Sword of Sacrifice

Lock sat in the upper branches of a large fir tree which he climbed just a minute ago. A familiar screech echoed through the forest. Extending his arm, Lock heard a furious sound of flapping as a large hawk landed on his arm.

"Hello Crixus," Lock said to the now calm hawk resting on his arm. "What did you find?"

Crixus the hawk made a serious of quick head turns and swivels.

"Oh... Humans, not too many. Maybe it's a couple of hunters," Lock thought, "Yes Crixus, as much as I hate it, were going to have to go talk to them to see where a good town is. The last town we found was burned to the ground. I'm not too sure what's going around outside of the woods, but we must always remain on guard."

Crixus hopped on Lock's shoulder as Lock quickly descended the tree.

Running nimbly through the woods as only those with elven blood and ranger training could, Lock quickly located the campsite. Two big fires lit up the clearing making it easy for Lock to survey and spot for trouble, just in case.

The campsite was a scene of comical chaos. Many people were yelling and pointing around. A very small person was talking with a clearly alarmed man while a large male orc stood in the middle of the campsite crying.

"These are definitely not hunters, Crixus." Lock said as he gripped the handle of his iron sword.
"Well I don't think they are dangerous either," noticing the confused and shocked faces of those around the two fires. "We might as well go ask, if worst comes to worst we can always just run."

Lock slowly stepped forward into the middle of the campsite. All eyes turned to him.

"Uhh... Greetings..." Lock said.

"Alright, fuck this." Braavos said, deciding that this was the worst possible hiding place in the world. He immediately turned west and slipped out quietly.

"I think there's a hamlet called Nilbs about a mile this way..." He thought to himself, trying to forget the odd group of people that were making his life complicated.

"You look pretty beat up....", Tinie said. "Did something attack you? How did you get away?"

Tinie gibbered on and on for awhile about the dangers of the forest, evil creatures lurking in the dark, and how to properly tie you shoe.

"..furthermore, I do not know why I am so often mistaken as a 'Dwarf', when I am clearly a 'Gnome'. Dwarves carry axes and live in mines. Gnomes carry shovels and live in mines. There is a difference!", Tinie finished. "Who are you anyway?"

zak was sitting by the by fire watcing there hidding place be found by every living thing in the forrest.

"he rose then and said

"what the hell is going on who are you people, and how do you all know where two find us"

Gurog saw another person walk into camp, this one had a big birdie on his shoulder. Gurog looked at the bird with hate in his eyes...a bird just like that had chased him for over a mile when he was young, pecking at his back.

Gurog looked to his left for a second, and saw the man that offered him fruit slipping away.

"Wait fruit man!" He yelled, and started running after him, this camp was too noisy and crowded for his liking. And there were scary birds.

Zay glanced at the dwa- gnome, seemingly speaking to her.

"I'm alright. I've simply been in the woods for a very, very long time. I only met one camper who was quickly attacked by a vampire. I managed to get away as the vampire fed on the camper."

She glanced down, and started to tie her shoe, noticing the orc run after the red haired man, shouting something rediculous.

"And I seemed to think you were some sort of dwarf. I don't see gnomes too often."

Zay finishes tying her shoe and stands up again.

"My name is... Zay. Zay Colsin. Now if you excuse me, I need to be on my way..."

Zay flashes a quick smile at the dwarf...gnome! and slips into the forest behind the red haired one who left, stalking him and the orc from a distance silently, licking her lips.

"She was a pretty lady. Pretty ladies always should be trusted.", Tinie said. "Onto the next order of business!"

Tinie tried to make himself taller on the rock, even though he still had to look up at the people around him.

"We need to move the campsite, the town guards may find us, or something not as friendly as everything we've seen.", Tinie proclaimed. "I demand we find a new camp, one with a view. Maybe a bar."

"Gah! Why me?!" Braavos yelled to himself as he fled from the large lumbering orc that seemed so intent on befriending him. "Be gone with you!"

He picked up his pace and gradually gained a considerable distance from the strange orc (not that he had ever met any normal ones). He could see Nilbs in the distance, and was certain that he would have a warm bed by nightfall.

