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 Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:03 pm
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 1:05 pm
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Crawling Under My Skin
Yaholo was accustomed to sleepless nights, as he was a father of two and a fairly light sleeper, and nightmares often dotted the little time he had to sleep. But when a physical aspect began to plague him along with these nightmares, he felt as though something else was the matter. His arms would burn, his head would reel, and he would feel as though he were being watched no matter where he went. Hiding under a blanket did nothing to soothe these feelings and only made him look ridiculous. What was causing this pain and these nightmares? Usually all he needed to do was breathe and take a walk outside until he felt better, but, not even those methods of coping made a dent.
Even more troubling was how vivid the nightmares were. A burning fire, clicking noises, darkness... It all seemed real to him. Every time he closed his eyes, the same bright red inferno would be in front of him, and these shadowed beings chattering all around him, celebrating the destruction of the trees in the center of the space. He couldn't move or speak, but he could tell that the starter of the fire wasn't one of them, it had been no one other than himself. He would wake from this nightmare each time in a cold sweat and his sheets all in a ball at his side, the burning sensation pulsing through him. It was chilling. Why would he be the one burning something down? He didn't like to burn things, it made food taste horrible and it hurt people!
Nights rolled by in this manner until upon one night, he shot up in bed and met the gaze of one of the shadowed beings seated right across from his bed. He scurried towards the wall and pinned himself there as the bug-creature came forward, extending it's hand outward. However, as it moved around the room, clicking away, Yaholo tossed his pillow straight at it's face and knocked it straight down to the ground.
"Yaaaaaaah!" He cried, his shoulders arching as it hit the ground. What the hell was that thing? He leaned forward to peer at it cautiously and eventually crawled off his bed to kneel beside it. It was still, obviously stunned by the harshness of the hit from the pillow, and didn't appear to be dead. Still, when Yaholo decided to remove the pillow from it's face to inspect it, it leaped up and began to scream, to which Yaholo reacted to by shoving the pillow back upon it's face and scurrying back up onto his bed. It was still once more, though, twitching, but Yaholo wasn't about to get back up and take the pillow off again. Instead, he grabbed his hammer and curled his knees to his chest to wait for it to get up on it's own.
(478/2000) |
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 1:07 pm
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I'm Sorry, What?
Less than an hour later, the bug creature seemed to come to and rose from it's space upon the ground. It rubbed the back of it head and clicked rapidly, as if it were swearing down to the pillow it had been smacked with, and brushed off it's clothes. However, as it righted itself, it failed to noticed that Yaholo had moved to stand behind it, and as a result, was startled towards the side of the room. It clicked rapidly, flailed, and tried to summon some magic with it's hands as the Massif approached it, before flopping down to the ground with it's hands in the air. This made Yaholo pause and lower his hammer. Did it not want to fight? What was it doing? He knelt down in front of the bug-man and poked it.
"What are you doing here?" He demanded. "This is my house and my bedroom, you're not welcome here, not at least until morning. State your business or be on your way!"
The bug-man arched it's shoulders at Yaholo's shouting and flailed it's hands around, quickly conjuring a picture in between their faces. The picture showed Yaholo and the bug-man sitting upon the bed and conversing, which was followed by pointing and clicking. Yaholo tilted his head to the side at the image and shrugged his shoulders. Sure, okay, they could sit and chat, if that's what it really wanted. He stood and made his way over to his bed, plopping down like a rock while the bug-man quickly followed. "Alright, what do you need? I'm tired and it's late."
More pictures were presented to him, each more rapid than the next. A large burning fire, a large tree, some sort of celebration... What was all this nonsense? Was a party being thrown for him or something? He leaned his head upon his hand and sighed. "What are you trying to say?" He pressed, arching his eyebrow at the Bug-man. "You're either making no sense or I'm too tired to focus."
The bug-man hissed lowly and shook it's head, displeased at the lack of proper communication. Again, he summoned pictures, this time more slowly, and made sure to reference to each in order. This time, Yaholo sat at attention and observed each picture carefully as it was presented. It appeared that the bug-man was trying to give him an assignment, one associated with fire, a tree, and a large celebration.
"Oh, so you want me to help you plan a festival?" He inquired.
