#16
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"Alright, as the girl is hungry I guess it makes sence to eat first, I can watch over the others while you hunt? Or we can reverse the roles. Looking to the Ranger. |
#17
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__________________
Wherever you go, there you are. Last edited by Majestyk; Jan 30th, 2013 at 09:20 PM. |
#18
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Sparrow stifled a small snort of laughter as she heard Maxwells body hit the ground, waking him up. Funny how he was the only one to pass out from passing through the aperture they all went through. While Maxwell started to mumble randomness about teleportation and planer travel she turned to Eljin "Well we can hunt, or use what rations we have left, but my hint was more towards heading to the possible civilization." she stopped a moment, her head tilting towards maxwell for a moment, agreeing with his last statement. "Now that I think of it though we should probably head towards a treeline or some cover, eat and get back some of our energy. I'll have Rorek scout the area and see what he can find so we don't go getting ourselves into trouble...again." When she gave Rorek the command to scout he let out a screech and flew off, quickly disappearing in the distance as he headed in the direction of the smoke. Without the falcon nearby she was blind to her surroundings once more.
Turning away from her companions she took a few steps through the deep grass, getting a feel for the ground around her. She had gotten used to the small dirt yard they had been confined to, knew where the holes, the rocks and other such obstacles were. Stopping a moment she turned her head in their direction "coming?" she asked before walking again.
__________________
"I Hope You Don't Screw Like You Type."
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#19
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__________________
Currently Playing Orjan Erlandson. Currently writing, building and GMing for The Golandian Chronicle. Last edited by Jeigh; Jan 29th, 2013 at 12:48 AM. |
#20
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The Homestead
Images fill your mind and Rorek soars ever higher, streaking towards the source of smoke in the distance. Below the green grass dwindles until it appears to be only a carpet. A small stream cuts its way through the meadow about a quarter of a mile from where you stand and in between you and the smoke. It's crystal clear water foams up here and there as it babbles over projecting stones buried in its shallow waters. There is no sign of trees, however. Save for those near the base of the mountains far off in the distance the meadow remains a vast field of gently blowing grass. Here and there you spot herds of strange animals grazing. They appear to be a cross between a deer and a horse, possessing manes of dark fur on the ridge of their spines. A few of them have strange, twisted horns sprouting out from their foreheads. They pay no heed as Rorek continues along his path over the valley floor. As he nears the source of the smoke you see that it is the ruins of a small building, which has been burnt to the ground. The earth around it is scarred with the heat of the blaze, but save for a few tongues of flame licking at the last remaining shards of wood, it appears to have consumed all of the fuel available to it. The yard is dirt, the grass having been cleared away and something that resembles a stone well is situated near the smoldering ruins. As Rorek draws near he pulls up and lights upon the beam above the well. Several bodies lay in various positions, scattered about the yard. Arrow shafts protrude from the torsos like obscene epitaphs. The arms, legs, and heads have been removed and scattered around the area in random locations. The metallic stench of blood is heavy in the air. Having seen enough, Rorek launches himself in the air, but suddenly pauses, floating lightly on an unseen updraft. Something below moves and he adjusts his wings to glide in the general direction. Beyond the yard, the tall grass stirs. At first you think that it must be one of those strange animals from earlier, but as he shifts his head you see to your chagrin that it is in fact a small child, huddled in the thick cover provided by the grass. Landing lightly, only a few feet from the child, Rorek lets out a few chirps and the figure raises her head, peering out at him through tear filled eyes. Her hair is dirty and tangled, her dress ripped, and snot mixed with mud smears her face. Somehow she still manages a smile, her eyes widening with wonder. "Well hello there." She says, her voice cracking as she chokes back her tears. "Where did you come from?" Rorek chirps a few more times and hops towards her. She reaches out tentatively and the falcon allows her to graze his crown with her fingertips. A look of sheer delight lights up her dirty face. "Are you an angel?" Rorek chirps and moves away to take flight. "Please don't leave! I...I'm all alone." Panic fills her voice and tears fill her eyes again as she returns to her huddled position. Rorek looks back at her, then in the direction of the party. He seems unsure what to do. Beyond the grass the smoke from the burnt homestead continues to point an accusing finger at the sky. Finally he approaches again and hops up onto her lap. It is clear that at least one member of your party has made up his mind on what course of action to take.
__________________
“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Support your local Short Story Competition!
