The Dead Will Hunt

It flew.

Almost in slow motion.

Onni had heard the odd "shlunk" noise, and turned to glance.

The top half of Lucian's head hit Onni squarely in the face knocking the Aniver onto his back into a pool of thick greenish mud.

One of Lucian's eyeballs somehow had lodged itself into Onni's nostril.

Sarek turned and saw the rest of the lower half of Lucian's head and his dead body half in the swampy water, and half out.

"What the hell?"

A throwing axe stuck out of the stump that was once half of Lucian's head.

"RUN! THEY'RE HERE!" Sarek screamed in a panic.

Arrows flew through the area. Oceana was pulled forward a few clumsy steps by one just barely missing her scalp and tangling in her hair.

Sarek ran as fast as he could.

Petra saw a small odd steel ball with a candle wick in it burning.

SHA-BOOM!

Petra flew through the air, small sliver sized shards of metal stuck into his cheek. He landed hard, the wind rushing from his body.

Ariella couldn't see where they were coming from. It was as if the darkness itself were attacking.

An arrow shot at her and clipped her forearm, tearing a huge seething gouge into it.

"RUN!" Sarek's voice could be heard in the distance now ahead of them.

Sarek plowed right into Hadrian, both of them falling over into the swmpy water. One of the sprinters landed where the two had been.

Both came back up from the water with air.

Sarek didn't wait to see what Hadrian was doing. He began swimming as fast as he could from the two sprinter zombies.

Ariella's arm throbbed with pain as blood squirted from her veins. She instinctively reached to put pressure on it, despite the attack of whoever this was.

"Run," she heard.

Two of the group had landed in the water and were swimming away from shore. As long as Ariella could get past them, she should be fine.

Before she moved, she shot an arrow in the direction she thought these things were coming from. The ground exploded into fire, creating a barrier between the trees and group.

"As long as I'm faster than you," she chirped to one of the others and took off to dive into the water.

Asar was just a short distance away from the group when an arrow zingged past her head. She burst out sprinting...again.

Her heart raced. Her legs burned. She felt as though she was going to die. Moments before Asar reached the shore a wall of flame exploded in front of her.

Today is not my day.

She ran around the edge of the inferno and dove into the murky water.

After this, I refuse to exercise ever again.

Onni would have been grateful for falling into the water if he had known about the arrows. However, all he knew was he had something lodged in his reptilian nostril... When he came out of the water, he tried snorting it out, grabbing it...

Arrows fired all around... he tried banging the back of his head... Finally he covered one nostril and then blew as hard as he could... the eye popped out... He finally saw what it was...

"By the dead gods, come on!" he hissed.

An arrow landed right in the eye, splitting the orb with a squish.

Onni, now realizing the threat, shoots back onto land. He covered his head with his arms, as best he could, ducking behind trees, and using the cover of the swamp as best he could...

"STOP FIRING YOU MORONS, WE'RE NOT UNDEAD!" he screamed. An axe flew past him, knocking off a branch from a tree.

He hissed... He was angry... How dare they attack them!

An arrow hit the nub of his tail. He hissed in pain, and further anger.

He kept moving, trying to stay with the group.

"SONOFABITCH!" Petra yelled angrily. "Gods damn it," he seethed, pulling a shard from his face. More arrows were flying and this was quickly turning into a bad place to be. Another one of the bombs exploded behind him. He looked and saw what he thought was a child running away from the group.

"Oh hell," he murmured.

He shot his grappling hooks and swung in her direction, not realizing that it was a riverfolk and not a child. He swung down and scooped her up in his arm, attempting to swing her back to safety. However, when he looked over his shoulder, she was still running. "The hell..." he said. He looked over and the possum was staring him in the eyes, hissing.

"OH SHIT!" he yelled, as he and the rodent fell into the muddy water in front of the group.

Oceana was fleeing the arrows. She gathered a few arrows as she ran and hid behind a rotten swamp tree trunk, it had no top.

She pulled the arrow that was caught in her hair, it came out with a lot of her hair, and felt like some of her scalp. Then, she put all the four arrows she had gathered all in her left hand, pointing the tips outward. She drew her whip and gave it a hard, sharp snap, hoping it would sound more like the pop of a gun.

