Roland "Wolf" Wymond
Wyvern Rider
Posts: 18
Sacae Fame: 1
Profession: Wandering Knight
OoC Alias: Wolf
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Post by Roland "Wolf" Wymond on Apr 7, 2015 18:21:59 GMT -6
The rest of the town took less time to extinguish. When they finished, Wolf and Leo hovered over the charred town. Surprisingly there was no smoke from the flames, or maybe that was unsurprisingly.
"The town is safe for now, Leo," Wolf sighed out of relief. "we should follow the direction harold and that girl went. they may need our help."
"Right! Let's go!" Leo exclaimed.
Maelstrom turned towards the direction the old man had led the girl and flew fast. They saw a farmhouse covered in those Black Flames, but as they approached the flames seemed to be extinguished one by one. They then saw Harold collapsed on the ground and the girl on her back with the wind knocked out of her. There were several cloaked men in between Harold and the house.
"We'll see you again in another forty years, Fleabottom... If you're alive by then." Wolf heard one of them speak. After speaking, they just dispersed each his own direction.
"By the gods..." Wolf said quietly and then he dismounted Maelstrom and ran over to kneel by Harold. "Hey, are you alright? Can you speak?" He checked him for any cuts or gashes, but found none. "Must have been magic, and by the looks of those cloaked figures, I'd say Dark magic. Just what happened here?"
While Wolf checked on Harold, Leo ran over to the girl, "Hey are you okay? Uhm, do you need a vulnery?" he pulled out a vulnery and tried to help her sit up.
Maelstrom sifted through the remains of the farmhouse looking for survivors.
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Jule
Thief
Anyone can be great.
Posts: 91
Affinity: Dark
OoC Alias: Zach
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Post by Jule on Apr 9, 2015 18:10:29 GMT -6
The girl's body eased itself upright as her eyes adjusted. Jule hadn't passed out during the minutes they had been left on the ground, but in hindsight she wished that she did. The first sign that she wasn't dead - or worse, asleep - was that she could see. Though specks of white still faded in and out of the horizon line she could see a body silhouetted against the night sky, and she could feel the heavy mitt propping her up. But her ears were still ringing and the world whirled around above her like she was tumbling down a hill. And through the blood rushing in her head she heard a voice from far above the noise waterfall.
Unsure of what was reality and what was immaterial, she reached up with a hand, firmly patting a face. Whose face? She wasn't sure. It was clean-shaven, that she discovered right off the bat. So it wasn't Harold.
"Outta my way you! Oh Gaea below... Greybeard!" Jule outbursted as she shoved her captor out of the way and scrambled to her feet. Her insides roared in protest. The poor girl managed a step forward before she crumpled down on one knee. There was a searing, burning pain way down in her stomach - if the thief had to guess, bruises from the words of power. They were sore now, but they wouldn't last. And there was no internal or external damage, either. She could tell that much. Almost like they were cast with contempt for them. And still Jule couldn't decide which was worse, being hit with all the power of a horse's hooves, or that sinister taunt they dismissed Harold and Jule with. Ooh, it fired her up something fierce!
"Guh... agh.." was all she managed at first in her response to the young man's offer. "I'll be fine. Go... take care of him." Her eyes were still hazy, but it wasn't hard to see who was helping who when she lifted a finger to the shadowed men in front of her. "I'm no doctor, but... that can't be good for an.. old man."
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Harold Fleabottom
Soldier
Posts: 27
Profession: Farmer, levyman
Affinity: Thunder
OoC Alias: Oleg
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Post by Harold Fleabottom on Apr 14, 2015 7:35:48 GMT -6
The house was gone. Literally, it had burned down at such a fast speed, the dark fire still raging on across the field that had just been ripe for harvest. It was almost a poetic sight, the dark fires burning and destroying all the source of food in an eye's sight. One could consider it a clever jape about the farming industry and taxation, if one just heard it as a poem or saw it as a painting. But this was nothing as simple as a painting. This was the truth. This was reality in it's purest form. Harsh, cold... Deadly.
