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 Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2015 3:03 pm
((This is a self-RP containing Xelloss, Xellra, and Zenoskelis! Warning: Some violence!))  The bat Hialeah clung to a tree, her large dark eyes fixed on Xelloss. "I have news for you!" she said, ears trembling with excitement. Lorenna wasn't the only one that could use familiars to her advantage. Since promoting himself to Lordship, Xelloss had recruited the bat and some of her kin as messengers and spies. Hialeah in particular had been watching something of great interest to him, and he leaned down to hear what she had to say. "Do continue," he suggested, eyes agleam with anticipation.
"The humans you wanted, we found them," replied the bat.
Exactly what he had hoped to hear. "Excellent," replied Xelloss, lighting up with ominous pleasure. "Tell me everything you know."
The humans, the tribe of them that had captured his children once, a humiliation in the midst of one of their missions. He had put off dealing with them for so long, but the time had come. The mazoku were going to get their revenge. Greater Beast Xelloss would see to it.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2015 6:28 pm
 Xellra, Xelloss' eldest son, smirked. "It's about time we taught those humans to respect us," he said. He had been able to fly away when the humans had found them. He alone among his brothers had evaded capture. However, that made him no less inclined for violence towards them.
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Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2015 6:29 pm
"And me?" Zenoskelis asked, unconvinced. "I cannot fly well, so if that is what the plan hinges upon, you may be better off without me." He unfurled his wings in demonstration. They were on the small side and the membranes were ragged. He could take to the air for short amounts of time now, but nothing more than that.
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Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2015 6:30 pm
"You can fly a lot better than Tythoss and your father can," replied Xelloss dryly. He eyed Zenoskelis' wings thoughtfully. Very few of his descendants had the ability to fly. Of those few, Xellra was certainly his most skilled operative. Zenos... was not. That was one of the reasons Xelloss thought it would be beneficial to assign him to this mission. Zenos needed the chance to pick himself up after his near-death experience with the cliff he'd had not long ago. He could still be a very effective mazoku, he just needed to stop fussing so much and dodging responsibility.
"You won't need to fly until the very end of the mission," added Xelloss. "Of course, it will be utterly crucial that you manage it then, so I'd advise you get some practice in." Xelloss chuckled at this.
"We'll have plenty of time on the trip over if you need personal lessons, but you will be coming." This final statement left no room for whining or further discussion. Xelloss would hone Zenoskelis into what was needed, whether his grandson liked it or not.
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Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2015 6:32 pm
"Very well," sighed Zenoskelis. He would do what he must...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2015 6:33 pm
As it turned out, Xelloss did have to give Zenoskelis flying lessons. He suspected that Zenoskelis struggled so much because he was self-taught. Neither of his parents could fly, so no one had ever actually taught him the finer points of it. By the time they drew close to the human encampments, Zenos could take flight in half the paces it once took him, and he was for more sturdy in the air as well. It was nothing to scoff at, and Xelloss could tell Zenos was pleased about it as well. Giving personal training lessons wasn't anything he was fond of, but Xelloss was willing to go through it if it meant a more effective team.
Now, the sun was setting. Xelloss didn't want to enact the plan before it was full dark, but now was the time to start discussing the details of it.
"This place we are now?" he started. "Remember it. Your job will be luring the humans to this place, where I will meet you with the other half of the plan."
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 9:38 am
Xellra tilted his head intrigued and curious. "What do you mean, the 'other half of the plan?" he asked. "And how exactly are we supposed to lure the humans anyways?" He didn't know what sort of thing would draw a human. What did they like... apples? Corn?
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 9:40 am
"These humans like to capture soquili, don't they?" asked Zenoskelis, quickly picking up on what was needed. "That's what we do. We look like easy prey and get them to chase us." He considered for a moment, then added, "Or we attack one. That would get the warriors to follow." Humans were not overly difficult to overcome individually and when surprised. It would be easy to pick off one to make a point.
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 9:45 am
"Exactly right!" said Xelloss brightly, favoring Zenoskelis with a wing pat. "I have nothing but faith in your ability to aggravate the humans into giving chase." Xelloss had plenty of personal experience with how annoying they could be after so long on the road with them.
"So bring them here and do it swiftly. If I haven't arrived yet, stall them. Don't bother yourself with the second part of the plan." This he directed at Xellra. "But as soon as you see me, fly away. Things are going to get very ugly very quickly." He chuckled darkly. It was going to be an interesting night.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 9:49 am
"I think they're angry!" shouted Zenoskelis as he sprinted as fast as he could through the maze of forest passages. A spear shot by his head just then to prove his point. He belatedly ducked, and twisted his path to be out of the direct line of fire.
Angry might even be too weak a word for what the mob of angry humans was feeling. Furious, murderous... now those were more appropriate. Zenos supposed it was merited. He had kicked what looked like an old storyteller into a campfire, after all. Now they had almost the complete band of humans after them. While they were quickly approaching the rendezvous point, he wondered what would happen if they made it there much before Xelloss. Would they have to hold off the hoard themselves?
