Ansem Posted July 16, 2010 Share Posted July 16, 2010 "I'll do it like i always have" Helios interjected. "I can use some backup but you all need your sleep." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balcerzak Posted July 16, 2010 Share Posted July 16, 2010 (edited) It had been a mistake after all. Try to do a good turn for one of the hobos, and suddenly you had all of their attention. Tessa was finding this out the hard way. A particularly pitiable woman, stricken with leprosy or some other similar condition, had been just too much a sight to bear, so the troubadour had gone about healing her. At first everything had gone swell, the lady's complexion had immediately turned for the better, and the open and oozing sores had covered up, and faded away. Then the general clamour, and crash of bodies pressing up against her, demanding. "If you can heal, you've gotta have money!" one half-blind old man shouted out. "How come you only helping out Samantha? I got two kids wasting away, dying!" cried out a filthy woman in rags. "The end is nigh. Repent! Repent!" called out a third, apparently just eager for any excuse for a mob. Suddenly feeling frighten and overwhelmed, Tessa tried to retreat back to Trevor, to get away from the sudden crush, apologizing loudly, "I don't have any money. Please! Back away, if there's sick or wounded I'll try to help but... Aaahh!" One of the hobos had latched on and was firmly biting her forearm, and another snatched away her satchel, tossing it to the ground, and several others immediately pounced and started rooting through it. "What!?" came a cry of disappointment. "There's only worthless stuff in here." Still, that didn't stop her hairbrush, assorted cloth rags, or anything else of possible use from hurriedly being snatched away and disappearing into the throng. All that was left was the curious snow globe that Kamilla had found back in TISME, and Morgan had used as a makeshift icepack. One particularly disgruntled man picked this up and slurred out, "I caaannnst be buyinn booz wis diz," and threw it at the ground angrily. This event happened to be most fortunate for Tessa, however, as when the globe hit the cobblestones, it cracked open, and suddenly the blizzard that had been trapped inside raged loose, free from its stored confinement. The hobos scattered at once, surprised and frightened by a snowstorm in the midst of summer, and suddenly remembering they had other places to be, perhaps other people to harass. The storm only lasted for about a minute, but that was enough for about an inch of snow to have piled up in a very localized area, and the dark grey cloud had likely been visible from a fair distance away. Wincing at the bite wound, which had managed to draw blood and was quite painful, Tessa looked around. Her delay and compassion had left her separated from the group, and she really had no idea where they'd gone to. Dusting the snow off, and wrapping Arrin's cloak tightly around herself, warding off the midwinter's chill that still lingered, she climbed back onto Trevor. I guess they'd gone into town without me, so I should probably follow, huh? she wondered. But on the other hand, if they're looking for me, that blizzard just now did rather stick out. Maybe I should stay put. Tessa was once again faced with a bit of indecision. Edited July 16, 2010 by Balcerzak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psych Posted July 16, 2010 Share Posted July 16, 2010 Cess: "You don't have to take the first watch, but it would be helpful. There's hardly any firewood around here save for sticks and twigs. I might as well go see if I can find any." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy_One Posted July 16, 2010 Author Share Posted July 16, 2010 "Okay. I should take second watch from rising moon to mid-moon. If we can get headmaster to watch, she would be the best choice for the final watch as well. Only thing I would recommend is not letting any of the fairer-minded members of our party watch as we're not to far away from hobo-land. They may try to hit them up for money, and that will leave a opening." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_whistler Posted July 16, 2010 Share Posted July 16, 2010 (edited) While at the dragon graveyard, suddenly a giant wyvern appeared, mauling Irina's wyvern repeatedly until the mercenary rushed over to stop him. "She's going to kill herself doing that," Heinz commented. "You can probably heal that wyvern, but there's no way you're going to bring her back from the dead," he said frowning. Before Ivanko bothered to arrive, Viveka's mount had spooked and Kelas had been impaled with a bone. "This wyvern is playing with us," Heinz muttered. "It's more vicious than any I've ever seen before that it might as well be completely wild..." How does Ivanko control that thing? Ivanko himself eventually appeared, explaining that his wyvern Victor was his own mental and physical challenge. So that wyvern's never truly been trained. A challenge eh? Heinz grinned slightly. Let's see.... how about gaining the trust of these people? I'm part of their group, but I haven't talked much to most of them, perhaps I can become better acquainted with them? And we get