And there was "Greybeard", holding his chest, staring down at the ground. Those words rung in his ears. Those same words he had been hit with years ago. Those words when he was but a young lad of twenty and a few years on top, the days before his wife and with his red haired love. It all had been taken away when he made one deal. And the deal came to bite him in the arse after all those years of waiting. Forty years, they said. After the first twenty he had forgot, not caring about the seemingly empty threat.
And then it happened. Why had he not left? They wouldn't have found him if he did. Bloody hell, he lived right next to them! He slammed his fist to the ground, letting out a shout of anger, sadness, and pain. He lost everything again. Again... Again?
Everything. Everything was lost.
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Roland "Wolf" Wymond
Wyvern Rider
Posts: 18
Sacae Fame: 1
Profession: Wandering Knight
OoC Alias: Wolf
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Post by Roland "Wolf" Wymond on Apr 15, 2015 10:11:58 GMT -6
Leo was pushed out of Jule's way. He saw her fall to a knee, "Uh, don't worry, my brother is helping Mr. Harold. you need help too, this vulnery should make the pain go away." Leo tried to calm the girl down. He kneeled down next to Jule again and offered the vulnery. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll both be okay," Leo said with a smile.
Wolf was next to Harold with a vulnery when Maelstrom walked over to them shaking his his head that he could not not find any survivors. "I'm sorry, Harold, I guess this was your house, ... and your family. You need to take it easy though, here's a vulnery. It should ease the pain and start the healing process.
"Harold, a question, who were those men?" Wolf asked. he knew the man was injured, but figured he might as well ask now. "They seemed to know you, at least from what I could tell."
The flames in the field were spreading slowly- slowly burning the crops. Maelstrom watched the flames slowly move on, sure to die out by the time they reach the end of the field.
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Jule
Thief
Anyone can be great.
Posts: 91
Affinity: Dark
OoC Alias: Zach
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Post by Jule on Apr 16, 2015 16:17:49 GMT -6
After a few moments of silence between the two, Jule reluctantly took the medication from the boy. And from inside the package wafted a smell of the most disgustingly minty substance you could think of. Instictively Jule made a face. She had to use this? She hadn't ever seen a vulnerary before but if she never saw another it would be too soon. Medicines and salves that she'd tried were spicy or sweet; never something so raw, so pure as the pasty white mash of plants the boy gave her. She huffed, dipping two fingers into the goop, certain that the earthy stench would never come off again. All it took was a few smears across her belly and she could feel the shooting pain slowing cooling as the salve worked its magic.
The thief was no stranger to pain, but this... had this really been the first time she'd been in a fight? It was an unfamiliar feeling - not defeat, but how the blast hurt her. It was hot, it was uncomfortable, and every time the girl took a gasp for mintless air her tummy rebelled against her. Nothing like the pangs of an empty belly, or the feeling of guilt, or sorrow, or fear.
The vulnerary's healing powers worked wonders, so long as she kept still. Yet time and time again she tried to crane her head over the man that had rode the wyvern, and rub her eyes to adjust to the twilight. Though Jule no longer felt like a large hand was holding her head under a waterfall, her senses still hadn't fully recovered. Even the numb, cool sensation of the boy's medicine couldn't help that go faster - if anything, she could hardly feel a nerve in her body. It would've been funnier if Jule's legs weren't falling asleep as the girl tried in vain to hold herself upright.
Eventually she gave up and let herself plop back to earth. The girl gazed at the stars suddenly twinkling to life in the blue ocean above her. At least she had something worthwhile to look at. "So, what... what do we do now?" she aimed at no one in particular. "Do we just let 'em get away?"
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Harold Fleabottom
Soldier
Posts: 27
Profession: Farmer, levyman
Affinity: Thunder
OoC Alias: Oleg
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Post by Harold Fleabottom on Apr 20, 2015 8:27:14 GMT -6
"By all that is holy in this... Nnngh, world." He gasped out, clearly still in some pains as he lied there, deciding to not even try and crawl up. From his minor training before and from some personal instructions, he knew that it was just best to let it take over instead of struggling. "Do not give chase! The... The fingerbeards are... A threat to their own, nngh. They... They should not be g-given chase, they'll... Nnnngh. Just do this again... Nngh, years past!" He breathed out as he finally scrambled up, the pain slowly going away as he closed his eyes.
