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((No problem. We'll try getting there asap (though they may be moving closer to us as the plot proceeds)))
Princess Arana followed Shrike in silence. She had taken to looking over her shoulder again. "I'm going to get some rest. Thank you, Shrike, and thank you sir." She bowed to the two of them, then retreated to a room for some rest. At the last Oasis before town, six men stood near the Oasis. Four of them wore head wraps and baggy clothing, and were covered in smudges and sand. The fifth wore a Black Robe, with a black hood pulled low over his face. Red eyes glowed beneath it, and on his back was attached an Axe, the head an easy four feet across, and the shaft seven and a half feet long, half a foot taller then the man weilding it. The last man wore a Black and Gold Robe, wrapped royally around him. He carried a golden staff, and his eye glowed a strange green, which glowed off with the texture of Flames ((basically, it looks like his eye are lit with green fire)). The Four Men stood with their heads bowed, but the large man stood by the royal man's side. The Black Hoded Giant finally spoke. "They... are near.... the boy... and the princess..." His voice was slow, and his breathing labored. He was forced to pause between most words. "I... will find... them all..." The royal man nodded. "Yes, go. Find the Princess and bring her to me. My sister will be very upset if I do not bring her back alive. We did go through all the trouble of corrupting the Vizer, after all." He turned, and a black circle appeared in the air. Suddenly, the Circle Burst into flames, then parted, leaving a flaming doorway hanging in the air. The Royal figure began to walk through, then stopped on the edge. He looked back at the large man. "Oh, and do not worry. All but the princess are expendable... but be sure you don't kill her by mistake." With that, he turned and entered the portal. With a *FOOSH* the doorway closed. The Large Man drew the Axe, his Crimson Cape waving in the moonlight. "We... go!" With that, the four men nodded and ran forward, diving into the sand and vanishing. The Large man began to stalk off across the desert, Axe clutched in both hands. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lyle frowned. "That's weird. I had hoped to ask her to join as well. I'm going to go make sure the Nez forces didn't ambush her if she went after them. I'll be back before ya know it." With that, he adjusted his hat and marched off down the ravine. |
Shrike watched as the princess walked up the stairs and into a room. He looked around the small inn. The walls were covered with tapestries and pictures but the tables in the lounge and the counter were quite dusty. Not many people had been to Gobi for weeks. Most of the visitors to the town were from Souel and Talendar. But lately they were all busy with the war or hiding from it. Most of Gobi's residents moved south for safety but a few stayed, like the innkeeper, Henry and his wife. They promised to wait there for their son, who had joined the Souel army instead of the Talendar army because he believed that Souel was much more honorable than Talendar and would probably be allowed to help people more.
"So, how have you been Henry?" Shrike asked the man. "Same, still haven't heard from my boy but the missus and I have high hopes." he looked sadly at the counter and sighed." The price for rooms are still the same, you can pay me in the morning." He slowly walked up the stairs and headed to the room at the far left. "Good night Shrike." he said and closed the door behind him. Shrike stared at the closed door. 'Maybe they'll cheer up a little after they see how much I'll be able to pay them this time.' he thought as he pulled out a heavy satchel of gold and jewels from his rucksack. He left it on the dusty counter and retired to the room on the right of the princess'. |
It wasn't till around midnight that the four Sand Scorpians arrived at Gobi. They spread quickly through the town, peaking into doors and windows searching for the Princess. One of them spotted a large satchel resting on a dusty counter. Slipping through the door, he check the bag. The Jewels, much like the ones they had stolen from the bandits, sparkeled even in the darkness. Quietly, he slipped back out the door, closing it again behind him. The Four Soldiers took positions around the Inn, waiting.
It was not until almost sunrise that the man in black arrived within the town. As he stood on the Dune overlooking the small town, the red glow of his eyes seemed to increase. "It is... time..." He slowly began to shamble down the dune. |
Eramthgin blinked again as he watched the man disappear down the ravine. Hm. Guess he'll go back to collecting some more body parts then, since it seems everyone's busy and Baphi hadn't finished eating yet... |
((Lol, thanks Fading. :hug: ^_^ And lololol, it's no problem. If you hadn't I wouldn't have something to write. :P))
"Where am I going?" Fallon wondered as she walked through a dense forest. ((It said Vex is forest, so that's right, right? :P)) She hand't had much thought about what she was going to do. She'd started having doubts about leaving the mercs. Would they be angry? Would they notice? Where was she going? How could she still help in the war? Not knowing was very aggravating. She pushed a branch away from her as she continued walking. Distracted by her thoughts, she didn't realize what she was doing and the branch swung back and slapped her across the cheek. She lifted her hand to her face as the pain grew and felt blood. She was tired, covered in scratches, and could really use a good swim. Swimming always cooled her down and relaxed her. 'Was killing people, people you once knew, for money worth leaving?' She thought to herself. 'Yes... Yes it is.' ((Sorry if it's kinda short. I'm in a hurry to go somewhere. :P)) |
((Yes, Vex is foresty, and very cold. Luckily, it's basically April, so it's warm enough to swim.))
