Sol Grim

The Origin: A War Resumed (Arc One; Completed)

Dalious laid flat on his back next to Shadar as he drew, blinking at the arena ceiling as his eye sight slowly came back to him. Everything went from dark, to blurry, to normal rather quickly. He massaged his shoulder wound as he relaxed and also waited for the healer to come around.

"Consider the debt void," Dalious said. In truth, the pirate felt like hell currently. It was a mix of getting stabbed and blinded all while being incredibly hung over from the night before. Perhaps he would feel better once the healer tended his wound, but he wasn't sure if that would help his throbbing headache.

When he could see again, he glanced over and peeked at Shadar's artwork, giving a nod of approval. "Spot on," he said, giving Vesta a glance. He laid back down and continued to look up, his thoughts more interested now in what kind of magics Shadar was working with. "How does one change form entirely? I've never witnessed such a thing." He spoke more to himself out of curiosity, not really seeking an answer. He sat up and cracked his neck, then his knuckles. "Say, these runes. Would you be able to forge them into weapons or armor? Daggers, for example?"

Dalious wanted to upgrade his equipment, as his last bout was nearly a loss due to lack of armor and poor choice in blades. He didn't want that to happen again, he also assumed that since they all won the bout, maybe the Guratans would let them take a few supplies. He was hopeful, anyway. He could tell Shadar was paying little attention to him as he drew though, however that didn't stop the man from speaking. "Maybe a flame dagger and an ice one? Or, no, what about electricity? Ooh, perhaps a vibrant mind control rune crested on a dragon forged golden armor? A longsword that can move the very earth below?" The pirate knew absolutely nothing about runes or magic, and so he continued in his fantasy. "How about a silver staff that turns foes into ash and dust? Come on!"

The Dead and the Dying

Also, you guys already know dallen, so whenever you show he can vouch for you.

The Dead and the Dying

"Dallen, right?" Raven asked as the lawyer brought a bag of supplies into the farm house. "Small world."

Dallen recognized the woman immediately, as it was only the other morning they had met in that subway. He nodded to her in agreement.

"Very small," he added. "You know these people?"

"No," she said. "Just came in the other night. Found Johnny and Reena in a car accident, ended up here. You?"

"I followed a fallen helicopter, ended up here. Good to see you alive, we'll catch up. There's a lot to be done now, though."

"Yeah," Raven agreed.

Raven turned and saw Alyssa finally waking up through the cracked open door to the bedroom. She grabbed a plate of scrambled eggs from the kitchen counter and brought them to the girl.

"You slept like a rock," Raven said to Alyssa as she came in and set the plate at the girl's bedside. "I'm not sure if we ever properly met yet, I'm Raven. You slept through breakfast so I figured I'd save you a plate. Gotta keep up your strength, you know."

She tried to sound polite and optimistic to their whole situation, but deep down all she really felt was fear. She could also see that same feeling in Alyssa. A lot of people had died the last few days, and only now she realized they had a moment to catch their breath.

"The others brought back some supplies," Raven continued. "They just got back. I know you're scared, I am to. You have to know the truth regardless. They said they were all attacked by a horde down a few miles back, they could be coming this way." Raven slipped her a kitchen knife onto the bed. "Just in case. We're on a slight hill though, so some of them believe they won't make it here. How are you doing with all of this?"

"I call bullshit," Johnny said as he walked back up to Dallen. He was good and stoned now, which if it didn't make him paranoid it made him think about things.

"Excuse me?" Dallen replied, dropping his bag of automatic rifles to the dirt.

"You were a marine, and now a lawyer," Johnny said. "Law school takes years. You just happened to quit the marines to become a lawyer?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"Well, how old are you?"

"Fifty," Dallen responded, giving off an annoyed sigh afterward.

"Really?" Johnny eyed the man. "You age well, sir." Dallen shook his head and then just walked on by ignoring him. Johnny huffed as if he had just lost some kind of argument. He walked over to Frank and gave him a stern look. "I don't know about that one."

