Eiyuu Kishi Den

Patting NightRaven's mane Edwin was trying his best to calm down his steed since it was clear she was not adjusted for being aggitated like this. He didn't know much about giant scorpians so he didn't know if his sword or bow would be any good but he didn't want to get close to those stringer on their tail as he removed his bow from his shoulder and drawing an arrow from his quiver.

Edwin knew he would only get one or two shots off before he would draw his sword but if he was lucky then he would strike down one of the scorpians before it attacked.

Leaf had to yank the reins hard to get her horse under control. She wasn't too good at fighting on horseback, so if she got off, hopefully her horse wouldn't run away. She decided to stay on as long as neccessary.

Ryna leaned toward Garrack. "We'll take them together, I can't handle them alone with just a whip, but I'll catch their tails and you can kill them," she told him her battle plan.

"Sounds like a plan." Garrack also dismount, as large as they were the scorpions were still too low to the ground to fight from horseback without a lance or spear. He had encountered the giant scorpions before and each time he barely lived to tell about it. Even greatly outnumbered they don't go down easily.

"Leaf, keep your distance and only attack from the side. I'll take them head on. And watch for the claws, they can be deadlier than the stingers and almost as painful."

"Not. Natural." Ashe unmounted quickly. He was not used to being on the back of the horse and was more familiar of the terrain than the mare.

His hands shot down to his weapons and he fell into a crouch holding the two swords. Ashe swung them both in wide arcs, stretching and warming the muscles of his arms before engaging.

"Damn. Bugs."


-ashe

Ryna dismounted and took her whip from her belt, she was ready to do her usual acrobatics at a moment's notice.

"Right!" Leaf called. "I'll back you up with shamanism too!" She didn't dismount yet though, she could cast some spells from horseback, she just waited for the scorpions to come in range.

The six scorpians made a sharp turn towards the group, surrounding them on either side. They were far more aggressive than usual as well, all in all, this was far from natural behavior. Three went for Ryna, Garrack and Leaf, one from the right and two more from the left. The other three went directly toward Edwin, Ashe, and Zira--two right, one left. Far too organized. And that raven was still calmly watching from the signpost.

Zira noticed Edwin with his bow ready, arrows couldn't peirce the scorpian's exoskeleton. "Don't waste your arrows, use your sword, I'll assist with magic!" she shouted.

"Gnome, lend me your arms and bind our enemies to the ground!" Zira called. Tendrils emerged through the earth and wrapped around the scorpians' legs. "Spirits of Darkness, drain their strength!" and a dark aura surrounded the arachnids, leaving them mildly weakened.

"Hold the others back!" Ryna shouted to Leaf, then snapped her whip around the tail of the nearest scorpian. She ran behind it and pulled it's tail back while giving Garrack a safer shot at it's head.

Leaf took a cue for Zira and summoned vines as well to bind the other scorpians, but she heard the dark elf summon dark spirits. If she was such a good person, why would she use them?

Nodding his head hearing Zira, Edwin could see most shots would be a waste, placing his bow to the side he drew his long sword and a dagger as he jumped from his horses back and charged the scorpian to the left heading for him, Zira and Ashe.

Knowing this was not going to be much good but it would be able to hopefully give him enough of a distraction to get behind the tail. Snappping the dagger out toward the eyes of the Scorpain either to hit it in one of the eyes or at least force it pincers to move as he readies his sword to delfect the stinger as he darts past to get behind the scorpain.

OOC: Everyone may control the scorpians as you need, if you were unsure.

IC: Thunder charged the weakened and bound scorpian on the right. The large gray gelding reared up, then brough his hooves smashing down onto the scorpian's head. Meanwhile, Zira slipped around her horse with inhuman speed and blocked the scorpian's tail from stabbing into Thunder's head with her rapier. She was clinging to Thunder with only her legs wrapped around his neck, but the horse was perfectly calm about it. It was enough to kill that scorpian.

Zira slid off Thunder and ran to Ashe and Edwin, ready to jump in and back up either of them.

While Zira and thunder took down one of the Scorpions, the dagger that Edwin tossed toward the scorpion that he was engaging was reaching its mark quietly until the scorpion easily deflected it into the ground with one of its pincers. Seeing this as his chance Edwin kept charging forward hopping the scorpion was to distracted by the dagger.

The problem was that luck was not with him while distracted to a point the scorpion didn't avert its gaze from Edwin and with a snap of its tail brought its stinger down toward Edwin. Seeing the tail start to come down Edwin waited until the very last moment to jump to the side letting the stinger brush against his harden leather armor feeling it crack from the force of the blow but was more then happy to do repair work on the armor later since Edwin didn't feel the stringer pierce his flesh.

Quickly regaining his balance as the scorpion started to raise its tail up again to make another strike, Edwin knew he had to act quickly or else he wouldn't be so lucky on another strike from that stinger. Darting toward the tail as it was lifting, he jumped onto it wrapping his arms tightly around the tail using the scorpion to raise him up to its back before dropping down.

Fighting to keep balance it dawned onto him that this might not be the best place for him as he had to jump to the side as the scorpion brought its tail down at Edwin again only barely missing him as the stinger hit against the armor plating of the scorpion's back. Making his way down the back of the scorpion keeping his face toward the tail and its deadly stinger so that he could jump out slightly out of the way of the sting. Jumping from scorpion tail stings as each one comes down closer and closer until one cuts into his cloak as Edwin gets close to his target the scorpion's head. Timing this carely Edwin waits until the tail is starting to raise back up before turning around and grabbing the hilt of his sword in both hand and driving the blade down into the scorpion's head.

Feeling the armor of the head give and his blade sinking deeply, Edwin knew this scorpion life was finished but it was not going to go with peacefully as the scorpion thrashed around in pain fling Edwin off its back a good ten feet away onto his back leaving his sword embed into its head.

With the opportunity bought by Ryna and Leaf, Garrack rushed towards the giant scorpion with no hesitation. As soon as he was in range Garrack summoned his formidable strength and brought down his axe on the creature's head with full force. But rather than cleave it down the middle as he expected, Garrack only managed to dig his axe a few inches into the exo-skeleton.

As the giant arachnid shrieked in pain Garrack made an interesting realization. This was a an older one, it's carapace had hardened to near steel toughness and unknown to Garrack he had happend to strike the hardest part of it's armor.

Rather than stand in pain the creature retaliated, with it's stinger still bound by Ryna the scorpion used its claws to try to scewer the him. Garrack narowly dodged the first claw as it came inches to his head, the second made a shallow scrape at his thigh, but a third attack landed directly at Garracks torso in the center of his dwarven breatplate. He was then knocked back several feet with a sharp pain in his chest, but was otherwise unharmed. Garrack got back on his feet and grunted with frustration when he realized that his battle axe was still imbedded in the scorpion's armor.

"You started this fight..." The mercenary grumbled to the scorpion "Are you going to finish?"

Ashe's feet carried him quickly over the sand. Amidst the heat and sand is where he had learned how to fight. Using the momentum of his run he kneeled into a roll, barely avoiding the splash of sand where the scorpion's tail hit.

Switching to its secondary weapons the creature began flailing its pincers. Ashe kicked against the sand and slid to the left out of the pincer's way. There was a brief opening and he took it. Ashe thrust the blunted sword's tip past the scorpion's mandibles and into his body. With Ashe's strength behind it the sword widened the arachnid's mouth and tore through its throat and further.

With a feral growl Ashe moved himself forward as the creature flailed. Dropping his second sword he gripped the one embedded inside the scorpion and began twisting it and tearing the creature's insides.


-ashe