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 Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 5:11 am
This Quest is for Chalcedony who aspires to become a Fortress and for Jacinthus who aspires to become a Ranger.
 
OOC
||. Jacinthus and Chalcedony must do this on their own. No other NPCs may be used.
||. Respond to the prompts given as you would any other RP.
||. Your responses may be as long or short as you feel necessary.
||. Each character must have a separate response.
IC
The sun was already high overhead, heat seeming to shimmer in the air where the earth touches the air. It was a strange heat for being so late in the year, and it over took most of Tendaji, including the already hot Jauhar and Tale. But there was hunting that had to be done, and chores and duties that needed to be seen to today and they wouldn't be waiting for the day to cool down.
In Jauhar, the hot sun was suppressed by the thick nest of trees overhead, but the air was moist and all parts of clothing stuck to skin where ever it was given a place to touch.
In Tale, the people were not so lucky. The trees covered most of the sun's rays, but the air was hot and dry, feeling like a baking oven and not quite feeling like there was enough oxygen to go around.
For most it was an awful feeling, worst still was the feeling of being oppressed. As the day dragged on, it was harder to concentrate, and something seemed to not be quite right. Was that a shadow in the corner of vision? Was there somebody there? Nothing seemed to show themselves, but something was going on.
[Chalcedony and Jacinthus, regardless of where they are in relation to each other, happen to be noticing something strange going on in the corners of their vision. Something shimmery but dark, almost like a shadow, seems to be following them, but disappears whenever looked at dead on...]
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Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 10:10 pm
It was because Jacinthus was a hunter himself that he was more sensitive to the sensation of being followed, it was why he realized it pretty quickly that someone or something was following him. It really wasn't a pleasant feeling in the least, it put him on edge, made his ears twitch, and his eyes narrow. What was following him? He couldn't really say, every time he tried to look over his shoulder, no matter how quickly, whatever it was would duck just out of view. What an annoying stalker... it was like when he was hunting with Nyiim and they were followed by that Sailscale. Only this time around he felt a lot more on edge making him feel that whatever it was that was stalking him at the moment was a whole lot more of a threat then that little critter had been.
If he was in fact being followed by something dangerous he couldn't really go home, could he? He didn't want to drag his family or his mate into what could end up being a messy battle he thought to himself. He took in a deep breath, readying himself, and turned to head away from Yera, wanting to put distance between his home village and his stalker. As he walked he went through the list of things that might be following him. Those bug mages were high on the list, he'd killed a few of them in the past after all so they might have vengeance on their minds, there was also a chance of scouts from Oba coming after him since he won the tournament, and then there were also the Witu.
There was so much out there that would love to take him on, that much he was certain of, and that had him that much more on edge. It wasn't as though he was going to question any choices he made in the past, they were all the right ones at the time, and he wouldn't take them back. If he'd made some enemies then so be it, he'd lead them away from home and he would end his stalker in the same way that he'd ended his other enemies in the past. If the need arose at least. Maybe he'd get lucky and whatever was following him would decide that he wasn't someone to be messed with. That was what he'd prefer at least, liking the idea of being intimidating enough to scare something off by reputation alone but that was just his ego talking.
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Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 10:22 pm
It took Chalcedony a bit longer to realize that something was tailing him, likely due to there being a lot more places to hide in Jauhar given the many trees, their branches, and all of the shadows that they were casting. It was a bit unnerving, to realizing that he was being followed and knowing full well that it wasn't his siblings or his son. No, the moment he spotted them they always came out of hiding, squealing about how long they had been following him, then set to teasing him about how good they were at hide and seek. Whatever was following him now didn't have that same sort of friendly vibe about it, instead just making him feel uncomfortable.
There was a moment when he thought about heading back toward where his father Bomani was patrolling, to get a hand from the man, but decided against it. If it was something really dangerous he didn't want to bring it anywhere near his family, even his beast of a father. Instead he felt that it was best that he just continued onward, maybe leading it away from where he knew civilizations were at. Perhaps if he led it to the border between Jauhar and Tale he would be able to get a better look at it, there would be less places for such a being to hide after all. Once he got... well, whoever it was out in the open he would see to figuring out why he was being stalked. Was it a person that was after his life? Was it someone that was in need of help but didn't know how to ask? He hoped that it was the latter, not wanting to deal with the former if he didn't have to.
"Damn, and here I was hoping I'd be back home for dinner." He muttered to himself, starting toward the border, hoping the more sunny areas where the trees were more sparse would force his stalker to reveal himself or herself.