He felt sorry for the elf that he had inconvenienced, and hoped that they would meet again someday.

Zay notices as the red-haired one fled from the orc, and suddenly feels deep frustrations with the orc, baring her teeth and fangs, starting to sneak up silently to the orc, stalking it, waiting until they are out of hearing range.

" erm i dont think we can trust that zay woman she got and odd smell i smelt before i cant rember but i know not to trust that smell."

he stood up and looked at the gnome and then at a person with a bird on there shoulder who had just walk into the camp site " oh hell not another person and this one got a bird why are we attracting such odd kinds of beings to this group of misfits "

Gurog ran as quickly as he could, making a very large amount of noise. Sticks snapped beneath his boots and trees lost their limbs as he raced through the forest.

He stopped after he lost sight of the fruit man he was so fond of for some reason...now he couldn't quite remember why. He breathed heavily, catching his breath. He glanced behind him...he got the feeling someone was back there...

"Course thars someun back thar ya rite git." He told himself. "Where'd ya come from if thar wazn't?"

He was satisfied with the answer he gave himself, so he started running again. Hopefully he could get to where that fruit man was going...

"I don't remember hearing her name, but I don't remember a lot of things.", Tinie said. "I really don't want to sleep outside. Do any of you know where the nearest town is?"

No was the general answer.

"Braavos or Braavis might have. Let's follow the way he went.", Tinie proclaimed, hopping down from the rock.

While Angelo was away in the woods he decided to start a camp near a river he thought to himself "this is the best hiding spot for the night we cant let orcs get into the camp"
*takes out his iron sword and put it near him*
*takes out a piece of chiken he bought from a tavern and cooks it*
*starts humming himself a asong tthat he knew when he was young*

Zay finally reaches the orc silently, and is about to leap at it before realizing the potential it could have to be a companion with an orc. Intimidating looks. Simplistic mind. Easy to travel with...somewhat. Why kill what she could benefit from.

Zay coughs, and speaks up, going back into her 'disguise', "Um...excuse me? Are you...heading towards town? Because you looked kind of lonely and I need someone to travel with..."

Zay smiles at the simplistic creature hopefully.

Tinie ran along the ground, dodging rocks and large branches until a boot placed itself on his bottom and Tinie achieved lift.

"AHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhh...........!", Tinie screamed as he flew at least 80 meters into a river.

A large splash was felt, followed by swift hands pulling him out.

"Guh-wah?", Tinie said dazed.

"My name is Angelo, what is yours?", a stranger said.

zak sat around the fire, the other had gone quiet when the gnome went flying. contplating the future, he deced to wait for a sign for when he should do something

Sword of Sacrifice
Chapter 1 : Scatter and Shatter

"Alright you little shits... Form up in your respective lines." Sergeant Wilhelm barked as he paced back and forth, glaring at his troops. "No not like that god dammit, didn't they teach you anything in basic training?! Five per row! That means three rows of five!"

He grumbled to himself highly irritated, and twiddled with his beard as he waited for fifteen of the stupidest soldiers he had ever met to get into their right places. He was utterly tired of having been stationed in Nilbs. He had been stuck there for the past four weeks, unable to proceed due to a lack of reinforcements, but his patience had run dry. The ale in the town stank, there was no theater to speak of, and the town brothels had lost their fun after the first week.

"Are you worthless maggots ready for glory?!" He shouted, as the men trembled under his boisterous voice and icy stare. "Today we take the dirt hovel known as Wessenridge for king Barth!" This didn't rouse the men much, so he added, "And all the women and coin there will be ours for the taking!"

This provoked a loud cheering noise from the rest of his battalion.

Wilhelm was pleased by this. "Then sharpen your blades and steady your minds, for we attack at nightfall!" He thrust his spear into the air, and the soldiers whooped and hollered in approval as they banged their swords on their shields as a challenge to anyone who dared oppose their might.

