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 Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 9:38 pm
This Quest is for Takoda who is striving to become a Soul Linker.
 OOC
||. The quest prompt must be answered with a 2000 word reply (can be more).
||. Respond to the prompt given with an adventure of your own creation as long as it meets the requirements of the specific tasks.
||. NPCs may be used as long as they advance the quest in an interesting manner.
||. You cannot include any playable characters other than the quest taker.
||. Your responses will be graded with a Pass or Fail. Those who fail will have to continue with assistance from the staff.
||. Questions about quests can be asked here.
IC
Neued, Jauhar is a settlement which has changed much throughout the years. It lost a fair percentage of its population to exploring, shares a close border to the Alkidikes and the Obans, and was the closest settlement to the most recent battle. The one upside to the war is the increase of foot traffic to the oldest shifter settlement.
Being from this area, Takoda has found himself drawn to return to his family home on occasion. The frequency has increased since the loss of the war; many shifters fear the Obans will take over their original settlement due to the close proximity and Oban’s advancing line. Little do they know there is a closer threat which could be larger than they realize; The Dretch.
Strange things have been happening around Neued… People claiming to see their dead loved ones, strange disappearances, and the claim of peculiar behavior among local fauna and family familiars. Upon one of Takoda’s visits he is confronted by a hysterical villager who claims she is seeing her husband. Ordinarily this isn’t an issue but he died from illness not long ago. She doesn’t know if she’s grieving or mental, but she asks for Takoda’s assistance in the matter.
Quest Tasks
||. Look the woman over for illness and maybe get a feel for her mental state. Your results will be that she is not ill and though she is grieving still she doesn’t seem to be portraying any other extreme behavior; though Takoda should see her husband on more than a few occasions… enough to know something is going on.
||. Asking around the town leads to more and more instances of people seeing lost loved ones; seemingly unrelated… Familiars have been leaving home and disappearing off into the jungle for abnormal lengths of time then returning as if nothing happened.
||. As if helping the startled people of Neued wasn’t enough, now he himself is being affected; Takoda begins seeing his dead parents. After the shock wears off he realizes it is some type of dark magic that has gripped the people of Neued, and on a hunch he further investigates the returned familiars and is able to see the remnants of that same dark magic on them.
||. Follow an enthralled familiar, which leads him to an underground den hidden at the base of a giant tree… Upon investigation you find a hoard of Dretch, but cannot understand what they are planning. The Dretch eventually find out they have a spy and Takoda must escape the hoard to warn Neued of the Dretch hiding at their border.
||. Return to warn the people of Neued about the Hord of Dretch that could descend upon their borders at any time!
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 10:08 am
Strange Occurrences Bolting upright the monk clutched at his chest where his necklace would of been if he hadn't of given it away. Right...he had parted with it back when he was recovering from the war. It had been a token from his mother but he felt it was a good time to let go of the past by giving it away to the young girl who had helped him recovery in the infirmary. Covered in sweat he felt his body shiver, he couldn't quite place the uneasy feeling he was left with as the dream or nightmare was too vague to remember. Not wanting to wake his lover Jacinthus he would merely turn over and try to get back to sleep hopefully the morning would yield some answers. Unfortunately the morning did not help Takoda glean any information from his dream than it had when he had first awoken. This would lead the shifter to feeling weary, since for days and weeks he had been visiting his home away from home, to meditate as well find the meaning of his purpose in this world. He thought he had come to a satisfying conclusion, but only days after his discovery he began being plagued by nightmares. In the dreams he could recall images the most he could remember were nameless shadowy faces that he felt he should know. It troubled him greatly that he couldn't place them, though felt as if a name was on the tip of his tongue. The shifter did not bother his mate about the nightmares, as he felt that Jacinthus would fret and worry too much. He didn't want to cause his mate alarm and thus kept the dreams to himself, though the black circles under his eyes were becoming alarmingly dark. For this reason Takoda was leaving to visit Neued, a place he remembered visiting often when his parents were alive. Though it was a bit out of the way of his parents home as it was the closest village to the forests edge. Preparing for the day was easy enough, saying his farewell to Korra a young girl who had come to live with them until it was safe to travel and bidding farewell to his lover before leaving for the day. A satchel hung over his shoulders and the shifter felt tired, yawning as he walked slowly on the forest floor. Normally it was more dangerous to linger on the ground with the carnivorous insects that milled about as well deadly plants but he wanted to keep an eye out for rare medicinal plants. A couple of times he felt as if his skin was crawling, shivering it was as if someone was watching him. Cautiously Takoda lifted his gaze upwards and peered around. The monk didn't notice anyone right away, until he glanced up and spotted a figure of a man standing on a large branch up in the trees. Though the figure wasn't looking in his direction the shifter noted that ...something didn't seem quite right with the strangers posture. The