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Post by Tiz on May 8, 2016 20:37:38 GMT -6
The fires had been lit all night, and the food, drink, and dancing seemed to have been going on for much longer than it actually had. Perhaps it was because Tiz was so easy to fatigue at social gatherings despite his outgoing personality, or maybe it was because of the long journey out into the country territory, but all the same, as Tiz leaned against part of an old tree stump, watching the children and elderly dance together, he began to wonder when he'd travel home. Of course, this late at night, it would probably be in his best interest to stay the night, but that was neither here nor there. He could tackle that later. For now, everything was still full of mirth and frolic, and the music was as enjoyable as it had been when Tiz had first arrived.
The young swordsman had taken a long reprieve from his general freelance and mercenary contracts to spend some time away from combat and away from all the things that normally bound him-- duty to his friends, his vain effort to search Myscha out, and the unfinished business he had with his family back home. But for now, he could relax. He was finally able to enjoy himself, and for the past six months had not been seen anywhere in Laus, where he normally lived. Sometimes, he had to admit, it was nice to get out and just explore. The world was, after all, just so damn big.
"Tiz, my boy, are you done already?"
Startled, the man's bright green eyes flashed over to the old man speaking to him. Carrying a walking stick in his hand, the elder man was the figurehead of the village that Tiz had been staying in the past few days. The man was called Aidrich, and Tiz had gotten to know him very quickly. These people, whoever they are, and from whatever culture they belonged to, were at least welcoming, and quite friendly. The village was peaceful, and hadn't known war, poverty, or betrayal, and that was more than a welcome environment to a young swordsman looking to escape the drama that had plagued his life in recent years.
Tiz smiled gently, speaking softly to the old man as he met his eyes. "Yeah, think so. I'm getting old, and my bedtime is juuuuust around the corner." He couldn't stop himself from laughing, and neither could Aidrich.
"We are very pleased to have you. This celebration here marks the end of a festival that my village prepares every year. Normally travelers passing through don't stop any longer than to say hello, but I'm quite pleased you've been here with us for long enough to know our faces and names, instead of just saying hi."
Tiz's smile didn't leave his face, but he looked back over to the giant bonfire in the center. The only lights in the area came from the fire and the stars above. It truly was a beautiful scene, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. "Me too, Aidrich. And thank you. You have all shown me nothing but kindness and hospitality, and I hate to think that in a few days I'll be leaving."
Aidrich sighed. "You're welcome to stay, should you want. The children love you, and of course so does my daughter."
The two men chuckled together. "Sure, Aidrich. Much as I love it, this is no place for me." The Sacaen pushed himself away from the tree and moved a bit closer to the fire, listening to the mirth and laughter of the children as they chased each other around the fire. It would certainly suck to leave a place like this.
"I fail to see why you insist on that."
Tiz shrugged. "There aren't really any problems here." He said, putting his hands on his hips. "I didn't bring 'em with me, but I've got problems I need to take care of. I've been running for half a year; soon, I need to go home and deal with some demons. Nothing life-threatening, Aidrich, but ya know. Just got stuff to do." His voice became distant and detached. He really didn't want to leave.
"So it goes, my friend."
"So it does."
Aidrich walked away after patting Tiz on the back, and the young man prepared to head back to his tent.
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2016 21:04:31 GMT -6
Surviving, against all odds, was something that Venford seemed to have become a specialist in. Despite everything that he'd been through since...hell since he met Prince for the first time, he'd managed to come out of it all alive. Smarter, stronger, but more than anything appreciative of life. Not once did he think of giving it all up, hell no. The man was too young.
All it did was inspire him to party harder. Er, usually, that was.
However that night the young traveler was tired. Crossing the Etrurian/Lycian border twice in such a short span of time had proved to be taxing. Not eager to stick around that area, even with the people he'd be leaving behind, Venford and Prince had soared off deeper into Lycia. Away from that hellish mess everyone once knew as Ostia. Even with the friends he'd met along the way, well...he would meet them again. That much he knew for certain.
Venford gently guided the griffon down near a village. He could hear celebration and merriment the closer to the ground he got. A few months ago Venford would have made himself part of the celebration. Introduced himself to the group and either gotten booted out or welcomed with open arms. There er, never really WAS a middle ground for that sort of stuff, not with Venford anyway.
