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Raemos: Oblivionite Apprentice
Luk 23 (49 with Suluksati)

Creature: Borganah x 2
(Win Range: 5-100)

2 wins:

Mallew and Raemos stalked deep into the Serenian woods. Their were cautious, their weapons drawn and ready. They walked in silence, Raemos's clothen coverings swishing vaguely along with the glittering leaves.

They were hunting Borgnah. There had been reports of the large predators in the area and, as a favor to the family that was letting them stay in their lakeside home, Mallew had offered to exterminate the problem. Offered. The family would have happily let them stay as long as they liked for nothing at all - Vona was a friend of theirs and quite charming. Mallew didn't like to take things for free, nor did Raemos. Mallew and Raemos had insisted that they would take care of the problem, and they would.

"You know, boy." Mallew said, breaking the silence as leaf litter fluttered around them in the breeze, "I'm proud of you."

Raemos was quiet. "For not sending the letter, sir?" he said finally, his voice neutral. He had become more stiff and formal around his father in recent years. He knew Mallew didn't like him, and it hurt, but Raemos had eventually realized that it was something neither of them could help.

"Yes. That and coming with me." said Mallew. His voice was neutral too. Raemos's only indication that the praise was real was that it was said out loud.

"It was only right, sir." said Raemos, searching for Borgnah traces in the brush at the side of the trail. He found none.

"Right, eh?" said Mallew, checking some tracks on the ground, "That it was. is."

Raemos had mixed feelings about that. Not for going hunting with his father - that was just a good thing to do. No. About the letter. He wondered if he should have sent that letter after all. But no, he had made the right decision not to send it, and here was no point in sending it now – he had heard the sounds of ripping paper. "It wasn't worth sending." he said, "I'm not worth presenting to Aevah Avi." he fell silent as Mallew stopped and turned to look at him with appraising eyes. His heart skipped a beat. Was Mallew... Smiling? He couldn't remember the last time he had seen his father smile, and certainly not at him.

"You've grown, boy." said Mallew, obviously impressed, "You ain't worth her time, but with humility like that, you'll still go places." he turned back to the path, "Not that you don't have skills, boy, and a brain on your shoulders, but you can't ever get too proud of them. You ain't that good." Mallew's wings erupted suddenly and he flapped onto a rock, surveying the surrouding area, "Once you realize that, that means you're thinking. Used to be, boy, you didn't think. You'd end up in the rafters of the barn trapped by silx. Now, though, you're thinking." he pointed. Raemos's gaze followed the finger, alighting on a piece of Borgnah webbing.

Raemos was honestly floored. Mallew hadn't said this much to him at any one time ever. In fact, Raemos was reasonably certain that this was more than he had ever heard Mallew say, in total, over the course of his life. "I'm glad you're at least growing up a rational man. Was afraid you'd end up like Sonia..." Raemos turned quickly, startled, to see his father wince and shake his head, "Nevermind." he said, jumping down from the rock and into a crouch, motioning for Raemos to do the same. "Its near." he whispered, "Be ready."

Raemos wasn't sure if he wanted to know what Mallew had meant, though if it was negative, he was sure he would have been angry. But those thoughts were wiped from his mind by the hunt ahead. Borgnah, he knew, were very dangerous and sneaky creatures.

A sudden, ripping, crashing sound echoed through the trees, followed by a bellow. Raemos jumped slightly, startled. "What was that?" he hissed, his sword held tightly in his hand, his tome at his hip.

"I don't know..." Mallew hissed back, his mace held at the ready, "Keep down and..." He didn't finish before the trees ahead exploded into a whirling blur of activity.

Suluksati should have known better than to fall asleep in the less pleasant corners of Serenia's shining forests, or - really - to fall asleep where she was certain she wasn't safe. But after days of hunger and life-or-death battles, punctuated by periods of no sleep and additional flying, sometimes her body just took matters into its own metaphorical hands and she just fell asleep. Hopefully, she'd manage to find a suitable and safe place first. Really, though, she would just fall asleep in the first vaguely comfortable spot she closed her eyes on. She knew she needed to stop pushing herself to the extremes - she was no good to her lonely cause dead - but she couldn't help herself. She was a busy workaholic. It was just her nature.

She had managed to get some sort of decent rest before being rudely awoken by a Borgnah's attempt to snatch her from her branch - a roost she remembered perching on only vaguely. She was thankful for whatever number of hours she had managed to sleep, for they were what kept her going as she fled from the beast. It was fast, faster than she had expected, and she dared not slow to blast it with magic otherwise it would catch up and likely kill her with its powerful and poisonous bite. She knew she needed to find a place where she could take to the air. Once in the air, she could destroy the foul beast and fly off at her leisure. She bounded forward, forcing her aching muscles to move as quickly and powerfully as possible, looking for any possisble way to get airborne despite the limiting canopy and branches.

When the second borgnah leapt out from its hiding place to cut her off, she just barrelled into it, skidding slightly to rake at it desperately with her claws before she powered forward again, roaring. Suddenly she emerged. It wasn't a clearing, so much as it was a part of the understory that had few low branches and a rock, but it would do. She pounced at the rock and began to climb up it, glancing back to see the borgnah in hot pursuit and...

Were those twoleggers?

They were. Mallew and Raemos were a bit stricken by the unexpected appearance of the white alikhora and their prey. They watched, paralyzed by surprise, as Suluksati struggled to keep herself out of range of the terrible beasts. Eventually, though, they shook out of it.

"There they are, boy! Two of 'em!" shouted Mallew, his face flushing as he charged forward, mace in hand, "Lets get 'em!"

Raemos nodded, running behind his father, his less impressive cheap sword at the ready. Mallew's mace crushed the abdomen of one of the Borgnah, which turned on him, hissing, only to have an eye poked out by Raemos's sword. It was soon dispatched by Mallew's mace to its head as Raemos turned to the other Borg, hacking at its legs. The dull sword broke through exoskeleton, but no further, lodging at the beast's joints. Raemos struggled to free the sword, but had to let go as he dodged it's bite.

Suluksati roared and the Borgnah reeled, light dancing aggressively along its bristles. She pounced, knocking it away from the young Oblivionite as she battled it. Raemos took out his beltknife and approached, looking for an opening. Suluksati roared again and, as the Borg was engulfed in light magic, Raemos threw his knife. The creature roared, a shrieking, screaming roar, and fell.

As the Khehora panted with exertion over the kill, Raemos retrieved his sword from the ground where it had fallen, turning to face his father. "Well, that is done..." he began, stopping when he saw his father's face. It was twisted in a mixture of fear and anger, the man's eyes fixed on the Khehora.