man turned his head suddenly and blinking Takoda realized that he had been spotted. But rather than say anything the male smirked before moving around the tree and vanishing without a word. That was strange. That smirk...felt chilling as if it could draw blood. Sighing Takoda wondered if he was truely seeing things. Perhaps he had imagined the smirk, after all he had been some distance away he could of mistaken it for a regular smile right? Sure that must of been it. Giving a small laugh the monk hoisted the satchel higher on his shoulder before proceeding forward. Neued wasn't too far now, he paused a moment or two to drink and nibble on some rations. Only to notice how...oddly quiet the forest was this day. There was something rather ominous about the stillness of the forest, it was as if all life had been sapped from this area. When had the birds stopped calling? At what point had the drone of the insects fallen silent? Disturbed by this sudden realization Takoda was quick to look around. When the forest was this still it usually meant there was danger, something dreadful the stuff of nightmares...was it the menzuri? He didn't recall seeing any of their webs on his way towards Neued so ...could it be? A chilling thought. The insect mages. Takoda grew up running into these creatures on more than one occasion and they always were horrifying to look upon. Perhaps that was his own deeply rooted fear of bugs that caused him to tremble at the memories of the creatures that or the fact they seemed to have very little regard for living creatures. Destroying everything in their path it was as if their very existence was to bring about the end of the world. Glancing around there was nothing out of the ordinary ...but...wait... Out of the corner of his eye he thought he had seen something...no ..it was a someone. A fairly familar someone ... It couldn't be... No. Whirling around in a full circle his eyes wide the woman's lithe form seemed to have vanished. His heart was beating quickly, his hand going back to the vacant spot at his throat where the sapphire necklace had been only weeks prior. His mind must of been playing tricks on him...there was no way it could possible be.... A scream erupted the stillness in the forest. All at once the regular sounds seemed to flood back with startled birds fleeing their resting places as well bugs seeking out new ways to annoy those around them. The scream unlike the strange figure of the woman who had vanished was very real. Eyes wide he moved forward in the direction of the sound only to be brought up short discovering the person who belonged to the scream kneeling on the ground sobbing. "Are you alright miss?" Takoda asked urgently, he saw no blood and he couldn't see any creatures that were an immediate threat, no in fact it was the startled wide eyed expression of the woman before him that was the most disturbing. The young shifter woman was staring at him her mouth parted slightly as tears dripped down her face. The monk noted that her entire body was trembling, her face flushed. Did she have a fever? "Miss?" Takoda reached forward to gently lay a hand on her shoulder only to have the woman vehemently wrench herself out of his grasp. "NO!" She shrieked as she withdrew into herself, rocking back and forth and mumbling non-coherent words to herself. Phrases like 'no...he is dead' being repeated over and over again. Sighing the monk knew he couldn't leave her like this and went to lay down his satchel before pulling out the water skin and handing it over to her. "Miss it is best if you take deep breaths, I can help you but you need to calm down. Tell me what happened here." Perhaps it was his soft tone, the outstretched hand holding the water skin or she had calmed down enough to realize that Takoda wasn't a figment of her imagination, but she took the water skin with shaking hands before she began to tell her tale. Word count: 1261
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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 10:37 pm
The Dead Rise in Neued? Takoda had lost count of how long he had been there with the young woman, the water skin was half empty now and he had shared his rations with her to help ease her trembling. By the time she had finished her story about the strange happenings occurring in Neued it was getting late. The woman's name was Olandri and she had explained how even she had scoffed at the rumors about the dead coming back to life. That is until she had gone into the forest to look for her pet Nwanda that had disappeared several days before only to be confronted by the man she loved. A man who had died due to a strange illness only a week prior. "Tell me Takoda, am I going insane?" Olandri managed with a small slightly crazed laugh, "I came out here to find my pet and instead was confronted by my late husband..telling me that I should join him." The shifter woman looked tot he healer as if expecting him to agree that she was indeed crazy but Takoda only listened a moment before he offered her a small but gentle smile. "I do not think you have lost your mind...perhaps you are simply suffering from a fever," The monk offered a solution to try and help the girl calm down. "I would like to look you over if that is alright just to make sure. You say there are others in the village who are seeing their dead loved ones? " Takoda questioned wondering if there was some new sort of disease causing this mass hallucination. "Ah...y..yes there are others...you may look me over if..if you think it will be of any help." The young woman was still jittery, although not as hysterical as she had been upon their first moments she looked as if she would flee at any moments notice. The shifter male nodded his head and went to work promptly for this very reason. Tried and true methods didn't detect a fever, no any sort of injury that could result in strange visions. Stumped he sat back before he felt that perhaps he needed to resort to magic to make any real progress. Warning the young woman he summoned the water from the air to then form spheres that floated