But that night Venford just wanted to find someplace comforting to rest. Out in the quiet wood alone was a bit...unnerving. The sights he'd seen had really gotten to him. But within fair distance from a lively village, even if they would quiet down later, was much more appealing.
"All right boy...easy..." Prince touched down on the ground, making next to no sound as he did so. Venford smiled, proud of the griffon, and gave him a gently pat on the head before dismounting. He gripped Prince's reins and carefully led him to the treeline just outside of the village. Still...Venford wasn't entirely sure where to make camp. For once in his life he didn't want to intrude on the fun and merriment, but he also didn't want to greatly alarm the villagers either.
With slightly tired eyes Venford managed to spot another young man, brown of hair, who appeared to making his way towards a tent. Was he a visitor, just like himself? Ah...better to ask him than to disturb the village proper.
"Er, excuse me there, good sir." Venford's normally loud voice was a bit quieter, though the good cheer remained. He walked towards this man, still leading Prince by the reins. "I'm a weary traveler by the name of Venford, just looking for a place to rest for the evening. Is there anywhere in this area you could recommend? I'd rather not disturb the villages."
Of course, Venford was actually forgetting that he was leading Prince, a griffon, by his reins right in front of this stranger. The thought hadn't crossed his mind what manner of reaction this would lead to, he'd been used to company that had grown familiar with being in the presence of a foreign beast.
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Post by Tiz on May 9, 2016 14:19:46 GMT -6
"Mm?"
Tiz's concentration on whatever had been occupying him at present was broken when he saw a pink haired man approach him with the formality of someone of low stature, but it seemed clear that he was a traveler, much like Tiz was, in this event. The thought that he wasn't alone in this foreign, albeit incredibly happy, place made his heart warm. At last he didn't feel so alone. While the company he'd been with for the last few weeks had been nothing but kind, they did seem like strangers. This man, who was a stranger himself, seemed less of one to Tiz, at least because it was immediately clear that neither of them belonged there. That was comforting enough. Though, he had to admit, it was rare that he was approached in such a way as this. A nice surprise, perhaps.
Tiz shot his hand up, opening his palm near his face to say hello, with a cheery grin on his face. "Hi!" He said happily, offering the man a smile before looking at his winged companion. That seemed strange. He'd never seen a pegasus quite like that before. "Venford. I'm Tiz. Pleasure to meet you. That's a strange looking pegasus you have there, if I can say that," he offered a chuckle. He had literally never seen a griffon before. He'd been around plenty of pegausi, though this was a rare sight indeed. Perhaps it was indicative of the region; Tiz hadn't often been too far north of Laus, save for a few occasions. Maybe this was one of the benefits of traveling. He looked at the winged thing, who seemed quite different from a pegasus, but Tiz returned to the current situation lest he become overwhelmingly distracted by the new sights and smells. He entertained the thought for a moment that perhaps he was no better than a dog, too curious about anything he'd never seen before. He blushed slightly, realizing he'd been asked a question but hadn't responded for what might have been almost thirty seconds.
"Oh, uh... Yeah, actually. I get not wanting to disturb the villagers, but these people are so friendly. If I introduce you, I'm sure they'll let you stay on site with me. Maybe they can offer a tent or something... Er, anyway, I've been with them a few weeks now." Tiz turned, beckoning the man to follow.
In truth, his few weeks with them had changed him dramatically. He had adopted their unconventional and perhaps foreign style of dress, and he'd left his weapon with the cavalry of the village he stayed in, as he hadn't felt like he would need it. He hadn't cut his hair in a long enough time that it was now crawling down his back, and once he was made aware of this by the foreign traveler Venford, he realized he must really make haste back to Laus to get himself back in order. His time away had been nice, but his decision to journey back was necessary.
Tiz made his way back towards the fire, only a stone's throw away from how far he'd come headed back to his tent. He immediately looked for Aidrich, but did not see him at first. "Aidrich!" Tiz called, though no one came. Instead, a girl a few years his junior approached who he'd only seen in passing a few times. He couldn't remember her name, and that embarrassed him as much as his last folly."
"I haven't seen Aidrich since he was with you, Tiz," the girl said, looking confused, but not concerned.
