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Post by Rehiro on Nov 4, 2006 1:48:50 GMT -5
At a ferocious speed, a canine demon dashed through the woods, passing through trees and blinking in and out of sight. Moving fast enough that a travellor would not be given the chance to give a second look if it crossed his path. This creature bore a weight heavier then the lean Felidae demon riding on its back. With a murderous intent, Sprinter followed his nose and his instincts through the forested land, and through the cat demon Trandars fate.
The spirit wolf was about as large as a small horse, with a hiena-like hump, spiked fur, and markings which resembled scars scattered all over his body. The creature looked more beat-up and less deadly then should be assumed.
Trandar, a cat man who radiated an aura of self-love, carrying a black spear and clad in robes sat atop the wolf demon, contrasting the beasts sacrificial and animalistic nature with his own vain appearance, and subtle manner.
Underneath each of Trandars eyes lay the markings of his ancient clan god. A black and downward sloping arc, like a crescent moon lying on its back, with a jag jutting from the bottom of each one, framing his face. This symbol had grown naturally in his fur, and symbolized a special power.
So together they flew through the woods, closer in situation then either of them would believe.
"If you cannot find a path for me to follow, my nose does no good" Sprinter growled. His lips didn't move as he talked "why do you think that you will be able to find this Moss or this Suka when it is just as likely that we are straying further from the path that we need?" it had been the first question Sprinter asked of Trandar since the beginning of their journey.
"Well...." Trandar replied "I figure that we've got as much to gain as we've got to lose, and I have a lucky way about me. Your nose is strong, but mine is complicated. It'll find its way if you just put it on the right scent. So just give me enough scent and I'll identify which one is the right one... Then its your job to move down the path that I find. Also, usually the right path is the one you dont suspect anyway, so ignorance can be good sometimes. You should just relax and allow things to take its course, trust in my nose, and I'll trust in yours, and together we'll find my comrades, and we'll fix both our problems. The fact we ran into each other is a sure sign that fate is with us, and if we have that, we cannot fail. Don't worry about it." Trandar, by nature talked a lot more than Sprinter.
Sprinter didnt reply. He had no issue with the answer. He had placed everything he had in this strange creature, and a random answer like that had been expected. His vision foretold it should be like this.
"Y'know what, Sprinter my man?" Trandar said all of a sudden "I like how you just spoke just now, makes me feel like taking some initiative. I think we should stop at the next town. Towns are great places to find people, and y'just never know. I got a feeling something good'll happen if we make a stop in the nearest town".
So they did. The town was pretty generic. A small demon hideaway, surrounded by beaten paths and nothingness. A shelter of some sort for travellers, and a smattering of houses and buildings. The native demon appeared to be some kind of humanoid pig creature. Larger then human, and dressed in animal skins as far as Trandar could see. They had some form of economy going on, and there were a few outsiders here and there. All in all, it seemed to be a village with a connection to the demon market, but still pretty isolated.
The whole village stank, and there probably werent any good women around, but Trandar felt good still, and something about standing out so much from these stinking people, riding on his giant wolf, stroked his ego something terrible. He just liked the attention, and he now was beginning to feel like this village was somewhat of a personal discovery and acomplishment, and its slight revolsion only added to the adventure, and feel of randomness which he so enjoyed. Also, the pig people made him feel utterly beautiful in comparison, which was always nice.
"OKAY! So now we just sit back and take in the smells!" he practically shouted, causing people to look at him. It was a dig at the odor of the town and the villagers, and it was also an indication of his own powers. Oh how he loved attention.
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Post by Wolfy on Nov 4, 2006 11:38:52 GMT -5
(So, we just.. jump in? All right... ^^)
Serin rode down a path, letting Sharlei pick her way. She didn't really care where they ended up, as long as it was far from where they started. Suddenly, the horse balked, and Serin snapped out of her musings. Slipping off Sharlei, she stood beside the horse, one hand on Sharlei's neck, and tilted her head, listening.
"A town?" she asked softly, surprised. "But we're in the middle of nowhere..." she continued, taking a step down the path. Sharlei tossed her head and didn't move. Serin frowned. "Come on, Shar... We have to get directions, at least," she commanded, tugging gently at the reins. The horse whickered, but reluctantly followed her mistress.
Walking up to the town, Serin stopped, wrinkling her nose. "Oh, disgusting..." she muttered under her breath before composing herself. Sharlei whickered again, as if in agreement, and Serin got back in the saddle. She picked her way through the town, trying to ignore the smell and the inhabitants, then stopped, eyeing the sight in front of her with mild shock.
"Well... That's interesting..." she mused. Sharlei neighed softly, backing up frightfully. That wolf was almost as big as her! Absentmindly, Serin patted the side of Sharlei's neck reassuringly as she stared at the cat person and the wolf... thing he rode in interest.