'oh god, I love that sound,' she thought. "HOLD YOUR FIRE!" she shouted with as much authority as any guards who have ever yelled at her. She couldn't see much the fire and smoke grew. How long before the swamp gasses ignited and the whole place lit up?

Name: Draylas Redoran
Race: Darkling
place of birth: Hurdlek Mountains
Hair: Long straight white hair
eyes: green
Class: Ranger/Fighter
Companion: Mountain lion named Sasha, with black fur.

Weapons: Draylas has a black Gladius and a black common dagger he also has a elven longbow made of light wood. (all his weapons and armor were crafted in the Hurdlek Mountains)

Armor: He has leather armor (brown) that is rather thick but still pretty light, lighter then metal which is good for him. There is a green ranger's cape on the back of his armor as well, along the collar and where the cape attaches is silver animal fur, to provide extra protection.

History: Draylas was born a strong child in the Hurdlek Mountains and continued to prove himself through out his life. He prefers to fight with speed and agility rather then brute strength. He is rather docile just not very nice untill you start something with him then he will start something with you, he doesn't like making friends but the ones he do has, he cares about. His best friend is his mountain lion Sasha. His soul mission is to kill the undead. His father, a well known fighter in the Hurdlek Mountains, due to his son's strength and how well he evolved he sent him away from his homeland to fight the undead, he is not to return unless it's a great emergency or the undead die off.

**************************************************************

Draylas, traveled throughout all of Nerin Toth it was his mission the eradicate all undead either that or some sort of emergency that was the only way he could return home to the Hurdlek Mountains. But by now he was used to living out here and didn't know if he wanted to go home.

He was comfortably asleep in a tree branch his rule of thumb was your always safer in the air, then on the ground. A stray arrow struck him in the leg as he rolled out of the tree and grasped the arrow, he pulled hard and pulled it out.

"GAH!" he said as he looked at everyone, his eye's immediately spotted the group. At first he thought the group attacked him but he soon knew that it was there attackers who were unknown at this point.

He knew they were far away so he immediately drew his longbow and had an arrow knocked in second's he pulled the string back holding it steady...watch and waiting.

As much as he hated large groups it was best in this time, the undead were getting smarter it seemed and he had one of those gut feelings so there he stood ready to attack, what ever attacked him.

Draylas heard the noise before the object hit it's target but it was too late.

The small metal ball flew through the air making a whistling sound. A chain was conected to it and at the other end of the chain was another small metal ball. Drylas heard it whistle and turned.

BAM!

The metal ball smacked Drylas directly in the forehead, knocking the darkling from the tree in which he was perched.

The elf was on him immediately.

"Acaetus Nimius sends their regards," the elf whispered and brought his blade down toward Drylas' face.

"I DON'T THINK SO!" the voice cried.

The elf looked up and was kicked directly in the chin.

"Get on your feet friend," the new elf said to Drylas," the name is Darian. I'm from Greyshore and I'm searching for some.....friends....in the area."

Sarek and Hadrian climbed onto a muddy bank and saw Drylas and Darian.

"Get out of here!" he whispered harshly. "These assassins--"

KA-BLAM!

At that exact moment Onni, Ariella, Asar, and Oceana were running past.

Darian's guts blew out the front of his stomach all over Onni, the intestines wrap[ping around Onni's legs tangling him up and tripping him causing him to fall flat on his face and hit his nose on a tree root.

"--are dangerous." Sarek finished.

A human came from the swampy woods back behind where Darian once stood.

"Don't move. We don't care about the rest of you. We Acaetus Nimius assassins aren't being paid to kill all of you. Just him," the human finished pointing at Sarek.

"Doesn't mean we can't have some fun," a dwarf said walking toward the group with eight elves and three more humans and a lion like aniver.

"GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" came a scream from the forest. Somewhere in the swamp Petra was tangled up in a tree and an opossum was sitting squarely on his face.

Onni immediately grabbed his nose, clutching it as blood seeped out. He cursed aloud, but withered in anger more than pain.

Once he was finished obsessing over his nose, he used his hands to remove the intestines. He would have been grossed out by the body organs used as rope, but today... today was NOT the day.

