Leyora
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Posts: 316
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Post by Leyora on Jul 30, 2014 18:09:33 GMT -8
Like many creatures of this world, the manticore was only a legend or fable told to scare children into behaving well in Leyora's world. The thought that they were real here gave Leyora a shiver that caused her twin tailed snake to hiss at being slightly displaced. Absently she reached up to pet the snake. Offering comfort was almost an instinctual reflex for her. "No, luckily I was in my house sound asleep; unfortunate for a couple of my saydar, though." Her voice was calm and reassuring. If she picked up on the worry in Cain's voice she either tried not to let it show, or passed it off as the neighborly concern of a friend. Only her bonds knew for sure.
Trying to break the tension that hung in the air like static electricity, Leyora answered his next question playfully, "Aye. Well I didn't get all dolled up to stay at home, after all." She grinned, winked and reached toward the general area of her back to pat the quiver full of arrows that hung there. "Not just for decoration, these things. Tell you true, though, I hope they will not be needed. I was a decent enough huntress back home, but I've not held a bow in many moons... well ever since I ended up here." Somehow she had fallen to rambling as her own nerves started to show through.
Embarrassed that she had let weakness show, she fell into silence and quietly set about working on half baked plans that she had not had time to dwell over while she was packing. One such thought involved using the snake venom as a poison on her arrows to wound and disorient the manticore so that it might be easier to handle while in a drugged stupor. The other, less pleasant being to use the venom to make a wounded towns member delirious enough not to pay any mind to any emergency treatments that might need to be administered.
((300 Word Challenge: Electricity, Area = 320 words))
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Post by Duzell on Aug 1, 2014 4:13:59 GMT -8
Duzell rode into the town square and pulled Fitzgerald’s reigns to a stop. He turned to address those gathered. He was not really in the right frame of mind for any grand speeches or anything of the like. He would just have to hope that everyone’s own personal motivations would be enough to inspire them for the time being. Maybe later he could get Terris to give a speech or something. He looked the type that had led many people in all kinds of fights. That of course begged the question of why he was not leading them. No, Duzell did not have time for such doubts. They were doing this and he would be leading them. Speaking of Terris though, the man did appear to have quite a lot of weapons. Maybe he would be willing to part with one for the course of their hunt. Duzell rode over next to Terris and asked if he would be able to spare a sword. He gestured to his own small knife. “I wasn’t dropped here particularly well-armed and unfortunately lack the skill to make anything beyond a crude club or something of that manner. I would really appreciate anything you could give me.”
Duzell turned to the rest of those gathered. “Are all of you ready? I’m not entirely certain how long this will take us, so make sure you have everything you need before we leave. I’m going to say this right now though. We will not be taking this creature into captivity. It is too dangerous to be allowed to roam this land anymore. If this will bother you than I’m sorry, but I don’t think this hunt is for you. I hope that you all will still be coming. We will depart in one hour.” After waiting for the rest of the stragglers to return with their supplies, Duzell led the assembled riders and the bonds off in the direction the Manticore had fled.
Ooc: 300 word challenge, 327 words: captivity, crude
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Taki
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Posts: 333
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Post by Taki on Aug 1, 2014 4:35:34 GMT -8
Taki gulped softly - killing wasn't something she was really good at, and her empathy didn't help matters either - though she agreed that after what the Manticore had done, it was too dangerous to bring back alive. She hurried to her house to get what little she needed, and what Honor and Tam'kar and Beleth would need, then returned. Though as they headed out she made her way over to Duzell.
*I understand that it's dangerous,* she said quietly, even quietly for a Myrgwae, *but... what if the Manticore can be driven away, instead of killed? Made to see that this area isn't suitable for it anymore, because there's creatures more dangerous? I know that it might come down to killing it, but I just thought I'd ask* She hoped she didn't sound like a coward, or bleeding heart. She would just have to make sure she was good and closed off from any emotions from the Manticore when it was slain!
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Post by Amerlan on Aug 1, 2014 18:18:24 GMT -8
Amerlan grimaced at the name of the creature. She had encountered manticores back in her home world, though they were not like the creatures Cain had described. Hulking and part feline yes, but Cassin manticores didn't have wings. They also weren't overly feared, they were bred for livestock. The wild ones however, were a completely different story. Completely feral and next to impossible to subdue. By the looks of things this was no beast of burden. She was glad now that she had her bow and dagger, though she was also fearful for her bondeds. If this thing could bring down a Dragon then it was something to be feared. She was glad she had left Seroth home with the girls. Her hatchlings would make an easy meal for the manticore and she would never stand for that. Losing one of them would probably tear her apart.
Calling to Cinth through the bond he wandered over to her and allowed her to mount him. "We'll stay on the ground for now, flank Duzell, he's leading the way. Artemis, see what you can from the air. Ekho would you sprint ahead and see if it left any tracks or traces on the ground?" Each of her bonds nodded to her. They would all work like a well oiled team, if they didn't they would be in even more danger.
She was getting antsy waiting for the others to move out too. Patience was never a virtue of hers. "Settle down, no use splitting hairs over what is to come just yet." Cinth rumbled below her. Huffing Amerlan fingered her dagger, turning it over and over in her hands. Sheathing it she sighed again. She should have known this place wouldn't stay peaceful long. They had been here for a few months and no catastrophes had hit, it was bound to happen sooner or later.
