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 Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 3:56 pm
Biroki gasped at the air and winced at the slicing sound of the shriek. He would have thought that he was out of adrenaline, but no. He could feel another rush of panicked energy shooting through him as he swam towards the shore. He could feel her hands brushing past him... this monster this thing oh gods what was it... He had to get away. HE HAD TO GET AWAY.
He felt her grab his foot, horribly tightly. He knew what would happen next. She would pull him back, away from his mother... and under the water. Maybe he could kick away, but- and he knew this with a searingly bright certainty- she would catch him again and he would tire and he would die. Oh gods, he didn't want to die.
It was instinct that, as she began to pull him back towards her, had him reach for his magic. He hadn't figured out her elemental affinity or anything of the sort. The thought that burnt legs may be associated with a weakness to fire hadn't crossed his mind. He just knew he wasn't going to get away if he didn't do something. Anything.
He lashed out with his magic. It was sloppy and haphazard, a wasteful and barely controlled spell, but lightning and fire answered his call as he flung it at the woman in the water.
He just wanted to get away...
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Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 4:30 pm
The flames from Biroki's palms had the woman screeching in pain. She let go of Biroki's legs and grasped at air while the fire did it's work.
Her arms were reduced to ash and she slowly began to sink into the depths of the water. The pain that radiated through her could be felt in the heat of the air and the volume of her voice. It was a noise that would have any person covering their ears in pain themselves.
The sound of her voice only stopped when she submerged completely in water and out of sight into the murky sand of the lake's bottom.
Back to where she had been resting before the mysterious fire had called her to life. Perhaps she had started the fire, tired of lying in the eternally wet ground that she had laid to die?
Whatever the case was, she was gone and Biroki would live.
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Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 7:43 pm
As soon as her grip was off of him, he kicked to the edge of the pool and struggled to the shore. He watched, dripping, shaking, and gasping, and wide-eyed as the woman fell beneath the water. His ears hurt, his wrist and leg, where she had grabbed him, hurt. The first thing he did, after gulping a breath of fresh air and being thankful for being alive, was to check on Sen'oda. He placed his- still ringing- ear on her chest to listen for a heartbeat, breath, anything. He wasn't sure, but he thought he heard something promising through the ringing, though it was faint. It was there, at least.
He looked with deep misgivings at the pool, edging away a little before picking up Sen'oda. He had to find Reshel. He turned away from the pool and began to move.
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Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 8:54 pm
Biroki had only just picked up Sen'oda when there was a rustling in the brush in front of him. The rustling came nearer and with it two shapes. The shapes were oddly mismatched; something tall and something small and bobbing.
Out from the brush and the smoke from the now distant and extinguished fire came Reshel and another. The girl has a bobbing step and seemed peppy despite all of the unfortunate events that had taken place. They stopped in front of Biroki and Reshel reached to take Sen'oda from his arms. "May I?" he offered before lifting her.
The girl however was eyeing Biroki. "Interesting..." She chirped quietly to herself.
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Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 6:04 pm
Biroki handed his important bundle to Reshel, wordlessly confused.
"I... Where..." Where had Reshel been? What had just happened?
"Reshel? You-your hut... It... it burned, and..." started Biroki. He didn't know what the girl was about, he didn't know what was going on, but Reshel was there, and things would be okay, he hoped.
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Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 8:54 am
Reshel was kept busy with Sen'oda, but the girl in front of Biroki spoke up in his place.
"It's alright, we were able to put out the fire." Her voice was high and slightly squeaky. "We came looking for you as soon as it was cleared. Nothing was harmed beyond repair."
She looked over Biroki and noticed all his wounds from the woman in the lake. "Are you alright? What happened?"
Without asking the girl crouched over biroki's leg where the creature had gotten a hold of him. She pulled out a satchel with a gel inside and spread the paste onto Biroki's leg. "That should help."
She stood back up and looked Biroki in the eye and waited patiently for an explanation of what had happened.
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Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 9:32 am
Nothing was harmed... But it had burnt down and...
Did she mean him? And Sen'oda?
Biroki took a deep breath. Things weren't making sense, but he was just panicked, that was all. Just a bit of panic. Things would be okay now. Reshel was here, and Biroki just had to... breathe.
"I'm... fine?" he only just noticed the marks the woman had left- horrible bruises from her powerful grasp. "... oh."
He was still at a point where the bouncy little girl didn't register as an odd companion for his uncle.
"W-well, there was a... the... fire and... I had to get out and I... I took Sen'oda and T-tried to find R-r... You" he said, turning to Reshel, anxiously. His mother would be okay, right? He hoped so. But he had to continue, and heres where things became confusing.
"Sen...Sen'oda was... she was gasping and... And I saw water, so I thought... I thought I could maybe give some to her so that she would breathe a bit better, but She... she was gasping too hard, I- I couldn't. She'd have... choked..." he hesitated, looking back at the lake.
"There... there was a woman. In the water. I called to her b-because I needed someone to help. She... she said she could help, and she used water magic on Sen'oda and her b-breathing was... Not so bad anymore..." another anxious look at Sen'oda.
"The lady... she wanted to do the same to me. I wanted to f-find you, Reshel, but she said I would need my strength. I thought she was... she was right. And then..." Biroki shook a little as the memory and the receding adrenaline took it's toll. "She pulled me in! I... I didn't want to drown, so I kicked out... but she was fast and she almost pulled me in again..."
"And then..."
He looked at his hands,
"I... g-guess I burned her..." He looked at the girl as if she could explain, or at least help it sink in...
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Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 10:09 am
Reshel and the girl exchanged looks.
The girl spoke up once again. "That woman... She's been known to target men in the area. Many have died by her hand, lucky for you you've figured out that fire puts her back to sleep." She looked back to Reshel quickly and returned her gaze to Biroki.
"No doubt Sen'oda will be fine. Reshel has already given her a salve that I've created for her." As if in response, Sen'oda's breathing could be heard normalizing itself. The inhale and exhale was steady and painless. Truly painless and not the false cure the woman of the lake had given.
Finally the girl introduced herself. "My name is Antiope. I led the Shifter expedition to Zena and am a soul linker." She still looked into Biroki's eyes, but spoke to Reshel now. "Reshel. I believe that Biroki is ready to hone his skills further."
"Biroki, for protecting Sen'oda selflessly, we present you with the title of mage."
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