Come in and Bring out your Dead

[wolfezth]

Wolfezth was in an absolutely terrible mood, the nightmares came again. Reliving the First Coming in his dreams was an event that was now relatively uncommon, but each and every time filled him with a primal rage over his failures throughout it and things he could've done, should've done that would've done so much more than he actually did. Scenes of destruction, chaos, death... Despair. Every single time he managed to get that scenes ripped out of his mind, the nightmares came back. With the rising dawn at his back he strode to the entrance of Cressa, the capital of Avalas as pissed as they come. Wolfezth was dressed in practical, simple blackened leather armor over his elven chainmail, Scarce and Shade on either hip, and Thirkiitu Cayosin on his back, hilt poking out of his right shoulder. He ran his left hand through his short, black hair absently as he walked up to the open gates of Cressa, ready to go off at the flip of a switch. The guards normally let him through without any trouble, but this pair were either new to the job or too stupid to survive as one of the two chainmail wearing guards, the one on the left side of the gate said:

"Halt, who goes there?"

"I'm giving you one chance to shut up and let me pass before I rip your arms from their sockets and beat the living piss out of you." Wolfezth growled, able to contain his anger for the moment... But barely. Both guards looked to be in their late teens to early twenties, pretty much how Wolfezth's human form looked. They were probably new to the job, but if they decided to underestimate him any more it might be their last day on the job.

"Threats don't phase me," the guard began to reply, but Wolfezth just unstrapped his sword belt, letting Scarce, Shade, and all of his throwing knives go down on the ground and unstrapped Thirkiitu Cayosin as well, tossing that on the ground as the guard stopped talking and merely looked at Wolfezth warily, his hand reaching for the longsword on his left hip, the other guard doing the same. Wolfezth tilted his head to both sides, it cracking audibly as he said in a low, deathly calm voice with his eyes full of bloodlust:

"Threats may not phase you, but I'm sure a wooden casket and six feet of dirt will."

Wolfezth then lunged forward at the guard on the left as both guards drew their longswords and yelled incoherently for backup. As the one on the left drew his blade, Wolfezth with lightning speed and mechanical precision grabbed the man's right wrist with his own left hand and snapped it; causing the man to drop his longsword instantly and yell in sheer agony. The second guard was obviously not too well trained and gave away he was going to slash with a 'windup' that gave Wolfezth enough time to grab the guard with the broken wrist's body with both hands and swing it around to use as a meatshield as the other guard swung. It worked, the guard Wolfezth holding getting cut in the stomach, enough to cut through the chain mail as the second guard looked on in horror, mouth agape in a momentary stun of what he just did. In this moment, Wolfezth dropped the guard he was holding to the ground and speared the second guard into the cold, unforgiving earth. This caused the guard to drop his sword and the pain Wolf's shoulder ramming into his chest caused him slowed him enough for Wolfezth to mount both knees on both of the guard's shoulders and pound away relentlessly at the guard's face, his fingerless gloves cushioning nothing and his steel gray eyes glinting with a sort of sick satisfaction as he did this right on the doorstep of the capital of Avalas. The guards would be coming soon and they would not be pleased with violence happening again, and Wolfezth knew that; but he was going to stay a bit longer to continue to pummel this guard into the earth. The man wasn't quite dead yet, merely having a broken nose and probably a broken jaw, screaming futilely with each punch. He knew not whether the first guard was dead, dying, or simply injured, and he didn't care since no one would be stupid enough to attack HIM after being given a broken sword wrist and a cut open stomach. He could've drawn his blades and sliced these two to bits properly in seconds, but he didn't. He showed mercy, something the guards and the royalty of Avalas would no doubt never understand. His blades were nearby, ready to be picked up and used when someone came to capture or kill him. He had gone thousands of years without being executed, and he was going to make sure that streak didn't end this fine morning. And surely not to some silly mortals trying to play hero, that was unthinkable.

[»Kamui Syvil VII]

(Sorry for the delay.)

