wasn't agile at all without his weapon and became a lumbering mess of muscle without the blade. Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to learn a few things from her in the future, but until then, he would be just fine with his sword. "Our ancestors run deep in us all. I think a bit deeper in you," he suggested, referring to her tendency to be overly excited when hunting. He tried to hold back the chuckle that threatened to ruin the mood, but it slipped out just a bit before he caught it.

Feral crossed in front of Ahn, a bit of a smirk creeping across her face as she listened to Ahn's counter-argument. "I never said you lacked those capabilities, but rather are hindered by your reliance on that blade. You need to become... versatile if you want to catch your prey off-guard. If you're disarmed and rely only on your blade, what then?" She looked back up at Ahn, presenting vicious-looking teeth toward him. "This is where your true strength and inner fire comes to the front, Ahn. It's in this moment where you feel most alive. The ancestors know it and bless us with their prowess."

Ahn watched her as she shifted to walk in front of him, moving her body backwards and yet still keeping pace, a wonderful trait if he said so himself, "Versatile, hu? I can show you versatile," he said with a laugh. Unhooking his blade, he let the weaon drop and fell forward, tackling her suddenly in a playful manner. Ahn growled at her and nipped at her as he rolled forward, trying to bring her down.

"Really... you want to do that now?" Ahn heard Gnash comment from the front of their party. Ahn ignored him and kept up his play.

Feral was, admittedly, caught off-guard as Ahn slammed into her side, causing her to shift off-balance and nearly fall to the ground. She felt the silver vyldkin biting at her skin in almost a playful manner. Without hesitating, Feral scratched at Ahn's chest with one claw as she threw her other arm around his shoulder, slightly digging into his flesh and possibly drawing a bit of blood. She mustered a powerful kick with both of her legs as she found her opponent's other shoulder and bit into it, letting her teeth bite down on his skin without drawing any blood this time. With a grunt and a growl, she attempted to flip him onto his back, where she knew she would have the advantage.

"Save it for the beasts, you two!" Bane growled, turning around to attempt to settle their mock fight. "If you really need to do this now, head back to the clan--we have no need for distractions like this on the last hunt before the exodus. You both know how serious this is--are you two even listening to me!?"

Ahn grunted as Feral was quick to retaliate against him. He felt her claws digging into his back as she attempted to roll him to get on top. Only there would she have the advantage. Her jaw locked over his other shoulder opposite to where she was gripping him, but she did not bite down hard enough to break the skin. Ahn grinned as he let her kick roll them. If she thought that he would allow her to take top, she was very much mistaken and he used the roll to continue across the grass until he pinned her, and leaned up with a broad smile.

"Heard, yes. Listening, no," Ahn answered Bane who had yelled at them.

Feral was not one to take this pin lying down. In his moment of distraction, she placed both of her hind limbs square on his chest and kicked him hard enough to break his grip on her arms. She quickly got back onto all fours and smirked.

"You know I am not the largest prize of this hunt, Ahn..." she growled through a bit of a grin. "We have bigger prey to find..." With that, she followed behind Gnash and Bane, eager to get the hunt underway once more. "They're right, though--we'll settle it later at the camp if you would like..."

Ahn fell backwards, knocked off of her completely and the wind taken from his lungs as he hit the ground. With a cough, he regained the air needed into his chest and rolled over to his stomach to pick himself back up. Growling lightly, Ahn picked up his weapon and followed after her, "You may not be the largest, but you're a prize to hunt," he commented, "If you think you can handle it, I would be pleased to finish back at camp."

"If you two are done, we have a herd to find..." Bane muttered once again, turning his attention toward the the north. The four wandered for another fifteen minutes or so before coming across a herd of gray-skinned beasts, each with four horns curling from atop their heads. They contented themselves with feasting from the grasses that grew sparsely across the badlands. A few of the larger beasts, however, decided to display their strength to the others of the herd by charging at one another and locking horns in combat.

Feral smirked as she felt a glimmer in her eye. She looked back toward Ahn, displaying a bit of her jagged teeth. "The big one's mine..."

The setting changes from The Badlands to Xamos

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Character Portrait: Feral Bloodrazor Character Portrait: Ahn Surestrike
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"The big one's mine..." Feral stated as the group came across the herd that they'd been searching for. He watched her as she took off after the larger beast. The rest of the animals startled as they caught wind of the Vyldkin's scent. Ahn let Feral get a head start before he ran after her, dropping to all fours to gain speed. Gnash and Bane had joined her, pinpointing the one that she was chasing.

