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Painted Moose rolled 8 100-sided dice:
86, 97, 30, 10, 82, 14, 1, 49
Total: 369 (8-800)
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 Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 3:53 pm
Character || Callum
Stage || 3 (Knight)
Battling || Menzuri ( x8 )
Battle Stat || 30
Defense || 19
Roll Needed || 60 - 100
Rolled || 86, 97, 30, 10, 82, 14, 1, 49
Outcome || Win, Win, Lose, Lose, Win, Lose, Lose, Lose
Experience earned || 213
(18 x6) /3 = 36 x3 = 108 (these are the wins Cal had)
(18 x6) /3 = 36 x.75 = 27 x3 = 81 (these are the wins Nim had that Cal didn't)
18 x2 /3 = 12 x2 = 24 (these are the losses)
WC Needed ll 1800 per individual
------------------
Weeks upon weeks of training against the radaku were beginning to take their toll on Callum's psyche. One of Corine's friends had offered to let him spar against his pack, and while it seemed a decent arrangement at the time Callum was beginning to regret it. He was bruised, battered and had a few bites, all while retaining the sweet scent of wet canine. In his mind it was time to end that little deal and move onto something more promising.
Sol may have been the closest settlement to Tale, but it was still a part of Jauhar, thus it retained all of the jungle's dangers. Normally Callum tried to avoid that very thing when passing through, however today it was those evil beasties that he wanted to find most.
The Menzuri. The region's deadliest creatures. He had been told from a very young to avoid the denser areas in the jungle, where caves were abundant and wild things slept. It was thrilling, in a way, to be passing into that sort of territory now. The jungle seemed quieter here, as if it waited with baited breath to see if it's newest visitors would make it out whole or not.
In truth, this was probably the stupidest stunt Callum pulled as of late, but he had high hopes. Anyday now their child would be born, and his worries had sky rocketed. Callum was no battle master; he was quick, but no where near as strong as he needed to be. He'd expressed these concerns with Nim and now...here they were, tracking giant crystallized arachnids.
"Tell me if you see webbing. "
(271/1800)
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scarlett arbuckle rolled 8 100-sided dice:
34, 86, 49, 90, 17, 88, 84, 20
Total: 468 (8-800)
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Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 4:36 pm
Character || Nimueh
Stage || Stage 2 Guard
Battling || Menzuri (x8 )
Battle Stat || 23
Defense || 19
Roll Needed || 70-100 (80-100 usually, one step down bc fighting w/ callum)
Rolled || 34, 86, 49, 90, 17, 88, 84, 20
Outcome || Lose, Win, Lose, Win, Lose, Win, Win, Lose
Experience earned || 333
Winning Exp
[(18*6)/2] * 4 = 216
Losing Exp
[(18*2)/2] * 2 = 36
Exp from Callum
([(18*6)/2] * .75) *2 = 81
Nim couldn’t believe Callum had talked him into this. Over the past few months, as Eema got further along in her pregnancy, it was as if Callum was overcome with a paternal urge to beef up and prove that he could defend his family. Honestly, to Nimueh, it was an admirable enough thought - and certainly a training regimen wasn’t too strange to set up. He, himself, had done similar work when he returned to Zena! But where Callum’s plan stupefied him was his decision to fight beasts. It was one thing to scrabble with a pack of radaku when their human stood, able to call them off if need be- but to journey out here into the jungles, looking for the beast that parents warned their children about…
Was he crazy?! But as much as Nimueh was against the very idea of it, he feared Callum sneaking off into the night to prove a point, and the best way, he thought, to keep him safe was to go with him on his extermination trip.
But really… fighting menzuri? Willingly seeking them out? He may have grown into a man in Zena, but he had been a child here, and even now he had to admit that he was intimidating. At his lover’s call, Nimueh grunted his assent, but mentally wondered if he could hide any webbing without Callum seeing it. What if they were killed out here, mauled by menzuri on the eve of their child’s birth? The incident with the matori beast, in Zena… and even the sermal incident returned to mind, but he bit his lip, hard, to resist voicing it. Keeping his shield close at hand, Nimueh swept his gaze about, more to make sure they weren’t already spotted and being stalked than to look for the webs, as Callum had asked. “Are you sure this is the best idea for training? If the Alkidike fear these things, maybe it’s something we shouldn’t be messing with…” And Aisha knew his sisters were too proud to shy away from just any creature.
