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Chapter 2: Meld Over Magic.


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#1 Vortigern

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Posted 13 January 2009 - 03:21 PM

((Nowe, I'm assuming you haven't caught up with us yet for the purposes of this post. You can show up midway through what is to come if you so desire.))

The small roadside town of Askalon played host tonight to what was almost certainly the strangest crowd it had ever seen. Two elves, a dwarf, a tiny gnome with a strange face, a Deathknelf, two humans, a Minotaur and two Furya. The Furya were the strangest sight, especially the one who carried with him a massive black sword, larger than a man, made of some doubtless enchanted metal. This single looming figure made the rest seem almost friendly in comparison. The single tavern seemed ill-equipped to bear the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune on this night. Askalon's reliable old gatekeeper had gone home muttering about magic and non-humans and cursing fluently, leaving the town entirely undefended. Not that he would have been much of a defence, either way. A seventy-four year old man with an arthritic knee, a game leg and an unreliable heart was not the most stalwart of soldiers.

At the tavern, Rom elected to wait outside, as his weighty bulk did not even come close to fitting through the door, wide though it was. Bazric stayed with him, pulling a pipe out from some unknown pouch and filling it with a rather dubious leaf. Inside, Theria sauntered up to the counter, where the bemused landlord stuttered briefly an unintelligible offering before subsiding.

"We'll have..." Theria turned to count the group. "Seven tankards of whatever you have. And a half for the little lady down there." She slid a pair of heavy gold coins across the counter and the landlord's eyes widened. "I don't suppose you've got enough beds for all of us?" she wondered aloud, layering her voice with as many sensual over- and undertones as she thought the poor human's mind could deal with.

"Only if a couple of you bunk up together," he managed to say, at length. Theria smiled at him and gave her eyelashes a quick flutter. Sometimes it was fun to be female.

"I'm sure we'll find a suitable couple," she agreed. "Bring the drinks over, would you?" The barman started to say how much of a pleasure it would be to serve her before realising that she was already on her way back to the long table that her friends had requisitioned. He sighed happily and withdrew seven of his cleanest mugs, and a little child's cup for the gnomess. He sorely doubted whether gnomes could hold even close to as much alcohol as full-sized people.

Over at their table, Theria, a wicked grin on her face, gestured Tom and Illyriel to listen. "Someone's going to have to share a bed tonight, so I thought you two could fight to see who gets to share with me." Another seductive flutter of the eyelashes and any man would be putty in her hands. Any man except Illyriel.

"She's all yours, mate," he said. "I've seen it all before, Theria, remember?" She pouted, looking hurt, then burst out laughing as she noticed Tom's ever so slightly agape mouth. She lifted a gentle hand to his chin and pushed his jaws shut.

"Not a chance either way, I'm afraid," she said. "I'm not sharing my bed with a horrible, sweaty man like either of you. You two can share."

((Feel free to feel welcome or whatever it is you do in these bits. I'll give you a chance to settle in and prepare for the next chapter or whatever before I introduce our next foe. Trust me, you'll like this one. Especially Mike and SWG.))
I hope I am a good enough writer that some day dwarves kill me and drink my blood for wisdom.

#2 Dauth

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Posted 13 January 2009 - 05:15 PM

Thaos finally free of the Keep ate heartily and celebrated with his friends, as the discussion turned to board he provided the solution. "Someone can take my bunk, this is a town and my terrain, rest assured I can find somewhere to sleep tonight, no doubt it will be occupied by someone but that has never stopped me before." he left with a wink.

Once outside in the cold night air, Thaos took a deep breath, noting a twinge in his chest, and set off in a random direction looking for the sound of music and the clink of expensive glasses.

((OOC: Just something to get the ball rolling, if someone wants to follow him to a party feel free))
((VORT: I'm guessing you skipped over the bit that said "The small roadside town..." then. :p First four words, you know. Still, who am I to dictate the lifestyle of the townspeople?))
((Oops, ah well we'll survive))

Edited by Dauth, 13 January 2009 - 07:21 PM.