The huge beast was almost three times their size, with long horns protruding from it's head, a long nose and a very large body that some would have mistaken for fat. No, this beast was all muscle and meat. It was striped dark grey and light blue and as the beast ran, the ground shook under it's feet. Ahn picked up speed as he chased after Feral and their prey. The terrified beast called out in animistic tones, half mewling and roaring as it tried it's best to run away from the four swift Vyldkin.

Ahn, once he'd gotten close enough, got up from all fours and drew his heavy broadsword. Rushing forward he slashed at the back of the beasts legs, trying to cut through to the tendons to bring it down. His first cut didn't go very deep as he'd slowed down from his earlier approach. Lunging forward he slashed again. The blade cut deeper, but it still wasn't enough to reach the tendons. The beasts' skin was very thick, it was the one thing it had going for itself when attacked by anything.

On the other side of the beast were Gnash and Bane. The creature screamed out as both Vyldkin attacked it as well. It was going to take all four of them to take it down. However, whomever got the last hit that killed the beast would be considered the one who took it down. Ahn was determined to get in the last killing blow, so his sword swings were aimed to bring it down as quickly as possible and then he would rush forward to kill it, hopefully beating Feral as he did so.

"Might want to keep an eye out, Feral," Ahn called to her, grinning as he slashed again, "Wouldn't want you to miss the killing blow that I deliver."

The setting changes from Xamos to The Badlands

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Character Portrait: Feral Bloodrazor Character Portrait: Ahn Surestrike
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The four vyldkin sprinted after one of the lumbering beasts, choosing to swarm upon the largest of the herd together--these creatures were at least three times their size, so going one-on-one with any of these beasts was out of the question. Ahn had stood up on two legs and grabbed his broadsword, hoping to attack the plainswalker's hind legs and cripple it that way. Bane was smashing away at one of the creature's front legs with a large hammer as Gnash attempted to rake the other side with razor-sharp gauntlets that protruded from his gloves.

Feral, not to be outdone any of the other hunters, leapt over Bane's head and hammer, claws extended as she dug her paws into the beast's flesh. While it was thick, she had managed to get enough of a hold with her claws to cling to the hide of the planeswalker. Using her razor-sharp teeth, she bit into the beast's skin, drawing a bit of blood as she felt the liquid dribble down her muzzle. It roared out in pain as Feral released her grip with one claw and reached higher, intent on scaling the side of the beast and climbing up to the top of its back to get the best places to strike.

"Might want to keep an eye out, Feral," the vyldkin herad Ahn's voice cry out from below. "Wouldn't want you to miss the killing blow that I deliver!"

The pouding of the beast's feet against the ground threatened to fling Feral from the back of the planeswalker, but she was determined to show up Ahn, especially after he had caught her off-guard earlier. She pulled herself to onto the creature's back, claws digging in as she continued to bite down into the skin and tearing bits of flesh. The creature cried out in pain once again as the sheer overwhelming force against it continued to take its toll.

"Incoming!" Bane cried over the roar of a deafening crack as his hammer finally split something open inside the beast's leg. With another rumble, the planeswalker fell toward the front, stumbling over its broken leg and slamming against the ground.

Feral's claws struggled to retain their grip in the hide, and the muscles in her jaw were aching from squeezing too tight just to hold on. As the animal smashed into the ground, she felt for her axe hanging off of her side and grabbed the haft, pulling the weapon out of the loop and twirling it around in her hand. With her other three limbs, she dug her claws deeper into the skin of the beast as she brought the sharpened blade across its hide, leaving a deep gash that began to ooze blood.

"You mean like that killing blow?" Feral smirked as she looked back toward the vyldkin, twirling her axe.

"No, this killing blow," Gnash growled as he plunged his gauntlet into the wound on the beast's neck. It shuddered and cried once more before the vyldkin ripped a chunk off of the planeswalker's hide.

"Why did you do that!? I told you that I would be the one to land the killing blow..." Feral snarled at her hunting brother.

"Well, dear battle-sister, if you were less focused on the theatrics and showing up your blade-brother and more focused on working with the group to bring down the prey..." Bane pulled out a knife after placing his hammer on the ground, intent on slicing off meat from the creature's leg. "You may have been the one to land the killing blow."

The setting changes from The Badlands to Xamos

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Talael Tamira Character Portrait: Geoffrey Ivorygate Character Portrait: Jura "Dodger" Darling Character Portrait: Feral Bloodrazor Character Portrait: Beryl Shatterheart Character Portrait: Havinthir Leitni
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"You mean like that killing blow?" Feral called out to him. Ahn laughed lightly at her as he continued to work his sword into the thick hide of the creature. He'd made his way close to the stomach of the beast, intent of shoving his blade upwards and forcing the beast to the ground.