Factions... it always had to deal with politics... Just as Onni started to see the light in people, Nerin Toth proved once again, it could not be trusted.

Damn Acaetus Nimius...

Damn Sarek...

Damn Lucien...

Damn mammals...

No more... NO MORE!

Onni has gone through more than enough crap in this world. Just these last couple of days!

First, he wakes up in the back of someone's house with tubes in his neck siphoning blood. Then, as he's trying to escape through the cellar, a freaking werewolf-that's not even a werewolf- tackles him!

Then he gets stuck outside with a bear and the man that bought his blood in the first place! The guy offers to do a favor for Onni if he gets him outside. So Onni foolishly tells him to attack the bear! Onni didn't care about leather armor. Onni didn't care about hurting the bear! He just wanted to distract the darkling until Onni slipped away.

Then Onni gets attacked by the bear!!!! And is then asked to save the bears owner! The nerve... When Onni goes to the bar to rest after a stressful night, the darkling stalks him and barters Onni into saving the werewolf.

After Onni makes a stupid speech to a bunch of stupid mammals, he gets stuck with a bear, a darkling, a werewolf, and then has to leave the city! Only to find out the darkling swindled him!

So finally, Onni ditches the darkling. All he has to do is ditch the werewolf and some stupid howling lizard. Turns out, the darkling is still stalking Onni! On the bear! Stupid mammals.

So when Onni tries to slip out and take HIS HORSE to Peregren on his own, he ends up getting chased into a tree, where the stalking darkling is waiting for him! He gets knocked out of the tree violently, then has to go up another tree to get saved by undead!

Except an undead ogre killed the howling lizard and throws part of the corpse at Onni, knocking him out of a tree, and breaking his tail!

THEN! Onni has to fight with the darkling to get out of Dodge, ends up getting his tail bitten, and amputated. Then, they're rowing in a boat, only to have Onni risk his own life to save everyone else, by jumping into the mouth of a zombie dragon!

Onni gets puked out! And everyone ditches him! He has to shake himself off, and go and climb on the dragon, to save the stupid werewolf! Onni ends up crashing through the skull and eating dragon brain, all without so much as a "thank you!"

Then, he has to stand watch twice as long, because he decides the woman can use the rest!

So finally! He starts acting hospitable, and the elf leaves him. The werewolf demands nursing, and then he gets shot at by stupid faction sheep, but not before SOMEHOW getting the werewolf's eye in his nose!

Now he has a broken nose, and the faction wants to have some "fun."

Yeah...

Fun...

Real fun...

The dwarf gets close to Onni. Onni gives the stupid hairy mammal a hiss, the springs up, releasing his blade into the dwarf's face. One of the nearby elves starts to attack Onni, but Onni uses his other arm to stab the elf in the face, much like the dwarf. With his arms crossed, one blade holding a dwarf by the face, another blade holding an elf, Onni brings the two races together, slamming them into one another, releasing his blades from their stupid mammal faces.

He stares down the next closest goon.

"Fun, fun, fun..." he hisses, charging with his blades.

"Auer..." he whispers... He knew full well his attacks were possibly suicide... At least, if he died... Auer...

From some odd place in the swamp, a high pitched wale can be heard. It starts coming closer, and closer... It sounds frightening to some, but curious to others...


Suddenly, a red blur is seen dashing through the trees towards the groups. The noise gets louder...


"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"


Popurum runs dead into the commanding human, of Acaetus Nimius.

The riverfolk falls on his butt.

"Oof..."

Tears glisten in his eyes... The things he saw... He started to cry again, louder than ever.

"I miss Mr. Bill!"

Onni charged with his blades toward the closest goon. An elf.

The human with the rifle stepped forward.

CRACK!

Onni flew backwards and felt his chin split open.

"KNOCK IT THE FUCK OFF!" the human yelled cocking the gun and shoving the barrel into Onni's cheek.

"Now I don't want to kill you. That's not what I'm gettin' paid to do. I'm gettin paid to retrieve your darkling friend here. But DAMMIT if you're gonna act like a fool and piss me off, then you and I ARE GONNA HAVE PROBLEMS. SO CHILL THE FUCK OUT!"

WHAM!