#3 Taralom

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Posted 13 January 2009 - 06:55 PM

I'm afraid we must act,' one of the five shady figures said. He looked around the dark room,; his eyes met with those of the others. The room was tiny, and had and had an ancient, natural look. Limestone pillars supported a stone roof, coverd with tiny light-emitting plants and other forms of life. The room was only accessible through a wooden doorway. On the other side of the imposing door lay a courtroom, in which these shady figures gave their orders in name of Umbar, the faction these men supported.
'Who then are we going to send? Supreme master, this could be a dangerous task, and it must not be taken lightly!'
The Supreme master adjusted his hood before replying. 'I was thinking of sending Maur and his student.' He looked around the room, and saw that one of the figures came forward and kneeled. 'Fourth master, rise and speak.'
'Thank you, Supreme one.' The fourth master despised the endless traditions of these meetings, but he was careful not to show that. 'I would suggest sending Gaurr Zant and his student.'
'What? Varin Rax?' One of the shady figured stepped forward, clearly the second master. 'Agreed, the boy is talented, but sending him would only mean his...'
'Silence!' The Supreme master cut him off. 'The fourth master has a point. Varin is turning 21 next week, and he will be taking his exam then. This could be some training for the boy.'
'But, Supreme one!' the second master stuttered.
'No! I feel that this boy is touched by destiny. Send for Gaurr and Varin immediately!'
The other masters bowed, and quickly walked away, in search of the two magicians.

On top of the mesa stood a boy. His short, brown hair that usually covered covered his forehead in small strands, was blown over his head by the wind. Every muscle in his body tensed, as he took up a different battle stance that supported his form. He wore nothing more than wide pants. The strong wind chilled his sweat and made him shiver, but he did not care. His eyes were focussed upon his opponent, his master Gaurr Zant.
'Let's see what you're made of, Varin!' he taunted.
Varin Rax, student of Gaurr Zant, stepped formward and opened his hand, showing the tiny ball of energy that had formed there, and surprised his master with this attack. Varin unleashed the dark ball and watched how it soared through the air towards his stunned master. Gaurr could only just deflect it with a hastily summoned barrier. With a loud crash the ball destroyed a rock formation, throwing up clouds of dust around the place of impact.
'Well done, lad, never saw that one coming,' Gaurr yelled, through the dust. For an instant he was invisible, but suddenly the dust cleared, and Varin could see the proud face of his master.
'Honestly? Well, you might want to look back!' Varin replied.
His master rose an eyebrow, and turned around. Behind him floated three purple balls. Tiny lightning bolts touched the earth, with the balls as their core. 'Okay, Varin, you won this round. Get those killer things away from here.'
'You give up then?'
'Yes! I give up!'
'Okay!' Varin reestablished a connection with the magical balls, and withdrew their energy. The balls began to shrink, until they dissapeared, leaving no trace of their existance.
Gaurr walked to him, with a big smile on his face. His face was scarred, but that gave him someting appealing. His once blond hair had turned grey, but Varin often wondered if that was because of his age, or something else. 'Well done, student, but you should get rid of your habit of sneak attacking your opponents. There is no honour in that.'
Varin sighed. 'Master, if I ever have to face someone in combat, my life will be at stake. I won't care if I'll get honour through that battle, I just want to live on.'
'You have lots to learn, young one.'
Gaurr's eyes fixed on something behind Varin, and the boy turned around to see what he was looking at. One of the high masters approached. Something was wrong.
'Gaurr, Varin, both of you have been summoned before the Supreme Master. Please follow me immediately.'
Gaurr and his student exchanged dark looks, before following the master.

Edited by Copaman, 13 January 2009 - 10:16 PM.
Added an L to the end of "smal".

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#4 Copaman

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Posted 13 January 2009 - 10:15 PM

I can't fucking believe it...

Tom turned away, his cheeks incredibly red from the embarassment he felt. He was ashamed of his lack of control over his facial muscles, but Theria had a way of doing that to him.

"Who said I was sweaty?" Tom said quietly, as he hid his blushing face.

When the lager finally reached the table, Tom declined politely. "I'm afraid it doesn't get to me proper," he explained to the bartender. "We deathknelve are a bit odd like that. I've got something that does the trick, though. Don't feel bad," he added, as the man began apoligizing for the lack of specialty liquor, "I mean it's not like you get a deathknelf in here every day. Just look at the crowds of them lined up at the door! Thank you for your hospitality - it is well appreciated."

When he finished his sentence, he looked back to the party and pulled out the drinking skin filled with liquor. "Anybody know any drinking games? I'm fairly certain this stuff'll mess you up good!"

Even as his mind wandered from the table, he found it wandering back to Theria. They had already gone through the emotionally mushy stuff which generally accompanies one person looking at the dead corpse of the other, who is not really dead after all - even though the high priestess had told him it was an illusion before he woke up, it still felt real to him. While he was gazing off into space he came to the realization that he would have to tell Theria how he felt eventually, although he knew tonight was not the night.

Something snapped him back to his reality, and he took a swig of the liquor he carried, welcoming its tingling burn as it went down and the icy cold that followed.

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If you meet me:

Have some courtesy,

Have some sympathy,

And some taste.