Again, his words were met with a low hiss and the shake of a head. Well, how the hell was he supposed to look at these pictures and understand the context? All he could see was the bug-men, a giant tree, and a huge fire... Just like in his nightmares. Yaholo paused, his blood going cold, and his eyes drifted across the room again. Two more bug-men had arrived, obviously summoned by the other's growing frustration, and now sat beside him. These things had given him the visions, hadn't they? ... What sort of beings were they if they could enter his mind and disrupt his sleep? What else were they capable of?
He scurried towards the wall again and curled away from the trio of bug men, who began to chatter loudly amongst themselves. Were they planning on killing him? Did they want to use him for something horrible? Yaholo let out a whine, to which all three bug men reacted to by hurrying to his side, which only frightened Yaholo even further. The last thing he saw before he passed out was the largest of the bug-men waving it's hand in front of him, before it all faded to black.
(1099/2000) |
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 1:13 pm
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A Decision
Yaholo woke up sometime later to the chattering of the bug-men. He groaned, leaned upwards, and jumped as the largest bug-man came to sit down with him. For some reason, Yaholo couldn't quite place it, he felt as though this bug-man was kinder, or at least calmer than the others, and wanted nothing more than to see that he was alright after he had fainted. The Massif tilted his head towards him and subconsciously nodded, as if confirming an unspoken question. He was alright... Just uneasy. He pulled himself to his feet, weak from lack of sleep, and wandered back to his bed again.
"Okay... Show me what you want again, but slowly." He said, once situated. The three bug-men leaned in and began conjuring their magic, each showing him a different part of what Yaholo had already seen. However, this time, there was more detail, probably added in once they realized that he hadn't understood everything that had been conveyed earlier. Yaholo was seen leading a massive group of bug mages towards Aisha with fire in their hands, before allowing them to burn her to the ground and fleeing to back towards the north with them. It was all so vivid and energetic, and clearly pleasing to the three bug-men that sat before him. However, to Yaholo, it was nothing short of a mass murder plot, which he would need to help them achieve.
"I..." He began, peering towards the men. "I don't think I could do that... They're my family, Aisha made me... It would be killing so many... I just don't..."
His voice trailed off as the middle bug man produced a large image, one that ran through each and every bit of discrimination that Yaholo had ever had to face. The severe neglect he went through before he met his father, the shunning from his Sisters as a Prentice, the racists who told him he wasn't a child of Aisha... Everything was there and in vivid detail, as if pulled from his mind and placed there in front of him. He made a face at the images and turned to look away, before another image was presented by the larger bug-man. This image detailed Yaholo being revered and respected among the bug-men and being treated as if he belonged. It showed him all that he could be given. Power, respect, and all the comforts he could ever ask for... The Massif stared, seemingly transfixed upon the image, and heaved a sigh.
"...Your offer is strong, boys." He said, offering them a smile. "I believe I can be of some use to you... If you really feel as though you need my help."
The trio of bug men nodded furiously, chattering to each other in a pleasant manner. Yaholo continued to smile and slid back off his bed to peer out the window. "Meet me by the shoreline tomorrow night." He said. "Bring only as many men as you think you will need to get the fire started, and nothing more. We don't want to complicate things."
Again, the bug men nodded excitedly, and vanished into the shadows, leaving Yaholo to stare out the window, a grin stretched across his features. ... This was going to be fun.
(1640/2000) |
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 1:17 pm
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Loyalty
Yaholo stood as promised upon the shoreline, his eyes fixed upon the isles across the way. Dusk was just about settling in and the sun was slowly nestling itself under the horizon, creating a vibrant red color against the deep purple night sky. He shifted in his footing once or twice, and adjusted his hammer, while he waiting patiently for the bug-men to arrive. He was assured that they would be timely, and no less eager than they had been the night before, and that they would be more than ready to cross as soon as they arrived. It was all a matter of time, he just had to be patient. They would arrive soon... And it would all be over and done with before the dawn.
As if by cue, a cluster of chattering came from behind him, and he turned towards the source of the sound to find a good nine or ten bug mages there to greet him. He gave them a very welcoming grin and motioned them forward.
"Ah, my brothers, you're right on time!" He exclaimed, leading them down the shoreline. "I've prepared you a boat, so that our crossing might be easier. Just follow me."