"What the hell?!?!" yelled the human turning and seeing the halfling Popurum after he had run right into the human.

He quickly took a few steps back to have the entire group back in front of him.

"Now then, I know it wasn't very hospitable of us to go ahead and start attacking ya like that. So I can see why you'd be pissed. But think of it this way. You fucking idiots have been fighting a ton of undead out here, when EVERYONE on Nerin Toth knows the best tool against a zombie is to run. For all we know you all were bitten to shit by 'em.

So this is how it's gonna be. We're gonna walk away. You won't have any problems from us. We're just gonna take Mister Sarek here with us is all, right back to Greyshore where he USED YOU to escape. You all go about your business and we'll go about ours. In fact, we'll even go out of our way to prove ya can trust us. Here," he finished and three elves stepped forward emptying backpacks of food and drink onto the ground.

"Take it. It's fine. We know ya folks are hungry. Go on. Now we'll be taking Sarek, I mean shit, none of ya even like him anyways, and you folks eat, rest up, and head due south for about 8 hours. It won't get ya to a town, but it will get ya out of the swamp. From there head back north west for about a day and a half and you'll be back in Greyshore. You can catch a ship to where ever you'd like from there."

Sarek didn't waste a second. He was a Civil Agent of the Blood, and former Blood Mage. Which meant not only did the Tothian Mage Guild want him dead, but also Acaetus Nimius who the Tothian Mage Guild had hired, as well as probably the Knights of Tomath since they hated Civil Agents, and Civil Agents of the Fallen since they hated Civil Agents of the Blood.

Sarek didn't have many friends.

So he ran.
.....
.......
.........

And got caught.

One of the elves grabbed him by the hair and slammed him into the ground.

"Ow!" Sarek yelled out in pain.

The group of Acaetus Nimius slowly began to walk away with Sarek in tow, but not turning their backs on the group either.

"We got us a deal....don't you be followin' us or nothin'. A deal's a deal." the human said.

Onni looked coldly at the faction members for a minute. He then looked at Oceana, Petra, Ariellla, and Asar, and then Sarek. He was angry. He was done with all of them!

Onni took his filthy, bile crusted, bag and emptied all of the meager contents inside. He walked over and threw a whole bags worth into his own bag.

He didn't look at anyone, but rather head the way the human suggested, towards Greyshore... Onni kept down the road.

Onni was never lost. He was never going to Peregren. He was born in the Toi Swamp. He was raised in Peregren, but eventually tried to make a life for himself in the Swamp...

His home was not far from where they were. However, Onni wanted to go alone. It had been years since he's been in the swamp... but the memories were just as fresh...


Three months after the Ravaging hit, the swamp was one of the hardest hit. Despite having Peregren so close, humans and other mammals tried to build their homes in the swamps, brewing moonshine and making crude weapons and traps to hunt with. However, they were never really prepared to be the hunted.

When the undead came... everything changed. Onni knew the swamps... He, and Auer. Auer was his best friend and his love. They lived together in the house in the swamp. They were happy and content until the plague came.

Undead began to appear everywhere. The hicks and drunks were now infected monsters more dangerous than any dragon or wizard.

They managed to fight of the undead, Auer and Onni. They built fortifications around their house. The undead couldn't get through... But... Mammals could.

During one night, Onni was returning home, leaping through the trees, carrying food and supplies in a pack. He was nearing home when he saw visitors at his home...

The guests were not regular. Onni approached carefully, climbing down a tree inside the fort. He peered inside carefully... and there... he saw... Agents... Civil Agents of the Fallen. They had a fresh kill... Onni never dared too look... The brain had been destroyed and the body was mutilated beyond recognition...

Onni began hunting the Civil Agents after that. He left the swamp attacking and killing everyone he could. Eventually, he got noticed by Acaetus Nimius... Not for the right reasons. An Agent by the name of Jasper Stone placed a bounty out for Onni's head. A.N. was only happy to oblige.

So, for several months, Onni fought both Civil Agents and Acaetus Nimius. He even made enemies with the pirates, somehow. Needless to say... Onni was NOT a member of any faction.

The years went by, and Onni quieted down. The factions must have figured he died out somewhere. Now, all Onni wanted to do was kill undead... Then... Maybe the factions would go away.