Ethan had wandered around the house to be alone. He walked over to the orange trees that loomed atop the hill, overlooking the vast fields beyond. His memory lost in thoughts of his family as a cool breeze began to set in. He fell to his knees and debated with suicide, even putting his gun to his temple, until he saw something far off in the distance. It was a red pickup truck heading toward them on one of the many dirt trails. It seemed to be traveling fast, as the dirt behind the vehicle kept getting larger as it approached. Ethan ran back to warn the others. "Someone's coming!" he yelled.

Dallen quickly tossed anyone around him an automatic rifle, then made his way around the house. "Take a flanking position Johnny," Dallen told him.

"Who made you the boss?" Johnny spat. "Why don't you take a flanking position and let me handle this?"

"Because you're stoned as shit."

"So?" Johnny replied. "I'm in my prime old man."

Regardless of the conversation, Johnny still went off to a flanking position at the other end of the house. Dallen notioned for Reena to watch his back as he went out to the hill, while Ethan stayed a few feet behind all of them.

The truck half u-turned and stopped, facing them all sideways. They came to a halt with a bit of distance between both parties, but close enough to be heard by a loud voice. Dallen quickly sized them up, seeing three armed men in the truck bed, with two, possibly three, inside.

"How y'all doin' today?" one of the men in the back of the truck spoke. No weapons were raised in attack, but everyone kept them close by. Dallen turned to look at Reena, giving her a look as if to ask if she knew these guys. Dallen turned back toward the strangers and shrugged.

"Not much of a talker then, I see," the man continued. "We see you're armed and have numbers, we don't mean a fight to happen here. We just, uh, got run out of our place. There's a horde of those things back there, leavin' a trail of death behind 'em. They killed three of our own. You guys are tippity top of the hill 'round these parts. Be oftly nice to stay with 'yall. Maybe...help each other out?"

"We're not letting anyone else in," Johnny shouted, giving up his cover and giving Dallen another headache.

"You heard him," Dallen said.

"This is a...nice big ol farm," the man continued. "You got plenty of room."

"There's plenty of other places," Dallen said.

"You know, shit I didn't even introduce myself," the man said. "I'm Ernie. These here are my friends. You gonna let...us lose our home and be stranded on our own?"

"Yes," replied Dallen.

Ernie gave Dallen a cold look, then just nodded and tapped the roof of the truck. It started up, and they were off again heading back the way they came.

"They'll be back," Dallen said to Reena and Ethan. "We have a lot of work to do."

The Dead and the Dying

ok, so i did that post drunk as shit. enjoy, or ...not. :(

The Dead and the Dying

Ethan shrugged off the water, not paying much attention to the notion. He went back to staring out the window.

"I'm a lawyer," Dallen told her. There was a slight pause as he let that sink in for a minute. He smirked, then decided to tell her the rest since he was actually impressed with her. "I was a marine before." He hated talking about his past, but in the current stage of things none of that even mattered. He figured it was best to let them all know his expertice.

"Let me help you," Johnny told Reena, as he got out of the vehicle to hold the gas canister for her. "Listen, things are only gonna get worse here on out. We get back to your place, we might be staying there for awhile. A bunch of strangers. We have to fortify, and maybe get ready for the winter." Johnny put aside his original thoughts, of leaving and trying to survive this all on his own. He realized that if they were going to survive, they needed people. They needed each other. "We have to look after each other, from here on out, I have a feeling we're going to meet some unpredictable people. Dallen, for one. I'm not so sure about him...then again, maybe he won't stay."

It wasn't much longer when they reached the farm house with the others. The area seemed calm and composed, a break from what they had already been through.

Ethan found a room to himself, while Dallen and Johnny began pulling out all the supplies and putting them in the house.

"So, does this mean you're staying?" Johnny asked Dallen.