"The fingerbeards... I do not exactly know what they are. All I know is that they serve this master... Master from deep under the church. A lot of poppycock if I do s' so m'self, I realize, but in th' end..." He shook his head, shivering a bit. "They... Th' live 'ere, ya see? This is... This is their grounds, yeh? I lived here forty years ago... Pa never told me. This happened around then. Lotsa people died, bu' they promised me life if I was silent an' helped people settle this ghost town. I had a story..."
"This wouldda be a ghost town lost t' some damn bernese war. Bu' they came back now... An' I think they wan' me to keep doing this. They told me I'd live if I stay. Bu'... Bu' clearly not them." He looked towards his farm. He was taking their loss surprisingly well. Or he was waiting to be left alone so he could mourn.
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Roland "Wolf" Wymond
Wyvern Rider
Posts: 18
Sacae Fame: 1
Profession: Wandering Knight
OoC Alias: Wolf
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Post by Roland "Wolf" Wymond on Apr 23, 2015 18:06:50 GMT -6
Wolf helped the man to his feet. "Burning a village, burning a man's farm and family- these cloaked men are just murderers. I'm sure you know more than I do though," He replied to Harold. "Do you wish to be alone to mourn for your family?" Wolf was not actually sure leaving the man by himself was the smartest option, but it seemed the most respectful.
Wolf looked over at the house- well what remained of the house- and tried to imagine what it must have looked like before the fire.
Leo had handed Jule the vulnery. Maelstrom walked over to check on Leo after seeing him being shoved. "It's okay, Maelstrom. I'm fine," Leo smiled. Maelstrom gave an understanding nod and followed jule's gaze to the stars.
In reply to her question, Leo said confidently, "My brother will make sure those villains pay for this. No way will evil prevail with him here!"
Wolf stepped over to Jule and Leo and added, "Leo, I'm not some Hero. I'm a knight who defends those who can not, but I can't do everything. That being said, I will do all in my power to right this wrong." Maelstrom gave a strong roar in affirmation. "Anyways, what is your name miss?" Wolf inquired of Jule, "I am Sir Roland, but I am called Wolf." He gave a slight bow to her and resumed his more casual stand.
"Oh and I'm Leo, his brother!" Leo added and mimicked the bow of his brother.
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Jule
Thief
Anyone can be great.
Posts: 91
Affinity: Dark
OoC Alias: Zach
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Post by Jule on Apr 25, 2015 17:46:56 GMT -6
"Roland? But you're... you're not Roland. He was shorter, like me. And he died ages ago. I'll call you Wolf instead."
"My name's Jule. Before you say somethin', Greybeard's not my pa or nothin' like that. We met last evening." Jule glanced at the massive dragon-like thing next to the knights. He(She?) didn't seem like much of any threat, but without so much as a sword, the swordswoman doubted that... The realization slammed into her like the hilt of her blade. "Hey, my sword's gone! Must've flown off after... Old man, where'd your walking stick go? Did you drop that too?"
Try as Jule might to stand, the best she could do was pretzel her legs together and, using her arms as a fulcrum, properly sit up again. It felt alien to not brush against the full weight of her sword scabbard - the girl was certain she threw that last one aside some yards back. Or if she hadn't, it fell from the jury rigged belt she hooked it on. It was helpful, having a sword to fight with and all, but she could really use another one. Or some more weapons... or maybe even her fists? Yeah, and she could use some more hand-to-hand knowledge. The best thing about weapons were that they were so diverse; what they used on one side of Elibe they might not have even heard of on the other side!
"Oof... I need to get my sword back, and we're burning moonlight just sitting around like this. If we're not gonna go and whack those guys, what else are we gonna do? We can't leave monsters like that running about! What's gonna stop 'em from just burnin' the town again?"
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Harold Fleabottom
Soldier
Posts: 27
Profession: Farmer, levyman
Affinity: Thunder
OoC Alias: Oleg
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Post by Harold Fleabottom on May 5, 2015 7:21:10 GMT -6
"Oof... I need to get my sword back, and we're burning moonlight just sitting around like this. If we're not gonna go and whack those guys, what else are we gonna do? We can't leave monsters like that running about! What's gonna stop 'em from just burnin' the town again?"