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Post by Dundee on Nov 4, 2006 14:22:45 GMT -5
About a hundred yards from the commotion stood an ancient clock tower. High up in the tower, hidden by mysterious cogs and wheels, hung a simply enormous bat. About the size of a child, not including its wings, all black and red, it hung on its perch by small, delicate feet, slumbering. A man's loud voice reached its huge ears, and it almost fell down from the shock. "Gwah?..." it burbled, and shook itself free of the heavy-laying dust. "What's all this, then?" It peered out of one of the clock's faces, trying to make sense of the blurred figures in the backround. You can't really use echolocation in front of a heavy glass window, and so it flew out into the street to see what all the hubbub was about.
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Post by Rehiro on Nov 4, 2006 22:03:18 GMT -5
((Yup, you just jump in. I barely even have a hook. Just that Trandar is somewhat psychic, and your characters will most likely be influential on the path he draws through his uncanny instinct, so he'll figure things out with his nose where his brain fails and find you guys despite the fact that he dosent know what hes doing.))
Trandar looked around himself, taking note of his surroundings and taking delight in the shock of the pig people. He figured he was enough of a foreigner that nobody would act on his insult for at least a little while, until they decided he wasnt some horrible monster. The oddness in his manner would hold them back, nobody would dare to make a confrontation which would draw themselves out as an individual. That was the type of people these were, Trandar could tell just from looking at them.
Then he did a double take and laid eyes on the beautiful woman set before him. He leaned forward a little to get a closer look. Suddenly his body reminded him how long he had been alone in the wilderness with just Sprinter for company, and he smiled at the girl.
"Well, well, I have the devils nose, don't I Sprinter?" he said.
Sprinter didnt respond. He didnt get what Trandar was talking about.
"Hey, could you give me some idea of where we are?" Trandar said to the girl "I'm afraid I don't have much idea, myself"
((Bad mark of the GM to have his character ask a players character a question about the world he created without giving some information as to the answer. The answer is that they're in a large wood to... the south of the great Demon HQ. This pig-village is a small village that has been claimed by those demons, but is nearly forgotten and untouched. They uphold the rituals mostly out of habit because it works, more then because they fear the demons. Serin dosent have to know where they are. Its pretty nowhere-ish and I suspect it would be easy to get lost in those woods))
Meanwhile, in a distant, yet not-so-distant land, an order was shouted by a man to the two raptor-like creatures in front of him. The raptors halted and the metal carriage came to a stop in the middle of the surrounding nothingness of the forest.
The carriage, the raptors, and the people inside the carriage, as well as the man who had just shouted the order, were all decorated with wolf skins much similar to that of Sprinters. A man walked up to the carriage driver.
"Tracker says he's on the dimension next to this one" Rehiro said "Zokoren, we'll need your powers to locate this guy and scout out the area".
Another man appeared and hopped down onto the dirt floor. Face concealed by a wolf skin hood, he reached out his right hand and a blue glow emitted from it. After a bit he let his hand drop, and with an exasperated voice he said "theres a-a bit of a complication my lord.... The one you want... Well... He's there, but also.... There is one of the- one of the Caretakers there as well, and it appears to be stalking him".
A silence swept over the carriage. Eventually Rehiro said "well that changes things considerably, now dosent it?"
OOC: Yes, this Rehiro is Sekou from Hired by a Thief.
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Post by Wolfy on Nov 4, 2006 22:39:28 GMT -5
"I have no idea where I am either. I let Sharlei lead the way away from my previous area of employment and she got us a bit lost," she replied, smiling sheepishly at Trandar. Sharlei stamped her hooves uneasily, flicking her ears back. Dismounting, Serin turned to her and released the reins. "Go. I'll whistle for you when I need you," she commaned softly. Sharlei reared, then galloped back the way they had come, eager to be away from the wolf thing. Turning back to Trandar, Serin curtsied gracefully.
"I am known as Serin, by the way," she said, rising from her cursty and playing with the ruby around her neck. She smiled shyly at Trandar, looking up at him from under her lashes. "Who might you be?"
(She's flirting mildly... Hoping for some information... Like I said.. She's a good actress... So sorry, Trandar, but she'd only be interested in you for your blood... ^^;;(and, of course, the enigma of a cat and dog travleing together... ^_^-))
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Post by Rehiro on Nov 5, 2006 0:58:31 GMT -5
Trandar actually paused before beginning to talk. Wow! She sure was eager to know him. She didnt seem much like the type to enjoy a little mental abuse (which was actually more effective then people would think. Women were crazy). She seemed like that would sink deep and hurt her ego, and she was eager to please. She seemed shy though, and shy girls would sometimes be reluctant to (censored), but on the other hand, they also were full of pent-up energy, and he had pretty much no choice anyway.
This girl would be a bit of a challenge, but obviously she had been turned on by his loudness, so he should act in a manner which would consciously emphasize his outwardness in her mind, but give her enough space not to instantly frighten her off.