Last edited by Sparhawk; Jan 29th, 2013 at 01:01 AM. |
#21
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Sparrow walked carefully as images filled her mind from Rorek. The first few times this happened it made her quite dizzy, but as the connection between her and Falcon strengthened it became something of the norm. She heard Balbanes long strides to catch up to her as his feet disturbed the ground and his body the grass. Her body sighed long fully at the mention of a warm fire and some hot food, her stomach giving a soft growl at the thought of it. Her foot hit a rock, hidden in the grass and she quickly corrected her footing to step over it. Her head tilted slightly in the direction of him as he now spoke directly to her about Rorek. She gave a small laugh as he threw questions at her unable to help from doing so. "In a Sense he is, but he is most definitely real. He has a soul. As for the rest of what you just said that now has me confused..." she shook her head slightly "No, I am not a druid, I simply have a strong personal connection to nature" She answered simply, enough to satisfy his curiosity but not telling him all her 'secrets'
As she walked she continued to watch what Rorek had to show her, taking note of landmarks, distances and places of interest. The animals drew her attention for a moment. 'curious...' she thought to herself before letting the images fast forward again. She stopped walking all together as the falcon came closer to the smoke enough to see that it was a burned down building now just a smoldering pile. Her hand went to her mouth as she saw the bodies that littered the earth, a small gasp escaping her lips. The scene made her stomach feel queezy and she swayed slightly. "Its A Fire! And A Massacre" she said as Rorek turned to fly away. She paused a moment and watched as he found something, hoping it wasn't anything aggressive that would harm him, though now turned in the direction of the smoke as he found the child. She didn't blame Rorek for wanting to stay at her side. "there's a child still alive" she told them all and without a moments hesitation of danger she started towards the billows of smoke in a sprint, knowing the way. She knew what it felt like to lose everyone, to be alone. If she could help this little girl in any way, she would.
__________________
"I Hope You Don't Screw Like You Type."
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#22
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__________________
Wherever you go, there you are. Last edited by Majestyk; Jan 30th, 2013 at 03:03 AM. |
#23
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Eljin follows along hearing the conversation and trying to peer ahead so the blind lady and the new guy don't step on any snakes and bite off the kind of trouble that bites back. He mumbles to himself...
"Bird flys out of a tattoo on her arm and he asks if it's magical. No it's not magical just so damned normal there isn't even a word for it." Hearing of a massacre and a child left behind, and also remembering brutal tactics used by villians in the past he hurries after his companions voicing caution. "Remember the traps dastardly villians can set, just because it looks like a child dosn't mean that it is one approach with caution blast the lot of you!" Far more quietly, to himself almost. "I miss my old companions so much sometimes." Eljin keeps pace initially but falls back as they grow nearer the source of the smoke, he intends to keep to the woods and eye what transpires, if a trap is sprun upon his companions he will spring upon the traplairs in return with bow and with sword. Last edited by Jotur; Jan 30th, 2013 at 04:41 AM. |
#24
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__________________
Currently Playing Orjan Erlandson. Currently writing, building and GMing for The Golandian Chronicle. |
#25
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Maxwell The girl peers up at you through bloodshot eyes and smiles broadly. "My name's Rachel! It's nice to meet you Mr. D'Mienor. Can you teach me how to turn into a bird too?" Then she seems to pause and look down at Rorek. "Can he turn in to a person?" Rorek squeaks in a manner that sounds suspiciously like disgust and hops down from her lap before taking flight. She rises to her feet to peer after him as he skirts the tall grass. A look of sadness crosses her features. "Is he going to come back?" Balbanes and Sparrow Sparrow makes her way through the grass at an incredible speed despite her disability until you reach the point where the stream intercepts your path. With the sound of the grass blowing in the wind, the chuckle of the stream cannot be heard and before Balbanes knows it, you are both right on the stream bank. To Balbanesyour horror you see that the stream bed is teeming with hundreds of vicious looking fish. They are scarcely a foot in length, but they posses wicked looking fangs that jut out from their lower jaws and overlap their upper lip. Possibly due to the sound of your feet impacting the ground, they have all swarmed towards the bank closest to where you are and have worked themselves into such a frenzy that the water has turned white with foam. It is quite obvious that should either of you enter the stream, you could suffer serious injury, or perhaps even death depending on the inherent traits of the animals. BalbanesYou have only an instant to decide how to approach the situation as Sparrow hurtles unknowingly towards certain doom and you know that the 40% chance to stop her. Roll in the Smithy before posting.chances are slim. Eljin Staying concealed in the grasses is no problem, but it makes the going much slower then that of your companions and you soon find yourself separated from them by several yards. All that you can hear is the wind blowing in the grass and occasionally a footfall made by Balbanes or Sparrow as they stumble over an unseen obstacle. It is the solitary nature of your position that adds to your surprise when you break into a small clearing in the grass. The clearing has been made by one of the large animals who has trampled the grass down and now lays in the center of the matted remains. While this may not have been dangerous under normal circumstances, to your dismay you realize that you have stumbled upon a mother and her offspring. The mother lets out a snort and rises to her feet, her eyes fixed on you as the baby makes a shrill noise and scampers behind her. The mother lowers her head and positions herself between you and the baby. She does not have a horn, but her about eight feet from the ground to the top of her back and must weigh close to four hundred pounds.size is daunting. Additionally you are well aware that there is nothing in nature more ferocious then a mother defending her baby. Your next move could very easily spell the difference between life and death.
__________________
“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Support your local Short Story Competition!
Last edited by Sparhawk; Feb 1st, 2013 at 02:27 AM. |
#26
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__________________
Currently Playing Orjan Erlandson. Currently writing, building and GMing for The Golandian Chronicle. |
#27
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Eljin breaks through into the clearing and stops nearly stumbling forward onto his face, blinks once and sums up the situation in typical blunt fashion.
