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 Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2009 7:46 pm
((No worries))
Yazhira nodded, taking the lead to the village.
When they arrived there, it seemed completely deserted. She could feel eyes on thier backs but initially there was not a person in sight.
She let Shoba down and called out. "Hello? We've come from the Hunter Guardian corps. Who is the leader of this village?"
She let her voice echo about the dusty streets and waited for an answer.
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Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 8:36 pm
((No worries, Red. Pretty sure I made the same mistake myself at one point. In fact I had thought it my fault.))
"Alright, this is eerie." Matt said. "I've seen this sort of thing before. The best we can hope for is that villagers evacuated. They might have a safe place nearby, like a cave or something. Otherwise, they may have all been taken." Matt swung down from his horses saddle and began leading the animal by the reins while afoot. "We should look around. Examine the damage and search for survivors... or bodies. We might be able to tell more about what we're up against based on what it's done."
William knew that they were close. He and his team had been traveling through dense forest for a couple days already. He was regularly checking his compass and map to make sure they were still on the right track. They should be approaching the village anytime.
It had started raining earlier in the day and, though it was not an overly cold rain, he noticed that Aretha was not dealing with the change in the weather very well. He reached up and unclasped his broadsword drawing it out to his right side. He shrugged his left arm out of his jacket sleeve and allowed the coat to fall off of his body, holding on only by the right sleeve. He replaced his sword in its harness and clasped it. He shook his right arm free of the jacket and rode over to Aretha.
"Here." He said as he laid the slightly damp jacket over her shoulders. "Can't have you getting sick on us. I'm counting on you to seal this fiend when we find it. That way the rest of us can focus on slaying it. You just try to stay warm, and be ready for when the fiend falls." William said with a smile on his face.
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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 8:10 pm
"Hmmm." Kiro hummed as he saw William's actions of good will towards the new female member of their team. Kiro rode up close to Issac. "Looks like William is making his move. Are you going to let him hit on your woman like that? You're losing your chance!" Kiro teased Issac once again. Kiro appeared to be very used to the current weather and wasn't at all worried about their assignment.
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Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 5:27 pm
Mathias reined in his horse when finally reached his companions. He grinned widely and raised his hand in greeting as he did so,"Hail friends, I caught up to you at last!" He laughed jovially as he settled his horse down with a sure hand,"I'm Mathias Valenti. I apologize for being late, but I had only just returned to find you had already departed."
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 6:10 am
((Sorry boys! I got busy. It's only gonna get worse in the coming two weeks. This week starts reheasal week, and next week is tech week, i.e. hell week. My play is performing on the 12, 13, 14, snd 15. And then...then my life becomes quiet, normal and boring again.))
Aretha managed to get out a thank you through chattering teeth when William dropped his jacket on her shoulders. The jacket was warm from his body heat. She could feel it searing her skin like an iron, even through her drenched clothes.
But even William's bodyheat could not stop the spread of icy cold dread coursing through her body at his words. They gripped her heart and stilled her shivers for a moment.
"Seal a fiend? But I'm not ready! They shouldn't count on me, I can't do it! What if I screw up and they get killed! Or if it goes after some family! But...if I don't seal it...would it just attack us and then some family? Or a whole town. I have to try-no. I have to succeed."
Aretha's face was still deathly pale, but her grey eyes were like steel with determination. She was going to seal that fiend. She had to. Her eyes flickered over her teammates, and she glupped.
"I hope I don't screw this up."
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 9:51 pm
Malkin nodded, dismounting from the black horse. It was oddly quiet. Malkin never really went into villages during his trips out. He simply searched for the fiends near where they were reported. If he had difficulty finding it, then he usually requested help from some nearby village. Keeping his hood down, he chuckled dryly.
"Maybe they've seen my face and ran in terror thinking I was a new fiend." There was little funny about his words, and the tone even felt cynical. Malkin had been feeling odd this entire trip. Seeing a ghost village, was just the final bit that pushed him.
((Sorry for my inactivity. I was away on family business.))