Use all your well-learned politesse,

Or I'll lay your soul to waste.


#5 some_weirdGuy

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Posted 13 January 2009 - 10:36 PM

Zhar joined the groups merriment as best he could, although he didn't feel it. He was somewhat awkward in social situations, as he rarely got a chance to be with people, before one of the others in his head snatched control away and killed the would be friend.

Even now the faces came to his mind, and he felt his gut tightening, but no tears, or remorse, only a sadness
oh, i remember that one, that was good! i loved how they squirmed as the kriss sunk into their stomach
"shut up!" he said
"oh... ok, sorry i bothered you Zhar" came Theria's voice. he relised she must have been talking to him and thought he was talking to her, she stood and moved away to speak to Illyreil
"no.. i didn't..." he began, but she was gone, he slumped down "...mean you" he looking down, as inside his head the taunting and laughing peeled out.
He ignored it, and tried to keep a smile on his face... but it was getting harder.

"I reject your reality and substitute my own" -Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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#6 Rafv Nin IV

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Posted 14 January 2009 - 12:05 AM

Shava felt lonely without the powerful presence of Kasav in her mind. They had known each other only briefly, but in those few hours had learned more about each other than language could convey in a month. Immersed in speech again, Shava felt the sluggish response of her companions and the enormous time it took to communicate her thoughts, and appreciated what the male gnome had had to contend with when conversing with her, an undeveloped half-breed. Still, she found it unlikely she'd meet Kasav again for an awfully long time, and dealt with the disappointment as best she could.

"Drinking games? I know a few. Not quite so sure this one'll work, since we come from such different cultures--but here's how it works. Someone says something they've never done, and everybody who has done it takes a drink. Got it? I'll start out fairly innocently--I've never won a fistfight..."

((Feel free to phase that out if you want. It works with people, but I doubt it'll work very well with our characters. It might give us a chance to develop our characters while Vort gives us something to do.))

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#7 Copaman

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Posted 14 January 2009 - 01:54 AM

((It would work much better if we did one big MSN convo on who would drink for what, and then let someone translate it all into story. Seeing as how we're a bunch of people separated by time zones and times when we are able to post IRL, this isn't going to work too well. Although it's be slightly funny - have someone pull the 'I've never had sex with another race/species card and see who drinks to it :crazed:))

Tom gladly joined in Shava's game. It sounded like it would work well... and he was the first person to put a drink to his lips.

"I've never made a fool of myself in public." Was Tom's chosen response to Shava's initial challenge.

He drank according to the rules of the game and found that he drank almost every other turn. If he was a lightweight he would have backed out at some point, but he could hold his liquor well enough.

Posted Image

 

If you meet me:

Have some courtesy,

Have some sympathy,

And some taste.

Use all your well-learned politesse,

Or I'll lay your soul to waste.


#8 Vithar-133

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Posted 14 January 2009 - 03:07 AM

Vithar politely excused himself, without partaking in the gameboth because he wasn't into drinking and he had other tasks that required him to be coherent. He left the inn, to take a walk around the small town. After a while, he came across an abandoned well, perfect for what he needed to do. He cast a half-sphere of mental magic, blocking any untoward eyes from seeing.

"Siav Ven i thi. Kan durg veit," muttered Vithar, looking at the water. The surface shimmered, playing through a variety of shapes and colours, none of which seemed to give off any light. It settled on a Castle, hidden in the mountains. The figure of an aged warrior peered out of the image at Vithar.

<Young Vithar. It has been some time, Knight.>

<My apologies, Master Laegiol. I was caught up with a group of adventurers.>

<I'm sure you were. The brooch. Did you retrieve it?>

<Aye. It is similar to mine...>

<He was close to your rank when he left. You must return hence, Vithar. As soon as you can.>

<Yes, Master Laegiol.>


With that, Vithar plunged his hand into the water, dispelling the scrying spell. To the best of his knowledge, no one had seen him here. He made his way back to the inn.

--------------------------------------------
((If someone wants to, they can see Vithar do all of this. The can't hear him when he's talking to Laegiol, though. But they can hear him cast the scrying spell.))

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#9 some_weirdGuy

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Posted 14 January 2009 - 05:47 AM

Zhar had watched Vithar at the well,and had felt the tiny whisper of magic as he cast his spell... mental magic made a lot less of a 'magical ripple' then most other forms, but a ripple none the less.

((so, vort, when are we actually going to do whatever we are going to do.
And meld over magic? Interesting for Mike and I? Awesome *waits expectantly*))

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#10 Vortigern

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Posted 14 January 2009 - 02:41 PM

((Tee hee, SWG. You will approve, methinks.))