"Oh man, it's going to be one of those days..." Without making any sudden movements he slowly backs out of the clearing more or less the same way he came in. "Stay there. Nice..um.creature? Good creature. Calm Creature. You buying this creature?" |
#28
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Sparrow heard Maxwell speak to her, hearing his footsteps till they lifted from the ground and now hearing his wings flap in the air taking him higher. She told Rorek to stay where he was till they got there, and to keep an eye out for any possible danger. She heard Eljin speak now and she knew he was right, but she saw the dirt covered girl and the tears she was crying. That was pretty far to go for a trap when no one even knew they were there, and there didn't seem to be any other civilization to close by either. Though she was concentrating on getting to the girl at the moment, she did half hear his last comment, but paid no attention to it. Continuing to run towards the smoke she heard the strange looking animals grazing to the side of her as she passed by.
Rorek looked up as Maxwell made his presence known to the little girl. As he gave him an order he have a slight nod and a chirp, looking to the little girl for a moment. She said her name was Rachel then she seemed to pause and look down at Rorek. "Can he turn in to a person?" Rorek squeaks in a manner that sounds suspiciously like disgust and hops down from her lap before taking flight. He spread his wings and kicked off the ground taking to the air, flying in the direction of where he felt Sparrow at. Sparrow heard the sounds of the stream get closer as she made it past the grass, now making her way to the shore. Simply thinking it was water she of course was going to just run through it, having never really found much danger in water and if it was deep she knew how to swim well. Hell bent on getting to this little girl she didn't think of the possibility of danger in her path. She heard Balbanes struggle to spit out her name in what sounded like a warning but she only slowed ever so slightly. As Balbanes manages to tangle a hand into her billowing cloak. As he does so, and his imbalance causes him to tumble to the ground, the sudden yank of her cloak practically clothes lines her and knock her off her feet and onto her back. Her back hitting the moist sand with a soft thud, she lays there stunned for a moment, having not expected that. As her chest rose and fell rapidly, though not as fast as balbanes, she stayed where she was, staring up at the sky she couldn't see and hearing him speak now. "Sparrow... Are you... okay? You were... heading... right for them." he said. Sparrow said nothing back as she quickly sat up, feeling thoroughly embarrassed, and as she sat there she could hear the wind in the grass, the sound of his racing heart, and the swarm of fish at the shore of the water in such a frenzy. She sat frozen till she heard Rorek Screech from high above, circling and moving lower, allowing her to see what she had almost ran right into. She gave a small sigh before getting up "Thank You." she said simply to him before noticing stones in the water that she could possibly cross over. She turned to Balbanes and held out a hand to help him up, no so worried about the child anymore, now that Maxwell was there, that she would just leave her companion, who just saved her. She gave a small smile "Thank you." she said again, more sincerely this time
__________________
"I Hope You Don't Screw Like You Type."
Last edited by GoddessGamer; Feb 2nd, 2013 at 03:58 AM. |
#29
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__________________
Wherever you go, there you are. Last edited by Majestyk; Feb 2nd, 2013 at 03:56 AM. |
#30
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Eljin Unfortunately the creature doesn't seem to be buying "it", at least not in whole. As you begin to back out of the clearing, she snorts and takes a few steps towards you, tossing her head angrily. You freeze in place, and she stops as well, her head down and her giant, rabbit-like ears fully splayed. It appears that any movement on your part will cause her to charge and on the off chance that you were not able to dodge out of the way, she could easily trample you underfoot. You are definitely in a tight spot. Balbanes and Sparrow Although you narrowly avoid total disaster, you are still facing a significant obstacle. How to cross the stream. Although it is not exceptionally wide, probably only about thirty feet, it is still well beyond jumping distance. There are, however, several large stones which jut out of the water at different intervals, which would allow you to cross unscathed as long as you were able to navigate them effectively. The clearly carnivorous school of fish makes that prospect all the more difficult of course, as one slip could result in a serious wound(s). In this remote location such an injury could prove to be disastrous and you are well aware of that danger. Unfortunately you do not see any other options available to you. Short of weaving the grass into a bridge, or some other incredibly time consuming and difficult task, the stones seem to be your only If this is the route you choose, make three Dexterity checks, one for each stone, prior to making your post and modify your description accordinglythoroughfare. Maxwell Rachel takes the waterskin and guzzles it greedily, her eyes never leaving your face. When she is done she pulls it from her lips gasping for air. "I'm good at studying." She says. "My mama says that I'm the smartest girl she's ever known." Her features falter and tears well up in her eyes again. "She used to say that anyway...She's dead now." Sobs overtake her and her small body shakes as she weeps. "Why did they have to come here?" She asks you, gasping between breaths. Before you can react she launches herself from the ground and crashes into you, her tiny arms wrapping around your waist as she cries. It is clear that she is far too distraught to even attempt sleep and all that you can do is try to console her until your companions arrive.
__________________
“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Support your local Short Story Competition!
Last edited by Sparhawk; Feb 2nd, 2013 at 04:30 AM. |
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