"No, this killing blow," the voice belonged to Gnash who leapt up and delivered the killing blow to the creature. The beast shuddered once and then crumpled to the earth causing the ground to shudder by its massive weight. The beast slid across the ground before coming to a halt some ways off. Ahn flipped his blade around in his hand, the blood on it sliding around. Leaning over, he wiped it off on the tall grass before sheathing the massive weapon at his side. His grin never left his face as he figured that either Bane or Gnash would get the kill whilst he and Feral had been messing around.

"Why did you do that!? I told you that I would be the one to land the killing blow..."

"Well, dear battle-sister, if you were less focused on the theatrics and showing up your blade-brother and more focused on working with the group to bring down the prey... You may have been the one to land the killing blow."

"There will always be another hunt, blade-sister," Ahn said, patting her shoulder with his hand. Leaning over he grinned at her, "Of course our next hunt, I'll be the winner. You should train hard, Feral if you want to take the next kill," he laughed and quickly stepped away from her so that he could start helping to skin the creature and take back the meat to the village.

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The badlands were slowly turning into thick trees and the further they went, the more it seemed that people were around. There were quite a few trails that the pair passed, and then finally they'd come upon a main road. Havinthir turned right and left as he glanced down each way of the main road which was empty at that moment. He wasn't sure which direction they should head in as it had been some time since last he'd visited the humans realm. Of course, being out in the wilds with the Vyldkin had made him used to following the open air as a direction.

With a slight hum, the elf turned and glanced down at Berry and gave her a small smile, "Well, any direction is good. If we follow it, we'll be lead to the human's developments no matter what. Their main roads always connect their cities," with that, Havinthir chose to go left down the path. He followed it for some time, leading the way before he came upon a group of people up on horses. Havinthir didn't recognize any of the people there, however his eyes did spot someone he'd only heard in legend and stories.

The elf's eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat. It was a Fheyga, but not just any Fheyga, this was the Lord of the Forest. One who earned respect from all of the elves, at least, that was what Havi had been taught. He never thought in all his years that he would meet the famed Lord of the Forest. He was frozen in place as his eyes laid upon the beautiful being before him. At first he wasn't sure what to do, but then his conscious kicked in and he realized he was staring at the Lord, a most disrespectful thing. Havinthir tapped Berry's head gently to gain her attention before he spoke to the elf.

"That is the Lord of the Forest, Berry," he told her softly and then turned his attention back to the man because he was going to address the Lord first before he addressed anyone else. He bowed low to the Fheyga before him and spoke in his own tongue, knowing full well that the Lord of the Forest would know what he was saying.

"Ver kesh derianshiy illiandiale," Havinthir greeted the Lord, his words smooth as they rolled off his tongue. He hoped that the greeting would be worthy enough to the Fheyga standing before him. Havi would wait until he was granted the permission to speak via the Lord before he spoke any further on the issue of why he and Berry were there.

The setting changes from Xamos to The Badlands

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Character Portrait: Feral Bloodrazor Character Portrait: Ahn Surestrike
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"There will always be another hunt, blade-sister... Of course our next hunt, I'll be the winner. You should train hard, Feral if you want to take the next kill." Her silver-furred companion gently patted her on the shoulder before walking calmly to the others to help them skin the beast.

Feral was doing her damnedest to control herself at this point. She was supposed to have killed the planeswalker! She was the one that was to bring honor to her bloodline, not Gnash or Bane! After talking such a big game to Ahn, she was more than disappointed that she was not the one to land the death strike... Oh well, at least Ahn did not kill it either, which somewhat put her at ease...

But Gnash!? Really!? What right did he have to tell her how to work with a group? He was one that tended to isolate himself from the other vyldkin whenever possible, and yet he deigned to tell Feral the importance of working with the group!? The irony was not gone unnoticed by the female vyldkin, who gave the "victor" a passing glance of contempt as she pulled out her axe and began to cut huge slabs of muscle from the underside of the dead creature with her axe.

"Don't hack away at the creature, Feral..." Bane calmly growled, pulling out a knife and peeling away some of the flesh around the muscle. "There's a certain finesse that comes with butchery, something that requires a bit more of a delicate approach as opposed to... brute force..." With a bit of grace, Bane began to skin the flesh off of the meat that Feral had already hacked from the hide of the beast.