Even if she did enjoy a little bit more of a brutish aproach, he could keep her enticed long enough to figure her out better if he acted in this way. He should be subtle, but appear pushy, and go in for the final goal after he opened up her mental defenses. If he defeated those defenses, there would be nothing stopping him. She was already at a point where she wanted those defenses broken anyway, so she'd be subconsciously trying to aid him anyway.
He figure all this out in that tiny little pause. He had lightning quick girl attracting reflexes.
So first he should answer her question. Awesome! He loved it when people asked him his name.
He hopped off of Sprinters back, making sure not to stand close enough that her personal space would be invaded. There'd be plenty of opportunity to get to that point later, but he shouldnt put all his force forward at once. It would probably scare her off.
He then realized that she had let her horse go. Leaving her defenseless. Ohohoho, so she wanted to be dominated. That was good. Left a greater chance that she consciously intended to have something to do with him. Now all he had to do was not screw things up.
He bowed extravagantly "I am Trandar Bandytail, of the Tufted Ear Clan of the Rufus Felidae Demons. I am the last surviving member of the Tufted Ear who were ruthlessly slaughtered by a terrible dragon and now I am questing out for a way of defeating it. I bear the legendary mark of the Nine Lives, and am tamer of the legendary Treeborn. Me and my buddy Sprinter here, we were travelling around for interesting scents. I have to say, I havent smelled someone so intriguing for a long time. What is your area of employment by the way?"
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Post by Scarecrow on Nov 5, 2006 3:29:38 GMT -5
Glen had been hanging around the little town for nigh on a week now, and he didn't like it. It was too... Ordinary. It was worse than the Doldrums, from back home. And it was small, and each villager knew the other... It wasn't the sort of place he was used to. As he snuffled through the treeroots he had been digging between, he was reminded of the soot and muck of the old part of the city, the ones where he could move, completely unnoticed, in a crowd. The places where one could find a good bone to chew on, and, if one was lucky, it might have a bit of meat still attached to it. This place was just too... Wholesome. That was the word. Something shook the earth almost directly over him, and he waited for it to pass, before poking his head out of the damp, dark earth. A horse. That was different... He decided to retrace the horse's steps- if he listened, he could hear voices... Definately not of the pig people! He scrambled out of the shallow den he had been digging, not bothering to brush off the clumps of dirt than clung to his ragtag clothes, and hair that somehow managed to be short and lank all at once. His wide, pale greenish yellow eyes blinked and bulged in the sudden brightness of light, as his longfingered, spadelike hands hauled his skinny, green carcass out of the burrow, and he stood upright, maintaining, of course, the customary slouch, so that his arms nearly dragged along the ground. He loped into view, before wrinkling his almost snoutlike nose in curiousity, and grinning from ear to ear. He probably shouldn't have. His smile, or, more accurately, those teeth, had once made an infant burst into tears. His voice was, of course, grating and harsh to hear as he said, " 'Ello!"
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Post by Wolfy on Nov 5, 2006 10:15:14 GMT -5
"A dragon killed your family? That's horrible!" she exclaimed, taking a small step forward as if she wanted to comfort him in some way. Then she looked away, apparently embarassed by her forwardness. "I... I am a gypsy. A dancer... At least... That is what I am trained for... I'm not very good at it..." she answered, glancing up to meet his eyes again before swiftly loking away, playing with her necklace. She couldn't very well be shy and a dancer. Well... Not a successful one, at any rate.
At Glen's vice, she turned toward him slightly, keeping most of her attention on Trandar. "Hello..." she said cautiously, edgeing towards Trandar again, as if subconsciously wanting his protection. Inwardly, she cringed at acting so shy and weak. It went against everything she was. But, she knew men would be more eager to tell things to a shy girl, hoping to impress her or bring her out of her shell. Especially when they had been without any female companionship for a while, as Trandar seemed to have been. However, she did wonder if she might be lying it on a bit thick.
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Post by Rehiro on Nov 5, 2006 15:48:23 GMT -5
Trandar was totally captivated by her now. The pig village melted out of his universe and he forgot his tactics as instinct began to set in. "Y-you're a paid dancer?!" smoothe. He confided to himself that maybe he'd stepped wrongly with that statement. He needed to make a recovery. Well, she seemed like the type of girl who wanted to be reassured... "You can't be that bad if you can make a living off it! What kind of-" he was about to ask her what type of dancing did she specialize in, knowing the answer he wanted, and throwing a little more tact to the wind, but he was hit with what felt like a cold bucket of water over the back of his neck as Sprinter shoved his wet nose into him.
Trandars world fell back into place a little and he spun around, ready to lash out at Sprinter for disrupting his fantasy, but Sprinter spoke to quickly "we have company".
It was then that Trandar realized that the goblin had appeared, and that he had been talking to himself after Serins attention had been diverted. He turned to the goblin and directed his irritation toward him. How dare he interrupt him while he was working on his craft?!
"Well, hello Mr. Goblin Punk! How do you DO?!"