Theria noticed Vithar slip out, away from prying eyes, into the darkness of the town. She leaned across to Zhar, keeping her voice low.

"Would you follow him, Zhar? Don't let him see you." The mage looked at her, eyebrows raised in questioning surprise. "I'm not sure I trust him. He's brought us nothing but trouble since we met him, and he keeps trying to slip away from the group, getting left behind and now running off into the night. Would you?" Zhar nodded and rose from the table.

Illyriel leaned in to ask what was going on as Zhar left, and Theria explained her concerns to him. He merely nodded, having come to a similar conclusion himself, and returned to the drinking game, his face instantly reverting from serious to merry. Illyriel was a past master of illusion. Theria joined in too, happy to see her friends enjoying themselves.

"Your turn, Theria," squeaked Shava, clearly more than slightly tipsy. Theria smiled indulgently.

"Alright, then. I never killed anyone with my bare hands." She looked around, curious to see who would have to drink for that one. Illyriel sighed and raised his tankard, but before he could put it to his lips, a bloodcurdling howl echoed around the air outside the tavern.

"What was that?" wondered Tom. A second howl followed as Tom was speaking, from the opposite direction. "That doesn't sound like wolves." A third howl now, from the same direction as the first. Rom, urged Theria's subconscious. The Minotaur was still outside, and come to think of it, so were Bazric, Vithar, Zhar and Thaos. She leapt to her feet and ran for the door. She flung it open and sprinted to the stables where Rom was housed. She found him snorting and pawing at the ground, showing clear signs of discomfort.

"Rom smells them," he said. "Not human, not elf, not Minotaur, not animal."

"Furya?" she wondered. Rom shook his great, shaggy head.

"Kirjain ajaa osata." I don't know.

"Ehtoa me hankkia etsia?" asked Theria. Shall we find out? Rom nodded and moved silently to the stable door. Bazric, sitting in the shadows, stepped forward.

"Ah'm wi' you, lady," he said. "Ah'll gi' ye' what help ah can."

Rom flung open the stable door, and a mighty crash resounded across the town. Theria looked at Rom, then at the door. It was still firmly on its hinges.

"Not Rom," said the Minotaur. Another howl echoed through the night. Theria looked across and saw that Tom, Illyriel and Arngrim had all come outside, weapons drawn. She gripped her staff firmly, the solidity of the wood reassuring in her hand.

A shadowy form flickered between two houses, and all six pairs of eyes followed the motion.

"Show yourself!" shouted Tom. Nothing. A roar came from where the shape had gone. Not a howl this time, but a deep, bass roar. The timber walls of the houses on the other side of the town square shook at the sound.

"What is it?" whispered Theria. Rom grunted and Bazric said nothing.

Then it made a move, the shadowy figure gaining mass and form as it came into the moonlight. It made a headlong charge for Tom, Illyriel and Arngrim, forcing all three to dive aside. As the beast skidded to a halt, claws etching deep grooves in the cobbles, Theria got a good look at it. It was like nothing she had ever before seen, seeming to be some kind of bizarre hybrid monster, somewhere betwixt man and beast but with characteristics from both and neither. Down on all fours as it was, she could not make an accurate estimate as to its height, but she thought probably somewhere around twelve, maybe thirteen feet tall. The size of a big Minotaur. Patchy fur covered large parts of its body, but skin and scaled patches were also visible, the shimmering scaly areas bright under the light of the near-full moon. Its eyes were yellow, almost glowing against the night air, set either side of a bear-like snout, in turn just above a mouth full of fangs larger than any she could remember having seen on any bear, wolf or anything else. Except maybe that drake from inside Vayu's fortress, but nothing else even came close. She glanced quickly at the feet, noticing the six-inch claws clacking on the ground as it made ready to charge again.

Tom, Illyriel and Arngrim all seemed preoccupied with this beast, but Theria always made sure to be aware of her surroundings. It was through this cautious practice that she caught a glimpse of another shape, then another. In all she saw four more of the beasts flitting from shadow to shadow, but whether or not there were more out there she could not say.

Rom bellowed a challenge to the beast, drawing his axe as he did so. Theria hastily stepped away from the Minotaur. This was a fight she did not intend to come anywhere close to.

((There we go. Monsters aplenty. All will be revealed in good time, my friends.))
I hope I am a good enough writer that some day dwarves kill me and drink my blood for wisdom.