around the woman. "Watch the spheres, not me." Takoda pressed as the woman had looked rather alarmed despite his warning about him using magic. His hand came out and gently touched her forehead, taking a deep breath he closed his eyes and let his magic 'search' the girls body and mind for him. Sweat gathered on his brow as this was something a lot more difficult than simply summoning magic into elemental forms. To be honest this was the shifters first attempt using magic this way, but he felt that he could trust that if he couldn't find anything his magic would. A hand touched his arm jolting him back to the world, when his eyes flashed open it revealed much time had past, it was getting dark and if they wanted to find a safe place for the night they would need to leave now. "Ah..." Feeling a bit disjointed from being brought out of his trance so suddenly he coughed slightly. "There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with you body or mind...perhaps we should head back to Neued and get some rest..." Takoda suggested and though feeling haggard himself Olandri seemed relieved. The spheres of water had dropped with a splatter against the ground once Takoda had stopped concentrating, not that it was a big deal. Gathering his things he had, Olandri back to her feet before taking another look around and then allowing her to lead them back to Neued. The trek wasn't long thank goodness, as the moon was well into the sky by the time they got there. Olandri offered Takoda a place to stay the night much to the monk's protest though he ended up staying there just the same. Quite honestly the girl had revealed to him that she just didn't want to be alone right now, not after seeing her dead husband 'alive' and well. The shifter understood the desire to not want to be alone at such a vulnerable time. So hunkering down onto a mat that had been provided to him the shifter went to sleep himself feeling uneasy with the days events.
Word Count: 2024
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 10:03 pm
No...it can't be... The mat wasn't entirely comfortable as it was against the hard floor but it was something and the monk didn't want to impose on the young woman who had graciously offered him a place to spend the night. Despite being exhausted Takoda found that he couldn't sleep. Resltessly he would toss and turn on the ground a thin sheet around his body before he finally felt that sleeping was pointless. Something was tugging at the back of his head, like a small alarm bell telling him to be on his guard. His eyes were accustomed to the darkness, though the room was unfamiliar there were objects he could recognize. Pots, clay jugs a table...a window with a shadowy figure in it.... Wait... Bolting upright Takoda summoned fire in the palm of his hand to light up the area around him. Takoda only managed to catch a glimpse of the shadows face but it caused him to stumble backwards in shock. It..it couldn't be... the fire in his hand went out as he tripped over a bench and fell over. His back hitting the floor with a solid thud, knocking over something that was sitting on the side table nearby the loud crash caused the figure to leave the window sill and vanish. "What is going on!?" A panicked voice came from the room to his right, Olandri came out looking quite alarmed a shawl draped across her thin shoulders at some attempt at modesty. The monks heart was still beating rapidly his face turned towards the vacant window. He ...didn't just see...his..father did he? The young shifter woman came to Takoda's side looking down at him before she too looked to the window. "You...saw...something didn't you?" Her voice was quiet as if she was too scared to ask such a question loudly, her body began to tremble all over again as if having this outsider succumb to this nightmare meant there would be no end to it. The monk was not sure what to think, he was exhausted, bewildered and frightened, did he admit he saw his dead father and thus scare this woman even more? Or deny it...and deal with this on his own? "I....apologize if I startled you..." Takoda began as he went to pick himself off the floor, happy that he would for the most part be able to heal himself of the bruises. "I had gotten up needing a drink of water, but a animal was in the window and startled me." The monk didn't like to lie, but given this woman's fragile state of mind he didn't want to make things worse by telling her the truth. Olandri looked at him as if she wasn't sure if she could trust his word, but her body slowly stopped trembling and she gave a deep sigh. "A...alright....a...I am going back to bed then...sleep..well.." The shifter woman turned suddenly and retreated back to her bedroom leaving Takoda alone once more. The monk was still trying to put things together in his mind. First he had seen or at least thought he had seen his mother back in the forest...and now there was no doubt he had seen his father in the window. It was such a shock to his system there was little desire to sleep now. Too unsettled but his thoughts....what he had seen... What was going on in Neued? *** Morning came and somehow despite everything Takoda had managed to fall asleep. Although it was restless and the nightmares greeted him like an old friend he awoke to find Olandri already up and making something to eat for the two of them. Feeling stiff and tired Takoda managed to gather his manners and thank her for her hospitality before eating and then excusing himself to investigate the village. Neued wasn't the type of town that ever had something interesting going on. Oh sure they had their festivals and special events like most of Jahaur but for the most part it was a calm....quiet and sleepy village. At least from what he could recall from when he was young. So it was strange that something like this would be happening here. Moving around the village he questioned some of the people who were living there, working there or just visiting for the day. Some refused to answer his questions, others laughed it off as it being some weird and tasteless joke some