attacked often enough, that's good for a physical challenge. Seeing Conrad talk to Morgan a little distance away, Heinz raised his eyes. So because he believes in this entire quest to save the world, he'll abandon his job and command in the army? Speaking of which, how did Damian get leave to wander off himself? Swinging himself onto the horse, Heinz looked on in amusement as the headmaster put her hand into the giant wyvern's mouth in a moment of either complete courage or utter stupidity. Chuckling slightly, Heinz urged his mount into a trot, frowning when the horse shook its head. Reluctant to fall behind again, Heinz made a note to check the horse over later. Arriving in town, Heinz drove off the hordes of hobos in disgust, eventually resorting to throwing daggers at them repeatedly when they tried to open his saddlebags. So poor that they try to overwhelm us in sheer number? I hate wasting my knives on these pathetic excuses for thieves. Quickly growing irritated, Heinz kicked his horse into a run, leaving the swarms of hobos behind. Seeing Esphyr and Cess setting up tents already, Heinz looked back at the rundown town in time to see a huge cloud rain down flurries of snow out of the middle of nowhere. "What's wrong with this town?" Heinz grumbled to himself. Not inclined to help set up the tents or collect firewood for the moment, Heinz sped off on his horse towards where he had seen the snow fall. Skidding to halt, he saw Tessa sitting on Trevor in layer of snow. He widened his eyes and called, "Hey Tessa, what happened here?" OOC: Slight rewording. Edited July 16, 2010 by the_whistler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riariadne Posted July 16, 2010 Share Posted July 16, 2010 "Birthdays... that reminds me. Mine's pretty soon, too. Huh, never really occurred to me. So I'm seventeen in about a week..." Chase muttered. "Well, I guess some good things do happen, huh? I hope those people are okay... I tried to shoot them in non-vital spots, but still..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy_One Posted July 16, 2010 Author Share Posted July 16, 2010 "Huh. We both have parties around the same time." commented Esphyr. "Imagine that." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted July 16, 2010 Share Posted July 16, 2010 The group had arrived at a small town,mostly slums,it would seem.several group members were nearly mugged by a Hobos En Masse,but they had been driven off before it came to Ulfhrahn roaring at them,scattering them,and likely causing their already dirty pants to become just that much dirtier. The group had decided to leave the town in the end,and camp outside.With nothing to do,as he was still recovering,Damian sat atop Ulfhrahn and watched his teammates,looking for something interesting. "At the moment... Seventeen. Birthday in three days." "Hmm?Aiya,did you hear that?" Damian asked her,as he heard Esphyr speak to Alferis below. "No,what?" "Esphyr's turning eighteen in three days." "Wha!?Really?...I wonder why she didn't tell us earlier?" "I dunno.She doesn't seem to make a big deal of it...still,we should do something for it,right?" Damian concluded,with a smile. "Of course,but what?" "Let's head back into town,I saw one good looking shop,so I'll see what i can do with whats there." "Okay,hold on." Aiya agreed,and turned towards the group. "Oi!We're heading back to the town for a second,We'll be back soon!" Aiya called,so that their companions would not wonder where they ran off to,and...knowing them,quickly draw an incorrect conclusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy_One Posted July 16, 2010 Author Share Posted July 16, 2010 "Alright. Just be careful of the bums!" called out Esphyr. --- Meanwhile, Naelia had been busy. Very, very, busy. Being as careful as possible, she had followed the group, after changing into a pair of more comfortable clothes. Clothes, that had been enchanted by a very powerful being oh-so-very long ago which she had stolen. The effect was very simple though. So long as she wore them, she was physically, externally, as old as a thirteen year old child. Why they had been enchanted like that, she had no clue at all. She suspected that the enchanter had been a pedophile, but that was beside the point. Now dressed differently, she slowly slinked outside the camp. She didn't try extra-hard to hide herself. It didn't matter. She would just claim some wild story to clear her name and return at nightfall. This was only to confirm where the people were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inactive Account Posted July 16, 2010 Share Posted July 16, 2010 Heading back into the town, Arrin drew Daranau again and set a ball of sparks flickering around him, enough to discourage any thief that might pass by. Seeing something unusual, Arrin broke into a run. Sure enough, there was Tessa, surrounded by snow, but luckily no vagrants. "There you are!" he exclaimed, noticing Heinz also approaching. "What kind of spell was that?