"No," he replied. "It means I'm staying until I'm not. For now, I suppose."

"Then where?"

"I don't know," Dallen said. "Maybe the coast? Find an island."

"Are you so sure this thing is world wide?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"If it wasn't, we would have heard by now."

When they were done loading, Johnny stepped outside and pulled out a sack of weed he had stored in one of his coat pockets. he turned an empty coke can into a pipe with his knife, then tried to smoke his worries away.

The Dead and the Dying

Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm just making this shit up as I go. If you need any help lemme know I'll put something together. Also, sorry for the super ridiculously late reply.

The Dead and the Dying

Ethan helped his wife lift herself up the latter from the floor as Johnny aimed at the door they had just entered, expecting it to suddenly burst open.

"Johnny!" Ethan yelled back to him as they made there way up, and it snapped him out of his trance.

He followed them to the roof, immediately going over to the front to look down. Dozens of walkers roamed toward them, all clunking together as they reached the fire building. Johnny remembered the feral from before, he looked over all the undead carefully trying to spot one.

"We can't stay here long," johnny said. "There are ones that can climb. Fast ones."

Ethan took his wife aside from the others and away from the front of the building, where she nearly callapsed. He sat with her, wrapping his arms around her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Ethan," she started.

"It's not your fault," he quickly said. "How could it be? No one was prepared for this. If only we had known...if only the military could have warned us!"

"How long does she have?" Johnny asked, keeping his finger close to his holstered glock.

"Shut up Johnny!" Ethan yelled back at him.

"There were more of us," Sarah said. "This place wouldn't let us in, so we camped...some others couldn't...so they attacked each other. I went with a group and we ended up where you found me. Even they attacked each other...you can't trust anybody anymore Ethan."

Ethan nodded, then rubbed her hair to calm her down.

"Thank you James," he said. "If you guys don't mind, we'd like to be alone for what little time we have left."

"You're not bad for a girl," Dallen told Reena as they reached the jeep.

The ignition wouldn't start at first, but just as the horde barely touched the back of the vehicle, it started up and they were off. He spun the jeep onto a dirt path and sped past them all, making his way back across the small town they were in.

"How far are we going?" he asked. "This thing's almost out of gas."

Sarah spit out a chunk of blood from her mouth. Her body started shaking afterward, as Ethan hunched over her and held her tight.

"She's still fine!" Ethan yelled.

"James," said Johnny. "You did good, but that was really stupid. If I'm ever stuck like that, do yourself a favor and stay away. You don't owe anyone anything. Luck runs out."

He turned when he heard a honking horn off nearby.

"They're here. And they brought the rest of the infected."

The jeep pulled up over the hill, with walkers slowly trying to keep up far behind it.

"We're gonna have to make a clearing so they can come in and pick us up...Ethan, umm..."

"Just leave us here," Ethan said. "Just go."

"I just risked my life for you man, after you socked me in the face which I can forget about. I'm sorry about your wife, but she's turning."

"...he's right," sarah muttered. "It hurts...please Ethan. Go with them."

"No!" he yelled. "I can't."

"You have to," she said. She put her hand out to him, looking at his sidearm he had buckled away. "Let me end it. I don't want to turn into one of those things."

He gave her a defeated look, tears swelling at the eyes. There had to be another way.

"We don't know if there's a cure yet!" Ethan tried again to convince them.

"It's to late," she said.

She reached and grabbed the gun, and he let her. The horn from the jeep blasted the air again, this time much closer.

"I love you. Go."

"We're gonna have to jump!" Johnny told them. "Come on!"

Ethan nodded and got up. He backed toward the others staring at his wife the whole time. She had a smile on her face, in the midst of everything that had happened.

"Now!"

Johnny grabbed Ethan and jumped down, he hit his ribs hard on the frame but made it nonetheless. Dallen stood outside and opened fire onto the horde nearest them, making a clearing enough to escape. He swung back into the driver seat and pressed the pedal.