of the rebellious youth were playing on the townspeople, others...had simply no information to give him beyond the rumors they had heard or what they had seen. There seemed no pattern to who saw their dead loved ones and who didn't, what was consistent though was that it had all started happening about a month ago, and even stranger to add to that was that peoples pets were vanishing. It seemed...odd. Seeing dead people and pets going missing for days on end didn't look like they would be connected. But as this too had begun around the same time as the dead coming back to life. Wait... Takoda thought a moment on the conversation he had shared with the young woman from yesterday. Hadn't she said that she had gone out looking for her own pet when she had seen her late husband? Though the monk wasn't sure how it tied in...the animals leaving their masters and homes...were somehow linked to the dead coming back to life. But why? Rubbing his temples he felt a headache coming on, he was tired even the little sleep he was able to get wasn't enough. Perhaps he should head back to Olandri's and catch a few winks or at least attempt it. Perhaps he should just go find a tree limb and find some sleep outside of Neued...this place..everyone either seemed jumpy scared out of their wits or were putting up a false bravado to try and keep the town from crumbling into madness. The madness...it felt like some horrible illness that could be caught by having even the slightest of doubt of your sanity. Even Takoda felt as if he should be fleeing this place and never return, for if he was seeing his parents...did this mean he would succumb to it and never see Jacinthus or his family again? Now he knew he was over thinking things, he was not going crazy he was just tired. He may or may not of seen his parents and though at the time he was convinced he had seen his father in the window, now...he was just suspicious. The world of spirits wouldn't just let people come back to life, there had to be a reason for this. Moving onwards the monk decided that to go back to Olandri's could be a bad idea, he needed time to think things through and with his sleep deprivation his rambling could just unnerve the poor girl. With slow steps he found himself on the edge of town, high in the trees he looked down at the ground below. Nothing seemed out of place here at first glance, and looking over his shoulder at the town one would think that people were just going about their daily lives. It took a trained eye and heightened awareness of auras and moods to sense the tense atmosphere surrounding Neued. A madness that seemed to be rising up in the town...like a noose that was dangling overhead it had everyone on edge. It contrasted with seemingly peaceful forest before him. Moving nimbly to a higher branch the shifter found one that was broad and strong enough to support his weight. As he leaned his back against the cool bark, his thoughts drifted over the information he had gathered and soon...his eyes had fluttered closed. A blessed dreamless sleep enveloped him and for hours he remained this way. Word Count: 3388
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 11:43 pm
The Spirits never Lie Takoda...Mist. There was a heavy mist all around him. The monk couldn't see past his waist, the fog was so thick that it enveloped everything below him. It was dark...his skin though was white. So the moon must be out...somewhere, though he was unable to see beyond the impregnable blackness around him. His white skin seemed to cast a faint glow, not that it helped him make out anything of the surroundings around him. A whispering of voices surrounded him arose some were light and airy whilst others deep with a richness of the earth. But there was one particular voice the stood out from the rest... Takoda..The shifter stilled in his movements, this voice...he knew it. Though it had been many years since his ears had heard it...for it belonged to someone who was dear to him in life and even still after death. Fearful he dared not turn around... "Mother.." Takoda managed to say the word and it hung in the air with a heaviness like rain. Other words were a lump in his throat, there were so many questions and he longed to turn around. Takoda...you need to wake... Her voice was gentle like the wind playing with his hair....it caused tears to gather in the corner of his eyes. It pained him to hear her voice, why could he recall it so clearly now when in the past he couldn't remember how she sounded. Takoda...you are in danger...wake now. His grey eyes stared forward into the blackness around him, it was like a wall and suddenly he realized it was advancing on him. Involuntarily he took a step backwards and felt the light pressure of a hand on his shoulder. His gaze locked on the blackness coming in his direction all he could sense was how cold this touch was and yet the gentle firmness of its pressure. Wake now before it is too late Takoda.. It pained him, for he knew if he turned to look he would be able to see his mothers face, but those precious seconds would mean that this blackness would get him. Choking on a soundless cry the monk raised his arms in a defensive posture as the wall came to envelope him. His eyes opened with a start, and he felt his heart leap into his throat as his gaze was met with darkness. It took him a moment to realize night had fallen and the soft glow of the fungi around him were helping to illuminate the night. The monk had been sleeping, though tears had managed to spill onto his cheeks much to his surprise as he went to wipe them away. Taking a deep breath he found himself release it shakily. Drawing his legs up under him, he went to stand up leaning his weight against a braced arm that was using the tree for support. Takoda knew he should return into town, his dream had been a frightful one...a painful one...but it had given him a hunch about what was causing the madness in the town. Carefully he made his way back to Olandri's though was met with a bit of a start as a large nwanda greeted him at the door. Apparently while he had