He lead the group a minute or two down the shore until a decently sized boat came into view. He ushered them aboard with a smile and gave the boat a push into the water, before he, too, climbed aboard. They floated quietly towards the half-way point between Jauhar and the Isles, until Yaholo stood, and raised his hammer into the air. Steadily, his hammer began to glow, coursing with the lightning magic he had learned during the tournament, and eventually became so bright that it almost blinded him and the group he had aboard.
The bug-men chattered wildly in a mix of bewilderment and anguish while they were blinded, which was only made worse once the boat started to capsize. Yaholo had stood upon the edge of the boat as they neared the deepest part of the water and sent everyone on board into the depths below them. However, as he toppled into the water, he flung his hammer towards the bug-men, releasing a massive burst of lightning into the water. Those who were closest to the burst were paralyzed and, as a result, sank underneath the waves. The others, shocked and burnt, scrambled towards Yaholo, who had swam towards the shore again.
However, as they caught up with the hybrid, a group of Alkidikes raced forward, having seen the explosion of light. These surviving bug-men were cornered and eventually destroyed, but not without leaving a bit of destruction upon the shoreline.
"Ugggh..." Yaholo sighed, once his Sisters returned from defeating the bug-men. "Thank you, Sisters, I hadn't planned what I was going to do after I flung my hammer at them, it was good that you came when you did."
"What was all that about?" One girl cried.
"Were they trying to get to Aisha?" Another piped.
"Yes, they were." Yaholo nodded, a grin returning to his face. "But they picked the wrong hybrid to ask for help. Aisha is my Great Mother, whether she counts me as her own or not. I won't let anyone lay a hand on her with malicious intentions. It would go against everything I've ever believed in."
He moved around the group of girls and made his way down the path, before turning towards them again.
"Sorry to shake up your night, girls." He said, chuckling. "I'm off to see if I can get a new hammer. My old one's swimming with the fishes!"
(2244/2000) |
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 7:43 pm
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OOC
||. The quest prompt must be answered with a 1000 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
Yaholo was just parting from the beach to return to his treetop home after the scuffle with the Dretch bug mages. It was a calm night, and one would have never assumed anything had just taken place at this tranquil beach. The noises of the forest picked back up as everything seemed to be returning to normal, when…
“Yaholo! Look out!” one of the younger sisters called as she sprung from the beach, in his direction.
Yaholo turns but only quick enough to see a burst of flames. Being completely off guard the mastiff stumbled backward and did his best to block the flames. Angry clicks and hisses rang in his ear, as the Dretch leader stepped out from the shadows. Using its mysterious power the Dretch wove a curse over Yaholo. The image of Aisha burning scarred his brain as the spell began taking affect.
The young sisters from the beach, with weapons in arms, managed interrupt the spell before It was complete and scare off the Dretch leader in the process, but Yaholo had fallen into a deep sleep and any normal efforts made to wake him were successful. With one sister at his arms and the other with his legs they hoisted him up and carried him to the elders in hopes they had a solution to wake their fallen sister.
Meanwhile, Yaholo finds himself in a distant and mysterious land. The wind is fierce, the sun hot, air dry… It’s a rather miserable place for someone so used to the jungle. His ribs are throbbing, but from looking at them he can’t tell why. His wields his hammer in his hand, but not his old one… this is entirely different. Surely there is some reason for this dream… Yaholo just needs to figure out what.
Quest Tasks
||. Explore the desert and try to piece together where you are.
||. Once you have your location you hear the screams of a child; Investigate.
||. The child has been taken captive by Oban soldiers that wish to sell her into slavery… You can’t very well let that happen! Defeat the soldiers and protect the child.
||. After the soldiers have been defeated in an epic battle with this wondrous hammer you acquired the child will thank you and address you as Uncle, but before you can learn more she skips off into the desert sands and you awake from your dream.
||. Yaholo will not wake until the above plots have been hit. He wakes in the elders care and after a brief moment of recovery he was informed that a sinister dark magic had been woven over him. Luckily the sisters on the beach that night were able to interrupt the spell before it could take its full effect. The elders question Yaholo about the events the previous evening, Yaholo are unable to recall much, only the vivid image of a burning tree and strange clicking noises. This evidence is enough to confirm what the younger Alkidike sisters were attempting to explain to the elders and Yaholo is recognized for his efforts to sabotage a plan to destroy Aisha. |
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 8:26 pm
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Where Am I?