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Post by Dundee on Nov 5, 2006 16:04:02 GMT -5
Darn. I'd hoped that the appearance of a bat with a 10 foot-something wingspan would've gotten a reaction out of at least SOMEONE. Dratted flying rat, you're not scary enough! Shoulda gotten a vampire bat, at least they've more of a reputation than a flying fox, even if foxes are bigger. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The bat swooped low from the tower, instantly recognizing the flirty feline it'd heard earlier and his rather frightening ride as none of its business. Still curious, it surveyed the rest of the crowd about the two strangers, spotting two other new-comers. There was a girl next to the cat; still none of his business. Now, that green little maggot by her, on the other hand... It finally landed, gathering its wings around its body as it stumbled on tiny feet unaccustomed to the ground. "Afternoon, mate, how's the weather da'n there?" it sneered, its enormous nose crinkling up at the rancid smell of the gnome-thing.
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Post by Scarecrow on Nov 7, 2006 10:44:11 GMT -5
Thirty seconds out in the open, and he was already receiving too much attention. Girl-thing was frightened. Cat-thing was obviously irritated, and a bat... Naw. Bat demon... Was insulting his shortness. This would not stand. He drew himself up to his full height, which, sadly, was not particularily impressive, and said, loudly enough that it would, at least, twinge the bat-thing's sensitive ears, yet maintaining a certain sound of calm, "FINE." At least he was answering both questions...
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Post by Wolfy on Nov 7, 2006 12:54:47 GMT -5
Serin edged a small step away from Trandar, as if his sudden attention to her profession and his hostility to the goblin made her nervous. For a moment, she calculated on whether or not she would be completely put off by it, then decided that she wouldn't. However, she would appear just a bit more cautious around him. Her mind made up, she surreptitously studied the other creature that had joined.
Hmm... Interesting sort of creature, she thought idlely as she took a step away from him as well. Her gaze flickered from bat to goblin to cat to wolf then back as she allowed herself to look confused and slightly unnerved.
"Who... Who are you?" she asked the goblin and bat-thing, making herself sound nervous but polite. Reaching up to play with her necklace again, she wondered what force had brought such different creatures to this little out of the way village.
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Post by Dundee on Nov 7, 2006 17:35:16 GMT -5
The bat pretended not to notice the little goblin, though its ears folded themselves involuntarily in response to the noise, and looked up at the girl, its beady black eyes bulging curiously. Smiling unpleasantly, it said in a high, rusty voice, "Th' name's Pulk’tea Pikeipae; ye might wish to call me Pulk. Nay, I ain't a vampire bat, don't you be getting scared on account o' me. Just a wee foxy explorin' th' world..." 'Pulk,' as he shall hence be known, assumed as suspicious a face as he could muster on his small face. "An' what do they call you, missy?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` Just to let you know; I have NO IDEA where Pulk's accent comes from. Might be English. o.o
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Post by Rehiro on Nov 10, 2006 2:59:45 GMT -5
"Her name is Serin and she's one of the three newest additions to my ultimate team of mercenaries. You two are the other two" Trandar said, suddenly having decided that his luck had just sealed this fate, and that he couldn't at this point screw it up "but I mean come on! couldn't you guys have given me at least half a day? You're appearance is causing me all sorts of trouble".
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Post by Dundee on Nov 10, 2006 8:52:51 GMT -5
"Uh... Mercenaries? As in, killing things for money?" Pulk began to look uneasy. Not exactly what he'd planned on doing when he'd found this little town. "And what do you mean by, 'half a day?' You've just barely met us, and you're going to recruit us? Isn't that a bit, I don' know, nuts?"
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Post by Wolfy on Nov 10, 2006 12:49:55 GMT -5
Serin blinked, and turned to look at Trandar.
"Mercenary? No, I can't... I don't know how to fight," she said, shaking her head and taking a step back. She allowed a thread of panic to creep into her voice, but no more, glad she had thought to leave her daggers in Sharlei's saddlebags. If they were visable, her claim would quickly be disproved, and she didn't want that. She would, of course, go with them, but she was going to make Trandar talk her into it. She knew she looked like she could be beaten easily, so she was fairly sure the only reason he wanted her with them was that she was female and attractive. Which suited her just fine, as it meant she would be easily underestimated. Inwardly, she smirked. It seemed that she was going to be involved in something quite interesting.
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Post by Rehiro on Nov 11, 2006 19:27:09 GMT -5
"Yup, well, it's totally nuts!" Trandar said to Pulk "But theres definitely a reason we were brought together, I mean, what are the odds that I'd meet you three in this random pig village right after Sprinter here broke out of his crippling introversion? And yes I do mean.... Well, maybe not killing things for money, but killing stuff for stuff. I just don't know what kinda stuff yet. As for half a day.... Well, I don't think I should clarify exactly what I meant by that, as that might ruin the magic of my technique.... But lets just say that's what it would have taken me" he was talking about his ambition regarding Serin. Turning to her, he said "fate brought us together, so fate says you'll be a top-quality mercenary. All you guys are free to reject the idea, but fates just going to string you right back here to me and my ambition. A Felidae of the Nine Lives has this fate-twisting quality you know. Whatever you guys do, its gonna help me find a fox girl and a Treeborn friend of mine, kill a dragon and a crazy demon king man, if you act now however, and join me, I'll cut you a deal. Make a wish and I'll grant it for you."