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 4:00 pm
Emma giggled, "Thank you Gene, thank goodness you're here. I think we would have been killed without you." Emma giggled a little more, it had meant to be a joke, though she would have easily admitted it was a little cruel. It was all in the name of trying to get him to speak a little more.
Keeping Mendoza moving ahead at a steady trot, she leaned back to look at Mathias. "Don't worry dear, we had no idea you'd be joining us." Emma's statements had been entirely contradictory so far. "Did they brief you at least?"
(Moving along...)
Train grumbled along a little as they finally arrived at the relatively small village. It was rather deep set and over a very small hillock, so their arrival was rather sudden. "Well, no wonder it's so small, they're barely noticeable." Train said, he had closed his 'blind' eye, the two different views could throw him off more than the lack of one at all. "First things first, to the bar." Train said. That's usually where the most people are gathered and therefore, all the information.
Over the past few days, Isaac had started to get better with the horse. He could actually sit up straight without fear of falling off now. The change in weather was more than welcome from him, he was actually quite the fan of rain. He liked snow too, but rain was a little more rare considering the usual temperature.
As Kiro rode up beside him, he had an idea of what was coming. All he was doing was giving Isaac more reason to want to fight him. "Dammit! She's not my woman!" He was sure that everyone heard, hopefully it was discourage any further berating. He turned then to look at Aretha, "Are you sure you're from Taolizohrn? That weather should have been nothing special."
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 4:59 pm
Mathias smiled and nodded to Emma,"No, I had only just arrived and they told me you had left. I thought I had best catch up as soon as possible...so what is our mission?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 8:33 pm
She was too tired. She was cold, coughing, sneezing and completely afraid for the mission they were about to do. Her stomach felt like it was tumbling over and over and over, and she wasn't sure if it was nerves or sickness taking hold. Her long hair was plastered to her face, blown across it by wind and stuck by water tension. Her eyes, which a moment ago had been alight with fire, now dimmed to a dull lifeless gray as her head became fuzzy.
"Why would I be your woman? I don't know you," she said, sounding off. Her voice was distant, as her brain was floating inside her head, a drift in a fever which made her pale face flush. "I was kept inside. Always been sickly. Where do you think I learned to cook?" she asked all of them, her gaze shifting from one to the other.
Her stomach flipped. Her eyes widened, and she brought a hand to her mouth. Bile rose from the back of her throat, and back down. Her head cleared for a moment. "We should head to the village q-quickly," she told them, holding down the bile. She knew an herb from back home that helped her stomach, and it surely must be at the village ahead. Without, she'd be even worse off in a fight than now.
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 3:26 pm
Enyo nodded as usual and silently followed behind Train. I hate places like this... She thought in frustration, showing a slightly irritated display from her eyes narrowing.
"Ohhh... If you say so." Kiro muttered casually. Kiro groaned. "I hate riding horses, kind of makes my a** hurt after a while."
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Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 4:52 pm
((Kyground, if it's not too much trouble I'd like for you to take over the creation process for the village that Team 2 is heading towards. Griffin, likewise for Team 3. It'd take a load off of me only having to worry about two of the villages instead of four. This is, of course, only if you'd like. Let me know in your next posts.))
Tyrone was simply wary at this point, being so close to the point where the call for the Corps. had originated he figured they must also be close to the fiend they were called to slay. The fiend in question could be anywhere about, possibly watching them even then. He did not want to be caught unawares.
He was mildly surprised when they rose over the hillock and found the village before them. Train seemed to have the right idea of things, so Ty simply gestured for him to lead the way.
"Our mission is to slay some form of serpent fiend." Gene said. "It shouldn't be too much trouble. If it holds relatively true to serpent form, that is. If it is something more exotic, well... we still shouldn't have much trouble." The taciturn bowman said. He was already formulating possible strategies in his mind. Trying to take into account as many variations of a serpent fiend as he could think of. "We should be moving. If we intend to arrive in time to save anybody, that is."