Tiz nodded, but didn't respond. Looking around, he didn't see Aidrich anywhere either. Only the fire, the dancing, the music, and the food that hadn't yet been finished.
"Okay," Tiz began calmly, scratching the back of his neck. "Well he can't have gone far, right? He was getting on my case for going to bed early... Surely he didn't do the same thing." The young Sacaen chuckled. He turned back to Venford.
"Um, so change of plans here. There's an older guy, little shorter than me, grey hair, long beard, carries a walking stick. It's, uh... clear that he's--" Tiz looked around the fire again, and the immediate area. The girl left the two men to talk. "--not around here anyway. You help me find him, I'm sure he'll let you stay. These are great people. What do you say?"
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2016 9:15:57 GMT -6
To Venford's surprise the man didn't seem all that shaken up by...WAIT! Had he just brought Prince up to a stranger for no reason? Eh heh, it was a good thing this man seemed so calm about it, even though he claimed to never seen something like Prince before. Actually, did he just call Prince pegasus? "Eh heh...actually, this is Prince. He's a Griffon, comes from an island far from here." That was the simplest answer, anyway. Venford smiled before continuing on. "And well met, Tiz. The pleasure is all mine!"
Tiz went on to explain that the villagers were actually rather friendly. Venford figured he ought to take the man's word for it. "If you say so. Thank you!" Venford paused, however, and gave Tiz a small smile. "Just uh...let me tie up Prince here. I'd rather not cause a commotion. As I'm sure you can guess, griffon's are not exactly commonplace on the mainland yet."
Venford tied Prince to a nearby tree, the griff as stoic as ever throughout the process. He gave the beast a gentle pat on the head. "You ought to be safe here. Just...screech if you need me, yeah?" Venford never really liked leaving Prince behind anywhere, but this was the best option. No need to bring a foreign beast to their celebrations.
Venford sprinted back to Tiz's side, joining the young man as they traveled into the village proper. He kept calling out for someone, but rather than find the person in question Tiz was told that they haven't been seen. At least, that's what Venford gathered. The redhead paid close attention as Tiz explained their change of plan: search for the older fellow. Sure, that shouldn't be too difficult, right?
"Of course! Should we split up and search for him? Or work together?" Funny enough, this sort of task was perfect for Prince. The griffon's eyes were far sharper than any human's.
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Post by Tiz on May 17, 2016 9:43:45 GMT -6
Tiz cocked his head to the side, watching this supposed griffon bid farewell for the time to its master. A griffon? That was certainly a new word, completely unfamiliar to Tiz, much like to large bird-like thing itself standing in front of him. He would make a point to ask about it later, to be sure, but for now, he was content to know that it was like a pegasus, but not quite. That was good enough.
As the woman who had addressed them walked away, Tiz surveyed the area one final time. The number of people was dissipating, but no one seemed concerned that Aidrich had just up and vanished. Or at least, that he had left without telling anyone where he was going. He was certainly a man of many mysteries, and Tiz had discovered as much in his time spent with this small tribal village, but for the patriarch to leave the immediate area without a word, regardless of what hierarchy they had here, seemed out of place. Tiz had gone the full time with them without any trouble, and so he was inclined to believe that nothing was wrong, but something in the air smelled foul, or at least extremely out of place. Tiz glanced at Venford as the man rejoined him at his side, and Tiz looked back out, folded his arms, and let out a loud, half-concerned sigh. What in the world could have happened? Even if Aidrich had wanted to go to bed, he would have at least mentioned it to his handmaidens, neither of whom seemed to concerned-- and the one he'd spoken to certainly didn't know where he was.
Tiz scratched his chin, his wide-open green eyes still scanning the horizon, though it was too dark to see far beyond the area of earth that the fire illuminated. "I definitely think we should stay together. I don't really like this... Something is off." For once in a long time, Tiz's voice maintained an air of concern, and his eyes darted back and forth a bit before deciding to finally survey the area physically. He beckoned Venford to join him, and started off around the tree on the perimeter of the festival gathering. "I do want you to know," he called back, the mirth having returned to his voice, "nothing has gone wrong since I've been here. There isn't any bandit activity here, and from what I've noticed, none of the Ostian monster horde seemed to travel this far. I think we're in a pretty safe place... Or at least, it's been safe since I got here." He stopped a moment, kneeling down to the grass where he found some matted down patches. Footsteps, but larger, perhaps heavier, than a normal sized man. Or at least, larger and heavier than Aidrich. They continued down the path, towards the darkened forest, away from the fire. "Hopefully you didn't bring trouble with you, Venford." Tiz laughed, flashing a smile back at him. That was surely unlikely.