Meanwhile, in a place both far and near, sitting on one of his golems, all folded up, Krowin watched his leader talk about the newest twist of circumstances.
Krowin wore the traditional hooded cloak of wolf fur which needed to be worn when travelling over dimensions, but normally he just wore a tunic and britches. For a demon, he looked far too human. He had a black beard and long black, semi-curly hair. He was found to be the butt of everyones jokes in his band of demonic comrades despite the fact that he did practically all the tedious work. Rehiro was the only person who would stand up for him consistantly, and Shan was the only person who could really relate with him. Shan was off now, risking his life to keep up with the pattern of the Treeborn.
"Now let's not stand around trying to convince ourselves that we didn't make a mistake" Rehiro said, giving Krowin a twinge of mental pain. He didn't like to admit it when he made a mistake, and he didn't like the person he respected most admitting to making a mistake himself, but to speak against this would go against his philosophy, which he didn't want to do. Best to just keep listening. "We thought we were travelling down the one path to true insight, but it turns out there is another branch right here, in this remote land completely separate from the Treeborn pattern, and that means that either there is another tree, or that this is not a true Caretaker. It could be a trick of the demon king, but I'm not sold on that. Right now we're betting on the power of my eyes to see through illusion and I don't think the demon king could follow us like that. I would like to see this Caretaker up close, but I don't want to risk falling into a trap. Theres always the chance of deception if I can't take a look at my opponent, and if getting close is the trap, then seeing the problem is worth nothing. This Caretaker, following one of the Spirit Wolves, acts nothing like any Treeborn I've ever met."
"So now, the question is who we should deal with first, the Wolf or the Caretaker. Right now the Wolf is in a place of vulnerability-"
Krowin cut him off. He wanted to grab some credit for being insightful, and to downplay the enemy so as to make his team, and specifically himself, feel superior "What an idiot! Why doesn't he go someplace where we wouldn't be able to get him so easily? I mean, a forest with Forest Spirits around it is just the sort of place where we could move and strike best, right? Idiot!"
Rehiro let him finish and then said "he shouldn't know that we're coming, and a forest is where he can maneuver best in a place of trouble as well, he should think by sticking to a forested land with Forest Spirits, he's taking a wise precaution"
Rehiro never insulted you, but he always somehow made you feel stupid when you couldn't get the answer right.
"Yeah, don't talk unless you have something intelligent to say" Zokoren chimed in. He probably couldn't have thought of anything even as intelligent as what he had said, but he'd take Rehiro's intelligence, and use it to hide behing, and mock him with "or else you'll just end up wasting Lord Rehiro's time"
Krowin was going to make a remark back to Zokoren, but Rehiro intervened "I want everyone to ask as many questions as they want, and I want everyone to feel free to give any insights they have. I don't want people to feel like they might be mocked for their ideas or someone might stay quiet at a crucial moment, and it might even cause us all to die. Zokoren, you just supported a potential cause of death, I thank you for protecting my honor but you made yourself out to be more stupid then Krowin".
Zokoren flushed, the dark purple streaks of the Mark of Shame now standing out more on his pale face "I-I'm sorry my Lord, but I was simply defending your honor, and-and if we waste too much time, we might fail in the mission".
He was simply trying to save face, but at least Krowin wasn't the one on the defense now. Daxelore gave a chuckle at the preachers trouble.
"We have been traveling for days, if something was going to go wrong this moment, that would be very unfortunate. Unfortunate beyond the thought that it could be luck based. Right now, I think rational thought is most necessary" Rehiro said. "I want information more then I want to make fast, aggressive movements. There's obviously something strange going on, and our personal and primary goal has contradicted itself in the way we have been going about completing it, and our secondary goal, the one we have been concentrating on now, has just linked itself to our primary goal. Who here thinks it would be a good idea to hold the Caretaker hostage?"
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Post by Wolfy on Nov 11, 2006 19:59:44 GMT -5
"All right... I'll come..." she said softly. She turned and, putting two fingers in her mouth, blew an ear peircing whistle. Son, Sharlei galloped back into town, rearing to a halt in front of her. Serin grabbed the reins and turned back to Trandar. "I'm ready whenever you are."
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Post by Scarecrow on Nov 13, 2006 2:56:58 GMT -5
The short, green creature stood up as straight as the natural slouch of his species would allow, grinning and displaying that dreadfull gash of yellowed rot, and exclaiming, "Count me in, cully. M'name's Glen." Glen. DAMN that name. He continued the ghastly parody of a grin, and returned to proper, arms-almost-dragging-along-the-ground posture, picked up a twig, and began walking it across the back of his hand, much as a juggler would a coin. He couldn't wait.