The Dead and the Dying

So basically Reena, James, Ethan, Johnny all went on a supply run. They met Dallen in the woods who saved Ethan and james from some bad military people, then they all got stuck in a basement with a horde approaching. Ethan found his wife, but shes bit, and they are stuck in an outhouse. Reena and Dallen are distracting the walkers while James and Johnny are saving Ethan and his wife.

You and Raven are back at the farm house, which is where we are prob gonna be heading next assuming the plan goes accordingly. The horses were set free, so they might be going back to the farm house to.

and alexfangtalon's characters were last left travelling toward the farm house as well.

The Dead and the Dying

Johnny shook the cobwebs off as he sat up, hearing the plan that was being put together as well as the horde that was banging against the house.

"Kid, I like you, but what your trying to do is suicide," Johnny told him. "You're gonna at least need my help."

Dallen sighed and rubbed his head. He didn't care about the man in the outhouse, however they were right about getting out of here now. It was just a matter of time before the place was overrun and it would be to late. He helped Reena shove the supplies through the window and then shook his head in agreement, as if he was trying to convince himself to help.

"I have a jeep with more supplies parked on a trail to the east," Dallen said. "I'll go out with her, start a diversion. Get to my jeep, then lead them all away so you can get the kid. I'll double back and pick you up from the fire station."

Before anyone could agree or disagree, a walker started banging at the door from within the house. There was no more time left. Johnny gave a quick nod and then grabbed the door, swinging it open again. He gripped his pocket knife as the walker came stumbling in, then stabbed it deep into its temple.

"Go!" Johnny yelled, and Dallen was off.

The lawyer rushed out of the house, taking a few walkers down with his AR-15. He got outside and took out a few more with direct headshots.

"Move, move!" he yelled to Reena, as he scooped up one of the supply backs and slung it over his back.

A walker got to close to him and pressed him against the wall. Dallen gripped the undead by the throat, while struggling with his rifle as another walker approached. He grabbed the second by the throat as well, keeping them just barely off of him. He could smell there horrible breath, the jaws just being inches away from his flesh.

"Girl, help!" Dallen pleaded as he used all the strength he had to shove the walker on his left toward Reena, hoping that she'd be able to take it down. This gave him a free hand, and he used it to clench the other walkers throat more fully. He lifted the infected up and smashed it down to the grass, then used the butte of his rifle to smash its brains in.

They moved off to the side, firing at the bulk of the horde to keep them at bay. It was working, they all began swarming in Dallen and Reena's direction.

"Reloading!" Dallen yelled as he quickly changed a magazine. Within seconds he was ready again, popping headshots one by one as they slowly drew the horde away and toward the jeep.

"You ready, kid?" Johnny asked.

Johnny led the way out the opposite direction of the house. The first thing he saw lying against the house outside was a pitchfork. He picked it up and swung it at the nearest walker, knocking it back into a few others. They ran around the house and back toward the outhouse. He stuck another walker direct in the face with the pitchfork, then used the limp dead body as a puppet to keep back a few others as they got by them. He then let go of the weapon and moved on, pulling out his handgun and running next to James.

"Go get him, I got you covered!" Johnny yelled.

"I love you..." Ethan told his wife, both of them filled up with tears. He thought it was the end, but as the wooden door cracked a bit further, he heard a few gunshots ring out to take out the walkers. Moments later the door swung open, and immediately he lifted his wife and ran outside.

"She's bit!" Johnny said, immediately noticing.

"So what, we'll deal with that later," Ethan said, wrapping her good arm around his shoulder. "I'm not leaving her here to get torn apart. Get us out of here!"

Johnny nodded.

"James, stay at their front I'll watch the back," Johnny said. He raised his glock and took out two more.

The Dead and the Dying

Lotsa dead people. Sorry at work ill give a better answer later.