A seemingly young man, looking to be around twenty or so human years, walked along the wide road leading to Cressa at a leisurely pace. He whistled a cheery little tune as he went, though it was periodically interrupted, as he was simultaneously munching on a crisp and juicy nashi pear.
A gentle breeze struck up, slightly ruffling the man's already messy hair. It was tousled and spiky, lacking any real style, and a striking orange color like that of the fiery orange you see during a sunset. Matching the color of the hair atop his head was the color of the fur on his simian tail, which was swaying and swishing in sync with the tune of his whistling.
Bright and observant, his right eye was a deep emerald green and his left eye was a fiery orange color, like his hair. His ears were long and delicately pointed, and though he had been mistaken for one in the past, he was no Elf. His face, though marked by a thin and pitted scar running across his left cheek, was kind and calm looking.
A ratty looking brown rutsack that appeared to be only half-full was slung over his shoulder. A polished mithral sheath containing a katana was held at his right side by his belt, which was just a long strip of black cloth. It was a high quality looking weapon that looked somewhat out of place, given his disheveled clothing and rutsack. Slung across his back was scythe looking object, its shaft nearly as long as he was tall. It was tightly wrapped in tattered black cloth, with a black chain coiled around it. If one looking closely, they would find the runes of a long forgotten language etched in each link of the chain.
Both sword and scythe, as well as the man himself, gave off a demonic aura, each distinct.
However, the man's aura was very weak and the aura of the sword and scythe were suppressed by the sheath and chain, respectively. It would take a being possessed of preternatural senses to detect the auras, however, most mortal creatures found him unsettling.
Walking beside the man was an elegant looking creature with a lean, muscular frame and a spotless coat of thick fur as white as fresh snow. The female wolfdog's piercing blue eyes were as cold as ice, possessing a glint of intelligence not found in normal animals. Also by his side trotted a small, pink creature with a curly tail. A whimsical looking piglet, he seemed lost in his own little world.
Sakurako, the wolfdog, and Yibbles, the piglet. These were the friends and companions of Kamui Syvil.
Spitting out the pit and wiping some pear juice off his chin with his sleeve, Kamui's nose twitched. Sakurako barked.
"Yeah, I smell it too," He replied. "Blood and a dragon..."

A white blur sped up the path, darting past other travelers at well over thirty miles per hour. Sakurako skidded to a stop near the gate, where Wolf was atop the guard, beating him senseless with his fists.
Looking directly at Wolf, Sakurako barked loudly and quickly snatched up the strap of one of Wolf's discarded weapons in her jaw. The wolfdog quickly took off in the direction she had come from, easily dragging the bastard sword with her.

[wolfezth]

The guard rather stupidly tried to set his hands up to defend himself, blood and all in weak protest. Wolfezth gave one last right hook to the man's jaw, satisfied with a loud CRACK that signified that he just broke something. He started to get up, but before he did he got right in the moaning guard's face, now quite done with screaming, and said in a very low, very angry tone: "You're lucky this is all I'm leaving you with, you can go home now... But remember in the future: you CAN'T STOP THE WOLF! I trust you'll be a liiiitle bit more careful in the future, and make sure those bones get into place before they heal or you are going to have the worst looking face this side of Syrunn kiddo." The man moved his head slightly, then stopped moving with a pained look on his face in response. Wolfezth stood up fully to look back to the other guard, and saw him limping back to the city, and Wolfezth broke out into a wide grin and yelled confidently: "Go get your guards! Get yer mommies and yer daddies and yer aunts and yer uncles! Get the WHOLE guard out, screw it, BRING THE ARMY BACK WITH YAH! I COULD USE A LITTLE BIT OF WARMUP!"

Wolfezth heard fast steps behind him, but was hit real bad with a flashback, so that all he could do for a moment was just put his left hand over his face in an attempt not to lose himself for too long, not in this situation. The scenery around him swirled, making him momentarily dizzy and confused as the flashback took shape.

"CAN'T STOP THE WOLF, BABY!" Wolfezth screamed at the top of his lungs, triumphantly after wiping out the third contender that came for him in the rumble pit-style match near the outskirts of Cressa, in a wide open area that looked more like a barnyard than anything else. There was a huge wide open space around, with piles of hay abundant, with green grass growing sparsely in the mostly dirt ground that he stood in. The sun was going down, and Wolfezth could feel the first dredges of tiredness tugging at his muscles, but ignored it. It was an unarmed contest more for fun than anything else, getting wiped out by knockout or submission. He just knocked out a young man charging at him with a vicious left hook smash right below the left eye of the guy. There was ten contenders in all, and five were eliminated as of that moment. As Wolf was celebrating, he heard the sound of fast footsteps behind him, and a sudden force on his back that forced him to the ground. On the ground, he struggled, but couldn't move anything useful as his right arm was jerked upwards in a very painful motion, causing him to exhale sharply as he had a fist pound him in the back of the head as well, causing him to literally bite the dirt and grass on the ground. Wolfezth was a lot harder to submit than most people, and he didn't. "Don't get cocky until you win." a female voice said calmly as Wolfezth continued to struggle, he felt an impact on the back of his head again, and the world went black. And so the sixth was eliminated.