Wondering if it could be an animal, Tiz mused aloud some of his thoughts. "There are tracks here. I'm, uh, definitely not a hunter, but if I had to guess some pretty large animal has been through here. But with tracks like these, you'd think someone might have noticed..." The young swordsman stood, scratching the back of his head and moving some of his now-longer hair out of his face. "What's your call? What do you think we should do?"
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2016 11:20:59 GMT -6
Being as Venford was ultimately unfamiliar with both the area and the person they were supposed to be searching for, he simply stood with Tiz while the brunette pondered on their dilemma, awaiting a reply. Tiz opted for sticking together, which Venford was fine with, and he followed the man throughout their area. His tone at first ticked a few senses in Venford, causing him to view the area with more scrutiny. There was unmistakable worry and suspicion in Tiz's voice. He tried to play it off later, with a small jest at Venford, and the redhead decided to take it as that as opposed to some veiled threat.
"The only trouble I brought with me is Prince, though I think most would say I'm more trouble than he is." Venford replied honestly, and with a chuckle as usual. Still, the mood was now set. He could jest all he wanted but he'd still be focused on whatever suspicions Tiz had. Again, Venford was unfamiliar to the area, so he didn't know what sort of problems to expect. Tiz mentioned lack of banditry, but banditry seemed to be an ever increasing concern throughout Lycia. Especially the closer to Bern one was.
But monsters...now monsters were unpredictable. The only seemingly predictable thing about them was that Venford had only ever experienced them around Ostia. They'd never followed him before, not even that freakish demon in black armour. If...if those creatures were responsible for what had occurred here, then there was no way Venford was going to take the blame for that. It'd mean they were expanding their territory, or something.
Venford focused on their surroundings again. He noticed the same things Tiz noticed, footprints in the grass. Didn't look like they belonged to the old man Tiz described. He crossed his arms and gave a small shrug, suddenly wishing he'd kept Prince with him. Should trouble arrive he wasn't nearly the fighter on foot that he was on a mount. "Well, I say we follow them. It's the only lead we seem to have, yeah? Also, you could let me go back and grab Prince. That griffon's eyes are the sharpest I've ever seen, even at night. I'm sure we'd be able to find more with him, and I've have brought him already if I knew we'd need him."
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Post by Tiz on May 18, 2016 14:08:32 GMT -6
Tiz looked up, standing from his kneel as Venford spoke. He was probably right-- Tiz still was unfamiliar with that giant bird, but since he wasn't afraid of it or its rider, it seemed only fitting that they use it in any way they could. Being that the villagers were now preparing to settle down for the night, it was becoming all the more important to find Aidrich before anyone else noticed that the man was missing. Assuming, of course, that he actually WAS missing, and that it wasn't just an oversight on Tiz's part... Though to him, that didn't make sense, since no one else seemed concerned-- likely because, if he were missing, they didn't know yet. And Aidrich would've told someone if he were retiring to bed. And these footsteps in front of them certainly didn't help. He didn't like the size or the shape, as they reminded him too much of the horrors he'd seen when he fought in Ostia. He hoped for the best, then nodded, forcing a smile and a light hop on the balls of his feet as Venford spoke.
"Sounds like as good an idea as any. I'd feel better with something of that size with us. Plus, a search party of three is better than one of two. And there's no sense just leaving him, after all. I doubt the villagers here have ever seen one of those either, and... it might just be safer, on Prince's behalf, if you took him." Tiz laughed nervously. Surely they wouldn't kill it, but everything seemed to point to retrieving that griffon and using him in any way they could. As Venford went off to grab his companion, Tiz knelt back down on the ground and placed two fingers into one of the tracks by the tree. It looked like whatever the prints belonged to had lingered by the tree a bit... Perhaps to wait and watch? That sort of intelligence seemed a bit too high for the average bonewalker or entombed, so perhaps there actually was a bandit company out here.