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snike Posted July 16, 2010 Share Posted July 16, 2010 Eric and Derek "I can stand guard all night," Eric offered, studying the hilt of his sword. Derek, in the meanwhile, gently placed his sister on the ground, oblivious to the conversation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted July 16, 2010 Share Posted July 16, 2010 After arriving at the shop,Aiya and Damian went inside.Ulfhrahn was certainly enough of a deterrent to thievery,and any attempts would thusly quickly be put down. After a short while,the pair left the shop with everything they would need for the occasion. "Let's head back,then." Damian said,finally able to get onto Ulfhrahn without falling off. "You're recovering pretty quickly." Aiya noted. "Yeah.The injury itself wasn't the issue,it was the possession that was nagging at me.I have pretty good resistance to it,so it doesn't last very long." "Ah.That's good." The pair eventually made it back to camp,after some inconsequential discussion. "Well,we're back." Damian said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy_One Posted July 16, 2010 Author Share Posted July 16, 2010 A faint shadow flitted into the camp, hiding in Damian's wake. A moment later, it had moved beyond him and was cautiously approaching Chase from the back, fingers flitting into his pockets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psych Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 Cess: "Does anyone want to come get wood with me? It's not safe to be alone around here." ------------------- Pary: A shadow could be seen on the tent's canvases. Pary could hear the wind flitting through the camp. "It's nothing." Pary walked over to the center of the tents. Some rocks were set up in a circle for a fire, but there wasn't any wood yet. Pary took some meat and carrots out of his bag. "Does anyone have any pans or something to cook with?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riariadne Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 "Hey! I felt that!" Chase exclaimed. "Okay, who took my stuff!" He shouted, and turned around, seeing a little girl making off with his dagger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy_One Posted July 17, 2010 Author Share Posted July 17, 2010 Already, Naelia had made a speedy retreat from the man whose dagger she had just taken. Not that it terribly mattered. This dagger was worthless. She wanted them on edge though, glancing about for any external threat, or... even with what they thought to be a innocent girl in their midst. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_whistler Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 "Don't know," Heinz replied to Arrin as he took in the scene. He could see blurred indents of several footprints leading away from the snow, all coming from around where Tessa and her horse were, but none leading towards her. "If I didn't know better, I'd think Tessa set off some sort of snow spell and drove all the hobos off," Heinz said carefully. He paused. "But last time I checked, healers don't cast those sort of spells." He turned towards Arrin, facing the thunder mage directly. "You know Tessa better than I do, would she know any sort of snow spell? If she doesn't, then this might be someone else," lowering his voice as he spoke. Hope he gets the hint, wouldn't want him rushing out towards her and getting killed. The real Tessa has blue eyes too, doesn't she? That means there's not really a way I can tell her apart from Shanice.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inactive Account Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 "I-- she's not--" Arrin protested, casting about for actual evidence to back up his claim. His eyes fell upon Trevor. "If that were a demon and not Tessa, Trevor would be going mad right now," he pointed out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balcerzak Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 Staying put had definitely been the right call. Quite soon after the unwanted attention had dispersed Tessa saw a couple of familiar faces approaching from slightly different directions. Arrin was headed her way from out of the town proper, while Heinz was arriving from a direction off to the side of town. The two of their paths were set to cross before either of them reached her on their own, but both of them seemed concerned for her well-being, calling out to her. She waved back happily, and urged Trevor off in that direction. "Oh thanks guys! I wasn't sure where everyone had gone," she exclaimed with relief. Continuing on she explained, "I'd just been trying to help some sick people, but then suddenly everyone was swarming, asking for money, and jostling me, and it was really rather unnerving. I had no idea what to do." As Heinz raised an inquiry about the snow, she added a bit apologetically, "That storm was really just chance, and I'm not exactly sure what set it off. It happened after they'd started rummaging through my things and I couldn't really see what was happening in the press of the crowd." "Have we already found a place to stay for tonight? I'm kind of getting hungry, and a warm supper would really hit the spot about now." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inactive Account Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 "I think we're camping outside of town," Arrin replied. "It's probably... safer than this place. Let's go. They didn't do anything to you, did they?" he added worriedly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_whistler Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 Heinz kept one hand on his belt as Arrin frantically tried to come up with a reason for why the person in the snow was actually Tessa. He pointed out that Trevor would be most likely be panicking if it was Shanice and Heinz paused for a second and scanned over the horse. Perfectly calm for the most part.... I suppose it's the real Tessa than. "Guess she's not Shanice then," Heinz replied, stepping into the snow towards Trevor and Tessa. As Tessa rushed towards them she explained how she had been stuck in the swarm of hobos, and Heinz smiled slightly in amusement. She's too kind for her own good. "Something in your bags might have set off the snow, or it could have been the hobos," Heinz mused. Strange magic, but it seems harmless. I'll mention it to Morgan or one of the other mages later. "We're camping outside of the town so we can stay clear of the hobos," Heinz explained. "When I left, they were setting up camp, so hopefully someone started cooking. Arrin, get on a horse, I'll lead you two to the camp." Scanning quickly around the town, he didn't see hobos in sight. Probably still scared off by the snowstorm I'd bet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balcerzak Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 (edited) Arrin was worrying about her again, so Tessa tried to explain things as best she could. "No, no. They didn't do anything to me, though they did make off with my satchel and most of my things. But I guess there wasn't anything too important in there, and maybe they need it more than I do... I mean did you see them? How can people live in conditions like that?" She gestured a bit wildly here to emphasize the point, and ended up wincing. "Oh, right, I almost forgot. One of them did sort of bite me, but it's nothing serious." Heinz added his thoughts on the matter of the snow, and Tessa listened and nodded. "It really must have been something I'd picked up then. I couldn't imagine a magus in such conditions, nor why they'd have fled if they were responsible for the sudden burst of weather." She frowned here and bit her lip, trying to remember anything she had that could have caused it, but coming up blank at the moment. "I guess we could brush around under the snow to look for clues, but maybe we should just come back after it's melted naturally? If it were some sort of charm that could do this repeatedly... I don't know how useful it would be, but it can't help if we don't have it..." Shrugging it off for the moment, she was eager to follow the man to the camp, and found herself indeed hoping that somebody was working on making food. If nobody else was, she'd have to start, and while she wouldn't mind cooking a meal, she usually preferred not to cook while hungry, but to make sure to prepare the meal ahead of time if possible. "Okay, after your lead then!" Edit: 'found' has a 'u' in it. Edited July 17, 2010 by Balcerzak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_whistler Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 "People live in conditions like that because they don't have enough strength or willpower to live elsewhere. I grew up in the same kind of conditions but I worked my way out of it," Heinz replied shortly. There was hardship in even working for a living and trying to make enough to survive, but he had been happy working with Markus and Sophie as mercenaries until the day they were hired to steal an artifact from that fire mage.... His eyes darkened, and Heinz swore he could almost smell the smoke in the air. Shaking his head, he pushed his memories aside and managed to nod at Tessa's reply. Heinz nudged the horse into a trot, keeping himself busy by scanning the surrounding streets and alleyways for hobos. "By the way, you should get that bite mark checked out," he called out behind him. "The sanitation here isn't exactly great, and you don't want that to get infected." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inactive Account Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 Relieved that Tessa was mostly unscathed, Arrin sighed with relief. As they started to walk again, he stayed on foot, bringing up another shield of sparks to surround Tessa and Heinz as well. "The sparks are harmless, but people shouldn't come near us now," he explained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy_One Posted July 17, 2010 Author Share Posted July 17, 2010 (edited) "Not to sound snarky," butted in the headmaster, setting down within the planned campsite. "But shouldn't we be more careful? This is a slum city of a recently conquered nation, but we have a Haltonian nobel here and his two women. If we're lucky, they won't care. But that likely won't happen." --- Katie and Kelas arrived a few moments later than the rest, and for good reason. Within the saddle, Kelas was fast asleep. With a playful and innocent nudge, Katie shoved Kelas, seeking to wake her up. Edited July 17, 2010 by Snowy_One Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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