#11 Taralom

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Posted 14 January 2009 - 04:05 PM

At the moment Varin and Gaurr entered the great hall, the Supreme master turned around and greeted them. 'Welcome, my friends.' The old master walked towards them, with his arms spread open. He gave Gaurr a short hug, and nodded towards Varin. 'Please, sit down.' Instantly, two servants came running to them and quickly put down a chair. Varin and Gaurr sat down, and looked at the supreme master, who waited until he was given a seat himself by his servants.
'Supreme one, why did you summon us?' Gaurr asked. His grey eyes were fixed upon the master, who was his superior in all aspects.
The Supreme master smiled. 'No time to waste, eh?'
'No'
'Very well. One of our scout parties has stumbled upon a convoy that is escorting a Paladinate noble.'
'I see.' Gaurr looked to Varin.
'I am sorry, Supreme one, but what has that to do with us?' Varin asked carefully.
The Supreme Master stood up, and started walking through the hall. Meanwhile he explained their mission to them. 'We want this noble captured and brought to us alive. He is guarded by two Paladin knights and several recruited militia. The militia can be easily wiped out, but you should pay attention to the Paladinate. Varin, Gaurr will tell you more about them and some of their tactics later. We want that nobleman, alive. That is your only objective. Kill the rest.' The Supreme master gave a quick, innocent smile, before walking away, leaving both master and student behind.

'Well, that was clear,' Varin said. His try to break this awkward silence worked, making Gaurr laugh.
'Don't you worry, it'll become much unclearer from now on.' Gaurr winked, and rose up. Varin followed his example. both of them marched to the doorway, and walked towards the stables. In less than an hour, both of them were armed and got a mount. They set of in the direction that the scout officer told them to go. Spoiling for a fight.
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#12 Vithar-133

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Posted 14 January 2009 - 08:12 PM

Vithar heard the howls, noting direction and pitch. They were in the city. And they weren't wolves. They sounded large.

<Now would've been a good time for someone else to be around with me. Blast!>

Vithar ran silently, towards the direction of the sound. He lept up to a roof, again using mental power, and continued running. He stopped just before the inn. The beasts where deadly. Aside from having a Minotaur behead them, there was one other way to defeat them. Although, it was far harder than having a Minotaur take care of the job.

<Now would have been a nice time to have that bow...>

The creatures' eyes, despite their brilliant glow, were rather small, hard to hit, even for a master archer. Meaning Vithar either had to get ahold of a bow soon, or find someone willing to shoot the creatures With him guiding their arrows. He looked around, cautious, and took count of the creatures. They were too close for him to accurately count, but he noted at least five, possibly six of the wolfish creatures.

<That will make even the easiest shot a hard one. Hmmm...There's Theria...But how to get her in a position for a good shot...I know what I'll do...>

Vithar ran over, jumping to another roof, effectively within bow shot, but still far enough to run.

<Theria!> Vithar used a mind-call. Much more subtle than yelling, <Theria! fall back to this wall and prepare your bow!>

Vithar hoped she would be able to hear and that she would listen. It was up to her though, so he began looking for possible projectiles, just to be safe.

--------------------------------------------
((Whether or not Theria listens is up to you, Vort. That's why Vithar's looking for small thing to throw with a mental push.))
((VORT: I don't think Theria will be listening. Her mind is not at its most open right now, as you can probably imagine. Also, she's a great archer anyway. She doesn't need your help to hit any of them in the eye, not at this sort of range. Also, there are other ways to defeat them, you just haven't thought of them yet. They're animals, remember.))

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#13 some_weirdGuy

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Posted 14 January 2009 - 10:35 PM

Vithar never knew how close he came to death.

Zhar had been following, hiding behind a a pile of junk. As Vithar had leaped to the rooftops and dissappeared, two meld beasts had come from the shadows down the path.

If Vithar had continued at road level they would have torn him apart as he rounded the corner. As it was now Zhar was in trouble
you are not strong enough came one of the voices in his head
"I can look after myself just fine" he whispered, though he wished he hadn't.

One of the creatures ears flicked, and turns in Zhar direction. It let out a sorta of growl-huff, getting the others attention, then they turned and starting walking towards Zhars hiding place.

Zhar jumped out, blasting them with something which should have done atleast some damage, maybe scaring the creatures off, but it hit the fur covered hide without leaving a mark
"damn!" he cried.