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"YOWCH!!!!!"
Shrike sat up from his bed with a jolt and pried his pet dragon from his face. Ruby had bitten him hard on the left cheek and it was now bleeding. He threw the lizard at the door and threw a pillow after it. "What are you trying to do Ruby??!!!!!" he asked angrily as he checked his hand to see how much blood was on it. Ruby had dodged the pillow and flew towards the window. It perched on the window sill and started growling furiously, a sound Shrike rarely heard. The boy got up and looked out the window. Towards the front of the inn he could see the shadows of a group of men standing at the front of the inn, although he couldn't see any of them himself. "What the?" he asked himself in surprise as he turned to put on his vest and shoes. He grabbed the growling dragon and his dagger hidden under his pillow and walked out of his room. Something felt wrong. He kept watch on the front door while he stayed close to the princess' door. "Princess," he whispered as he quietly opened her door. "I think we have to go." [what a wake up call :XD ] |
After a moment, the Princess's door opened. "What's wrong?" She asked, leaning out, then gasped. "You're bleeding! Are you all right? What happened?" She opened her door, letting him see inside. Her bed looked hardly sleeped in, and she was still fully dressed. She went to a cabinent and started fishing around. "I think I saw some bandages in here earlier."
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"Huh?" he asked forgetting that he was still bleeding. "No, w-wait...I think the Gur' Tyrus bandits have followed us somehow." he theorized, not knowing that the people who were at the front were much worse."We gotta leave!"
Shrike checked the princess' window, maybe it would be a good escape route? No, they would hear them if they jumped down from that height. He peeked out the bedroom door, checking to see if the men were still at the front. "I'm not sure how we're gonna get out...." he said, a tone of worry in his voice. |
"The Bandits? That's not good. They must have struck a deal with the Nezerus forces to bring me in. How many are there? Where are they? Are you sure they know we're in here?"
She finished searching around in the cabinent, pulling out a wrap of bandages and walked over to him. "Hold still a moment, I need to treat that." |
After walking for a while, Eramthgin saw a dense forest up ahead. "Wonder if Lyle can find me in here if he's coming?" He said. Then deciding that it didn't matter, he strode in. Forests are pretty. The mountain he used to live in was bare as a rock. Well. It was a rock mountain...but still, not having even a tree or shrub to look at can get depressing after a while where there's only ever brown or black in the surroundings. |
Lyle wandered the forest, making sure to stay on the paths the armies had flattened when they marched. While someone wandering the forest was unlikely to follow these dead paths, they were also unlikely to leave forces in wait along them. Any Soldiers he met here would be rear guard, which would be a warning for him as much as the army ahead.
A short ways west, he was completely unaware that Eram was slowly headed away from his position, closer to Fallon, and closer to the three "Tree Spider" troops that were observing the forests around the nearest lake. |
"This is useless." Fallon groaned as she sat down on a fallen log. It was covered in all sorts of things that rotting trees are covered in, but she didn't care. "I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I am so very thirsty." She told herself. Lately she had picked up the habit of talking to herself, one she had acquired out of frustration. Her head fell forward into her lap as she sat there quietly; thinking of what to do next. But that's when she heard it. Her head shot up with a smile on her face. "That's got to be water!" She yelled as she took off in the direction of the noise.
When she finally reached the source of sound, she found a small waterfall which fell into a small lake. It held some frozen ice at the edges, but for the most part it had melted. She dropped her katana and walked around trying to find a melted part near the edge so she wouldn't have to jump in. She found one, reached her hands in the water, and scooped up some very cold and refreshing water. After she took a few handfuls, she smiled and stuck her feet in. It was freezing, but she didn't mind. She sat there distracted by her happiness when she heard a small noise behind her. Her head flew around, but she saw nothing. She slowly stood, but could feel someone watching her. She glanced at her katana, which she had ignorantly left quite a distance from her, and contemplated running for it. As she heard another quite noise behind her, she ran for the sword. |
He was nearing the waters when he felt it. A subtle disturbance in the air...was it Dark magic? But something was off about it. "Now what could it be?" He murmured. He stopped and leaned against a tree in the shadows and quickly cast a Notice-Me-Not spell on himself. ...There it was again! This time, a slight rustle of leaves accompanied the disturbance in the air, but he couldn't see anything in the trees. |
Fallon grabbed it and turned around, her back to the lake. Nothing was there. It could have just been a rabbit or something, but no, something felt off. A chill raced up her spine as she gripped the katana harder. Her head nervously glanced around from side to side. 'Calm down!' She told her self. She couldn't focus when she was nervous. She sighed and forced herself to relax. She looked the forest over more carefully now. She saw no odd shadows or movement. She had learned a trick from her father, before he died, to listen to the rhythm of your surroundings and pick out what doesn't belong. She tried very hard to listen, but the sound of the waterfall was loud and distracting. But then she saw it. To her right, she saw a tiny little move that rustled a near by branch. It wasn't like the other branches being moved by the wind. It wasn't in rhythm. She then took off as fast as she could to her left. She ran past trees, weaved around bushes, and leaped over fallen logs. She could hear someone chasing her.