Wolfezth was momentarily blinded from this memory in present time, taking a moment to shake it off thinking Wow, it's really bad today... Damn, better be careful. When he saw this white ... Dog? Running off with a huge stick in its mouth down the road... As he saw the flash of silver, he noticed that wasn't a stick... That was Nazari's old blade, Thirkiitu Cayosin! The sword he would die for, the sword he would kill for, the most important and sacred object he would ever see or touch or feel in his life, the last remnant of his ill fated soulmate. He quickly ran towards Scarce and Shade, which were attatched to his sword belt and his many throwing knives and picked them both up midstride as he immediately gave chase to the white dog. There was no way he was going to let that dog get away with that bastard sword. He hurriedly maneuvered the sword belt onto his hips in the correct position while trying not to let any of the knives fall out, trying to keep the dog in sight as he did. It was pretty damned fast, too damned fast to chase in his human form, so as soon as Wolfezth had both longswords in the sword belt as so they wouldn't fall out he transformed into normal wolf form, his fastest as he bolted after the dog. His jet black fur was a stark contrast to the road, and his green eyes gleaming in the rising sun. "I'll fucking KILL YOU!" Wolfezth roared forth in a rage, caring not for the travelers he scared the living piss out of running by... Though he did avoid running any of them over, it was more for not losing speed than any real consideration of others. Fury lent him speed as he went on, he would NOT have all that remained of his soulmate get ripped away from him after all these years by ANYTHING. No, when he caught up to this dog he was going to take it and kill the damn dog if he had to. NOTHING in this whole wide world was going to stop Wolfezth from getting that blade back, Thirkiitu Cayosin, the Twilight Blade, Nazari's old sword - the best blade he would ever see in his life. The balance was perfect, the length just right, the cut superb, and the sheath specially made after her death. There was no way the dog would bite through the sheath, having it enchanted as it was, but Wolf was going to have to wipe off drool and whatever other nasty stuff the dog had in its mouth off of the sheath... And that was never a fun activity. The dog was just a normal dog, and Wolfezth was a draconic shapeshifter. Add those together and Wolfezth was catching up to the dog rather steadily, the only obstacles being travellers. Come on, doggy, doggy. I'll rip you to shreds and let the crows pick your bones apart! I'll rip your spine from your back and force feed it through your throat! I'll shove your head into your ass and make you eat your stomach! Wolfezth thought, feeding him even more anger to spring his surging dark body forward, his green eyes gleaming with intensity and anger, locked onto the dog like blue and the sky.

[ottoman]

This was Cressa, a city to see, the city to see, really, the biggest to Vindex's knowledge, and to many around the parts he'd been to as well, it seemed. Whatever the case, it was a magnificent sight, even from as far as he was from it's outer gate, well over a mile or two, though, even a great achievement of civilization such as this seemed to pale in comparison to what the gods had done with the Grand back home, the magnificent feeling that flowed through Vindex as he lived there, by the trees and the rivers, living off the land. Very serene, actually, save for whenever he happened upon something rabid, a band of unsavory individuals, or something that just decided he looked tasty. There was just a... feeling, that was missing in a place like Cressa, a sense of accomplishment was missing, every meal you attained here was simply a matter of gold, little work or effort put into it... but out there, in the wilds, not only did the food taste better, but the feeling, that one feeling that Vindex could never put his finger on, was ever present, permeating everything. Whatever the case, satisfaction or no, Vindex was bound for Cressa, and, walking at a nice, relaxed pace down the much more developed roadway that lead into the city, a very pleasurable change of pace from the rough hinterlands, until a sudden gust of air blew past him, and in only a brief moment of observation, Vindex managed to see a blurr of white as it sped on down the road, though he couldn't watch for long as he had to catch himself from loosing his balance. After righting himself once more and continuing, Vindex couldn't help but ponder what it could've been, having never encountered such an odd occurrence in any of his other travels, though it didn't seem directed at him, it was still very odd.

Very odd indeed.