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Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2013 8:59 am
The shadow in the corner of their vision continued to show itself and then dip back into obscurity, becoming more and more apparent the further south they traveled. It seemed to be leading them both into the southern edges of Tale, near the border to Jauhar.
The shadow shimmered and danced, clinging to objects, trees, flowers, even the air itself. It was an odd sight, but no matter how hard they tried, it would be impossible to get a direct look at it.
The trees started coming together to form denser pockets of trees, forcing any traveler to loop around more than a few times. It was disorienting for sure, but the farther in they traveled the more they ended up having to fight the foliage.
It would only be a matter of time before they crossed paths.
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Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2014 6:54 pm
Jacinthus was getting a bit aggravated by the strange shadowy thing that he was trying to get a good look at. The longer he went without getting a look at it the more and more on edge it put him. He wouldn't be able to head back to Yera, not with that thing stalking him. He was going to lead it away from there and then, well, he'd figure that out when he got his stalker far enough from Yera that he felt a bit more at ease. The last thing he wanted was for something like that to get near to his family after all, better that whatever it was followed him. At least then he would be able to deal with it in a manner that didn't cause him to have his attention span torn. He could focus this way because he knew the others were safe.
As he reached the edge of the forests of Jauhar he glanced up, up, up at the huge trees, jerked his head toward where he'd last almost spotted the shadowy creature, before he continued forward. A short distance within the forest he started to hear foot steps, ones that were getting closer, and he felt his heart started to thud in his chest in an almost painful manner. It was getting closer, it was going to come out at any moment, wasn't it?
Now was his chance he thought to himself, sliding his weapon off of his shoulder, taking a good firm hold on it, and the moment a form came out of the shadows he lunged, taking a swung with his bow. He would do his best in taking this thing down, the moment he finally beat it he would be able to head home after all.
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Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2014 7:09 pm
As he headed through the forest, making his way ever further away from his home and family, and ever closer to the ground, Chalcedony couldn't help but to wonder more and more what it was that was following him. Perhaps it was some sort of spirit? Should he be searching for a magic user? One that could perhaps chase this thing off? The only one that he knew though was someone that he spent as little time around as possible, that being Takoda. Years had passed and yet his first love and loss had still had a bit of bite to it. It had faded, sure, but that didn't make being around Jacinthus and Takoda any easier.
"Bah, I can't be thinking about this." He muttered to himself, knowing that there were better things to think about, things such as the creature following him. As he hurried forward, eyes flicking from side to side, trying to catch sight of what he was fleeing from.
It was as he hurried along that he heard other steps in front of him, something that caused him to grab his shield off his back, lifting it up, and just as he'd done so, by luck alone, he deflected a blow that would have likely floored him. Even as he blocked it he was forced back a couple steps, his arms aching just a bit, before he lowered his shield to get a good look at his attacker, "What in the name of... Jacinthus! What are you doing here!?" He demanded, his anger rising at seeing the very person that grated on him most in this world. Not only seeing him but defending himself against him, "Attack me again and I will punch you right in the face." He snapped.
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Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2014 7:28 pm
"Ah... eh?" Jacinthus starred, eyes wide, as his bow ricocheted off the wide shield that was suddenly brought up between himself and his target. He starred at Chalcedony, eyes wide, before he slung his bow over his shoulder once more, "I didn't me to attack you, fool, I thought you were... ahh, something else." Damn it, could this day get no worse? Not only was he separated from his family but now he was stuck dealing with this guy on top of it?
His eyes turned away from Chalcedony so that they could flick from side to side, trying to see if he could spot the shadow creature, wondering if it was still following him. He could feel it, still watching them, and it had one of his ears twitching, "Look, how about you just get lost, I am really busy at the moment." He said, not sounding as though he had the same bite in his voice as usual when dealing with the shield barer. Sure, they had a bit of a truce going on, but that didn't make him the other man's best friend by any stretch of the imagination.
As the shadow moved by through his peripheral vision he jerked his head to one side, his ear twitching once more, "Damn it, what is it?" He muttered to himself, one hand hovering for a moment over his quiver. He wanted nothing more then to draw an arrow, send it flying, pierce the creature that was following him... but it was moving to fast. He wouldn't hit it so he shouldn't waste an arrow, not until he was sure what it was that stalking him.
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Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2014 7:49 pm
Chalcedony opened his mouth, about to snap at him that he had in fact attacked him, that was until he caught what he was saying about thinking that Chal was 'something else' which caused him to wonder what exactly that meant. What was it that Jacinthus thought that he was? Wait... was he being followed too?! He was about to ask when he noticed the way that Jacinthus was looking around, his eyes seeming to be flickering around, and it was something that he caused him to look around as well.