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The Tree Spider Soldier, once comprimised, gave chase. He jumped from tree to tree, giving a small grunt every time he does so. ((He moves like this guy, but her doesn't have the Invisibility, just really good camo. They are easier to see moving, but they are easest to see when out of the tops of trees. They also have crossbows.))
As he followed, the other two joined the chase. Several Crossbow bolts impact around her feet and into the trees around her. |
Shrike kept his eyes on the front door as Judith bandaged his wounds. He watched as the 4 shadows started spreading themselves around the building. Suddenly, Ruby made its way out of the bedroom and flew towards the innkeeper's room.
"Ruby!" Shrike whispered frantically. He motioned for the princess to follow and slowly tiptoed towards the room. |
The Princess proved surprisingly compatent with the bandages. He had just finished when Ruby flew off. She dropped the bandage roll in surprise, and quickly ripped it off at the end as he headed off. She followed quietly.
Outside, the Robed figure reached the door. The sun wasn't quite over the horizen, but blue was touching the edge of the black sky. He drew his axe, and on his que, the Scoripan troops began to spread themselves out around the building. He closed his eye, listening for movement and the signal everyone was in place. He let out a slow, growling breath. |
As the boy was about to grab the dragon, the door in front of him opened and hands grabbed him and the princess.
"Shhh." said Henry as he and his wife pulled the two in. They went over to a small closet at the corner of the room and opened it, pulling out the floorboard within. A small tunnel lead from the second floor to the bottom of the house. "Let's go." Henry's wife said as she motioned for the two to go down. After everyone had gone in, Henry pulled the floorboard over his head and closed the closet doors. The couple led the children down the tunnel which led towards Souel. Shrike was surprised at this sudden turn of events. He had never known about this tunnel nor heard about it from Henry's son, who told him many other secrets of the townspeople such as where they would hide their money or food. "You're highness, thank goodness you are well." said Henry to the princess as they continued to run through the dark tunnel. |
"You... know who I am? Then thank you," she bowed as they ran "though I fear it is my fault that your inn is in trouble. Those bandits will surely destory it when they discover I am not inside. I am so sorry."
Back at the Inn, the Man in the Black Robe opened his eyes as he heard confirmation from his men. With a loud grunt, he kicked in the door, and strode inside. |
Now that the things were giving chase after a redhead girl, they were much easier to see, Eramthgin thought. |
"Dang it!" Fallon yelled as she avoided yet another arrow. It landed about an inch from her toe. These things that were chasing her moved so quickly through the tree tops, she could barely see where they were coming from. She guessed there were at least five, but she couldn't know for sure. One thing she was sure of was that, if she didn't find some sort of shelter or way to attack back, one of these arrows was going to hit her.
She darted back and forth, trying to make her pattern as random as possible. She quickly jumped behind a large tree to gain her breath. She listened intently for any sound of movement. Then an arrow hit the tree to the side of her face. She rolled her eyes and took off again. As she was running, she looked behind her, she could barely see them up in the trees. But she did see something else... A man. A drow? It looked like that same one that skinned Nathan. She closed her eyes as she tried to forget that part. What was he doing here? And were those... skeletons around him? |
((I don't know why...but for some reason I keep cracking up reading your post...x__x; Might be me reading it and listening to the Swinging Onion song at the same time...>_>))
With a hiss, Eramthgin threw out several greenish bolts from the end of his hands at the trees where he saw movement, but it missed when the thing jumped to another tree and dodged his attack. Arrows started flying his way too, though not as much as the ones aimed at the redhead. They were mostly deflected by his bony escorts or otherwise missed. |
((Rofl, thaaaaaaanks! XP))
'That was him! I knew it!' she thought to her self. Just then an arrow grazed the skin on her arm. She had to stay focused. These things could kill her. But what was he doing back there? She had to peak another glance. This time, there was a strange green fogging coming towards her. She didn't know what it was, but she had a guess it wasn't good. She turned her head around, only to find that she was approaching a larger lake. How was she going to escape? She contemplated running to her right or left, but they would be able to catch her too quickly. So, she had one option. She jumped in the water. It was cold, but it felt good on her arm after all of the stinging and initial pain had passed. She knew arrows and such had a harder time penetrating underwater. She prayed they hadn't figured out a way to fix that... |
((OMG, ROFL, That was just what I needed to wake up with a smile.))
The Spider Troops, confused by the intrusion, none-the-less continued after Fallon. As Eran began his next attack, however, they broke off from chasing her (for she was jumping into a lake they couldn't shoot into anyway) to focus on him. One began circling behind him, while the second jumped from the trees, landing on all fours ahead of him. The Third began to circle the lake, watching for Fallon. The one that landed on the ground looked up at Eran, standing. He was still a ways out of the poison, but he still eyed it warily. "You, Drow... you know the Dead Arts. How is this?" He attached his crossbow to his back. |
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