"You don't think I know that?" Feral snapped at her elder, a bit of hostility in her voice. "This is why I wanted to go into battle, not to prepare food! It's what I live for!" In her anger, she slammed her blade once more into the planeswalker's hide, watching her axe stick out from the side of the creature.

"Feral, you're too impulsive--you cannot expect to be the greatest warrior or the most influential vyldkin... Patience is something you must learn--it cannot be something you claim to know already, for I know you're still young and reckless... moreso than the other young vyldkin warriors."

With nothing else to say, the female snarled at Bane and slammed her blade into the beast's hide once more. Feral simply grabbed her axe once more and hitched it to her side before falling back onto all fours and running back toward her clan's camp. She did not care that the others would think ill of her after her outburst--who cared, anyway? They did not think her capable of combat anyway, so if they believed her to be dead weight, why continue to weigh down the group? If they wanted to confront her about it, she would in the comforts of the camp, bot out in the wilderness.

The setting changes from The Badlands to Xamos

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Talael Tamira Character Portrait: Geoffrey Ivorygate Character Portrait: Jura "Dodger" Darling Character Portrait: Feral Bloodrazor Character Portrait: Beryl Shatterheart Character Portrait: Havinthir Leitni
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"I know right? First time I saw them, I would have been a little bit put off if I wasn't...you know hopelessly los-oh come on!"

Havinthir was slightly taken aback at the sudden noise that came from his left side and just slightly behind the Lord of the forest. He turned his body just enough to get a glimpse of the youthful girl that had spoken up so loudly and so energetically. The look on her face, however, was cause to Havi's smile as he watched her pout and cross her arms over her chest. She was obviously upset about something, though the elf wasn't quite sure what it was though.

In any case, she announced that she would get back up on the horse after apologizing about whatever wrong she'd done and he lost sight of her as she remounted upon the creatures that kicked at the ground impatiently. His gaze shifted back to their leader and bowed his head slightly before taking a breath to continue what he had in mind. He hoped that they would be allowed to join them in finding the group of Vyldkin's as he highly doubted that an armed guard walking into one of their camps was going to garner a good response.

"What I mean to say is that we would like to join you," Havinthir said, restating his earlier sentiment but in a more clear sense, "Beryl and I would gladly help you in finding a Vyldkin settlement. We, ourselves, are also looking for one. I do, however, ask that you should perhaps allow me to do the talking, or..." he stuttered part way as his eyes shifted ever so slightly to the Lord, "Illiandiale to speak if he so wishes. I fear that your armed men would do nothing to stem the growing tensions."

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Ahn shook his head as he watched Feral tear into the meat with ferocity. Though he cared for her deeply, her tendency to rage through things, to tear things apart, and most especially her blood lust, got in the way. He didn't care for that part of her and wished that she could see herself through his eyes whenever it cropped up. He wished that she could understand what others were telling her and to reflect on the way that she was acting.

Bane tried to talk to her, but it seemed nothing to would get through to her and only angered her more. She continued her hacking and argued that she didn't want to hunt to eat, but to go into battle and fight and prove herself. Ahn understood her feelings for such things, but agreed with Bane entirely on his perspective. She was far too impulsive, far too angered about everything to be considered a warrior. With a shake of his head he looked away to concentrate on his own work as she left them to butcher the kill.

"What do we do with her?" Ahn sighed softly as he concentrated on cutting into the thick meat and pulling it away from the bones.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Geoffrey Ivorygate Character Portrait: Jura "Dodger" Darling Character Portrait: Feral Bloodrazor Character Portrait: Beryl Shatterheart Character Portrait: Havinthir Leitni Character Portrait: Aransandorian Dwin'shadr
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He was carrying a large sack of meat from the beast that they had downed. Ahn hadn't seen Feral on their way back to camp and he sighed heavily. The large Vyldkin walked into camp and offered the fruits of their labor to the elder. He hardly payed attention to the greeting, or what was said afterwards. Instead he left the sack with one of the cooks, and went to look for Feral. She was obviously in a very bad mood, but he didn't care about that. Someone needed to talk to her, and she really needed to start realizing certain things.

Ahn sighed again, not that she would do so anytime soon he was sure. As he was moving through the camp he caught a familiar smell. Stopping in mid stride, he turned towards their northern eastern entrance and looked out into the fields. Someone was approaching them and they weren't Vyldkin. With a heavy sigh, he knew that if he smelt the elf-kin, Feral did too. Perhaps if he got there first things wouldn't turn to bloodshed right away.