This wasn't Tale. But why would he be in Tale anyway? He was just in Andile, or close to Andile anyway, making his way down the path... It was unbearably hot out here, and he was used to the heat. But this... This was as if the sun were trying to melt his skin right off. What in the name of Aisha was this horrible place?
He rose from the sand after a while and groaned against the sharp pain his ribs made as he moved, a few heavy swears escaping his mouth. Ugggggggh, the hell? First he was lost, now his chest was injured? He peered down and blinked... There was nothing visibly wrong with him. ...Was he bleeding internally or something?
"This is..." He muttered, his voice trailing off. "...Strange."
He meandered the landscape a while, coughing ever so often due to the dryness in the air, as he tried to figure out where he was. It felt familiar, but only by a smidgen, and he was beginning to worry that he would be stuck out in the desert forever.
"When I get free you're gonna be sorry!"
Yaholo's head spun towards the voice as it cut through the thick silence of the air around him. Was that... A child? He blinked and leaned forward, listening closely. Again, the voice shouted out it's demands to be freed, along with sincere expressions of violence if they were not, which caused Yaholo to tense. A child was in trouble somewhere out in this desert, and he seemed to be the only one who could hear them. He shuffled forward, crouching low to the ground as he moved, and peered towards the horizon.
Sure enough, a small girl could be seen tied up and kneeling amongst a group of Oban warriors, all of whom had their weapons drawn. Though she didn't appear afraid of them, judging by the sneer upon her face, Yaholo knew that if she were to be left there any longer, she would be killed. He echoed her sneer, glared, and moved forward.
Word count: 345/1000 |
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Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 1:35 pm
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Rescue!
It was only when Yaholo struck the first of the Oban soldiers that he realized he had a new hammer. It was sturdy and vividly painted in hues of purple and teal, his favorite colors, though now, it was stained with the blood that burst from the head of the man he had struck. The warrior fell to the ground like a dead tree after a storm, his eyes wide open in permanent shock. The others quickly assembled themselves around Yaholo, jeering and snarling phrases of hatred and disgust towards him, before racing headlong at him. It was a familiar, stampede mentality, which Yaholo had often seen in battles with groups before. They would attack all at once as if they were one large being and attempt to break his concentration, and bring him down as if he were nothing but a ferocious animal. He braced himself for the onslaught and dug his feet into the sand, before swinging his hammer outwards in a semi-circle. He clocked the jaw of one of the warriors, causing them to stumble and fall sideways, momentarily disrupting the others as they made their attacks. Thus, as they paused to look at where their comrade had fallen, Yaholo shoved them backwards and moved to close the space between them and the girl they had captured.
"Are you alright, sweetheart?" He called, bracing himself for the next attack.
The girl didn't answer him from her position a few paces behind him, but judging by how she was able to shuffle herself away as he skidded against the force from the soldiers' oncoming bodies, she didn't seem to be in any sort of physical distress. Thus, the fight continued. The warriors had reassembled themselves again, including the one who he had smacked in the jaw, and continued to ram themselves at Yaholo as hard as they could. It was clear that they were aiming to knock him down and then attack, which was proving to be more and more futile as the struggle went on, as Yaholo's lower body was firmer than they had anticipated.
Finally, after five failed attempts to knock him down as a group, they split into separate duos, one set to attack him from the front and one to swoop in from the side. Yaholo had anticipated this switch by watching their body language for any silent cues, and swiveled his legs so that he was standing parallel. He swung in a swooping motion in this direction, before moving backwards and repeating this motion, until he felt the terrain change under his feet. "Rocks." He thought, shifting his feet in a circle. "They're a bit loose in all this sand... I'd better be careful not to make too many sudden moves."
He pressed his feet down upon these loose dents in the sand and moved almost as if he were dancing, only to get a slash to the back from one of the warriors who had moved behind him. He let out a growl and swung his hammer into him harshly, which sent his body flying several feet down the way. The remaining three warriors lunged towards his back, sensing a small window of opportunity to bring him down. Yaholo's arm, back, and side was slashed and beaten severely in this time, before he let out another growl and smashed another warrior into the sand.