His eyes glistened at those words as the old man slowly hobbled up, whole body tensing and almost collapsing from the stress as he tried to find his spear to no avail. He'd have to get a new one. If he would ever be able to wield one, the pain ringing trough his body felt almost great enough to snap him in half like he was some fragile old stick. He was old, and he might have been fragile... But he was no stick. He was iron. Old, refined, and he'd be forged into something that would bring ruin to the fingerbeards.
But that day was not today. Nor tomorrow. Nor for the years to come. Maybe not in his lifetime either, he was running short on that string as well. All in all, revenge seemed impossible to attain, and maybe in the end it was best for everyone for it to stay that way. He turned his eyes between the other three present. A little boy and a girl, and one healthy young man. They could not face the fingerbeards without losing both their sanity and their souls to the gaping mouth of their olden false god. Nothing could be done.
"Ya can do whatever ya wish... But I'll be puttin' every soul in this damn town ta rest, an' then I will leave... An' never come back. I have a mission' ta do." He looked to all three of them before slowly wobbling over into the smoldering ruins. He wanted to spend a night with them, even if they were dead.
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Jule
Thief
Anyone can be great.
Posts: 91
Affinity: Dark
OoC Alias: Zach
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Post by Jule on May 17, 2015 15:14:17 GMT -6
The girl reached a hand out from her curled position, desperately trying to think of something, anything, some combination of words that might soothe Harold's heart. Sadly, she was a warrior, not a silver-tongued rogue like her father, and definitely not a poet. But Jule felt a pang of empathy for the old man all the same. Losing your home wasn't an unfamiliar concept for Jule - both mentally and physically. But she was strong enough to pick up the pieces and move forwards. What would Harold do, out on his own in an unfamiliar country? What could Harold do? Sure, his strength for his age already proved he was above and beyond the average Joe. But despite her adamant belief that there was something lying underneath his old, crinkly skin, he took a hit worse than she did - from farther away, no less! She didn't need to be an oracle to see his early grave coming from a mile away, the way he was traveling. She needed to say something to him, the only question was "what".
For ages on end, Jule struggled to stand to her feet, only to fall back down in frustrated defeat every time. At the very least it was better than staring up at the sky all night. If only she could use her sword as a crutch, then maybe - oh, right. Where had that thing gone? It must've bounced off her ribs, but then where did it land? Even under the clear moonlight she couldn't see jack squat. "Huh...Hah.. Forget it. Hey Leo, Wolf, hold my spot for me." She couldn't stand properly, but she could definitely crawl - checkmate! "I'm gonna go get my sword, and then I need to go find the graybeard, and see if I can't help him out some." Just to make sure the boys hadn't got tired of watching her try to stand and left, she glanced over her shoulder one last time before crawling into the brush.
"Now, if I was a sword, where would I be..." She muttered to herself. At least now she had an excuse for not being able to see a foot in front of her face. If Jule could help it, she was never gonna get her butt kicked in farm country ever again. Or lose a sword, for that matter. And just when she was ready to give up, she cut her palm on something sharp.
"Hey!!" She squealed in pain. "There you are... Oh." It was just a crude looking spearhead. And there was only a third of the shaft left of it, Gaea only knew where the rest went. "Way to get my hopes up for nothin'," she resentfully tossed the spearhead behind her. "Hey wait, wasn't that Harold's... Aw, dangit!" --
She had lost track of how long it took, but she managed to recover the old man's weapon... Part of it, anyway. Her sword was a lost cause, probably lying busted somewhere a million miles away. So, half the victory was still a victory, right? Definitely. Jule, no longer on hands and knees, brushed herself off and headed towards the ruins of Harold's farm. Roland and Co. were still there, as far as she could tell. They even lit up a small fire while she was gone; thoughtful, if not a tad ironic. Jule pushed the thought out of her brainspace and took a deep breath of the freshest air she could find. No doubt she'd be smelling smoke till next week, so why not get her kicks while she could?
"Hey, hello? You in there, old ma- Harold?" She tentatively knocked on the door, that in response to her hand shattered into a million pieces. "Oh. Whoops. Um... I've got something for you, if you're still here. Mind if I come in?"
[End Thread]
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