(349/1800)
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Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 4:29 pm
Testosterone had never run as thick in Callum's system as it did now. He had never felt the need to be particularly masculine or physically strong, not when so many other things in life begged his attention. Now he was close to being a father, and things had shifted. Father's protected their children, defended their partners and generally stood as some sort of pillar for their family. The admission of being terrified by his general lack of all things 'fatherly' would be a reiteration of previous discussions. Nim knew his concerns; which was probably why he was here now. Supportive but generally disapproving.
Maybe he was insane, or maybe this was some bizarre form of nesting. Either way, they were here now, and he didn't plan to leave until he had managed to best at least one menzuri. "Hang what the Alkidike think." It came out before he could filter it, but Callum was quick to add, "Sorry love, still a little bitter. Besides, all creatures scary to some extent, but that doesn't mean we can't take them down."
Callum climbed atop an exposed root and looked up, pausing only a moment before squinting and looking further. "Is that...I can't tell, is that a web? It's too high up."
(481/1800)
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Posted: Sat May 07, 2016 9:11 am
Nimueh paused and looked at Callum, eyebrows raised. He didn’t take offense to it, not now, but still… while Callum made his distaste for them known, now, it was rare that he voiced it so openly. Perhaps it was the relative privacy of the forest around them, or the nervousness from coming up against menzuri that loosened his tongue. It made Nimueh wonder what else his lover would be tempted to speak about, when so jittery. “It’s alright, love.” He responded, dropping his voice so it came out more soothing. After all, Callum wasn’t wrong. But at the same time, Nimueh wasn’t as willing to disregard wariness about such a creature. He had only heard stories, and never actually seen one.
However, every good Alkidike knew what to watch for, when it came to these beasts. As Callum scrambled up the tall roots of an old tree, peering skyward, Nimueh wrinkled his brows in confusion, turning over the words in his head as he rounded the base, stepping around the roots gingerly. “No, no - menzuri don’t make nests in the tree tops.” He dismissed, even while he peered skyward. Even though… squinting, Nimueh could have sworn it DID look like webbing.
“They… I don’t know. I’ve always been told they nested on the ground. Made nests between trees… under the… roots…” Chilled, Nimueh slowly dropped his gaze, then froze, stock still, staring at what looked to be a formation of crystal, nestled at the base of the tree -- only feet away from him, and hidden in a copse right underneath where Callum was standing.
His stomach dropped like lead, Nimueh felt frozen in place, unable to break his gaze away from the crystals - still as they were, he couldn’t tell if they were just that, crystals, or… “Callum.” He finally croaked, slowly drawing his shield infront of himself, but unwilling to drop into a defensive stance just yet.
(667/1800)
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Posted: Sat May 07, 2016 12:02 pm
The swordsman shifted his footing atop the wizened roots, raising himself up to the balls of his feet so that he could get a better look. Despite what Nimueh said Callum wasn't convinced. It certainly looked like webbing, although he supposed it could have been a mass of unusually high mushrooms. He placed the palm of his hand against the bark to steady himself. There were vines he could climb to check, but even they were higher than what he alone could reach. Maybe if Nimueh lifted him up...
"I suppose it really wouldn't hurt to look." Unaware of the peril he was currently in, Callum turned to look at Nimueh and stalled. "Are you alright? You don't look good." Was he sick? That would certainly explain the pallor that had come over the younger hybrid. However, if that were the case, why would he be drawing his shield? Callum's knitted his brows before mental recognition forced his gaze to follow Nimueh's.
What he saw caused his fingers to latch on like claws to the bark. There was no mistaking the arachnid's grotesque physique from his position. Instinctively he turned away from it and pressed his forehead to the tree bark to calm himself. Fear was good; he had to remind himself of that. Fear meant that he knew what this creature could do to him and his lover if he failed.
And failure wasn't an option today.
Callum inhaled deeply, then turned away from the tree in his exhale. He never lifted his head to look at Nimueh; the entire time his sole focus was on the menzuri. When he had first looked away he couldn't see it's head, but now the creature looked back at him with it's plethora of eyes focusing on him.
A little voice in his head tried to prevent what was about to happen next, but Callum pushed it aside. He had the look of a man half mad, torn in indecision as to whether he should ram the creature through with his blade or run. What if he jumped down to slay this beast, and was caught in a trap with more? But what if this was the only one and....