"For the love of Aisha, you people are like a disease!" He shouted, moving to protect the small girl again. "Why do you feel the need to overpower us? Is your king really that almighty that he's stripped you of your empathy and compassion?"
The pair of warriors ignored Yaholo's words and raced forward, only to be shoved backwards. One of the pair slipped against the sand and grabbed onto the other as they fell, causing him to fall down along with them. Yaholo quickly closed the space between them and glared down to them. Suddenly, they appeared younger than they had been before, in fact, they seemed to be the same age as Samoset and Kennet. He paused and lingered upon their faces, before rushing over to where the small girl knelt watching. He scooped her up, sighed, and gazed back to the pair of warriors, only to find that the setting had changed. He was no longer in the middle of the desert, but in a familiar part of Tale, the path to Yera.
"What... The..." He muttered, gazing to the girl he held in his arms. "...I guess you live here, huh?"
Without waiting for an answer, he set her down again and moved to untie her arms and legs. As he did, the world around him appeared to dim in color, as if dusk was approaching. He looked to the sky and squinted, perplexed, until he felt the girl wrap his legs in a hug.
"Thank you for saving me, uncle Yaho!" She exclaimed, hopping towards the path. "I want to be as big as you when I grow up!"
"You're welcome sweeti-Uncle?" He gasped, reaching out towards her. "Wait! Wait! I can't be your uncle! None of my sisters have children! What's your name? Who's your mother?"
His questions would go unanswered as the sky continued to darken and the ground began to shake. He felt his eyes grow heavy and his body ache once more, as the familiar chatter of his Sisters in Andile called to him through the darkness.
Word count: 1253/1000 |
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Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 1:42 pm
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I'm Still So Confused, But Okay...
Yaholo had never been so relieved to see his great-aunt, Susuya, as he did when he woke from the fighting dream. He scooted himself up in bed, despite her protests for him to stay still, and cringed against the burning sensation on his chest. What had created all these burn markings on his skin? They were like tattoos... He turned to Susuya with a blank expression, just as more elders came in.
"Is he awake?" One implored, motioning to Yaholo.
"Yes, he's just come to." Susuya replied, standing. "I'll leave it to you to explain things, I have some gathering to do."
Yaholo watched Susuya vanish behind the door of the hut and leaned his head against his pillow as the elders drew near.
"What happened to me?" He asked, referencing to his arms, chest, and side. "I've never seen such markings. They hurt."
"They are the remnants of a dark magic that was woven over you, Yaholo." One explained, taking the seat that Susuya had been sitting in prior to their arrival. "The Sisters who brought you here were able to stop the curse from taking it's full effects, leaving these markings upon your skin instead. You're very fortunate that this is all you've managed to escape with."
Yaholo's brow furrowed as she spoke, his mind suddenly becoming clouded with images. A burning tree, clicking noises... He squinted.
Noticing Yaholo's sudden change in expression, another elder stepped forward and placed a hand upon his head.
"Yaholo, do you remember battling anything out of the ordinary tonight?" She asked. "Perhaps... On a boat? Or near the shoreline?"
Yaholo's eyes squinted further as he tried to focus upon the memories as they flashed by. He nodded stiffly to her questions and sighed.
"I remember a huge fire engulfing a tree and..." He pursed his lips. "...Clicking sounds. Like bugs, only far louder than normal..."
The elder who had placed her hand upon his head smiled in an almost relieved fashion and gave his dreads a ruffle, before facing the others.
"Go tell the others that what those girls have explained is truth." She said. "Yaholo protected our Great Mother from her most dangerous enemy, and for that, he shall be recognized."
The other elders nodded in response and made their way out of the hut, leaving Yaholo with the remaining elder. She, too, had turned to follow her Sisters out the door, only to be stopped as Yaholo gently grasped her hand.
"What is it, Sister?" She asked. "Are you still in pain?"
Yaholo paused and allowed his grip to slide from hers, a smile forming on his features.
"No, Sister." He replied. "I'm... Just... So grateful."
The elder reciprocated his smile and nodded, before slowly moving out of the room, leaving Yaholo alone to stare up to the ceiling with a smile and tears welling up in his eyes.
"Thank you, Aisha." He whispered. "Thank you, for everything."
Word count: 1741/1000 |
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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 7:45 pm
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OOC 