Ahn abandoned his search for the woman and started towards the entrance to their village. He would go out and meet them. A quick glance around told him that others of the tribe had caught wind of the scents as well. The elf-kin was the strongest, but with it was human and something else. A child? No, that wasn't it. What an interesting smell... Ahn shook his head slightly and continued forward.

"Going out to see who comes our way?" Rothgar's voice echoed next to him, and Ahn turned slightly to see the elder Vyldkin fall into step next to him.

"Hopefully before Feral gets there," Ahn commented with a slight shake of his head.

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Havi's face had taken on a slightly pinkish tint as the Lord of the Forest offered to take him as well. He took the offer and hoisted himself up upon the steed easily enough. He leaned backwards, his light weight evenly balanced on the creatures back. He put on hand on Berry's shoulder, not to steady himself but to help steady her. Havinthir was sure that she wasn't used to being on horseback by the way she'd tried to get adjusted earlier. Her asking to ride though had bitten at Havi and he had almost intervened, but the Lord had agreed and so Havi didn't say anything.

“We approach Bloodrazor territory. Fain exercise caution, if keeping your life please you.”

Havi, who had been watching the terrain before them from over Illiandiaile's shoulder caught sight of something coming their way. His breath sucked in and he quickly dismounted. Landing on his feet, he kept pace with the horse easily enough before moving ahead of the procession. They met the small group of Vyldkin, a very tall and imposing looking one with silver hair eyed them all. His hand held his very large broad sword that looked as if it could cleave Havinthir in two with one swipe.

Havi quickly bowed to the Vyldkin and then smiled up at him, "We're here on peaceful terms. We would like to talk."

The one on the silver Vyldkin's right huffed in response, crossing his arms over his bare chest, "Peaceful, hu? Do you not have eyes, then elf?"

"Rothgar," the silver one cut in, his deep voice rumbling from his chest. The older looking Vyldkin shrugged and silenced himself.

"What is it you want, little Fheyga?"

"I personally come bearing sad news of one of the tribes. I am a traveler who lives amongst your people. I came across my dwarven friend," he motioned to Berry sitting behind the Lord, "and we stumbled upon the atrocity. The men I am with are also looking for a tribe to speak to. Though I've no knowledge on the subject, but I'm willing to bet it is on the same subject."

The silver Vyldkin looked between them all then nodded his head, "You and those that are your leaders may enter the village. The rest stay here. I do not trust you all that much to allow all of your armed men into my home. I'm sure my elder would agree. Follow me," the Vyldkin said, and turned on his heel and started back towards the village. Havi let out a sigh of relief. That had gone better than he'd expected. Hopefully things would stay that way.

The setting changes from Xamos to The Badlands

Setting

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Character Portrait: Talael Tamira Character Portrait: Geoffrey Ivorygate Character Portrait: Jura "Dodger" Darling Character Portrait: Feral Bloodrazor Character Portrait: Beryl Shatterheart Character Portrait: Havinthir Leitni
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After the others readjusted themselves atop their respective mounts, Ivorygate nodded and directed his horse after Aransandorian's stag. He made sure to keep his horse close behind the leader--as much as he wished to take command of the situation, he realized that these individuals may have as much of a reason to attempt to stop any further destruction from the vyldkin as the humans and have just as much of a right to help the cause as he did to lead them. Besides, he had no idea how to manuever through these woods, and Aransandorian was more than capable of leading the group through.

The others were rather quiet, which was interesting for a change. They all knew of the severity of the situation, and of course they knew that another destroyed settlement would only rile them further. Silently, the ambassador hoped that it would not come down to an entire settlement raining claws and steel down upon their ragtag group for even looking at someone in an awkward manner. If there was one thing that they all knew, it was that the vyldkin were not to be trifled with.

After a quick warning by their elven guide, the Bloodrazor settlement came into view, a small band of vyldkin standing by the outskirts of some of their large tents. They appeared to be packing and relocating to another part of the badlands--an ill-timed attempt for negotiation on the king's part, but they had managed to find the settlement before too much had been packed away. There was indeed that small fortune that graced the ambassador's current predicament, and he welcomed any extra luck that might help their cause.

The newcomer elf dismounted and walked toward the observing vyldkin, motioning back toward the group after a brief moment. Their members appeared displeased to see the approaching diplomat, especially one that stood next to a silver-furred vyldkin that wielded a greatsword nearly as large as the diplomat himself. He held his breath until the very moment that the group turned back toward their settlement, leaving the elf alone.