Years later; Onni, bile covered, continued down the road, making his way down an all too familiar trail. His tears were already welling up...

He arrived at his home... his used to be home.

The fortifications have long since degraded. The home was almost rubble, but several stones placed around a patch of dirt remained...

Onni knelled down to the ground... He sobbed...

Asar didn't know Serek......But if thieves wanted him, there was something special about him. Asar fidgeted.

Help the man or turn him over?

Asar contemplated it and decided to defend the man and took a knife out...careful not to let it be noticed. Not like anyone would notice her anyway. Being 4'11'' and in the back of the group did have some perks.

Then she began wondering where Chomp had gone.

As if on cue, the rodent slid ass-first in the mud, right in front of Asar. Petra isstanding on the outskirts of the group, looking around, "There's your damned rat!"

He grabs a handkerchief from the dead dwarf's pocket and wipes his face clean, throwing it back on the body. "Now then, someone please tell me what I missed," he said, seeing the assassins backing away with Sarek, and noticing Onni was gone.

"where'd lizardman go?"

Popurum didn't know who any of these people were. He was scared of the zombies. He remember what happened to Mr. Bill... then...

"MR. WHISKERS!" he waled.

The red headed riverfolk looked around frantically for his kitty... No luck... The little black cat was probably still on the ship... where the zombies...

Petra seemed to come out of no where. He handed the girl riverfolk her ugly cat. Popurum didn't know why, but he suddenly liked the elf in red and blue.


Popurum sprinted over and grabbed onto Petra, needing a hug.

Popurum then began to sob.

"I killed Mr. Bill..."

Asar put the knife away. No use trying if no one'll help. She picked Chomp and stroked his muddy fur.

"Awww. Are you okay boy?"

The rodent struggled to get free. That was a yes.

Petra looked down at Pops "The hell...?" He tried shaking him off, but his small hands had surprising grip.

"Seriously?" he said, looking at the girl hugging the rat. He sighed. "Someone wanna fill me in here?"

Asar looked at the elf who had assaulted her pet.

"Long story; a whole bunch o' thieves are taking the darkling away. They gave us food and stuff for trust. The Snake-man huffed off and he showed up." She gestured at Popurum. "The end."

The riverfolk pulled away after he realized the elf didn't want him.

Popurum looked around. He didn't know anyone. He was alone. There was the female riverfolk...

"Can I pet your cat? Mine got aten up," he said stretching out a hand.

"He bites!" Petra yells to the riverfolk in warning, shuddering as he looked at the rodent.

Asar threw a hateful look at Petra. And nodded at Popurum.

"Your cat got...eaten?"

Popurum nodded at Asar.

"Yeah. I was in this ship with Captain Animals. Well, we were headed to Greyshore, but the maps were upside down or something. Anyway, I was in charge of the maps, and then Captain Animals told me and Mr. Bill we couldn't be co-captains, but wanted us to start drinking rum.

"I drank some, but threw it up. Then the ship crashed, and zombies came, and then I had to put my Knight's Lance in Mr. Bill's head, but he kept crawling from the zombies, and I missed and got him in the back! Then I ran into that guy..." he said pointing and the human Acaetus Nimius.

"Then I hugged the elf. I don't think he like me though," Popurum said, shyly.

While Asar and Popurum talked the opossum managed to get free and ran up to Petra's foot biting down and breaking through the fabric.


CHOMP!

There was a scream.

A rip.

And a thud.

The aftermath was Petra standing in the same spot, his leg bleeding, and the opossum at the base of the tree he was thrown against. "Damn rat..."

"That wasn't nice, Mr. Ears," said Popurum to Petra.

"The cat might be biting, but that usually means they like you. Mr. Whiskers would give me love bites all the time!"

Popurum turned at looked around at the others. Some of them looked mean...

"Where are we going now? And what're they doing to that man?" Pops asked, wondering about Sarek.

"I didn't see your lizardman, but maybe we should find him? Unless he's mad... I don't like getting yelled at... Captain Animals yelled at me. He got eaten though, so I'm not mad at him. There were guards trying to arrest me too, but I threw rocks at them."

Pops, stared from Asar to Petra.