Even being told to get lost wasn't enough to rile Chalcedony at the moment, instead it just made him look around the area as well before he looked back at the archer, "It's following you as well?" He murmured, then took a couple steps closer to him, placing his back to that of the archer, "Do you have any idea what it is? How dangerous it is?" He asked in a quiet voice, finding more then a little odd that the creature was following them both but figured that he shouldn't question the hows and whys as much as he should just try to figure out what they were supposed to do to get rid of the danger so that they both go their separate ways back toward home.
"I get that the last thing either of us want to do is hang out together but if we are being followed by something similar it might be a good idea." He said, shifting his shield so that he could ward off the shadowy thing if it came at him... the question being would it? Thus far it had stayed just out of sight, following him around, but it hadn't attacked... yet. He should probably keep his guard up until they knew what they were dealing with and how they should deal with it, or at least that was what he felt at this point. He just hoped the archer felt the same way.
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Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 7:43 am
The flickering shadow broke up the conversation as it made another appearance in the corner of both of their eyes. It shimmered and seemed to stop still for only a moment before darting into the forest again.
The tangle of trees gathered closer together and the underbrush was getting thicker. It was almost impossible to pass on the floor, and getting harder to move through the trees. But the path the shadow was taking seemed to be the path of least resistance.
The noises of the forest were low and muffled, perhaps from the dense and soft foliage camouflaging the sounds. But something was leaking through from the distant stretch in front of them. It was vague and hard to follow, but there was something going on.
The shadow seemed to flicker before moving just a little further and then stopping around the edge of a small pocket of grass that seemed to be tree free.
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Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 1:42 am
The flickering of the shadow drew Jacinthus's attention and he went quiet, jerking his head to one side so that he could look toward where the shadow had gone watching the manner in which it seemed to pause for a moment before it fled away from sight again. His eyes narrowed a little and he said, "That's... odd." Before it had appeared as though it were just chasing him, now it looked as though it were trying to get him to follow it? It was strange and a part of him, the more prudent part, really didn't want to. Surely if it was running off this must be the best time for him to just turn around and go, right? Then again it might very well start stalking him again. Following after it might be the only thing left to do at this point.
After a moment of shifting from foot to foot, trying to decide upon what he wanted to do, he finally said, "I think we should follow it. As much as I'd rather go home I feel it might be in our best interest to see what it is and what it's up to." As much as he hated recruiting Chalcedony of all people he supposed that the guy was tough as a Mammu, he might very well be the best one to bring along on this sort of 'adventure'.
He gave the shield barer a glance before starting after the flickering shadow, hoping that if he were quick enough that he would be able to catch up with it and get his hands on it. The thing was obviously up to something and it was up to him, and Chalcedony he supposed, to figure out what the shadow was doing.
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Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 1:47 am
Chalcedony glanced over at Jacinthus as he comment on the behavior of the shadow being odd before looking in the direction it had gone in. It was strange but it reminded him in a way of his siblings, the twins especially, the way that it followed them first then upon getting their attention it ran off. It was obvious up to something, but what? Was it wanting to show them something? Or was he giving the strange shadow too much credit? It was hard to say he decided but maybe it would be best that they followed after it and at least tried to get a feel for what it was that the shadowy being was doing?
When Jacinthus spoke he turned to look over at him, giving a slow nod in agreement with his words, "Probably for the best. I don't know about you but I don't want to be leading that thing back home with me." It might very well kick up a ruckus until he finally came back here to see what it wanted after all. Best that they get it done here and now instead of dragging this out he thought to himself.
Falling into step behind the archer Chalcedony did his best to keep up with the speedy archer despite the fact that his weapon weighed him down and slowed him down more then he'd like to admit, "I wonder what the thing wants. Do you think it might some kind of spirit, maybe?" He could only hope that it wasn't a devious spirit that was trying to lure them into a trap he added to himself silently. He wouldn't voice such a fear to Jacinthus though, not wanting to see as though he were afraid at the moment, sure that the archer would see that as another way to taunt him. Best that they didn't fight one another when something else was lurking out there, even if refraining from wanting to give Jacin a punch was a tough thing.
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Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 2:01 am
Jacinthus followed along after the flickering shadow, finding the terrain to be getting hard and hard to deal with. The underbrush was tangling him up a bit and the option of going through the trees wasn't one that was open to them. All that they could really do at the moment was keep moving forward but it was becoming something that was almost impossible. Almost, but not quite though, the flickering thing seemed to be leading them through what must be the only open path in this direction though even that was difficult to deal with. The further along the path they went the more on edge Jacinthus became.