He leaped upwards to the rooftops as Vithar had, but the two beast joined him, roof tiles breaking under their weight.
With his escape towards the bulk of the group blocked, Zhar had no choice, he ran the other way. the beasts progresses was constantly inhibited, as their arms and legs fell through holes they were making the roofing.

as Zhar ran letting off pot shots he noticed Thoas running franticly, he jumped down to run alongside him
"Zhar!.. monsters!" he yelled over panting breaths
"i know" replyed Zhar, also panting

The two beasts who had been chasing Zhar leaped ahead of the two runners, blocking them and another which was chasing Thoas came in behind
"do something!" said Thoas, trying to load his crossbow
"shut up you insufferable fool!" came the angry retort, a new personality had taken control.
"you want me? come and get me!" said Zhar, as beneath his feet the golem raised once more. Thaos grabbed hold as the clay creature shoulder charged its way through a Meld Beast.

Now they were both on their way back to the group, riding atop the clay creature through the streets of the town, two Meld Beasts casing after them, and no doubt a third would come after it shakes of the headache.
Zhar could sense a familiar magic 'signature' in the air, something in the making of these beasts that rung a bell, but for now he was preoccupied with finding the group...

((vort, i'll say what you want me too in the next post, when i am actually with the group to tell them))

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#14 mike_

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Posted 15 January 2009 - 12:42 AM

((OOC: Oh, hell yes! :p))

As the meld beast charged Rom, he fell down to a knee as his companions scattered behind him. Bringing his axe to bare, he hurled it around and into the beast's face. It's head was torn in twain - horizontally. It croaked weakly before Rom brought a hoof down into it's still-attached, but fractured, skull.

Another was making haste towards him in seconds. It jumped up and over a produce-filled wagon, teeth ready to tear his throat out. Instead Rom's right hand shot up and seized it by the throat. Jaws snapping and claws slashing futilely, he quickly closed his paw and strangled it. As the monster finished it's death throes, Rom slammed it down into the cobblestone threat. The head burst off in an explosion of gore as the body thrashed silently, nerves electrified and limbs flailing.

Turning his attention back to his friends, Rom saw that several more of the beasts were attempting to devour, kill, and maim them in various ways. Fortunately, noone appeared dead yet.

Then one of them jumped snarling onto his back. Having no other options, Rom fell into the street, attempting to crush it under his bulk. However, it wasn't exactly smaller than him - in fact, they were roughly the same size. Dropping the axe, which was useless in this melee, he instead brought a metal-plated fist over his shoulder into the creature's snarling face. Pounding over and over again, rather blindly, he soon felt the head give way. A wet splash sounded a moment later, the sign that it had lost an eye. As it paused it's assault, Rom took the opportunity to draw a knife from his calf-holster, and, taking it in hand, plunged it over his shoulder and into the bloody cavity it's eye had been housed in.

The wolf-bear-thing screamed in agony, and let go of Rom to roll in the streets. Shava was almost splattered on the stones, but Bazric managed to pull her out of it's path in time. Rom turned around, retrieved his axe, and lifted it on high. For a moment he was silhouetted against the full moon, black against grey.

Then he brought the axe down on it's neck.

#15 some_weirdGuy

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Posted 15 January 2009 - 07:12 AM

Zhar and Thaos Burst into the open from behind a back street. They caught the momentary attention of both the group and the creatures.

Zhar pushed Thaos off the golums back and jumped off himself, as it blundered forward to clothesline the two creatures following them.

Zhar also sent blasts of magic into them, this time stronger then before. This time it did hurt the creature, blowing a chunk out of its side. The golem's fist smashed down on its skull, and the bones fractured, yet still the creature was not dead.

Another blow from the golem and it was, though. The other creature that had missed the chase now appeared, and with the other beast that was still alive, it attacked the clay golem.
Unfortunately for them their sharp claws and teeth were of little use in this situation. They quickly learned this, and went for a more blunt approach.

Vayusss work heress ss ss ss came the voice in his head, and he recognised the signs too.

"Even in death you come to spite us Vayu!" he called, loud enough for the others to hear.
Zhar doubted Vayu was acting from beyond the grave. More likely these creatures had been released when Vayu's magic holding them had disappeared when he had died... but where had they been hiding then? And were there more to come?

Zhar put this out of his mind as he brutally blasted a creature in the face, blowing the snout clean off.
"Ooh, thats gotta hurt" he said with an evil grin, stabbing his dagger between the ribs a couple of times before slicing it across the throat.

He was surprised when it actually yielded energy. Only when killing humaniods with the dagger had it ever fed him... he hadn't killed a minotaur before, but he had not expected something so animal-like to give him any sort of gain, as wild animals had never done so in the past.

He used this to his advantage;
No use letting their souls go to waste... wouldn't want to go too long without feeding anyway, its always irritating when we do.
Agreement came from the others in his mind, as he went on to deliver the finishing blow to the last of the three beasts, which lay crushed under the golems bulk, twitching slightly, but not yet dead.