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Post by Rehiro on Nov 14, 2006 22:42:27 GMT -5
Well.... That had been easy.... Thought Trandar to himself. Weren't they even going to make a wish? Well, it was just as well.... He really didn't know how he expected to pull that one off anyway. Going about wish fulfillment would be troublesome anyway.
"Alright! That's just what I want to hear! How about you.... Pulk, is it? You want to grab life by the horns? Or get pulled along behind it as you have a rope tied around you.... That is.... Also tied around the bull at the other end or something like that?"
_____________________________________________________
Zokoren, in his orange preacher robes, with his hooded wolf skin cloak wrapped around him, stared admiringly at his leader of whom held all his admiration. Still cringing at the scolding he had received, and desperate to win back the honor he had lost, he waited for the correct moment to speak.
It was thanks to Rehiro that he needn't feel ashamed of the Mark of Shame which covered his face and bald head. It was thanks to Rehiro that any of them had come as far as they had. Surely he was God on Earth. He had moved dimensions and followed secret paths only he could see. It was only a matter of time before he claimed his divine thrown, and at that time, he, Zokoren, the one who had stood beside him all this time would be given his reward.
Sitting on one of Krowins folded up golems. Sitting perfectly still with his hands on his lap, he waited with an air of great patience and quiet strength. It had taken Rehiro one glance to know the whole situation with the Wolf Spirit Sprinter even though he had, shamefully, in his shock that Rehiro's prediction might have been wrong, had neglected to explain things fully.
"Now" said Rehiro "I would like to take a closer look at these things myself but I don't think I can. Somebody needs to stay here and look after Tracker" what was his obsession with that dog? "so we'll put the entire demon force on this one. We need to attack now while they can't hop dimensions. We'll try long range attacks. Have Krowin surround the village with his robots. Have Sham use Cobra to take down either the Caretaker or the Wolf depending on which is stronger and Zokoren can take down the weaker one. Daxelore should stay outside the village and prepare to kill the Forest Spirit if necessary. Only do this if Zokoren gets the chance to echo his mind through enough people that he is sure that you guys are strong enough to take them down. If you aren't, keep your way of the retreat, that being the Forest Spirit, open. Retreat if necessary. If you can take hostages. Any of the wolfs allies. Bring them back here. If you have to burn the forest, send Zokoren back first, so I can keep an eye on you guys. When I'm gone, Zokoren is leader, if Zokoren retreats, Sham is leader. Got that? You guys use your own smarts if you need to. I believe in you guys. Any objections?"
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Post by Dundee on Nov 14, 2006 23:45:11 GMT -5
Shoot, sorry I didn't post earlier. I STILL can't figure out how he would react to Tran talking about Treeborn so casually. *wracks brain* ---------------------------------------------------- ". . . Did you say. . . Treeborn. . ." Pulk's eyes widened, and a vision of his home, bloodstained with his family's bodies appeared in his mind's eye. Suddenly suspicious, he narrowed them. "What business have ye with the monsters?" Pulk glared at the cat for a moment, until he processed the rest of what he'd said. "Wait... What's that about the bulls, again? Deeh... What's 'bulls'?" Whatever they were, they didn't sound pleasant. Pulk's brain hurt. It was pretty small, anyway. "Da, fine. I'll come wi' the lot o' ya. If ye promise to not travel in th' middle o' the... Afternoon, d'ye call it? Th' bit when the sun's righ' o'er head? Don't like that bit, I'm willing to travel other parts o' day 'n night.
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Post by Rehiro on Nov 15, 2006 20:29:09 GMT -5
((Dont worry about it. Soon there will be some action. Shippo, you can start using your character if you want now. You dont have to, but you can step in anytime you want. Keep in mind that your character speaks a different language than Trandars crew does))
Trandar smiled at Pulk. Sounded like this guy had some important information about treeborn. Oh, well, he'd ignore him for now, and try to get information out of these guys later. Were none of these guys going to make a wish? HA! Suckers! This was turning out perfectly.
"Alright! Thats the spirit! Now, I don't think you have to worry too much about traveling in the middle of the afternoon. What do we have here? A cat, a wolf, a goblin, a..... Vampire? And a bat. seems like all members of this party would be more comfortable in the night anyway. Am I right?"
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Post by Wolfy on Nov 15, 2006 23:29:23 GMT -5
Serin froze momentarily, then turned away from checking the bridle to face Trandar, hands shaking slightly. Her mind was whirling, and for once, she wasn't acting when her voice came out shaky.