However, he didn't think on this matter for long, his thirst taking a higher priority, and his thoughts began to wander moreso to whatever he might find in Cressa to partake of, and as his mind almost forgot the white blur that had interrupted his journey only minutes earlier when he noticed ahead of him a fast approaching object, not built in a manner different to the blur that had nearly caused him to fall earlier, the main difference being that it had something in its mouth. It looked to be some kind of lupine creature, however, that was all he had time to notice before the object that it had in its mouth took Vindex's legs from beneath him and forced him to fall flat onto his stomach, the many pounds of gear on his back slamming down onto his back with great force, and without saying, causing much discomfort. Rising slowly from this encounter, Vindex blinked twice before the next thing he realized was another wolf rushing down the road, this one a dark black in the shade of its coat, after the other wolf more than likely, had stepped, quite rudely, on his face, forcing him down into the cobblestones once again.

Now Vindex was irritated. Rising to his feet quickly, Vindex quickly pursued the small group, making good time, considering he'd just been tripped and practically run over.

Whatever the case, the two had to stop eventually, and when they did, Vindex would be there.

[»Kamui Syvil VII]

As was her intent, Sakurako noticed that the dragon was following her, now in a form not unlike her own. She wasn't surprised, however, as she knew most dragons had some manner of shape-shifting ability. He was beginning to gain on her though.
The air around the wolfdog began to ripple, and suddenly she was ablaze with an aura of bluish-white energy. Sakurako's speed and agility spiked, and she abruptly careened off the main road and into a thicket of trees. Even with the sword in her jaw, she nimbly weaved and darted through the trees and undergrowth. She sprung over a clump of shrubs and emerged into glade, where she dispersed her aura and skidded to a stop. Quickly dropping the sword, Sakurako moved to a moss covered stump at the edge of the clearing.
Sitting cross-legged on the stump, Kamui popped a raspberry into his mouth and rested his cheek on his hand, his furry tail swinging slowly back and forth. "He seems kinda pissed, doesn't he, Sak?"
Not more then a couple feet from the stump was a little piglet, Yibbles, who was entirely occupied with the raspberry bush. Or, more specifically, the fruit on the bush.

[wolfezth]

Wolfezth noticed that the white dog had knocked over a man who looked rather like a mercenary himself when it was running, using Thirkiitu Cayosin to knock the man down.

Now this was just a slap in the face, it's one thing to lay a hand on his sword, it's another to desecrate it with your saliva, it's quite another to run with it WHILE desecrating it with your teeth and saliva, but using it to TRIP people? That was just beyond redonkulus. This dog's master no doubt was REALLY trying to piss him off.

Unfortunately for the mercenary looking man, he fell directly in the path of Wolfezth; and he wasn't about to jump sideways and lose his momentum just for the sake of one man, he did, however, swerve to the right and only managed to smack the back of head back to the ground instead of just running him over. No need to accidentally maim someone when you don't need to, Wolfezth figured.

But then, something a little too convenient happened, the air around the wolfdog began to ripple, and suddenly she was ablaze with an aura of bluish-white energy and the wolfdog ran that much faster.

Okay, this is FAR too convenient. If this is another illusion, I will flay the mage if my real blade is stolen. If this IS an illusion, maybe I can make it go away.... Wolfezth thought, and then his eyes bore hard into the back of the wolfdog as he attempted to disbelieve it... But the wolfdog stayed put... Still running.

The realization that this could all just be a ploy to make him pissed and lead him to an ambush wasn't lost on him, and his head suddenly cleared with that realization. He had to keep his cool, because he wouldn't be surprised if someone had hired a company of mercenaries to take him out... It wasn't like Wolfezth of the Third Wind was known for his amazing diplomatic skills.

Then, the wolfdog spurred itself to the nearby thicket of trees. This immediately made Wolfezth feel a twinge of uneasiness, remembering his encounter and humiliation at the hands of the witch not too long before. He really didn't want to go through that debacle again, and instead roared, the wind carrying his voice throughout the thicket of trees:

"Give me back my sword, and I will be gone if you wish without trouble. You do not want Wolfezth the Air Warden on your list of enemies." He said it first in a mixture of growls, snarls, and barks that any canine would understand, then again in orcish since gnolls and orcs kept canine pets sometimes, and then once more in common for good measure.

Wolfezth did not pursue the wolfdog into the thicket of trees, he knew better. There must be either a bewildered orc hunter there, or a contingent of assassins Wolfezth had no intention of rushing at.