((VORT: Spelling and grammar. Also, just call them beasts or creatures for the moment, you can explain that they're melds when we're done killing them.))

Edited by Vortigern, 15 January 2009 - 12:56 PM.

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#16 Copaman

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Posted 15 January 2009 - 01:59 PM

((Meh, people will miss my post if I edit it in. Vort, you're forgetting I have moddy powah in most subdivs around here, including this one. :p I'm deleting my OOC posts after I put this up. BTW, check the OOC thread ;)))
((VORT: Good point, I forgot that little detail. Also, slight edit in the final paragraph. Me and FZM want to do some fighting too, you know. :p))

Tom was shocked by the appearence of the... things. They were unlike anything he had ever seen, and after they began to attack Rom, their hostility was clear. At first he thought he had gone a little overboard with his liquor, but checked himself mentally and reassured himself that the beasts were, in fact, real.

He had noticed one of the beasts disappearing off his left flank, but let it be; that is, until it pounced on him and nearly crushed him. Tom rolled out from under it just before it slammed onto the ground, its paw where his head had just been. It turned to face him, claws and fangs beared menacingly. Tom wasn't the slightest bit scared, and the thing could feel it - it tried phasing him with a tremendous roar, little bits of spittle splashing on Tom's face. He wiped his face off with his sleeve before beginning his attack.

At first, Tom expected the thing to go down fairly easily, but its bulk hid its speed. The two exchanged blows, Tom slicing off claws which probed his defenses and moving out of the way of the massive jaws of the beast, never seeming to notice nor care that the beast was backing him into the wall of a building. As he felt his back touch the facade of the building, he looked to the beast. It seemed to grin at him, aware that Tom had nowhere to run, almost as if taunting while it prepared for its next meal; Tom returned the expression. He had wanted to get himself against a wall... and he had done just that. He knew that the beast was within moments of its death, and the thing didn't even expect what was coming.

As it lunged at him, Tom jumped up as far as he could and forward, and then rolled away from the wall which the beast had just planted its snout in. He let it pull itself free before engaging in his next stunt. As it turned to him, he dove and rolled between the legs of the feind, finding himself mere paces from the wall. A perfect placement, if I might say so myself. The thing turned to him again, but he was already gone. He had run up the wall and flipped backwards, attempting to land on the thing's back. And he did.

It pawed at him, trying to grab hold and throw him off, but it no longer had claws to do it with. Next it tryed thrashing about, but Tom had grabbed hold of the fur with one hand and gripped firmly around its neck with his legs. When it stopped for breath, Tom stood up and took his swords in each hand. He arched his back as far as it could go, and mustering all his strength, drove the tips of his blades through the eyes of the beast, plunging them hilt-deep in its crainial cavity. As he flipped forward off the beast, he wrenched the blades free, dragging chunks of eye and brain with him.

He landed with a flourish and wiped his blades on the ground quickly, and then sheathed them once again. Taking note of his surroundings, he noted that four of the beasts were down, and Rom was charging a fifth, which, perhaps rather stupidly, was charging him back. A sickening crunch sent the beast flying. Two more of the beasts had noticed something, though. Theria and Bazric, weapons drawn as best they could be, were being backed into a corner by the two colossal monsters. Illyriel was sprinting in Theria's direction, swords drawn and raised.

What the hell are these things? wondered Tom before he too made to help out his companions.

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If you meet me:

Have some courtesy,

Have some sympathy,

And some taste.

Use all your well-learned politesse,

Or I'll lay your soul to waste.


#17 Vortigern

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Posted 15 January 2009 - 06:06 PM

((Copa: Well, I mean, wanting to write some fight is understandable :wink_new:))

Theria was beginning to panic. Her bow was upstairs in her room and her staff would never be able to kill one of these things. Fend it off, maybe, but not indefinitely. Bazric's claymore was the only real weapon the two of them had between them, but that was only at knee height for the beasts. Theria felt her knees go weak as they both reared simultaneously, roaring and releasing what felt like about a pint of saliva between the two of them. Steeling her resolve, Theria grasped her staff as hard as she could and delivered a wicked upward blow into the solar plexus of the animal, or at least where the solar plexus would have been had the beast held much in common with a human or an elf. Apparently it did not.

Enraged now, the beast swiped a massive paw downwards, catching Theria on the arm and slashing through skin and flesh. She dropped the staff and the beast kicked it away, advancing ever so slightly closer. Bazric bravely stepped between the lady and the beast, claymore raised high.