"I doubt it." Matt said to Malkin. "I've seen Hunters and Guardians who looked more odd than you do. If anybody from this village saw you they'd probably just think you were wearing some kinda weird helmet, or something. Maybe..." He looked around at the devastation and the sheer lack of visible life. "If there ain't nobody here to point us at the thing then we might have track it. Either of you know how to track?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 6:46 am
"Kiro, that's enough. Play nice or leave the kid alone." William said, getting frustrated. He rode up to Aretha again. "Aretha, are you alright? You don't look so good."
Even as he spoke the trees before them parted and they entered a large clearing in the forest. Nestled neatly within the clearing was the village they were seeking.
The village was not very large, just a few dozen buildings, mostly built like cabins, though a few had a more ramshackle shack like appearance to them. Encircling the entire village, about 20 feet in from the tree line all around, was a heavy log fence. Not quite a true wall it consisted of spike tipped logs planted into the ground roughly a foot apart. There were longer logs tied to the main support logs two at a time so that it was a crosshatched wall with gaps large enough to thrust a weapon through. He also noted that off to one side of the village the treeline ended abruptly, a large swath simply gone ina line heading back into the forest.
"Looks like we're here. Let's get you someplace warm." William said to Aretha.
William led the way to the front gate of the 'wall'. A set of men holding spears stood on the inside of the wall there, And he could see through the gaps in the fence that more men were patrolling the fence just inside of it. Maybe a dozen men, judging by the size of the village and the gaps between the men.
"Stop!" Commanded one of the men behind the gate. "State your name and business."
"I am William Daarkwulf, Hunter Guardian with the Calivert HGC, Team 4. We were ordered to report here to slay and seal a fiend." William responded with all the authority he could muster.
"About damn time." The second guard said as the two of them unbarred and opened the gates. "We've lost almost a dozen men and women, and we've got dozens more injured. We could have used you here a week ago." The guard said impetuously.
"We made the best time we could." William said. "Now, take us to whoever's in charge here."
The guard scowled at him but then turned ad gestured for them to follow him. he began to lead them deeper into the little village, towards the single cabin building that rose more than a single story, directly in the center of the village.
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Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 7:18 pm
((I don't know why it's so fun tourturing her, but it is. I wonder if that says something about me...))
Aretha was taking deep breaths through her nose, and out her mouth slowly. She was keeping her stomach contents down basically by sheer willpower, as the horse rocking gait and her own shivers certainly didn't help. They arrived at the village. William turned to her and told her they'd get her somewhere warm. For some reason, thatt didn't sit right with her.
"We're here to do a job. To protect these people," she thought, looking around at the village. "They've lost a dozen. We can't just stall any longer. I'm not sure if I can help fight, but I won't be the reason more people get hurt."
Aretha drew up straight in her sattle. Her skin was still pale, and her face was still flushed. She was still radiating heat and her stomach was trying to force out it's contents. But she had managed to still her shivers greatly, so they were barely visible. Her head was still hazy, but her eyes were focusing intently straight ahead. It was all she could do.
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Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2009 12:36 am
((Water, you're char's name keeps making me crack up. My Death Knight in WoW is called Araetha))
Malkin laughed darkly.
"Hell, I wish. I know how to make cigarettes and health potions. Tracking is not my strong suit. Besides, Miss Rules has her dog with her. She has the best chance of finding people."
Tugging out a cigarette, he lit up quietly, wandering slowly and silently through the village. He was noticing the random things left around, the way the houses were positioned. He was looking for the equivalent of the barracks.
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Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2009 12:17 pm
Kiro sighed at the scolding he just got from William. On approaching the gate, Kiro jumped off his horse and then led the horse forward by still holding the harness and pulling. Kiro stopped at the moment of William stating his name and their business. He inhaled deeply and smelled the surrounding air and then exhaled. Something smells strange here, but really familiar.
"We should get going as soon as possible then." Tia said suddenly. "Even with an extra person, that doesn't mean we can just dilly dally around." She asserted adamantly.
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