He instead transformed back to his human form, and looked around him to make sure there were no other threats he should know about. He stood facing the thicket of trees, wearing an expression of forced diplomacy along with a tinge of uneasiness. He looked to his right - nothing coming along the road. He looked behind him, another thicket of trees he had no intention of going into, and then he looked to his left; where the mercenary he stepped on earlier was charging toward him...

Wait a tick... Wolfezth thought, and immediately reached for Thirkiitu Cayosin - and he grasped at thin air where his bastard sword would've been. He cursed under his breath and drew both Scarce and Shade from their scabbards and held them both at his sides, holding them in a double reverse grip; where the blades of the swords were actually pointing behind him. It was both a nonthreatening way of holding the blades but also rendered a great block to any physical attack thrown at him if necessary, and he had an even better grip on the blades than he normally did using the double reverse. If it came to blows, Wolfezth wanted the mercenary down quickly so he could pursue his all important Thirkiitu Cayosin. The only thing worse than actually losing it was having to first explain to Rael how and why he lost it and then beg her to help find the blade - which would be both demeaning and a blow to his ego he probably could never recover from. He glanced over to the thicket of trees for a moment, still waiting for a response and hoping that he had spoken the right languages for a moment before changing his stance to a steady, even, nearly immobile defensive stance as the mercenary approached even closer to him.

What the fuck does this guy want? He got hit a few times by some passing canines, get over it you half-assed sissy. If you really want to pursue it go cry to mommy or something; I reaaalllly don't have time for this bullshit. And whoever's in that thicket can still hit me from behind when I'm dealing with this moron. And I have to stay here to get the blade back, can't transform into dragon form because then Cressa's forces would REALLY come after me... The guard forces are probably mobilizing to arrest me... Y'know what, next time Rael starts preaching about how me doing this stuff really isn't a good idea I might actually listen... Or at least be a bit smarter about it next time. Damn it I hate her and her stupid LOGIC... Logic that doesn't seem to ever be wrong... Upstarts always thinking they know more than anyone... Arrgh... Focus, mercenary charging at me; watch out for back attackers. Let's do this.

[»Kamui Syvil VII]

(Hey, uh, it's your post, Ottoman.)

[ottoman]

(Yeah, I know, March has been pretty busy lately.)

He'd lost the wolf in the distance, its black form blending into the landscape, though Vindex didn't give up pursuit. Those two creatures were unnatural, undoubtedly, the first to either A. Carry a blade such as that in its mouth, and B. go that fast. The second one, the black one, must've been as well, considering its speed as well. Vindex followed, though he'd lost sight of them, jogging along at a regular pace until he came to a bend in the road that, when traversed, revealed a fairly average sized individual, a man seemingly, with a weapon, no... two, drawn. Swords it seemed, and as he approached closer he offered a sour look to Vindex, one that harbored ill will undoubtedly. Possibly a bandit.

An idiot brigand, mayhap, but still, possibly a brigand.

Slowing to a paced walk, Vindex allowed his right hand to rest on the head of his axe as he approached the man, and wearing a cautious expression on his face, asked him a simple question,

"Has any sort of... wolf been through here? A white, or a black one, even?"

Awaiting a response, Vindex watched his face, his eyes and eyebrows specifically, even on occasion his nose and nostril flare. Something didn't seem right to Vindex, this man seemed to not be what he seemed, (if not put in a somewhat confusing way). Whatever the case, Vindex awaited his answer, whether it be in words or actions.

[»Kamui Syvil VII]

Kamui sat on the stump listening to Wolf relay his message in multiple languages.
"Hmm... who's the 'Air Warden'?" He said to himself, munching on some berries. He shrugged and hopped off the stump. "No matter. You guys wait here while I return his sword."
He walked to the edge of the clearing, picked up the sword, and entered the brush. A few moments later he emerged from the thicket on the other side, stepping onto the path.
"'Ello." He greeted Wolf and Vindex with a friendly grin, brushing some leaves off his shoulder. He seemed oblivious of the slight tension between the two men, or that one had drawn his weapons.
"Anyone lose this?" He held up the sheathed bastard sword.