"Don' think yeh can do wha' yeh wan' aroun' here, boy," snarled the dwarf, sending a backhanded slash at the incoming paw. The beast howled in fury as blood gouted from the wound. It clutched its nearly-severed hand and roared again, mere inches from Bazric's face. Unperturbed, the Dwarven Paladin thrust his sword deep into the mouth of the beast, pushing up, searching for the brain. Luckily for Theria, his sword found home an instant before the second beast stepped in and swatted him away, sending the little man crashing through a timber-and-plaster wall to Theria's left. She cast Bazric a desperate glance, praying he was alright, but was forced to turn her attention back to the beast before her. Suddenly it straightened up and swished a paw futilely at its own back. It spun around and Theria saw Illyriel clinging onto the creature's fur, one sword deep in its flesh, the other held at the ready for another opportune moment.

Seizing her own opportune moment, Theria reached down and dug Bazric's sword deep into the skull of the still-twitching beast on the ground, ending its unhappy existence. Then she ran, putting as much distance as possible between her and the beast.

Edited by Copaman, 15 January 2009 - 06:09 PM.

I hope I am a good enough writer that some day dwarves kill me and drink my blood for wisdom.

#18 Fire Ze Missiles!

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Posted 15 January 2009 - 07:21 PM

The world blurred as the beast span in a frantic circle, throwing Illyriel rather unceremoniously from its back. Rolling to his feet the elf faced the creature without fear.
"Come on then, bastard son," he muttered in a tone intended to aggravate. Snarling its reproach, the beast reared back a mighty arm and charged. Throwing himself to the ground Illyriel dodged the lashing paw and dived into another roll. His hand on the tail, he swung himself around and once more to the back of the beast where he wasted no time in scrambling up it. Once again it tried to throw him off and once again he easily avoided the blow. With a final leap, Illyriel was at the throat of the beast. Locking his arm in place around its neck he thrust his remaining blade up via the creature's chin through the head.
Uttering an echoing groan, the beast collapsed to the floor with the sickening squelch of spilt gore. With the town's streets empty of monsters the moonlit night was suddenly eerily quiet.
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Oh for fuck's sake!

#19 Vithar-133

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Posted 15 January 2009 - 08:24 PM

Vithar watched, scanning the town for other creatures.Something was entirely not right, yet sickeningly familiar about these things. He just couldn't put his hand on it. Leaping off the roof, Vithar's hand was at his sword's hilt, ready to draw. Apparently, this wasn't his fight. He'd done nothing, never getting a clear throw, if accelerating small stones into the beasts' eyes could have been called throwing. Sense no trouble, and no beasts, he checked for wounds, ready to use some of the healing water he had found, should it be necessary.

--------------------
((For the moment, Vithar's the healer, then, since he did next to nothing in the battle with the beasts.))

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#20 Vortigern

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Posted 15 January 2009 - 10:31 PM

Theria noticed through narrowed eyes that Vithar had returned just as Illyriel had killed the last of the beasts. Zhar and Thaos had been out and around too, but they had come straight back, riding that clay man of Zhar's. It was nice to have that on our side this time, she thought, pausing her suspicions for a moment, but then they returned in full force. Vithar had slipped out. The beasts had come. Theria and her friends had fought the beasts, and eventually won. It had not been quiet, and it had taken more than a few minutes. This was not the biggest of towns. Had Vithar wished, there could be no doubt that he could have returned, and Theria had noticed how he always carried that strange sword around with him, so he was not defenceless. She needed to speak to Zhar, to find out if he had learned anything from watching Vithar. She saw him on the far side of the courtyard, chanting quietly as his clay man stood dead still before him. He finished and the magical creation dissipated into dust, flowing down into the stones beneath their feet.

"Zhar," she murmured, coming right up to his ear. "What was Vithar up to?"

"He cast a little magic. It was shielded though, so I couldn't tell what it was. I don't know where he went after the beasts arrived." Zhar looked around. "Oh, he seems to be back now. Fortuitous." Theria nodded grimly.

"I wonder if any of us trust him," Theria mused.

"I can't speak for them, my dear, but I trust no one," said Zhar lightly. "Something else of note: those beasts had souls. They weren't just animals. I'm still working on a theory about that, I'll let you know if it leads to anything. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to perform the magical equivalent of a dissection." He grinned at her wickedly, revealing his yellowed, crooked teeth. "It won't be pretty."

Theria was rarely sure whether to laugh or throw up at Zhar's offhand comments, so she merely left him to it and went to see how everyone else had held up.

((We'll split up soon. Anyone can feel free to suggest it if you can come up with good enough logic.))
I hope I am a good enough writer that some day dwarves kill me and drink my blood for wisdom.




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