been out the large moth like creature had made its way back home much to the relief of the shifter woman. She had already dealt with the loss of her husband, but to lose her beloved pet as well would of been too much for her to bare. The monk however...noted something sinister lingering on the creature. A strange...blackness that seemed to trail off its being. A blackness that was all to similar to the one from his dream. Trying not to alarm the woman he told her of his own pet nondwa Zuko and how he had come to acquire the creature. Though he held no love for bugs, that particular nondwa had been persistent about him being his owner. With lighter topics in view the woman seemed to open up, she wasn't as jittery as she had been the day before, nor even that morning. Perhaps the return of her pet had been enough to sooth her. Though he didn't mention it, he kept an eye on the creature though it acted like any nondwa would if perhaps a bit sluggishly like it too had little sleep for the past couple of nights. With this Takoda knew he would have to stake out the evening to see if any other animals leave the town. The blackness ...it a type of magic he had seen before, although in an entirely different form. The incurable illness had been similar in feeling he could only hope he wouldn't have to travel back to the island of Chibale to gather more dirt near the mother tree Aisha. Once was enough. Thankful that he at least got some rest during the day, once the two had finished their meal and turned in for the night the monk was up and readying himself for whatever he may encounter while he staked out the village. Word Count: 4279
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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 12:28 am
Dark Magic The night felt strangely quiet as he lightly stepped through the village. Keeping an eye out for anyone who looked suspicious as well animals that looked to be wandering away from home. Although the moon hung high in the sky the night air felt eerily stagnant. As if the entire forest was holding its breath for what was about to happen. It started with just one, a Maglardilla creeping out of its hiding spot to glide from one branch to another. It was soon joined by several nondwa, their large wings fluttering in the night air silently. All were headed in the same direction, which meant they were leaving the village. It was unfortunate that the night sky was dotted with clouds, it was as if they wanted to thwart Takoda's investigation by covering up the best source of light available. Following behind slowly and carefully the shifter had only a few problems in the dark. The soft glow of the fungi helped to illuminate his steps as his foot steps moved from one branch to another. The shifter wasn't entirely sure what he was going to face but as the maglardilla lit upon the trunk of a tree, a symbol began to glow...and then the creature disappeared. This tree was large, but in no means graceful. Unlike the other trees around it, it seemed grotesque and misshapen. Its bows were drooping heavy with dying leaves, it quite honestly stood out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the trees around them, but Takoda realized...if he hadn't of followed the creatures he probably wouldn't of found it. There was something dark that was keeping noisy people away or keeping them oblivious to this tree. It caused the shifter to shudder, but he carefully scaled down the length of the one tree he was in before creeping over to the sickly looking one. Curious, the roots looked black..as if they were being stained. Covering his mouth and nose he felt as if he breathed in naturally that the magic effecting this tree would begin to rot him to his own core. Stepping lightly over the blackest of roots he went to examine where the one creature had disapeared, only to have to duck out of the way as the nondwas (much slowly that the magladrilla) came to light upon its bark as well. A flash of dark light and they too were gone. It was too dark to make out anything on the tree itself. He could summon fire but worried about catching unwanted attention. From whom he wasn't entirely sure on but he had the intense feeling he wasn't alone. Carefully he slipped his hand up to where the last nondwa had vanished. Closing his eyes and taking a deep yet careful breath as he did so. But no sooner had his finger tips brushed against the bark did he withdraw his hand as if he had been shocked. The darkness....it was like tendrils of smoke reaching out to take back his hand. Eyes wide the shifter stumbled backwards to get himself out of harms way. Once several feet away from the tree he looked to his hand, he felt as if he could still see the darkness clinging to his finger tips and he felt tainted, sullied. Swallowing he wasn't sure what to do, but out of habit shook his hand lightly in the air like one would do if they were drying to dry their hands of water. The blackness eventually dissipated, but he could swear he could still see a black stain just on the tips. It was most likely a trick of the lighting, what poor lighting he had anyway. So this tree was the source of the madness? It seemed unlikely a tree would suddenly want to posses creatures as well make people hallucinate seeing their dead loved ones. Walking carefully around the base of the tree the monk noted a rather large hole at the base of a tangle of roots. Like something had burrowed its way under the tree. Was that what was killing it? Takoda wasn't a very brave man, in fact he was quite timid and it took quite a bit of effort to approach the burrow. The hole...was much bigger than he realized, for as he approached it he noted that it widened and could easily fit a grown man. It was a tunnel and that only unnerved the poor shifter more, memories of going into mountain tunnels when he was younger made him shudder. Back then...they had run into an intense creature that even a band of his fellow shifters, alkidikes and leaf tribe members had just barely been able to beat. But that creature had just been at the wrong place at the