[wolfezth]

The mercenary slowed to a paced walk and looked at Wolfezth warily; which made Wolfezth smirk. Yeah, you'd better be cautious, human... Wasting my fucking time; when the damned dog could be running away with my blade right now... Argh, throwing it down MIGHT'VE been a bad idea... Narrgh, if I'd've killed them I'd've bought myself more time, especially if I dumped the bodies in a ditch somewhere... Too late now; need to THINK next time...

The mercenary slowed even more, putting a hand on an... Axe? a nice bearded axe... Damn, I need Thirkiitu Cayosin for an axe; if he's any good that is. Otherwise I'll have to just fingercut; and that's always a pain in the ass. Can't put as much oompf into a longsword as you can with an axe... Doesn't matter, open road - I have mobility. I could dance around this guy... Wolfezth thought smugly as the man asked rather ... Like a lost puppy; rather sad really:

"Has any sort of... wolf been through here? A white, or a black one, even?"

Wolfezth's first instinct was of course to make fun of him, but he squashed the impulse and sheathed his longswords promptly, seeing as the mercenary - if indeed that's what he was wasn't a threat. He stabbed his thumb towards the thicket of woods and said simply: "In there."

It would've been pointless to start a melee right then and there, when the damned dog still had his sword.

Just as he was thinking there, he heard a rustle and looked over his shoulder to see a smallish guy with... Orange? hair, and ... The clothes of someone who didn't have much, by the looks of it. Wolfezth's tugged a tad on the neck part of his blackened leather, letting some air in and ease the momentary discomfort the armor gave; jamming into his throat in an uncomfortable manner. All pity was washed away, however, when he saw first the pointed ears, then the katana at his ... belt, if you could call it a belt, and the grotesque thing on his back in addition to HIS SWORD. The glitter of recognition was alight in Wolfezth eyes, and he seethed and observed the man. Upon a moment's more inspection, it was a scythe; and Wolfezth shivered slightly at the sight of it, though he did not know why. The orange tail also stuck out to him, and he pieced together the evidence rather quickly - this was not an ordinary mortal. The word fey appeared unbidden in his mind, but Wolfezth dismissed it; fey did NOT carry scythes that made a dragon shiver. A fiend, perhaps? Someone under an illusion? Maybe it was someone just hired to fuck with him? Bah, too many possibilities. I don't care who it is, he told himself, I'm getting my damned sword from this monkey-looking oo oo ahh ahh little ass...

"'Ello," the orange haired ... Humanoid said, cockily; almost friendly sounding. Arrogant bastard. Wolfezth thought, and the irony was not lost upon him. His instinct was to go over there instantly and rend the man to shreds, but if it was indeed an illusion or a fiend they'd be able to merely teleport away or the real one could run.

"Anyone lose this?" The humanoid said, in the same cocky, arrogant; almost friendly sounding voice as before. Wolfezth's instinct turned to desire to squash the humanoid, and with difficulty he rejected his own proposal and merely stood, his left hand running through his coal black hair, eyes focused intently on the blade as it was raised into the air.

NAZARI
FN
SL
AM
RY
AR
AC
DB
RAEL

As he deftly read the names engraved on the bastard sword, memories washed through Wolfezth's mind momentarily, each one of their faces appearing in his mind like a mental collage of memories. It sombered Wolfezth as he said in a clear, crisp, almost resigned voice: "Yeah, that's my bastard sword. And if I don't have to rip your head off your shoulders to get it that'd be a plus, and I'd also not try to draw that on me if I was you; lest you be electrocuted before you can continue." Wolfezth maintained his resigned voice, bluffing quite easily with the electrocution threat - hoping that would scare him a tad and might make him hand it over; or at least get the chase started without all sorts of wasted time talking. The memories of each of his friends on Thirkiitu Cayosin made him feel a tremendous sorrow, since only one of them was left; and none of them would approve on what had transpired in the past hour or so. The realization of this made Wolfezth want to get this done and over with as quickly as possible.

"The man over here's also wondering why me and I'm assuming your puppy whammed him in the face and left him there." Wolfezth added nonchalantly, almost like an afterthought; something that he knew would irritate the mercenary; might even provoke him to rage... Which would indeed be amusing despite things. He might be feeling a little down, but the way to remedy that was to piss someone else off and get a few chuckles from it... To Wolfezth, anyway.

[ottoman]

The man, as odd as he was, didn't seem disagreeable, though he was obviously troubled about something, and simply replied,

"In there."