"Y... Yes, I.. I would be more comfortable at night..." she murmured breathlessly. She turned back to Sharlei and fussedat the saddle, taking a moment to compose herself. it must have been the nose... she thought to herself, slowly regaining control. Foolish of her to let it surprise her so. Scolding herself, she quickly checked the cinch of the saddle and turned back to Trandar
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Post by Rehiro on Nov 16, 2006 21:16:58 GMT -5
The Narrator, Caretaker Treeborn of the mighty Tree of Life stood outside the village, just far enough to easily access the Forest Spirit. His long, monkey-like arms did not make his stance any more primal. He stood upright, with a straight back, and his legs were human in build, fur aside, in the fact that they were not underdeveloped as a result of having overdeveloped arms. His mouth was broad, and stretched across his face like a frog. His nose a sort of prolonged, snout-like dog nose. His ears pointed, his eyes the white orb-eyes of the treeborn and the stylized third eye that was the Mark of the Caretaker was visible on his forehead.
He was covered in short, golden-brown hair. The hair was longer on his head like a humans, and it was pulled back into a pony tail to reveal the Mark of the Caretaker, also, longer hair could be seen coming off his arms until it reached his wrists. His hands were hairless except for a little short fur on the backs of them. His neck and face were covered in the short fur, his legs appeared to have longer fur up to his ankles, whereas his bare feet appeared to be hairless, like his hands.
He wore simple brown robes, and in his left hand, his good hand, he held a long wooden funnel with a round chamber in the center of it. He looked like he spent some effort keeping himself clean.
The Narrator stared toward the group that Trandar and Sprinter were in. He needed to find Moss. He hated to be out of control of any circumstance, and more so then the fact that he needed him, what drove him to follow these two was the fact that Moss had escaped, and it made him crazy to think of anyone that could escape from him. He didn't think about how Moss could have escaped, he just thought of how he could get him back.
Trandar had had continuous good fortune in discovering ways to potentially find Moss, and the Narrator wanted to use that good fortune for himself. Ironically, it was a Spirit Wolf, the only known predator of the treeborn, which was the method that Trandar was using, and if he allowed himself to be revealed, then there would be large trouble.
So he kept himself cloaked in the Forest Spirits presence to keep himself hidden, from all five senses, so that he could keep an eye on things without being caught. He used the power of the Tree of Life to keep up with Sprinters pace. If he fell out of his cloak for even a moment, Sprinter would undoubtedly catch him. _____________________________________________________
"Haha!" Trandar laughed "See? I have more than just good looks you know!" he said to Serin. That should create a feeling of acknowledgment in Serins attraction toward him in her mind, whether or not she consciously thought it a self directed ego boost "I have other skills too, you know. Don't worry, I like women with a bit of a dangerous edge. I suppose I have a bit of a masochistic side that way". All women were a little bit sadistic by nature, although they all wanted to be dominated. This should play well to both sides, putting himself in a superior position while simultaneously showing a want to be dominated physically. It should show off his aggressive nature too, putting her off guard, which she would like, while not forcing her to respond. However, he had acted rashly and had forgotten that they had company. If the others thought that their relationship was further developed then it really was, there was the slight possibility that it could cause trouble for him. ______________________________________________________
"Y'know what?" Rehiro said suddenly "I feel so stupid. I guess I'm so used to being on the forefront of the battlefield, with my special eyes that I forgot that we can do quite a bit of this long-range. Theres no need to split up just yet, and maybe I can help you out some after all. I have formulated a plan. Here it is....." Rehiro's mind had just gone for a spin. Meaning that it had spun so fast in such a short amount of time that his conscious mind was incapable of explaining where all the information had come from. It did that sometimes. He used to fear it, but it never worked against him when put in action. It was better to follow your instincts when you were a wolf.
"If we attack the Wolf, the Caretaker will retreat. So we'll attack the Caretaker with the best we have. That being the Cobra. We'll send its head through the dimensional barrier and reel him in. We'll have Zokorens spirit go through dimensions as well, and keep an eye on the Wolf. If the Wolf makes a run for it, Zokoren can attack the Wolf with his Spirit, then we can send Cobra as backup once more. If it comes down to it, we can send people in, and Daxelore and Krowin can play backup. They're caged as long as they can't reach the Forest Spirit, so the ball's in our court in that respect. Otherwise, we'll stick to the old plan. I'll direct you guys as long as the fight continues on this end."
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Post by Wolfy on Nov 19, 2006 14:59:43 GMT -5
Serin blinked at him, then got astride Sharlei and gently patted her neck, thinking. If he knew she was a vampire, but still trying to hit on her, then possibly, he still believed she was the shy sort. But, no vampire tht has been one for a while would be shy. They would either embrace their fate, like she had, or they would isolate themselves in disgust. Maybe.. Hmmm... Yes, a young vampire, one who did not like what she was, but was hopeful that she could still live her old life without hurting anyone.... Perfect. She would still be shy, and now she could allow herself to act slightly nervous about people getting too close, and it gave her the excuse she would need if they had to fight. She had said she couldn't fight, which was a lie, and if questioned, she could say that she was afraid she would hurt her companions if she had joined them. But she was also a firm believer in fate, and so if she was fated to have been part of the group, then she was not going to try and fight it. She smiled to herself, being careful not to let her satisfaction show on her face, pleased. That would work. And, if Trandar was still so eager to... Well... Get to know her, she would allow him to slowly break down her "walls" until she got what information he had. Once she did, she would be able to reveal her true nature... That thought pleased her to no end. The complete turn about of her attitude would be surprising, and she did so love surprising people.