The plants that were to all sides of them now caused the sounds around them seemed to grow muffled, his inability to hear things clearly made his ears twitch and his whole body itch a little. It was a vulnerable feeling that he didn't enjoy even in the least bit, as such when he saw the open are before them he was almost eager to rush toward it if only to get away from the cloying feeling of the path they were currently on. Anything must be better then this, right? At least that was what he thought until he saw that the shadow had stopped once more, right before the open area, and that only put him back on edge.
"It seems to have stopped, what do you think?" He murmured to Chalcedony, knowing full well that anything could be in that clearing if the shadow had finally stopped. Best that they keep their wits about them he thought to himself as he reached for an arrow, notching it as he approached the clearing. Best that he was prepared for whatever trap they were being led into.
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Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 2:12 am
Just like with Jacinthus, Chalcedony found himself getting rather tangled up as well. It didn't help that he was carrying a shield which seemed to want to get stuck on every last thing that he stumbled across. He grumbled a bit to himself, mostly in his head, as he went, pushing his way through the thick and clingy plant life. This was when he wished that he had some sort of magic to push the stuff aside... but alas magic wasn't something that he had ever had a strong grasp on. No, he was meant to be a fighter, not a caster, but still such powers would have probably made it a lot easier. It was just the two of them though, no magic wielders, so they would have to use what they had with them to get through this tangled wall of plants.
Shifting his shield so that it was in front of him he used it as a sort of battering ram, making it at least a little bit easier to get through. It was something that he continued to do until he heard Jacinthus comment that the shadow had stopped. It stopped, huh? For real? He lowered his shield down to look over the top of it, spotting the shadowy form not all that far ahead, and then passed it what looked to be a clearing? He could see the way that Jacin was preparing, looking as though he were certain a battle was forthcoming, and as such he didn't lower his shield any more then what was needed to see over the top of it.
"I think we best be prepared for whatever is waiting for us out there." He could only guess what it might be, nothing good, of that he was almost certain, "Keep your eyes peeled, you never know, it could be some sort of trap set by an enemy." While he wasn't sure if those from Oba were really about to set a trap to lure them out one could never be too sure. Jacinthus had won that tournament after all and Chalcedony had been in second, picking them off might very well be a sound strategy... and now that he thought about it in that way he was almost regretting entering that tournament and allowing everyone to see what he was capable of.
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Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 8:38 am
The two men following the shadow stopped before the clearing and it seemed to catch the attention of the blur of darkness that had been leading them until now. It seemed to bob up and down before entering the clearing and promptly disappearing.
In the clearing two figures hung around the opposite edge, still covered by shadow. One seemed to be very large and bulky, the other small and lithe, though almost scrawny. The small one seemed to be concentrating or in a trance of some sort as he was holding perfectly perfectly still, holding his hands around the glowing runes in a peculiar way. The large one saw the shadow disappear as it entered the clearing and knew that the time had come. "Come out, come out! You can't hide from us." The voice boomed out into the forest. "It's time to play a game men." His arms were crossed in front of his chest and was standing slightly in front of the scrawny man, as if protecting him.
The shadow of the edge of forest still consumed their appearances, leaving them as just heavy silhouettes. If Jacinthus and Chalcedony were to step into the clearing though, they would be able to see that these men had dark colored skin and orange crystals, clearly a sign of the men of Oba if Besian was any indication.
The scrawny man seemed to immediately break free of his trance and return to a relaxed posture. It would seem that perhaps he was the source of the shadow that had followed the two men, though magic like that had never been seen in Tendaji before.
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Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 1:10 am
Jacinthus froze when he heard the voices, one ear twitching, before he gritted his teeth, "Seems like we found the ones that were looking to start something with us." He muttered to Chalcedony, finding his temper rising almost instantly. The fact that the man was calling out that it was time to 'play a game' seeming to grate on him. As though playing a game was what he wanted to do today, he had better things to do then screw around he thought to himself, "I think we should just fill them with arrows and be done with it, I have things to do at home." With that he took a step forward toward the clearing, eager to get this 'game' over with.
That was until Chalcedony reached out, grabbing hold of his vest, dragging him backwards, "What are you doing?" He hissed out, turning to look over at the shield barer, wondering why Chalcedony was stopping him. He wanted to get his done, damn it, he wasn't some coward that was going to forever hide in forest. He had things that he could be doing at the moment, that being preparing for the up coming war, but instead he was out here being forced to 'play' some stupid game by a some strangers.
"I am not going to just hide here." He told the shield barer but he found himself unable to move at the moment, not while the other man had hold of him. Were it not for the fact that there was a real threat at hand he might smack his hand away, for the moment though he refrained.
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