That was all he needed. He watched briefly as a man emerged from the brush, with very striking orange hair, holding quite a large sword. Looked like it could've been the one to trip him. Whatever. Not Vindex's problem. He was after the damn mutt. It seemed both the easily excitable man from before and the ridiculous looking newcomer were both more concerned with eachother and the sword to pay much attention to Vindex, and so, whilst they spoke, he slipped off quietly into the brush, drawing his axe and looking for the dog, surely it couldn't hide for long, it had a coat more brilliant than a bed of snow on a sunny day, the only difference being the wolf didn't leave you snowblind.

The fool mercenary was busy oogling at the sword to realize Vindex had managed off, and, quite simply, he didn't care. He heard the man say something concerning him, but it meant little as he could see the pelt of the wolf through the foliage ahead.

At the least he could chase the damn thing for a bit.

[»Kamui Syvil VII]

"If it's yours, then take it." Kamui said to Wolf, and tossed the sword to him. It was no illusion, no trick, just Wolf's sword, pure and simple.
"I see that you're upset, an' understandably so. Please, allow me ta' explain my actions an' offer my apologies." Kamui said earnestly, bowing his head. He looked back up at Wolf. "I know what ya' are. Human, wolf, all the same. Your shape makes no difference. The scent of the blood coursin' through your veins an' the feel of your aura is unmistakably that of a dragon. I can still smell the human blood on you, from when ya' attacked the guards at the gates of Cressa. I asked my friend, Sakurako, to steal your weapon, an' so quickly draw ya' away from the gates, ta' this secluded area where the guards might have trouble findin' you, should they give chase. See, I'm not a fan of pointless bloodshed. If ya' had stayed an' fought the guards, people would get hurt or killed. Guards, surely. Maybe you, an' maybe innocent travelers caught in between."

Yibbles was still occupied with the raspberry bush at the far edge of the clearing. Nearby, Kamui's rutsack was slumped against the stump he had been sitting on.
Sakurako, who could smell Vindex approaching, sat in the center of the clearing. She watched the bushes silently, waiting for the man to reach the clearing.

[wolfezth]

"If it's yours, then take it." The humanoid said, tossing Wolfezth his sword. Wolf expected it to explode, burst into flames, or something along those lines when he caught it, and was pleasantly surprised when it didn't. The issue of the dog saliva was still present, and Wolfezth swiftly wiped the scabbard along both sleeves of his blackened leather armor and slapped it against the leg parts of it to wipe most of it off as well. He did this without looking at it, his steel gray eyes were fixed on the humanoid; never wavering. Guards'll be looking soon, need to stay focused. Wolfezth thought as he then strapped his bastard sword to his back and drew the blade immediately after it was secure on his back with his right hand, but kept it in a nonhostile position facing downward and forward at the same time as he heard the humanoid continue and the mercenary run into the thicket of forest for some reason. Perhaps he thought the dog was there, perhaps he needed to let one loose really badly, it really didn't matter to Wolf either way; nor did it concern him in any way, shape, or form.

"I see that you're upset, an' understandably so. Please, allow me ta' explain my actions an' offer my apologies."

At this, Wolfezth opened his mouth to say something, but closed it when the humanoid bowed his head... All right, this guy's got an agenda. Nobody in the right mind does this sort of shit to anybody they make angry. He thought as he figured he'd let the humanoid talk.

"I know what ya' are. Human, wolf, all the same. Your shape makes no difference. The scent of the blood coursin' through your veins an' the feel of your aura is unmistakably that of a dragon. I can still smell the human blood on you, from when ya' attacked the guards at the gates of Cressa. I asked my friend, Sakurako, to steal your weapon, an' so quickly draw ya' away from the gates, ta' this secluded area where the guards might have trouble findin' you, should they give chase. See, I'm not a fan of pointless bloodshed. If ya' had stayed an' fought the guards, people would get hurt or killed. Guards, surely. Maybe you, an' maybe innocent travelers caught in between."

Wolfezth somewhat warily looked at the man for signs of sudden attack, because posing as a traveller and attacking with the concealed weapons trick has been done too many times before... Except this idiot didn't even bother to conceal the weapons. The element of surprise was taken away, and Wolfezth had his own blade drawn already... It would make no sense. Wolfezth decided he'd take the humanoid at face value and figured that until he made a move, there was no reason for him to make one preemptively. It could just be that he was getting senile with old age, but the man seemed... Sincere?