"If.. If we are all ready... We should go..." she said softly, tangling her fingers in Sharlei's mane. She glanced swiftly towards Trandar, then looked away, as if ashamed to face him. Now that she had decided upon a course of action, she was eager to get out of the reeking village.
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Post by Rehiro on Nov 20, 2006 20:58:17 GMT -5
((Wow, I didnt know you had such high-level analytical ability Wolfchild. We have to wait for Shippo to post. So that you guys can be suddenly attacked.))
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Post by Shippo_no_Neko on Nov 20, 2006 21:20:01 GMT -5
Sham stood, and focused on the Caretaker. She could feel him, standing at the edge of her perception. Drawing a short snake-shaped staff from it's place on her waist, she calculated the distance. She glanced at Rehiro, and then focused her attention on the caretaker again. Since Shan was away... She was a bit on edge. "I've got him." She said softly, her voice making a noise like water running over rocks. She flicked her wrist, and the staff cracked down the middle. The snake's head seemed to come to life, it's eyes glowing and mouth opening slightly. The head rushed forward, a long chain following it through the dimension pocket, growing longer and longer. Sham held her target in her mind, and knew that the Cobra would strike it true.
((OOC:I hope I did this right >.> I apologize for being late, i'm trying to figure out the best way to characterize her. Let me know if I need to edit this))
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Post by Rehiro on Nov 20, 2006 23:05:26 GMT -5
Sham's spirit was focussed through Cobra, and she could see through the head as if it were her own. She could manipulate the chains movements even through air and make the chain as long or as short as she wanted. That was what Daxelore knew about the Cobra. Right now though, he couldn't be bothered to pay much attention. He just wanted a good fight. He wanted to get that adrenalin pumping and just let loose. Yeah. That's what he wanted.
That f***er Zokoren though, and his f***ing curse. If it weren't for that he would probably just rip Krowins head off his body right now. Man that guy could get irritating with his whining.
Daxelore looked around himself. So bored he could die. Rehiro should just send him through to slaughter those guys. Yeah, that's what he should do. They were in the village, right? Couldn't teleport. He'd just tear that Wolf to bloody shreds and everybody else. Screw power. He had enough power already to carry the team.
Nobody trusted him. Why not?! What had he done?! Oh, fine, so he was a little tempermental sometimes. Maybe he wouldn't be like that if people trusted him a little more.
"Take him out with spiritual poison" Rehiro said, just barely audible through Daxelores deep train of thought. ______________________________________________________
Cobra launched itself through dimensions and hit the Narrator in the back of the neck. He yelped and felt the cold poison of the Cobra seep into his spirit and immobilize him. ______________________________________________________
Zokorens spirit was through dimensions, watching over the Wolf. He couldn't let his Lord Rehiro down this time. He needed to make up for whatever he had said which had made him angry. He couldn't stay mad if he accomplished this mission to perfection.
His spirit was invisible and all seeing. He could see life energy, spirit energy, spirits, and bodies. He was clouded from the human senses of sight, sound, smell, feel, and taste. Well.... You could feel him once he entered your body, but otherwise.... He was pretty invisible.
The entire girth of his spirit was an eye. He could see from a 360 degree perspective and he could float freely. He hovered above Sprinter and watched carefully. ______________________________________________________
Suddenly Sprinter could sense the presence of the Narrator. He had slipped out of his protective cloak as his spirit had weakened. He threw his head back and forth in panic, and in hunger. He flipped over to point his head in the direction of the Narrator. It was in the direction they had originally entered the village.
"Hey, Sprint-" Trandar said.
"There is one around!" Sprinter barked "one of the treeborn. One of the boss treeborn!"
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Post by Dundee on Nov 22, 2006 12:43:41 GMT -5
"Pfwha?!" Pulk sputtered. He had heard them mention Treeborn just a moment before, and now these two who had shanghaied him into these shenanigans were throwing themselves deeper in a pit. There were the Treeborn, and the enormous wolf, and that little green guy, and he had no idea what bulls were-Wait, he was doing that thing again. Don't react, just take action, he told himself silently. "So, w-what are we going to do about it?" he asked timidly.
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Post by Wolfy on Nov 22, 2006 17:24:53 GMT -5
Serin pulled one of her daggers out of the saddlebag and looked over at Trandar for instruction. She gripped the dagger loosely, listening intently for whatever threat Sprinter had felt. She loped the reins around her free hand, gently tugging them twice. Sharlei, recognizing the signal from her training, flickered her ears forward and stood stone still, waiting for further commands from Serin.
"Trandar...?" Serin asked softly, uncertain. "What's going on?"
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