Taking the suggestions of the others into account with regards to his guards, Ivorygate dismounted and stood next to his steed. "Captain, you and your men will stay behind with the girl, make sure she does not come to harm while we discuss a potential peace deal."

"Sir, I will not allow myself to stay outside while you are putting yourself in peril," the captain protested, dismounting as well. "I insist on coming inside the settlement with you."

"Captain, I order you and your men to protect the girl. Take yourself a ways away and guard her with your lives. They already feel ill at-ease that we are even here, and allowing armed men into their complex will only serve to fan the flames. Besides, what difference will one armed guard make against dozens of vyldkin armed to the teeth with weapons and claws and physical superiority. As your quarry, I command that you stand down and allow the vyldkin their comfort and your absence." Ivorygate was not very pleased with the idea of an armed guard entering with them and being perceived as a threat to the very thin patience that the vyldkin had for their entire situation.

He turned to the others aside from Jura, grim-faced and stern. "Anyone that doubts their words and desire for peace stays out with the guards. They will protect you outside of the walls better than you would be able to help the cause." With that, Ivorygate turned back toward the elf and the retreating vyldkin, intent on continuing forward with diplomatic action, something that he was keen to begin. He had a feeling that the elves, the dwarf, and the dwehga would be interested in assisting him, but in what way? He supposed that they would undoubtedly have their reasons for making sure that war did not break out between the humans and the vyldkin, but would the elders of the Bloodrazor clan feel as if they were conspiring against their race in doing so?

The vyldkin of the camp shot the ambassador and the others dirty looks, wondering whether or not they would follow them to the large tent in the center of the camp. Ivorygate sighed and pushed ahead, leaving his guardsmen and Jura behind to wait for their return.



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She realized what she had done. Fleeing from a hunt was hardly the most honorable thing one could do for the tribe, especially the final hunt before an Exodus, but she had done what she felt was necessary to keep herself from lashing out at her tribesmen. They technically had done nothing wrong, but her pride dictated that she was to have been the one to have landed the killing blow--none but the greatest of hunters were able to slaughter those massive beasts, even with help; but did that mean Gnash was a better hunter than she? Impossible! There was no conceivable way that Gnash was any better of a hunter than she! He was never as adept at combat and stealth as she!

The vyldkin continued to run across the badlands, not knowing whether the others cared enough to follow her--she highly doubted it--but still running with her axe at her side nonetheless. She needed to get away from the others for a bit, let herself cool off, perhaps kill a few smaller creatures on her own before returning back to the camp. They would not just up and leave without her, after all. Even if they had, she knew where they would be heading next.

Up ahead, though, she saw a few slight puffs of black smoke on the horizon. Her eyes grew wide as she sprinted ahead to see what exactly was causing this disturbance. She figured that it would be some sort of fire, but what was burning out in the middle of nowhere? Perhaps a settlement was out this far into the wilderness, but she never remembered the smoke being so black--

The stench overwhelmed her nostrils as she ventured closer. Burning bodies. Shredded tents. Charred fur. Funeral pyres. The entire clan had been killed. By whom, she did not know, nor did she care. In her anger, she unlatched her blood-stained axe and stood up on two legs before hurling it down into the ground and roaring in anguish. The cry echoed off on the winds, carrying as far as the vyldkin could see before disappearing across the horizon.

A rare sight indeed for a vyldkin to be brought to her knees, but sure enough, the sight of her blade-brothers smoldering before her very eyes was a powerful one. She knew this clan--the Whisperblades. They were a clan that managed to produce fine razor-sharp weapons; even she used a Whisperblade-crafted axe despite her clan's insistence that Bloodrazor steel was stronger. She had even received a blessing for this particular blade, but now... with their crafters slaughtered and their legacy only perpetuated by tales and legends...

The vyldkin felt a feral growl building in her chest as she released it toward the pyre ahead of her. She picked up her axe and reattached it to her belt--someone was going to answer for these crimes, and she herself would be judge, jury, and executioner. Turning to the south, the vyldkin bent back down on all fours before running away from the gristly site. Her clan had to know that the time for action was now before they were all slaughtered like the Whisperblades...

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Character Portrait: Jura "Dodger" Darling Character Portrait: Feral Bloodrazor
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**A collab between HansenetteHeart and BlackIceRocker**

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The guards were rather dumbfounded as to why the diplomat had even agreed to bring along anyone else with their journey, especially the Jura girl. She had done nothing but open her mouth where it was least beneficial to do so and had caused nothing but trouble, yet the diplomat insisted that they would not abandon her in the middle of nowhere to fend for herself. So, for the time being, they were all stationed away from the camp, forced to babysit the one person they would rather not have to deal with.

