And Darkness Consumes
Chapter Seven: Ritual of Blood Letting
Luckily for Erich, there were more then enough jagged pieces of bones to cut the bonds which bind him. Working with what he guessed was at one time someone's femur bone snapped in half, he began to slow process of slicing the leather cords wrapped around his wrists. The stench of wolf and dead animals hung heavy in the dank cave air, threatening to suffocate him with its putrid odor. Sweat dotted his forehead, his brow furrowed in concentration, the fragmented bone held between his feet as he raked the leather across the jagged end. At first, there was only a small tear, but with work and persistence, the tear grew and eventually the cord snapped. Not wasting time on celebrating, Erich sets to work on removing the leather around his ankles, and once this is out of the way, he knew what he had to do next... Escape!
Rifling around the pit a bit, Erich finds a leg bone which wasn't broken yet, and swings it a few times to get a feel for it. It wasn't very elegant, but he could use it as a make shift club until he found his old weapons and armor. The cave went on for as far as he could see in one direction, eventually disappearing into total darkness, while soft, firelight filtered in from the other end, where Yun had went after confronting Erich.
Right. This is where I need to go. No pressure, just keep to the shadows, pray that no one sees me... Er... Smells me, and get the heck out! Easier said then done, Erich knew. This place was probably crawling with wolves, escaping would require nothing less then a miracle!
The rough rock walls yielded some cover for Erich as he tiptoed along the wall, flattening his back against it as he neared a junction in the cave. He could hear a voice coming form somewhere to his right, while the air smelled fresher straight ahead. The voice he heard was female, but it had a disjointed quality to it, and it filled him with a sense of dread. Almost without knowing how, he knew that the voice belonged to the Demoness Andariel. He couldn't quite make out what she was saying, so he crept closer, forsaking escaping so he could eavesdrop. As he neared the off-shoot, Andariel's voice became clearer. She appeared to be scolding Yun!
"... And the only reason I'm not kicking your head around my throne room is because I still have a use for you, worthless though you may be. Fail to bring me Deckard's head like you failed to destroy the last of Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye, and there will be NO mercy! I will wipe out your entire clan, then torture you for a thousand years..." Andariel went into gruesome detail, describing exactly what awaited Yun if he failed her again. It was enough to make Erich wince.
Risking a peek around the corner, he spied Yun, sitting cross legged on the ground before a floating sphere of light, his back to Erich. Andariel appeared to be talking to him directly via this magic sphere, but weather or not she could see him was unknown to the Nord. Yun was alone, and that was all that mattered. In the corner of the chamber was Erich's Bonemold armor, although pieces of it appears to have been chewed on recently. Raising the leg bone above his head, Erich crept forward, willing himself to be as stealthy as a shadow on a moonless night. Without even realizing it, Erich became invisible, his body simply vanishing from sight.
Yun took the scolding like a good servant, not speaking until Lady Andariel was done. Then he said simply, "I will not fail you."
The magic sphere vanished in a whiff of smoke, then Yun sighed deeply, almost depressed. "How dare she speak to ME in such a to-" Suddenly he sniffed the air, then was immediately on his feet, taking up a defensive position. Erich froze, then cursed and ran at Yun, the bone raised high above his head. Yun didn't stared at Erich, but rather beyond him, his nose flaring as he caught Erich's scent on the air but couldn't see him.
Closing the distance between himself and Yun, Erich brought the bone down hard on Yun's head, becoming visible as the bone began it's downward ascent. Caught completely off guard and unprepared, Yun could do little except accept the blow full on in the head. The brittle bone snapped and scattered explosively as it slammed against the top of Yun's skull, bits of bone shrapnel flying in every which way, some embedding themselves into Yun's scalp and Erich's skin. Giving a surprised yelp, Yun immediately countered with a fist to Erich's sternum. Erich grunted as Yun's fist smashed into his midsection, the force of the blow staggering him back a few steps. He was still armed with half a femur, the end of it jagged enough to use as a crude stabbing implement. He knew that the bone was a useless weapon, he'd have to try and make a dive for his Halberd if he wanted any REAL chance to win this battle.