Looking between the forest ahead of him and the rider who had just gone off to retrieve his griffon behind him, Tiz was uncertain. He should wait for the man, and he knew that.. But if Aidrich were in trouble, he could save some time by heading off right now. He looked back and forth again, still trying to decide what to do. He could feel himself start to sweat. It wouldn't take Venford long to get back, but when Tiz pictured Aidrich in danger, that time seemed to grow and stretch out. No part of this was easy, and while Tiz was not quick to worry, this was different. This man had sheltered and fed Tiz for almost two months.
"Oh, damn it." Tiz breathed lightly, cursing himself for what he'd decided to do. He thought about shouting back at Venford, but was afraid of upsetting the villagers who, as he remembered, had not even yet met this new man. Tiz barely had time to meet him before things started going wrong. He picked himself up quickly and with incredible speed dashed forward towards the opening clearing of the forest. When he got there, he stopped and knelt down beside the large trunk of a neighboring tree. He looked around for footprints, but couldn't find any.
And then he heard it. And he felt it.
A cold presence surrounded him, an ominous and chilling fear entered his entire being that made him realize he was both without armor and without weapon. The darkness seemed to intensify, as if the dread that one human being felt could be sent out in an aura that filled the entire area. And then the heavy, labored, strange, almost angry breathing found his ears. Tiz immediately felt the hairs on his neck stand on end, and he froze in place, letting his bright green eyes dart across the area nervously. He saw nothing. The ground was too dark to see footprints now, and the clearing he'd dashed too seemed much farther away than it had when he'd decided to come there.
What a rookie mistake. He'd even told Venford they'd go together. Now his impatience and un-thoughtfulness had landed him here.
Interrupting his thoughts, Tiz's keen instincts and reflexes felt the twist in the air, and he was able to roll dodge forward just in time to dodge the swing of the axe. It landed hard into the tree trunk, and as Tiz landed a few meters ahead of him, standing on the balls of his feet and crouched low, he saw it.
Unfitting to the given situation, Tiz sighed, exasperated by his circumstance, as if it were an annoyance. "A... wight? Out here?"
The tall, brooding skeletal figure dressed in all black armor stared him down with glowing, steel blue eyes, hold a large axe still embedded in the tree.
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2016 22:32:21 GMT -6
As soon as Tiz gave the okay Venford started backing up, quickly, in the direction he left Prince. "All right. I'll be back in a flash!" The redhead was thankful that Tiz seemed rather understanding. He even hinted at Venford's worry that Prince be discovered and wounded by the villagers...or worse. Besides, it was better to have Prince at his side for utility and combat reasons. It's not like he can order the griffon to search for the old man the same way a trained hound might track a scent, but Venford had come to understand a fair few of Prince's ticks. If he saw something strange or troublesome, Venford would know.
"Er, howdy Prince." Venford stated with a chuckle as he jogged up to the griffon. Princes gaze was firmly fixed on Venford, but this was normal. He tended to fixate on anything that approached him, as if constantly analyzing and re-analyzing it. "I guess rest will have to come later. You don't need to fly, just jog with me yeah?" As Venford spoke he untied his mount from the tree, gripping Prince's reins once he was finished.
Venford turned around and...Tiz was gone? No, he could still barely make out his figure in the distance. The impatient fool was heading off without him? Ah, oh well. Venford mounted Prince and clicked his heels against the griffon's sides just once. On land that meant "speed up, but don't fly"...more or less. Prince broke into a jog towards Tiz, bridging the distance gap faster than Venford could have done on foot.
"Hey, wait up!" Venford called after Tiz, but perhaps the man didn't hear him as he entered the tree-line. Unbelievable. The man seemed to suspect monsters or some sort of dangerous foul play, and yet he went alone: unarmed at that! Venford couldn't recall seeing any sort of weapon on Tiz's person. "Damn...at least Prince ought to get us there quickly!"
Sure enough, breaking into the treeline, Prince let out a sort of screech, a fierce one. He saw an enemy. Not just something that COULD be an enemy, but a real threat. A proper enemy. Venford felt adrenaline surge throughout his core, heat building in his chest. "No, please don't let it be..."