"I do hope you realize all you did was for one prolong the process of them getting to me, and make them send even more people out because they're gonna think I'm runnin' now; which is rather going to miff some of the bureaucrats. And of course you have also done the rather unwise thing of implicating yourself in this entire fiasco if you stay too long here. On that note, I reckon you got a good three minutes or so to save your doggie if its in there from that merc and a good fifteen to haul ass out of here since no doubt some of the travellers you were so damned worried about saw y'all near me and report it. You're bound to be questioned if... When you're recognized, I mean c'mon. No one's going to miss that oinky boinky little monkey lookin' tail. Or the dinky orange hair. I'd suggest some coals to dye that, or clean out whatever funk's in there." Wolfezth took a deep breath through his nose before continuing: "Before I go any further, I want you to know this is NOT an act of kindness... I simply want to avoid having innocent blood on my hands and hearing about it later. Unless y'all got a better idea, I could fly y'all out of here. Unless you wanna take your chances with them," Wolfezth jerked his left thumb back towards Cressa, "Chasin' after you with such little ground to cover. I can outfly anything on Syrunn - let alone anything Avalas has." Wolfezth smirked, saying it extremely seriously and matter-of-factly, "'Course, you'd have to let the merc down there know 'cause I highly doubt he has any mind readin' abilties; which brings you to saving yer puppy, no? That is, unless you have a better idea." Wolfezth finished, sheathing his bastard sword with a flourish, inwardly groaning at what he just suggested: to be a glorified ferry ride for free... To give free field trips out to people who hindered him. The logic made no sense to Wolf, but then again this was better than having their blood on his hands. He half-hoped they sent all the aerial forces they had to make it at least somewhat exciting. Wolfezth's steel gray eyes then looked towards the thicket of woods, curious to see how that whole encounter shaped out. The way he saw it, either he ferried these morons out of the vicinity of Cressa and he got that off his conscious, or they refused and he left knowing that they chose their fate; whatever happens. Either way, he wouldn't feel guilty later. The thought also occurred to him that they might think he was overreacting and that they wouldn't be worried, but if that thought entered their minds they obviously knew nothing of his repeat offenses that made pretty much everyone in power there hate his guts, and by extension everyone associated with him. His knack for staying juuust out of reach of them didn't endear himself to them either, and by extension everyone associated with him. Paranoid? Maybe. But it paid off to be a touch crazy in his line of work, it kept him alive.

[ottoman]

He was close, that was certain, the creature's white pelt was easily seen through the foliage, not blending with the green or brown of the thicket in the least, though Vindex still wasn't getting a whole picture of his adversary, he could only see bits and pieces of the situation, and so, as quietly as Vindex could manage, he adjusted to a better position to get a better view. Not helping all that much, only making more noise and discovering the beast was looking straight at him, so, crouching in the thicket, and without a second thought Vindex decided to make the only move a barbarian would make; charge. So, with axe and blade in hand, he rushed forth, emerging from the brush with force, heading straight for the wolf-creature, undoubtedly the noise this whole action was making would attract the attention of both of the men still on the road, though Vindex didn't care, he just wanted the dog.

Whatever the mutt would do, Vindex would try and match, unless a better opportunity for profit would present itself.

[»Kamui Syvil VII]

"I wouldn't worry about me bein' implicated. I didn't get near the gate, I never actually saw ya' until Sak brought ya' here. I was waitin' in the trees, remember? All the people saw was you an' two wolves chasin' each other."
Kamui scratched his chin. "Hmmm... I'm not worried about Sak, but you're probably right about the guards comin' soon."
He grinned and bowed before Wolf. "I think I'd rather fancy a ride on a dragon. Thankee kindly."
Turning toward the trees, he gave a loud whistle and called out to Vindex. "Hey, whatever your name is, ya' wanna take a ride on a dragon? A bunch of guards are headin' this way."

'What a bother humans are... The wolfdog thought, watching Vindex. 'I suppose I should just apologize, but Kamui isn't here to translate...'
Sakurako did not so much as flinch when Vindex burst into the clearing, charging straight at her. The wolfdog sat motionless until the very last second, at which point she ducked very low to the ground and agilely spun around the big man, letting momentum carry him wherever it would.
Her ears perked at the sound of Kamui's whistle. She immediately snatched up his rutsack in her jaws and bounded out of the clearing toward the path. Yibbles, oblivious of Vindex's presence, scampered out of the clearing too.