Biting his lower lip and forcing the pain in his chest to the back of his mind, Erich braced himself as Yun came at him again, already in 'wolf man' form, his clawed fists ready to dish pain and discomfort upon Erich. At the last second, Erich threw himself to one side, then leapt forward past Yun towards his weapon, but the werewolf spun on him, grabbing his ankle as Erich dived through the air, causing him to land prematurely, just short of the golden weapon laying against the wall. The rough, hard rock floor scraped Erich's face as Yun pulled him towards himself, and then...
THWANG! THUD!
Yun gasped as four arrows pierced him from behind...
Kashya herself lead a small troupe of ten Rogues into the Stony Fields. Yun's Den wasn't far now, and thus far they managed to get by without being noticed, but how long would their luck hold out?
No, luck has nothing to do with this. It's skill, plain and simple. Kashya thought, her gaze falling upon the young Rogue Kyoko. Kyoko's here for all the wrong reasons. No man, especially an outlander, is worth risking your life for. She could have just as easily stayed at the camp... I also could have just as easily MADE her stay at camp, but I took her with me... Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age...
She was proud of the rescue party, everyone knew what they were doing, knew the risks and danger involved, but they still chose to go. Drawing the ten warriors into a circle, Kashya went over the proposed plan of action one more time, then handed out vials of wolf urine, which they would have to apply to themselves to mask their human scent. Without even a single compliant or noise, each of the ten Rogues applied a handful of the dark liquid to their skin and the outer layer of their leather armor. Their scents masked, the Rogues closed in on Yun's Den.
Getting past the small groups of Wolves posted at the entrance to Yun's Den was simpler then they imagined, a fact which bothered Kashya to no end. It was all TOO easy. She could already tell something was going to go wrong on the way out. It just HAD to!
Splitting into three groups of three, the Rogues split up to cover more ground inside the cave, Kashya herself going with the Rogues Kyoko, Hannah and Amplisa.
Striking deep into the heart of the cave, the group moved past small piles of animal bones and meat scraps. The fact that the caves were relatively empty made Kashya even more worried.
This is a trap if I ever did see one! She was fully ready to give her life for the survival of the Sisterhood.
Suddenly sounds sprang from somewhere up ahead, interrupting Kashya's thoughts. Motioning for the other three to hurry, Kashya nocked an arrow on her bow and rushed towards the source of the sound. Ahead the path T-boned, keeping on straight while another cave tunnel intersected it in the middle. Coming upon this intersection, Kashya and the Rogues stumbled onto Erich fighting Yun! Grinning, Kashya made hand signs for the Rogues to line up in a row. Rising their bows, all four drew back the drawstring on their Hunter's bows, held it for a second, then released their volley as one.
THWANG! THUD!
All four arrows pierced into Yun's furry back, and he howled in pain, spinning on his new assailants, which gave Erich enough time to seize his Halberd. Leaping to his feet, Erich thrust the crescent blade of the Halberd into Yun's back, throwing his weight behind it to cause it to pierce all the way through. Howling in agony again, the bloody blade of the Dwenmer Halberd sticking out of his stomach, Yun twisted his body, wresting the heft of the Halberd out of Erich's hand, turning to attack the Nord again.
THWANG! THUD!
Another volley of arrows slammed into him, staggering the werewolf. He was on top of Erich in a flash, his jaws open, saliva dripping from his fangs. Erich found that he suddenly couldn't move, he was frozen with fear as Yun brought his fangs down on him. He cried out in pain as he felt his fangs pierce the flesh on his shoulder.
THWANG! THUD!
The third and final volley of arrows impaled Yun's back one last time, and his eyes went dull, the fire in them dying right before Erich. With his dying breath, Yun muttered something unintelligible, then said quietly "Bring pride to my clan..."
He fell silent, his body sliding off Erich's and collapsing to the ground. Even though the shirt he was wearing was torn, there was no bite wound where Yun had bit him. Immediately Kyoko was upon Erich, throwing her arms around his neck, almost toppling him over as she embraced him.
"You're okay! We got here just in time!" She exclaimed, overcome with joy.
Erich slowly returned the hug, then shrugged at the look Kashya gave him. He decided that he would say nothing of the final bite Yun had given him.