Jura didn't like guards and she was rather sure they didn't like her. Guards usually didn't. She didn't do well with authority. Or people who thought that they had authority. She sat on the ground, her arms crossed and glaring at the group of guards that were being forced into babysitting her. Great. This was definitely going to be a barrel of laughs.

"So what, do you guys have names or am I just meant to call you all "Guard 1, Guard 2, Guard 3" and so on." She asked, although it was more of a challenging statement than an actual question.

"We're not here to socialize, Miss Darling," one of the guards responded, staying on alert. "Ambassador Ivorygate has asked us to protect you, and that is precisely what we are doing."

Jura rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but what if there's an emergency? Because, oddly enough, I don't think "you there, the one in the uniform!" is going to do anyone much help if a vyldkin is ripping us all to pieces."

"By that point, you should have made peace with your gods--if we're surrounded by vyldkin, we're all dead anyway, names or not."

"Well, aren't you an optimist? Besides, vyldkin killing you lot, I understand. You have a massive crest on your armor. You scream "look at me! I'm a potenial target!" I, on the other hand, am a little girl who can cry on command and can run like almighty hell. I at least have a tiny chance."

"You think that'll stop bloodthirsty vyldkin from chasing you? I've seen what they do to the planeswalkers, and those things are massive! Three of 'em, bringing one of those beasties down and tearing it apart!" a third guard looked around toward the others.

"Aw, piss off--you're gonna scare the girl..." a fourth piped up, raising an eyebrow incredulously in response.

"Yeah, Mr Sunshine and Rainbows, you'll scare me." She grinned, playing with her sword again. "Besides, I wouldn't run. I'd hide. There is a reason my family calls me Dodger and it isn't because I'm spectacularly good at dodge ball."

The guards chuckled at the joke that the young woman managed to tell, glancing over at the one she had called "Mister Sunshine and Rainbows". They did not notice, however, something rustling in the underbrush until was too late. One of the guards immediately stopped, frozen in place as blood began to drip from his mouth before falling over dead, an axe embedded deep in the back of his neck.

"Secure the area!" the remaining guards immediately sprung up from their seated positions, grabbing weapons and surrounding the young woman. "We will not let the attacker catch us off-guard again!"

Jura blinked, pulled to her feet roughly by one of the guards. The suddeness of the whole event just sent a shock to her system. She peeked around one of the guards and cringed at the sight of the dead guard with an axe in his back.

"W-what..? What the hell is going on?!" The young woman asked, panic setting in. She should have been trying to keep calm but it was hard with a hidden attacker picking them off.

The nearby underbrush shook, unnerving even the trained guards protecting the young woman. "J-just stay calm, everyone..." one of the remaining guards managed to breathe, waving his sword in the direction of the shaking shrubbery. "...it's five against... how many are there?"

"N-No idea, sir..." another guard spoke up, his arm shaking from fear. He looked down toward the dead guard with the axe in the back of his head and trembled even more.

With a sudden burst of ferocity, something burst from the shrubbery, tackling two of the guards to the ground before tearing away at their necks with massive claws. Two of the remaining three guards wheeled back in surprise, but the third managed to identify the creature that attacked them all.

"Vyldkin!" he screamed before raising his sword above his head, giving the creature a massive target to slash across before he could bring down his weapon. The leonine creature slashed through the ringmail, tearing open his skin and causing massive lacerations to form across his stomach. After a few wobbly seconds, he finally fell over, clutching his stomach and watching his life flash before his eyes.

Jura let out a scream as she watched the guards be struck down by a ferocious blur. The young woman quickly grabbed her sword in a vain attempt of protecting herself. Her green eyes shot around the area, trying to spot this attacker, flinching as one of the other guards were brutally murdered.

"What are we going to do now?" She turned to the two remaining guards, her eyes wide and terrified. "What are we going to do?!"

The vyldkin attacker turned around atop the carnage she--it looked rather feminine, although it could have been a rather lithe male, it was sort of hard to tell to humans--had caused. She growled, letting the blood drip across her fur and adding a bit of ferocity to her appearance. With a leap, she struck down another guard while the one remaining began to shake in his boots. After tearing the flesh from the other guard, she turned and tackled the remaining armored man to the ground, pinning his limbs to the soft soil.

"What did you do to the Bladewhispers!?" she screamed into the guard's face, flecks of blood and malice flying every which way as she bared her teeth for the guard to see.