And there it was. Dressed in black armour with only bone beneath it. It was no demon wolf, and thankfully not that same dark knight that seemed to lead them, but it was a wight. Undead. A monster nonetheless. Tiz wasn't too far from it, and he thankfully didn't seem harmed at all.
Venford didn't even hesitate. He drew his sword and kicked his feet against Prince's sides, letting out a roar of anger. Prince didn't take to the sky but he did leap towards the wight, it's weapon lodged in the trunk of a tree. He had a free strike and he was going to take it. With a heavy swing Venford's blade crashed against the wight's neck, or rather the front end of it's upper spine, and though the blade cracked the bone it did not sever the skeleton's head from it's body. Damn! Why?! Why were these things here? Was none of Lycia safe?!
"Tiz! Are you all right?" Prince landed well away from the creature and was quick to pivot to face it.
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Post by Tiz on May 22, 2016 13:34:52 GMT -6
The young Sacaen had never been so happy to see an unfamiliar man and a giant bird heading his way. Before the wight was able to strike again, Venford and his griffon had returned in just the right moment. Tiz breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as Venford joined him at his side after having landed a pretty serious blow on the wight's neck. Unfortunately, it recovered rather quickly, snapping its bony neck back into place and replacing its eyes on the now pair of men-- and bird-- before it. Tiz immediately looked around, seeing no signs of any others... But that seemed odd. Normally these things came in packs, or at least that's what he remembered. It had been some time since he'd fought any sort of monsters. In fact, he probably hadn't had to deal with any since Ostia, and that had been years prior. This would be interesting. And, again, Tiz was made aware of his lack of weapon. This would be an interesting fight.
He glanced over at Venford, mounted on his griffon. Tiz was never more thankful that the duo was on his side, because he wouldn't have wanted to fight either of them, especially mounted that like. They looked dangerous, which was good, because he knew he probably wouldn't have been able to. "Yeah, I'm alright!" He mused, fixing his gaze back on the approaching wight, who looked ready to swing. "We were just dancing, is all. Sorry I left you back there, I uh... Don't have much excuse. Got worried." He laughed nervously. He realized he still didn't see Aidrich anywhere, which was a bad sign.
Before he had time to think about it anymore, the wight approached him. With lots of power but little skill, the wight brought the axe down straight towards Tiz. The Sacaen sidestepped it easily, then quickly launched his leg into the air and placed a quick, light kick to its chest to test the plate. Tough. Durable. He sidestepped again around the back, kicked once, then once again in rapid succession, to stagger the wight. Taken off balance, Tiz went to punch the wight in the back of the chestplate with an open palm, but hurt his hand and had to jump back to avoid another axe swing. He sprung off his hands and flipped back, landing safely a few meters behind. Hand-to-hand wouldn't work here unless he could get a few good kicks on the skeleton's head.
"Uh--" Tiz called nervously, rolling around another axe blow from the wight. "So, you uh... Think you can--" Another one. Tiz sidestepped, but the wight was catching on, and swung twice. The second one caught Tiz unprepared, and he shot his hand out to reach for the wight's wrist, but the skeletal being twisted its arm at the last second and cut Tiz along the length of his forearm. Tiz jumped back a few meters again. "Yeah, I'm gonna need some help." His tone was light considering the circumstances.
"We might be able to take him together."
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2016 15:42:21 GMT -6
Tiz's response was rather lame and cocky...but it really sounded like something Venford himself would say, in such a situation. Hard for him to judge that really. The important thing was that he seemed unharmed by the creature, but of course he was still unarmed...and the wight knew this. In fact it made Tiz it's prime target, likely assessing Venford and Prince as too great a threat: assuming these skeletal monstrosities could "assess" anything.
Tiz danced around the wight, too close for Ven to make any sort of move with Prince. It was a bit irritating, really, but Tiz didn't have too much of a choice it seemed. Eventually the man relented and asked for Ven's assistance, to which his reply was swift, "If you're done screwing around with it then yeah, I can help." He tightened his grip on both Prince's reins and on his sword. "You're going to want to move, NOW!"