wrong time there had been nothing magical about it beyond its size and ferocity. Swallowing he knew he was going to have to go into this tunnel and he felt an intense dread about it. Moving away he went to gently pick a glowing mushroom to help illuminate his path. He hated this...he didn't want to go in but he had to, sighing he gripped the shroom in one hand before carefully slipping down into the hole. Takoda was thankful at least that the drop wasn't too far he could easily get out again with a bit of effort, besides he had his earth magic if he so needed to make steps, but he was surprised still to discover he barely had to hunch to walk forward. The ground was surprisingly dry and cracked...as if an intense heat had been exposed to the area causing it to harden and become level. Whatever was down here wasn't a normal creature...and as he moved further and further into the nest he felt as if he had a hunch what it was that had decided to move in. The bug mages...he had seen them, fought them....had evaded them but he had to make sure. If it was them, what were they trying to do? Moving the tunnel split into two and he choose the right path and didn't have to go far before having to suddenly halt his progression. The tunnel rounded the corner and opened up to a very large chamber. It was dimly lit with mushrooms like the one he had in his hand. He felt his heart begin to race, his skin crawled as he heard the sound of dreadful clicks. It was them. But why? Why where they here? His back was pressed against the wall of the tunnel, he felt like he was cornered despite having yet been discovered. He needed to look...to make sure it was them. Even if he was ninety nine percent sure that was what was in that room, he needed numbers an estimate of how many of the foes were trying to bring ruin to Neued. He wished for once his skin wasn't white, if it were dark then perhaps he could better blend in to his surroundings, but he couldn't change this fact and thus after minutes of hushed breathing and a racing heart beat he felt that he could be brave enough to take a small peak. That one glance, caused a small squeak of a gasp escape his lips. There...were so many of them. This chamber was full of them...and the sound he had uttered had not fallen on deaf ears. Several heads turned, there was enraged hissing and clicks and like a nightmare they advanced. Cursing himself the monk turned and fled down the passage way, perhaps not the bravest man in the world but his intense fear of bugs seemed to multiple when being faced with such creatures. They ran after him, some crawled upon the ceiling only enhancing their bug like nature and causing the shifter's skin to crawl. They were calling out to each other, not that Takoda would understand what they were saying in their odd language of clicks and whistles. He came to the fork in the path and turned, the mushroom dropping from his sweaty hands and tumbling onto the floor below. Not having time to go and pick up it, he cursed as he stumbled in his attempts to turn. The ground was so smooth he had little traction, and he half expected a ball of fire to be hurled in his direction. The mages however weren't stupid to use fire in such close quarters as this would burn up their oxygen supply and thus they only pursued. Takoda quickly realized they were comfortable in this darkness and adapted to this sort of environment, thus...they were gaining on him quite rapidly. The entrance was just ahead, he never thought he would be able to escape and he did not wish to cause a cave in using his earth magic...not while he was trying to get out. Scrambling up the slope he felt clawed fingers dig into his ankle. Sharp pain enveloped him and he attempted to kick off the creature which was quickly joined by others. Takoda had to do something else he was going to be dragged back under. Half out of the tunnel entrance a hand reached to grab a thick root and held on as he gathered his wits and summoned water. There was enough water to gather from the night air he found that using it like a torrent he was able to shake loose the one who had a grip on him and then went about flooding the entrance with water. He knew he couldn't flood the whole thing, he had no idea just how deep the or winding the tunnels were and thus after a moment making sure the mages were slick with mud, he did something he would normally never do. He buried them. Word Count: 5898
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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 10:22 am
The Final Confrontation Bringing his foot up he dropped it down deliberately shifting his weight to summon the earth he would need to fill the entrance way. The earth rose at his command with with a rumbling it came up and then down like a wave filling in the tunnel to smother those that were still trying to claw their way out. Takoda's heart was racing, he felt like it could explode within his chest. The forest was eerily silent. His ears strained to detect the sound of movement under ground. But there were no clicks...no sounds of ones trying to claw their way out, though he wasn't about to trust that they were gone. No he needed to go warn the people in Neued about the dangers living nearly on their front steps. Turning the shifter knew he would need to set a trail otherwise he may not be able to find his way back. Amongst everything else...he knew he had to get away from this place, the shifter didn't trust his senses, knowing full well that the bug creatures were far from dead and disposed of. Distance was the only way to separate himself from this encompassing dread and so he began his march back to town, leaving markers for himself so he would be able to come back when it was daylight out, and hopefully with more people. But even as he darted a look over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being followed he sensed something ahead of him and he had to halt his progression to a standstill as ...a woman and a man were standing on a branch several feet ahead of him. Not again. Chewing on his lower lip it crushed