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 9:53 am
Xellra laughed as he skirted close enough to Zenoskelis again for conversation. "That move back there, that was perfect!" He hadn't thought Zenos was bold enough to go knocking ancient humans into fiery pits. He had always thought that Zenos was the weak link in the chain, but maybe he'd toughened up some with the games.
"We're almost there!" He could smell the scent of the pine trees that overshadowed the grove where they led the humans to. He heard something behind him, the clopping of hooves. He turned to look back and saw that one of the humans had a horse. A horse! One of the idiotic and mute creatures that looked so much like soquili, but had none of their graces. "Disgusting," he scoffed, until the rider of the horse sent an arrow whistling by him.
Xellra whinnied as the arrow grazed his shoulder. Whatever Xelloss was going to do, it needed to be fast!
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 9:57 am
Zenos grew more alarmed as he too noticed the horse and rider. Horses could keep up with them! Only one was visible for now, but he thought he could hear more hooves in the distance. He thought he understood now why Xelloss needed them to fly. They wouldn't be able to escape from this group on the ground alone.
Suddenly, he skidded to a stop in a familiar stand of pines. "We're here!" They'd made it to the meeting point, only... where was Xelloss?
Zenos heard the clatter of hooves in front of them. There! There he was! Xelloss was charging ahead as fast as Zenos had ever seen him. Was that blood on his flanks? What was-
Zenos stared. Behind Xelloss was the real reason they had to fly. "Go! He shouted at Xellra. "Go now!!"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 10:06 am
This was a plan that had been brewing in the back of Xelloss' mind for some time now. Ever since being chased down by the elder skinwalker Samsara, he'd had this tickle of inspiration, an idea for a future scheme. He had tabled the notion for some time now, just like he had tabled the need for revenge against the humans. It was only by pure luck that he was able to throw the two plans together so beautifully.
What no one but him had realized was that the human encampment was dangerously close to skinwalker territory. Not just any skinwalker either, but a pure skinwalker that had crawled straight from the bowels of hell. Or something. Wherever he had come from, Xelloss had been aware of the skinwalker and decided to use him to his advantage. His own task was almost identical to the one he had given his servants. Only he wasn't taunting and leading humans on a chase, he was doing it to a purewalker.
He had found Dardanos prowling around, presumably checking his territory for any intruders in the early hours of the night. He found one. It hadn't taken much to get the skinwalker lusting for his blood and Xelloss ran like his tail was on fire, the skinwalker hot on his trail and occasionally getting close enough to even claw at him a few times. It hurt, but it was nothing, nothing compared to what Xelloss knew the walker would do to his enemies.
By the time they drew near to the meeting place, Xelloss' sides were on fire from cat scratches and his lungs burned with exertion. He was almost out of energy, but then... there he was. Zenos noticed him first and shouted at his brother to fly. They both shot into the air, but Xelloss stayed on the ground just little longer. He continued to streak away from the purewalker until the last moment, until the moment when he saw the humans rearing up for combat in the bushes in front of him. Then Xelloss leaped. He leaped over them and into the sky above, climbing past the errant arrows they sent his way.
As he climbed, he began to hear the first screams from below.
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 10:10 am
Xellra had been in such a scramble to get aloft that he nearly fell right back out of the sky again. A purewalker! That was what Xelloss had meant by "the other part of the plan!" He didn't stop to look until he was high enough to know he was beyond the reach of arrows. Then, he finally looked down to see what was happening.
The skinwalker had met the humans with the force of a hurricane. He could see bodies strewn on the ground and more in the making. He thought the skinwalker was prickled with arrows and maybe the tip of a spear, but there was so much movement and mayhem that it was hard to even comprehend what was going on down there.
He gave a low whistle of appreciation. That was something you didn't see every day.
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 10:17 am
The carnage below was beyond what even Xelloss had hoped for. The skinwalker tore through the humans like paper. It was a fierce old beast and apparently Xelloss had awoken a deep fury in it. Aggravating other creatures was one of the things he excelled at, after all.
Xelloss smiled wickedly. Those humans wanted to capture soquili? There was a prize for them. There was their just reward for the humiliation they had caused to him and his brood.
"Those humans are escaping," said Zenos, winging closer to Xelloss. "I don't think the skinwalker noticed them."
"No, but we did," said Xelloss, smile still fixed on his face. "How about it boys? Would you like me to show you how to kill a human with a spear?" There were not so many humans now and they were frightened, scattered, weak. Easy prey.
"Yes!" hissed Xellra, delighted.
"Absolutely!" said Zenoskelis, thinking he finally understood the fun of this murdering business.
"Then follow me." Xelloss dove down with them. No, giving personal lessons wasn't his usual style, but sometimes it could be quite entertaining. Educational, too.
In the art of killing, Xelloss was an exceptional teacher.
~ Fin
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