Once again Venford kicked his heels against Prince, spurring the griffon into a fast charge at the wight. The skeleton turned around, sensing danger, but Prince was like lightning: even on land. Venford leveled his sword with the reanimated skeleton's neck once again, letting Prince's reins loose in favour of a two handed strike, and by the time the skeleton lifted it's great axe it was too late. Venford's iron sword slammed into the creatures neck, cracking the bone further but not yet severing the head.
Thankfully Venford was not charging alone. As if instinctively Prince stopped his charge hard, just past the wight, and let out a great shriek as he kicked back with both hindlegs, driving them into the wight's chest and knocking the creature flying through the air a good ten feet.
"He ought to be easy pickings now! Here, catch!" Venford tossed his sword to Tiz, smirking and a touch more relaxed now that the situation was more under control. Sure, he would prefer to have a weapon, but if nothing else he could rely on Prince. It was better that Tiz had something to defend himself with, although... "Uh, hope you can use that!"
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Post by Tiz on May 24, 2016 6:39:03 GMT -6
Nodding in response to the good advice of his new friend, Tiz leaped backwards off the balls of his feet, shifting his weight in the air as he jumped clear out of the way, back towards the tree line. His feet made contact with the trunk and he slid down it, carefully allowing himself to hit the ground again. He crouched low, watching, ready to see what would unfold from a safe enough distance to not have to worry about any harm coming to him. He felt like such an idiot... It was too idealistic of him to leave his weapon at home. Of course he'd wanted to get away from all the fighting and nonsense, but it was foolish to think that he should ever let his guard down. Tiz guessed this is what fate had in store for people who don't think before they act. He sighed, watching the battle. It was just his luck.
Tiz's eyes shot open in surprise at the two-stage attack that Venford and his griffon unleashed upon the wight. As if the first charge wasn't enough, the griffon had backed around and kicked the wight hard, sending him flying across the forest floor. This was wild. He'd never seen a pegasus fight like this... Perhaps that was the point, Tiz thought, smiling to himself. How lucky he was to be in the position he was in.
Then his instincts caught up to him and his ears sharpened to attention as Venford called out to him, tossing him a blade. Tiz dashed forward, kicking off the floor with great speed and strength in an effort to make contact with the blade before it fell. He grabbed it as it came towards him, and immediately took on the feel and weight of the weapon. Much heavier than what he was used to, but it would do. Anything would do when the goal was to finish off this weight and find Aidrich.
Having caught the blade, Tiz landed and took a knee, wheeling around to face the beast. No sooner did he make eye contact with it than he dashed forward, blade at his side pointed forward, and felt the natural energy in his body reach into his arms and hands, becoming one with the weapon therein. He stopped just short of the wight, readying himself to strike in a second's time. He lashed out once, a forward, lunged strike right at the center of the beast's armor. It didn't crack the plate, but the weight staggered the weight, and as he stepped backwards to counteract his fall, Tiz followed through, channeling the natural energy in his core to his extended arm and blade, becoming more adept with his weapon enough to strike again with rapid speed in the time window of one normal attack. He aimed at the beast's right arm which held the axe, and lobbed it clean off. Tiz landed, and followed through his attack by kicking the wight backwards, but to no avail. The beast didn't falter this time, and quickly threw a punch at Tiz, who sidestepped beside it, then used the wight's momentum to throw him on the ground by quickly grabbing its wrist and sending it toppling over.
He tossed the blade back to Venford who was behind him. "If you hit him hard, you should be able to finish him!"
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2016 12:04:50 GMT -6
Evidently Tiz did know how to use a blade. His footwork and precision were far greater than Venford's, and the rider kept his mount out of the way as Tiz went to work on the skeletal being. It always did fascinate Venford a little, seeing warriors fight on foot. Venford had always been a touch too clumsy when it came to dismounted combat. His sword arm was fine, it was just that he may as well have had two left feet. On horseback he'd even been skilled with the lance and javelin, but he hadn't bought a spear of any kind since his last one broke on that island.
He watched as Tiz danced around the wight, properly this time. He strokes were quick, well-timed, and accurate. It made Venford wonder why a man with this much skill would ever leave a blade behind. Perhaps he'd been a former soldier? But he seemed to lack the demeanor and...presence, really. His style was wilder, faster, and a bit flashier. Soldiers tended to simply get the job done and move on. Still..."Nice work!"