(1,035/1800)
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Posted: Sat May 28, 2016 9:45 pm
For a long, horrifying moment Callum stared at Nimueh, oblivious, and the younger hybrid could only watch with growing anxiety as he moved about. At any moment, he expected the menzuri to leap; to scuttle out from its place, grasp his love and tug him back into its hollow den of knotted tree roots. But finally those beautiful eyes lowered and Callum saw, and understood. His entire body seized in realization, and as he clutched against the tree, Nimueh slowly shifted closer, not daring to take his eyes off the menzuri they’d spotted.
At least in this, Callum reacted properly with fear, and wasn’t simply shrugging his shoulders and leaping into it as Nimueh almost feared. If he was willing to traipse off into the forest in search of these things, it was a relief to know he at least took the threat seriously. With both of them staring at the crystalline arachnid, its body shifted towards Callum in careful study, Nimueh didn’t even think to look behind him. The possibility that something was closing in, especially with a visible threat only feet away, didn’t even cross his mind… and if there WERE more, surely they were in the hole as well, just as Callum was thinking ?
So of course Nimueh was surprised when, suddenly, a weight descended on him from above - heavy and jagged, the weight of it forced him to the ground with a shout. With his arm pinned between his torso and the dirt, Nimueh was unable to immediately lift his shield, and instead threw his weight to roll to the side, the side of his shield raised to smash against whatever had hit him. With the adrenaline pumping through his veins, he only barely felt the searing sting of something sharp pricking into the flesh of his shoulder once, then twice, before he had fully rolled, and the shield careened into the face of the menzuri that had pinned him.
Reeling backwards with a shriek, the menzuri scuttled backwards, and off of him, all angles and shining, glimmering crystals of varying shades. It would have been a beautiful creature, if not for the dripping fangs and glittering eyes, not unlike his own in color, but dissimilar in their unearthly glow and sheer number.
Beyond the menzuri that had surprised him, there were a number of others - at least three more that had emerged from around, the one in the tree making four. But judging from the sounds beyond, Nimueh realized there were more coming.
And he was stuck between two menzuri, seperated from Callum up where he stood atop the tree roots. Raising his shield, Nimueh panted from his previous attack, and blindly felt along his belt for the dirk that he’d decided to carry, in addition to the shield - needing that added reassurance, in the face of so many horrible creatures.
(1143/1800)
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Posted: Sun May 29, 2016 8:10 pm
"Nimueh!" That shout drew Callum's attention to the crystalline creature pinning his love to the ground. Whatever horror festered beneath him was forgotten for that sickening moment. From his position Callum could make out little more than the arachnid pressing itself down atop his struggling lover, blocking out all view of it's fangs leaving their mark.
On instinct the older hybrid moved to leap off his root. His body reacted in the wake of his panicked mind, hoisting him into the air for the briefest of moments before a thick substance encompassed his ankle and wrenched him below the roots. Callum was vaguely aware of shouting as his vision shifted from that of Nimueh's struggles to the darkened den of the menzuri. He scrambled to grab hold of a root, a stone, anything to keep him away from the darkness. His efforts were in vain; the pull of the beast was too strong. In an instant his body slammed against hardened stone but thankfully his head was spared from the jarring blow.
His hands fought to free his ankle, but instead they came away sticky, with strands of webbing attaching to his skin. The sounds above him were no more comforting than the suffocating sensation of being trapped below ground with his attacker. In the dim light a glistening array of crystals light up before him, shifting with each move the menzuri made. He had no time to process the sight, much less to appreciate it's deadly grandeur, before the arachnid raised it's forelegs. Callum reacted on instinct and drew his blade, ramming the tip of his sword through the creature's monstrous head before it's fangs could pierce his skin. It shrieked and thrashed against him for just a moment before slumping dead atop his blade. Callum struggled against it's weight, widening his stance to brace it as he tried to angle the corpse away from him. A hard task for any as slight as he, much more so in such a tight space, but Callum persevered. He had to. Muscle weary and fearful for his lover, the swordsman wasted little time in climbing atop the menzuri corpse, using it to hoist himself higher up so that he could grasp the roots above him.
Hold on Nim, I'm coming!