(( 300 word challenge : Virtue, Splitting : 313 words ))
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Post by Tidfe on Aug 1, 2014 21:03:25 GMT -8
Cain was afraid Duzell was going to stay that about the creature. Killing a manticore was never easy though capturing it was also almost impossible. Really it was a no win win situation here. Either you get killed killing it or you capture it and get killed later when it escaped.
He half played with the idea of steering all the women in the party out of harms way and realized that was quite a stupid idea. For one thing, as Leyora showed him the bow, they were capable of handling their own. The only one he was worried about was Taki and that was just cause of her affinity and he did not know if it worked only one way or could backlash against her. For two, he knew when he was being too gentlemanly and getting into the sexist area of being a gentleman which was not a good thing either. The skeleton knew the best thing would be to let the women come and then to try and keep them out of danger by taking most of the attacks onto him. Which he was going to do anyway. After all, he could survive a claw slash across his chest while he was fairly sure Duzell and Terris could not. Well. Mostly survive a claw sash. He might have to find a new rib cage or hope that there was something to bind this one until it mended itself.
"I'm sure you will be just fine with them. Despite ending up in a dimension not your own and not being able to practice, I'm fairly sure the laws of physics would still be the same and you might only feel a little muscle fatigue as you get back into the swing of things." He did not care that Leyora had shown a weakness of hers. Better they knew that now and could compensate for it then to find out during the middle of the battle when they possible could not do anything about it.
Watching Able bound off to keep up with Duzell, Cain inclined his head towards the front. "You going to keep up with him or take a back position?" Each one had their advantages and disadvantages, but Cain tried not to think about it. This battle had a gladiatory feel about it and Cain really did not want to jinx anything about this mission. The last thing he wanted to see was one of his comrades fall in battle.
He would follow in step behind Duzell after he received an answer from Leyora. Cain had a little side mission he wasn't going to tell anyone about: make sure everyone gets back alive.
Basaol had circled back to see which direction they were heading off in. Finding that out, she took a different route than where they were heading. This manticore was stealthy, but the phoenix knew that it was only a matter of time before he screwed up. And then...Well, then they would have him.
(500Challenge Steering, Dimension, Gladiatory 500 words)
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Leyora
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Posts: 316
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Post by Leyora on Aug 1, 2014 22:05:21 GMT -8
For a time, Leyora was still lost in thought and Cyrus, mimicked her nervousness by pawing at the ground every so often. Absently she leaned against his neck petting him and letting him breath in the scent of anise that lingered on her skin. Recently she had bathed at the oasis using one of her new herbal soaps that she had been experimenting with. She and most of her bonds seemed to find the scent calming, despite the slight sharpness of the scent.
She merely nodded as Duzell showed up and insisted that they be fully prepared. Like some others, she had already seen to that and was ready, for better or worse to head out. Still, before they moved out, she did make sure she had packed plenty of cloth for bandages. Her medical kit was a mere shell of what her Apothecary Master had taught her to carry, but she would just have to make do with what she had. Though her personality and Arlene's clashed, she secretly hoped that the lass might meet up with them along the way to provide magical healing, if it was required.
Killing the beast that had slaughtered so much was not unheard of, to Leyora, as that was often the way things worked even in her old world. Granted though, she felt that sometimes people killed without full understanding or out of fear alone. She hoped that this would not be the case here, though. Certainly the manticore was dangerous enough to warrant a death sentence. She just hoped there was nothing more to the story, like there had been with the giant weasel things.
Cyrus needed no urging to follow the group as they moved out and Eyrdith in all her fluster, gave a low rumble as she crawled down from her perch and walked with the other dragons, finding Amerlan's idea to flank Duzell to be wise. Listening to Cain's encouragement, Leyora nodded again. "I hope you are right, friend. I have no love for killing, but I hope my aim holds true, for all our sakes." She didn't mean for that to coming out sounding so much like she was taking sole responsibility for taking down the beast, as she knew it would be a team effort if they were to come out of this alive, much less unscathed, but she was eager to put this danger behind her.
Kapelle, once scolded and quietly humming finally started to feel the severity of the matter at had and the tiny creature stopped his flitting about. He perched on Cyrus rump and cocked his seahorse shaped head this way and that, listening for anything out of the ordinary. Being a creature with a remarkable range of voice and sounds, he had a keen ear for unusual pitches and distant noises. He began sending brief images to Leyora of the owners to the small sounds that he heard. He also, showed her images of him being used as noisy bait to lure the manticore in. "Oh Kaps! No. We can't do that," she whispered vehemently. After a few moments of thought and a couple more arguing images, she shook her head and sighed. "Only as a last resort, if we must."
((500 Word Challenge: Anise, Shell, Cloth = 540 words))
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Taki
Handler
Posts: 333
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Post by Taki on Aug 9, 2014 8:44:01 GMT -8
As they headed out, Taki let herself slip towards the middle-back of the group. Being there afforded her a chance to get a feel for the emotions of everyone around her, as well as made her feel safer and more confident. She sensed for courage, and doubled it back upon itself again, making it stronger. She felt for fear, and Drew it away, replacing it with a little bit of that strengthened bravery. It was a complex mental dance that most might find tangling and at times exhausting, but to the Myrgwae it was second nature, as easy as breathing. Tam'kar and Honor flanked her on either side, determined to protect her at all costs. They would remain with their bonded at the rear of the battle, and if all else failed do their best to run her to safety.
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