"Th-Th-The w-w-w-wha?" his eyes grew wide in fear. "I d-d-d-d-don't kn-n-n-n-now what you're t-t-t-t-talking ab-b-b-b--"

"Lies!" The guard cringed under the weight of the vyldkin's claws around his wrists. He grimmaced as the leonine attacker dug her claws into his flesh, drawing blood and moving down closer to his face. The guard could smell the blood and the stink of meat on her breath as he looked into her mouth filled with teeth.

"H-H-H-Honest! W-W-W-We c-c-c-c-c-c-c-came from the s-s-s-s-south... a-a-a-aren't the B-B-B-Bladewhisp-p-p-pers f-f-f-further n-n-n-north?"

With a roar, the vyldkin bit down on the guard's neck, plunging her teeth through the tender flesh and ripping it apart. It tasted rather sweet, revenge--she could tell that he had known too much about the clan they supposedly had not slaughtered. But what of the young woman? Sure, she had a blade, but she carried no armor...

Jura backed away from the vyldkin, her eyes wide and frightened. She was so dead. Her instincts were telling her to run, run like the wind but her legs weren't obeying her. She tripped as she backed away, landing onto her back. The young woman looked up at the gory attacker. Plucking up whatever courage and blind stupidity she had left, she addressed the beast.

"Well...if you're gonna do it, do it fast. I don't want any of that damn suffering bullshit." She spoke quietly and carefully, staring straight into the vyldkin's eyes. She looked at the beast, knowing that she was basically dead. Jura lifted her sword and placed it gently on the ground beside her. No need to harm the weapon. She'd promised it to her little brother after all.

The beast growled as she advanced on all fours toward the cowering young woman. Such stupid bravery--staring death in the eyes did that to people, after all. The vyldkin smirked, letting blood drip from her teeth as she wrapped a claw around the girl's ankle.

"And why would I do that? I'm sure that you'd tell quite an interesting tale if I kept you alive..." she purred as she squeezed around the woman's ankle. After doing so, she snarled at the survivor before calmly pawing over to the axe and ripping it out of the guard's neck. She placed it back on her belt before looking back toward the girl.

"If I see you again, you're meat... got it, fleshbag?"

Jura blinked as she hung upside down. "Well, technically, I'm made of meat now but sure, see you again and I'll be pushing up daisies." Inwardly, the young woman chastised herself but her mouth always ran away with her in stressful situation, and talking to a murderer was rather stressful in any walk of life. Blind panic and an already loose mouth never went well together.

The vyldkin snarled as she took the axe and slice it across the young girl's cheek, drawing blood. "Perhaps this will remind you to know your place, fleshbag..."

The young woman let out a startled gasp as the vyldkin cut her face with the axe that had killed one of the guards. She tried to cringe away from the snarling beast, blood dripping down over her eyes. She'd just been cut with a murder weapon. The thing that sliced her face had killed a man not minutes ago. Jura felt her stomach twist painfully at the thought.

"Okay, okay! I...I'll shut up! I...I wouldn't..." Jura babbled in fear, her deep green eyes filled with panic. The cut might not have been life-threatening but she didn't trust this vyldkin to smash her head against the ground and split it like an egg. "Just don't...slice or dice me or something. Please." Dodger squeaked, the blood oozing from her face beginning to stain her white fringe a disturbing shade of pink.

The vyldkin purred as the blood trickled down the meatsack's face and onto the ground, staining the dirt a muddy red. "You fleshbags... you're all the same--talk a big game and then beg for mercy when you've been put in your place." With a growl, she threw the human onto the ground, letting her legs fly over her head onto one of the corpses of the guards. "Be fortunate I find no use in slaughtering the defenseless unless I find need."

Jura scooted back quickly, her skin crawling from the contact with the corpse. Her wide eyes snapped to the vyldkin, cautious. Did she mean that or was she just going to kill her anyway? Her chest hammered as she sat silently, awaiting the next move. Her mind screamed at her to run, run to the rest of the group, run home, run to her mother and father and never stray again, to hell with any interesting things she might spot. The young woman spotted her sword on the ground where she'd left it. She shot her hand out and grabbed the blade, clutching it to her chest. "O-o-ok...So thanks f-for not killing me?" She whispered, eyes wide and watching.

The vyldkin snarled at the girl, axe glistening with blood in her claw as she took a few steps closer. "Don't forget--you are nothing." With that, the vyldkin leapt over the young cowering human and ran back off into the underbrush, leaving her behind with half a dozen corpses bleeding over the ground around her.