(1414/1800)
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Posted: Sun May 29, 2016 8:38 pm
Standing, his shield raised and dirk held at the ready, Nimueh didn’t realize that Callum had disappeared until he heard the distant cry from within the root system of the tree. “Callum!” He cried, voice shaking and filled with terrified desperation. He should have stopped this - should have told Callum this was a bad idea. But instead he’d gone along with it, had dismissed any fears and now -- now, Callum was trapped underground, possibly being torn to pieces by the Menzuri. It took everything in him not to dive down under the roots, reaching, even if it meant he was dragged inside as well - but the number of arachnids bearing down on his position, and the knowledge that his and Callum’s child was so close to being born, and might not have their fathers there to greet them, kept him rooted to the spot.
When the menzuri launched at him again, Nimueh shoved the dirk forward, flinching back from the spray of viscous fluid as it impaled itself on the dirk. As he fought to tug the blade from its crystalline face, Nim bashed a second menzuri with the front of his shield, shoving it backwards where it chittered its fangs and rose its forelegs, warningly. Finally able to tug his dirk back from its prey, Nimueh stood, and blinked blearily, turning his head to watch a different one as it tried to flank him. He was forced to back up against the tree, warily, if only because it was the same crevice that Callum had been yanked down through.
Before he could get secure, the chittering menzuri once again jumped at him, bearing down with its pointed legs and fangs, only to be knocked back by another shield bash. While it was stunned, Nimueh sank the point of his dirk into one of its many eyes, pulled it out, then drove it home once more - stabbing again and again until the menzuri scrambled backwards, then fell to its side, legs curled in on itself in death.
Its carapace seemed to almost glow - a swimming cascade of colors, as if steaming with magic, and from that steam two more menzuri appeared, only their faces… weren’t that of a spider. Elsheba’s face peered out from the crystals, sneering, mouth dripping with venom, all eight eyes fixed on him, and even as it came closer, slowly and carefully, as if sensing his growing confusion, Nimueh couldn’t make himself raise the dirk again. His shield arm remained raised, but the dirk fell from his fingers, and Nimueh was vaguely aware of crying, wondering how on earth his once-mother had been turned into such a vile thing. How was he to know that the bites were working their magic ?
[3 down, 3 to kill, and 2 that run away, or that they run away from? ](1598/1800 )
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Posted: Sun May 29, 2016 9:05 pm
Hand over hand, Callum pulled himself higher out of the lair with a fierce determination. This was his bright idea, and it had taken him far too long to see just how stupid it was. Taking on legendary creatures in their own territory? Beasts so fearsome that even the alkidike avoided them? At the very least he would make sure that Nimueh escaped this mess; their child would need at least one of their fathers with them. No, they'll need both.
Callum ground his teeth together as Nim's ankles came into view and the sound of chittering arachnids assaulted him. Just how many of these beasts were there? And what was Nimueh doing?! Callum watched as a dirk collided with the dirt so close to his eye level, leaving his lover terribly prone in the face of the monstrous beast. Snatching it up in his hand, Callum turned the blade to stab it into the ground, using it as an anchor to help pull himself out of the roots. He dug his bare toes into the dirt at his lovers side and propelled himself forward, spinning the smaller blade once more to drive it into the creature's thorax. Callum drug the blade through it's thick exterior, spraying himself with it's ichor as the beast shrieked above him. With a hard shove of his shoulder the swordsman managed to knock the beast onto it's side before it passed.
Where normally there would be revulsion at the mere thought of being covered in spider gunk, there was only fear. Callum looked over his shoulder to Nimueh, raising his hand only briefly to move his filthy hair away from his eyes. "Nim? What the he-?" His sight dropped to Nimueh's skin, the very point where the menzuri had punctured it and he let out a string of unsavory curses. This had to end and soon! (1726/1800 )
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Posted: Sun May 29, 2016 9:33 pm
Standing still, unable to work up the energy to move, Nimueh only watched, impassively, as the swimming visions of faces and eyes came closer, trying to distantly remember what it was he had to keep pressing on for. The faces were almost upon him, crystalline fore-arms reaching - when something appeared beside him, driving forward. A shining blade plunged into Elsheba’s neck, and she reeled back with a scream, before falling sideways, life leaving her with a shudder. Nimueh stared at her, unsure if he felt relief or horror at the sight of it. Only… turning his face to his savior, Nimueh shrank back with a cry and clutched a hand against the tree limbs.