Gurog jumps as he hears a cough behind him, he turns around quickly. Gurog sees that lady from camp standing in front of him.
"Um...excuse me? Are you...heading towards town? Because you looked kind of lonely and I need someone to travel with..."

Gurog's face lights up as she finishes. "I been following fruity, but it's got too dark to see 'im. He got away..."
Gurog says, he looks down sadly and starts to walk away, before remembering that that lady is still there.

"Oh rit!" he turns back to her. "I'm Gurog Irondread" He says proudly, pounding his left armored first against his chestplate "Beserker of the-" He looks at the markings on his right, unarmored arm. "The Granor Tribe! and I be glad to travel with you humie!"

Something was...off about her, he decided. She seemed odd somehow.

"Y'know that feeling that something bad is about to happen, but you don't know how or where?", Tinie asked. "Why do I feel that way?"

"Maybe you're hungry.", Angelo said.

"Yeah, that's it.", Tinie said, helping himself to a plate of chicken.

Dathdr sat quietly as all this commotion went on, observing the situation. He say Braavis leave, with the orc and the girl following them. He decided to follow them, quietly sneaking into the forest. He observed the girl stalking the orc, as he chased after Braavis. He had an odd feeling about her, like he had seen her before...

And then it hit him. Along the way, he had heard from bands of human traders of a red haired demon, a vampire, who had been sighted in the area. As she walked up to the orc, he decided that this must be that very vampire.

Dathdr leaps from the shadows, drawing a dagger and tackling the vampire. "You shall not feast on the blood of the innocent tonight, foul vampire!"

Gurog yells in surprise as the strange Elf man tackled his new friend and held a knife to his throat.

His grandpa was right...Elves really were bad people.

He rushed over and grabbed the Elf, dragging him off her.
"Bad Elf!" He scolded

"Finally! Meat, mead, and mistresses!" Braavos happily sang to himself as he neared the city gates. His feet were sore from evading the orc (Which had luckily stopped chasing him awhile back). He noted with discontent that the sun was sinking along the horizon, and soon it would be dark. "Aww, and it was such a pretty day, too." He thought to himself.

As he neared the gates, they suddenly swung open with a loud crashing noise, and three lines of soldiers headed by a grizzled looking man marched from the town, heading in the general direction of Wessenridge.

Considering that he had recently aided in the murder of a soldier, his first instinct was to hide, but he quickly figured that no one in Nilbs would be able to identify him,. Therefore, he kept on walking. As he passed the soldiers, the grizzled man's (Who was obviously their leader) gaze lingered on Braavos for a few seconds, as if he had seen him before. However, the man shook his head and continued leading his march.

Glad that he had avoided trouble, Braavos entered the town and immediately set to the task of locating some lodgings, food, and entertainment.

Dathdr struggled against the simple orc, as he dragged him away from the vampire.
"You dont understand! She was going to drink your blood and make you her undead servant! I was helping you! Now let me go so I can stab her!"

wolf saw tinie run off and decided to follow him " dam the little guy is fast but am just as fast" he followed tinie for a while then he saw tine fly though the air and out of sight " what the fuck now he can fly too."

he kept running till he saw tinie getting dragged out of a river by a person so he walked up and by the time he had got to him tinie had help himself to some chicken "yum chicken" the stranger jumped at the site of wolf but wolf just looked at him adn sat next to tinie and said " hiya tinie ok mate."

Zay cries out in surprise as she is tackled, her ears ringing as the man yelled at her. She quickly sniffed, and hissed in disgust as she smelt...an elf.

Before she had a chance to retaliate, the orc dragged him off. Zay quickly got into a defensive stance, ready to defend herself if needed, giving a thankful nod towards Gurog.

The elf struggled against Gurog, as he dragged him away from her.
"You dont understand! She was going to drink your blood and make you her undead servant! I was helping you! Now let me go so I can stab her!"

Zay rolls her eyes at the elf, and looks at Gurog, "Thank you, that's greatly appreciated. I owe you one."

She glances back at the elf.

"I'm not a silly vampire trying to feed on Gurog! Besides, no offence to you, Gurog, but orcs don't look like they would taste that good!"