him to see both his mother and father standing before him. Unchanged by the years..and perhaps that was what alerted to him that they could not be real. Though their hair was already white due to the nature of there people, they should of looked older and yet they looked like how he last remembered them. Still how could one not feel the pull of heartache and the desire to want those you loved to be back with you. To wrap your arms around them and tell him how much you missed them and loved them still. They said nothing to him, only smiling and gesturing that he come closer. Taking an involuntary step forward he stopped himself. They were memorizing as if trapping his sole attention he couldn't look away. This was a trap, he could feel it in his very core and it took every amount of effort to clench his hands at his side and summon a ball of water. It took gritted teeth and tears blurring his vision to let that blast of water go. Aimed towards his parents who gave a startled look as it came rushing towards them. Both lept unnaturally fast out of the way of the blast of water, though still donning their appearances they then moved their way towards Takoda arms outstretched. His mother's hands gathered together an immense ball of fire that was to be launched in his direction. His father...wielded two wicked looking scimitars aimed at dispatching his son quickly. Takoda had to leap backwards, abandoning the branch he had been on to get to the ground. The branch was neatly cleaved off where he had been standing moments before. Jarred at his rather ungraceful landing the monk staggered and then had to use a wall of water to face off with the blast of fire now raging over his head. The pair worked alternatively, one distracting Takoda by advancing with melee whilst the other prepped strong blasts of fire that took awhile to prepare. It didn't help the shifter much knowing this tactic as every time he tried to summon magic of his own to take down the woman he would be thwarted having to avoid being cut by his father. And he knew...this was wearing him down. Breathing hard he found himself being singed as his own magic was become sloppy for his defense. Lightheaded he staggered as he tried to yet again dodge a blast of fire, only to feel the sharp blade sink into his side and cruelly ripped out. Hissing his arm immediately went down to where he was bleeding to apply pressure. Clenching his teeth his used his free hand to summon a wall of earth between him and the man. Then with what energy he had left he used more earth to from a shell of sorts around him. Sinking to the ground he knew that the hardened earth wouldn't stop his adversaries for long, his hand trembled as he tried to focus. A small glow as he pressed his fingers to the jagged wound. He was blind in the dark and he felt sick and weak, a sinking sensation growing in the back of his mind. He was going to die here. Flinching he heard the clang of steel against the crust of earth as if chopping at it wildly to get to the contents inside. It grew considerably warmer suddenly and fire must of been raining down upon his shelter. The ceiling was growing hot, looking almost like it was beginning to become molten. His temporary reprieve wasn't going to be enough. Looking down from the impending doom above, he fixated on healing the wound on his side only to find it almost impossible. His vision was so blurred it felt as if there were several images of his hand trying to stop the flow of blood. His breath was shaky, his skin sweating from the heat. Perhaps their new goal was to bake him alive in his shelter, an unpleasant thought. It hurt so much, would it not be better to let go at this point? He couldn't figure a way out of this situation and wouldn't it be better to die now than slowly cooked alive? His hand...went to drop from his wound only to feel a pressure keeping it there. Delirious he glanced down and saw what looked to be a second luminescent hand holding his hand in place. Following the length of the arm only lead to him staring into a pair of other worldly eyes. Later he would question what he had seen, wither it had been his mother in spirit helping him, whispering him words of encouragement or hallucinations caused by his wounds and the heat. All that he did know was for certain, was some knowledge was passed to him, an awareness deep inside awoken that could turn this battle around. The healing intensified as now a copy of himself, ghostly and luminescent helped with his healing. Not a moment too soon, as it felt like his attention was being split in two. Regaining his strength he bailed from his shelter as the ceiling went molten and began to drip down. Making a hole in the side of his earthen shelter to escape, the blast of the night air caused him to shiver. The ghostly form of Takoda flickered and went out a moment before re-appearing next to him. Seeing it caught his breath, not that he had time to marvel at his spiritual apparition. It flickered and was gone again, but this time it had moved to intercept his father who seemed not only surprised by its appearance but balked at it. The mage wasn't too sure what to make of this either and thus both seemed to focus their attention on the ghostly version of Takoda, rather than Monk himself. As both went to attack it, the temporal form flickered out of existence again, causing the brute to stumble into the area where the mage was sending her fireball. A hideous scream erupted as the image of his father caught on fire and was being burned alive. Takoda closed his eyes. Even if he knew this wasn't really his father, to see his image screaming in pain and on fire was something that would haunt his nightmares. The smell of burning flesh was enough to make him feel sick to his stomach, but he couldn't let his guard down. A shriek of rage informed him he had been re-targeted by his the creature donning his mothers image. His eyes opened to see her on the ground near the body of a singed corpse, preparing to hurl another ball of fire, his breathing becoming more even as the lasting effects of his healing