It was Callum - but where normally there was bright, beautiful skin there was only inky blackness poured along his face, hair, and torso, and the normally smooth, diamond shaped crystals looked to have sunk in, rotted and expanded until they were jutting out oddly, sharp and dangerous. His clothes appeared in tatters, his skin sallow and sickly as if the menzuri had sucked the very life from his veins, and Nimueh first instinct was to shrink back, his second to slam his shield against the vision, unable to equate it with the Callum he had just seen minutes before. Nimueh had never heard stories about menzuri transforming, or their prey being mutated into something unearthly. But in his muddle, Nimueh couldn’t remind himself of the stories of their venom, nor could he comprehend that it was happening to him.
It wasn’t until the ghoul before him brushed its hair aside, and fixed him with a look that Nimueh came somewhat back to himself. Callum’s eyes were unforgettable, and ghoul or not that beautiful blue gaze sank into his nerves as if a calming draught. Beyond the figure, the remaining menzuri now kept their distance, spinning webs to try and prevent their escape, but eyeing the dirk and sword in Callum’s hands with evident hesitation. Now was the time to flee… and hopefully the menzuri would find that those that had been slain were enough to satisfy their bloodlust.
Closing his eyes, hard, Nimueh took a long, steadying breath, before jumping forward, grabbing Callum by the arm, and racing off into the brush, raising his shield to knock back one menzuri as it tried to stop them with a forward tick of its sharp, crystal limbs. Once past, Nimueh continued to run. He ran until his lungs were fit to burst, and blood pounded in his ears. His limbs felt heavy, and in reality his pace was slow, unsteady and lurching, but it was enough to outpace the menzuri, who were already hesitant to give chase … and by the time he was forced to stop, releasing Callum so he could, instead, sag against a tree, panting hard and holding his shield, tiredly, against his body. His vision was swimming, and Nimueh was sure he was about to be sick, so slowly he slid down the tree until he was sitting, crouched, almost hiding behind his shield with his forehead leaning against the smooth bark of the tree, eyes closed tightly to try and ignore the vision of Callum he’d seen moments before.
(1800+/1800
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Posted: Sun May 29, 2016 10:07 pm
Callum wasn't entirely sure if Nimueh would come back to himself or not. Had his lover possessed pupils he may have been able to tell exactly how effective the venom was against his bodies natural defenses. All outward signs pointed to a prey animal, cornered by a particularly gruesome predator, and Callum had a feeling that it wasn't the menzuri making his lover react that way. He couldn't reach out to him in that moment; it might only upset Nim further, and at least one of them needed to be clear enough to focus on the immediate threat. Thankfully something seemed to click within the younger hybrid; something that allowed him to calm enough that Callum felt comfortable turning away from him to focus on the menzuri.
In one hand he possessed a sword, and in the other a dirk resided. He twisted the smaller blade's hilt betwixt his fingers, finally positioning the blade so that it ran parallel to his forearm. Callum was terrified, but he only allowed it to show in the tremor that ran down his sword. His eyes took in the growing webs that scaled crimson tree trunks, making him think of mucus vines crafted by ill begotten spirits. If he could only find an opening, then he could-
With his nerves pulled taut it was only natural that Callum would scream when Nimueh snatched his arm from behind. His partner seemed much more focused than earlier, giving him little choice but to run along at his side. Adrenaline could have taken him much further, much faster but Callum was hyper sensitive to his ailing lover. How much time would Nimueh have before the venom truly left it's mark? Was he already showing symptoms? Physically Callum couldn't see anything, save for the bite marks, and that frustrated him. What was he supposed to do?!
In one fluid motion Callum stabbed the nearest tree with Nim's dirk, impaling the blade within the trunk so that his hand would be free enough to sheath his sword. He dropped to Nimueh's side, and placed the palm of his hand against the younger hybrid's spine. "Stay here. I'll be back soon, and we'll get you out of here, okay? Just promise me you'll stay awake."
He had seen it enough times in Sauti to know what to do. One hunter would come back to camp, dragging his partner behind him on a make shift stretcher with some wound or another. If he could craft something similar that would support Nimueh's weight then his lover could rest while Callum worked on getting him to a healer. Reluctantly he rose to his feet, and took inhaled deeply to steady his nerves. Time wasn't on their side and he needed to hurry.
It broke his heart to leave Nimueh, but by reminding himself that it wouldn't be for long Callum left in search of supplies.
(1800+/1800)
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