Tiz succeded in cleaving the wight's arm off and even throwing it off it's balance, leaving it on the ground. With that the swordsman tossed Venford's blade back to him, evidently of the belief that he no longer needed it. Venford reached out to catch the blade with a grin. "You got it!"
With Venford's guidance and spurring, Prince stepped forward and pressed a talon down on the wight's chest, pinning it to the ground. Venford leaned forward and brought his sword arm up, bringing it down hard on the wight's skull. One stroke cracked the bone but Venford followed it up with one more: shattering the skull at last.
The enemy was defeated, and Venford could breathe a sigh of relief and grin a bit. "There...it shouldn't be getting up again, I'd think."
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Post by Tiz on May 25, 2016 6:11:02 GMT -6
Having done his part for the fight, once the blade had been tossed off, Tiz jumped aside and let Venford finish the beast off. It was good work, he'd thought, between the two of them. He'd never fought a wight before, and he was certain that without both the help of Venford and the blade he'd let him use, he probably would have died. It was an idiot move to have gone anywhere without a blade, and if his captains had known that, he would've surely been chastised, part of the military or not. He almost blushed at the thought, but was immediately thankful he didn't really maintain contact with more than one or two of them at the time. And besides, he'd felt it was worth it to have come out here and found peace. Ironic, though, that this was not at all peaceful... At any rate, it was the first disturbance in some time, which was good enough, he thought.
Tiz was certainly caught off guard. He hadn't ever actually been complimented on his swordsmanship before. Almost like a child being praised like a superior, he smiled brightly and called back out to Venford. "Hey, thanks! You too!" He was happy to have been recognized, been Venford certainly deserved the same by his metric. After all, at least Venford had come prepared, and was certainly no stranger to a fight. That was good-- it might help them find Aidrich, assuming he was missing. Tiz looked around after the wight had been finished up. It seemed that it was the only one... At least, no others made any move to reveal themselves. Tiz brushed himself off and walked towards Venford and the body of the wight, looking up to him as he did. He laughed as he addressed Venford. "Yeah, let's hope that killing it twice was enough. Undead frighten me," he said honestly. They always reminded him of Ostia.
"We should, uh, find Aidrich, though. I still don't see any sign of him." Tiz looked around again, to no avail. Where could that man have gone? Surely he was still somewhere in this forest. There wasn't really anywhere else that Tiz thought he could've gone. He looked back at the griffon, who seemed uninterested in Tiz, but Tiz smiled nonetheless. What a cool creature it was. Now he was getting distracted.
"Do you have any idea where we should look? I, uh... Don't really know the outskirts of the village well at all. We could go back and recruit some help, or leave them free of worries and find him ourselves. What do you think?"
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2016 15:11:58 GMT -6
Given how difficult it had been just to break the creature's skull, Venford was glad there had been only one of them. That said they weren't exactly in the clear yet. Venford had encountered monsters of some kind three times now, and the first two times there were far more than just one of them. He'd have to trust in Prince's sharp eyes to spot out any enemies in the dark, but he wouldn't let his guard down either.
After giving Venford a compliment of his own, Tiz genuinely admitted to being frightened of the undead. To that Venford couldn't help but give an honest laugh. "They frighten me as well, and I've seen far too many of them as of late. Still, I swear to you, if there are monsters here they did not follow me." This hadn't been his first stop since passing near Ostia. If they hadn't have found him on the outskirts of Badon, where he had rested, then odds were they shouldn't have been able to follow him here.
Tiz reminded Venford of the original goal: finding the man named Aidich. Of course, the details of that goal had shifted slightly. Where Venford at first was only interested in meeting this Aidich in the hopes of being allowed to rest at the village, he instead now wished to save him from whatever peril he may have found himself.
"Well, as much as I don't want to..." Venford chuckled now. "We should try and and track him down through these woods. Prince's eyes are sharp, but he doesn't know who we are looking for, so if you could take point that'd probably be for the best." Granted, wandering off deep into these woods with no torches and such a small, poorly armed "group" was not exactly the brightest idea as well. Unfortunately it was the best plan Venford could come up with at the moment.
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