continued to work he raised his hand to summon another stream of water from the air. His only advantage was his speed as it took awhile for his enemy to cast its devastating flames. Moving he hurled the water like a jet stream, before using his strength of will to shift the ground underneath her feet to unstable her. A choking sound or rage. To see his mothers face contorted into such anger and hatred a face she had never held in life the shifter was able to put aside what hesitations he had before plowing more water atop of her, dowsing whatever flame energy she had managed to summon. Swallowing he felt the earth rumble at his summons. Pulling his hands up into the air as the ground rose up around the woman to then slam into her to become her tomb. Sweating, his breath ragged, he tried to erase the image of surprise and fear as the earth came to envelope her. Even if he knew it wasn't his mother...that it was just some creature posing at her...it had felt all too real. As if he had been the executioner and cause of his mothers death. Staggering forward he moved to see the smoking body of what once was his father. Now...it was a twisted carcass that belonged to the creatures he had fought back at the burrow. No doubt the other one would look similar if he was so keen on digging through the dirt to find the corpse of the woman. Day was dawning, he had to idle chuckle at the irony of all his dealings with these creatures seemed to be at night. Though he wanted to sleep and wash the nightmares of the night away...he had other business to attend to. He had to warn the people of Neued of the danger at their front door. Word Count: 7710
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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 12:53 pm
Just to be Safe Moving he found that despite his wounds being healed he was exhausted. It took him much longer than he anticipated to return to the village and once there he received many looks of alarm as he was covered in blood, dirt and ash. The young woman Olandri had looked for him when she had discovered him missing in the morning and was appalled to discover him in such a state. Despite her fussing, Takoda was gentle as he pushed her aside explaining that it was urgent for him to speak with the village elders. The meeting was brief and yet detailed as Takoda explained the presence of the bug men and how he suspected they were the cause of the dead coming back to life. Why they had been taking people pets as well was beyond him, but he felt that their primary focus should be to go and deal with the dretch right away. Another healer came to deal with the rest of Takoda's wounds, an elixir handed to him to rejuvenate his energy and thus he was put in charge to lead a force of warriors and mages to the nest he had discovered. With entourage in tow the shifter still couldn't help but be nervous. The signs of his battle with the two bug creatures was still evident though strangely the bodies were gone. Even the one entombed in earth, though they went to dig through it no body was found. The tree however was still there, and still looked as ominous as it had been at night. Takoda took them to where the entrance to the burrow was, and the mages used their earth magic to clear the entrance way before they proceeded to cautiously enter . Takoda had been very careful to warn them about the dangers and though several stayed behind with the monk as time crept on Takoda feared the worst. Soon however they returned, dirty but unharmed. They admitted that the tunnel led to a large chamber but there was nothing there. No signs of anything living there recently. Aghast Takoda wanted to go down and look for himself, repeating to the ones around him what he had seen. Though there was dubious looks cast in his direction, no one could disclaim that the tree....was poisoned. The words 'cursed' floated around and one scholar noted the strange markings on the tree's surface itself. They all agreed that to be safe the tree would have to be uprooted, destroyed and then the earth cleansed. The small task force went about their appointed mission as Takoda was led to a place to sit down. With a air of seriousness Takoda reconfirmed his encounters with the elders, enforcing the fact that these creatures could possibly come back and return to mimicking the dead. The shifter was still not sure why they had been luring the animals and thus didn't bring it up as his soul focus was making sure the elders believed him. Worry was etched in each one of their faces, and they agreed that they would not let word spread to the townsfolk as they didn't want to create mass panic. As it was with the Oban army already on the verge of their door steps they didn't want them to become a target of the military. Though Takoda didn't agree with their assessment there was little he could do but hope that they would be careful. With the tree already out of the ground and the cleansing begun, Takoda couldn't help but lift his hand to look at his finger tips. Remembering how the darkness had clung to his skin though his skin was a dark grey now there was no sign of the taint of black magic as there had been before. Walking back with the elders he met with Olandri one more time, informing her that her late husband would no longer be stalking her, though if such occurrences were to begin again she was to let him know immediately. Giving her the location of where he lived Takoda finally started about returning home. It had been a long couple of days...all he wanted now was to get home and perhaps make sweet love with his loved one.
FIN
Final word count: 8410
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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 12:55 pm
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2014 10:13 pm
Class Quest Result
Pass!
Takoda has passed and received the rank of Soul Linker!
Takoda has also been awarded a Shop Item for the use of the Dretch's illusion ability to appear as his parents - a very creative and surprising twist!
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