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Post by orwelles on Jul 6, 2018 19:25:28 GMT -8
With an audible crack, the hound suddenly went limp, sliding from its purchase on Ellie’s back, and falling to the forest floor. Spurred on by this, its twin intensified the grip on her leg, hindquarters narrowly spared from the snapping teeth above. As Ellie attempted to reach the tenacious beast, the hunter’s spear buried itself in her left foreleg. Snaking the spearhead out of the wound, another burst of clicking emitted from within the cloak. The smell of cherries intensified.
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Post by The Carrying Blade on Jul 8, 2018 6:38:30 GMT -8
One by one they fell, but it was still too slow, 3 of her legs have been hit, and now she only had one good one free of pain and movement. She needed to even the field now, and so she tried to be a bit more daring with her attacks. Lifting the back leg with the dog on it up again, she slammed it down with claws out and ready, aiming to pierce and trample it before it could hurt her leg beyond repair. But now for the hunter, whose spear was able to hit her from afar with ease.
Before the hunter could pull it away completely, Ellie lunged forward and tried to bite down on the shaft, aiming to either preoccupy her by trying to rip the weapon out of her hands, or possibly even break the weapon itself and make it so she would have to resort to the dogs if she wanted to be safe. Though, in reality she could switch back to being a human, freeing her leg from the trap, but that would just leave her open to the dogs still alive, especially if the hunter still had her weapon. So she let loose another roar, but made this one different, she needed a back up plan and a call for close by help seemed a perfect distraction, making her seem more weakened than she actually was, hoping this hunter would buy it that she wasn’t alone here and that reinforcements of her own kind could be coming soon.
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Post by orwelles on Jul 8, 2018 16:11:33 GMT -8
Battered, bruised, and exhausted, outsmarting the hound was an effortless task. Already disoriented from Ellie’s constant movement, it fell beneath her paws, head mangled and chest punctured. As she swung her head towards the shaft, disaster struck. As soon as Ellie clasped her jaws on the center of the spear, the hunter wrenched it to the right. With an almost inhuman strength, the abomination was knocked onto her back, still grasping the shaft between her teeth. With a grunt of exertion, the hunter clambered onto her prone form, pushing the spear deeper into the abomination’s mouth with both hands. Suddenly, Ellie felt a searing pain run along the left side of her head, culminating in a corona of agony. Faintly, something dangled above her. Despite the ever-increasing pressure, she could see it. There, limply hanging from a chitinous black pincer, was her left ear.
From within the cloak, a scream of triumph erupted. Two more insectoid limbs erupted out of the robe’s folds, extending from where the human neck would be, and press against the spear, wood groaning at the force exerted. The hunter shifted forward, face now positioned directly above Ellie. Through the darkness of the hood, she could make out a pair of glistening black eyes, staring down with naked hunger. Remembering her plan, she let out a muted cry, not needing to fake distress. Almost instantaneously, the pressure abated. Upon rising to her feet, she could see the hunter had withdrawn, spear spread wide in a defensive stance. For a moment, it looked ready to take on anything. Then, in the distance, the clarion call of a horn sounded, the same tone Ellie had heard at the beginning of this nightmare. Slowly, the robed horror backed away, silently melting into the shadows of the Weald.
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Post by relentless on Jul 8, 2018 16:44:31 GMT -8
Braund idly watched the three of them approach him, a mocking chuckle echoing out, before he took a step forward and planted his sword firmly into the ground with the tip. "Hold it, buck." He barks at the three of them, his tone heavy yet face casual, as if he didn't care. "You three, fuck off to the Hamlet before more guards die." Braund barked at them, especially at the man at the helm as he began to move past them.
"They're mine." He murmured under their breath, a mild zeal sparking through him, passing by them with his blade drawn and cowl being pulled up.
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Post by The Carrying Blade on Jul 8, 2018 17:03:39 GMT -8
This person wasn’t human, maybe she wasn’t at all, or by all luck she was an abomination, an abomination that took her bloody ear?! A trophy, did she not know what she was? Did it possibly think she was just some wild animal? Ellie was dumbfounded, but was dragged away from this as the pain continued, letting out her loudest roar yet, it was one that the hunter would realize was a call for vengeance once they heard it. She had just made an enemy, one that would be after her when she would get the chance.
But now, she had to get out of this trap, and think about whether or not she should continue towards the sound or just head back to the hamlet to heal...again. This had made her so angry, and she promised to herself she would get her ear back, that thing would pay, and that she would not let this go for a very long time. Panting heavily she looked to the trap at her leg, the wound having stopped its bleeding for now, and with a grunt of exertion she transformed, her body contorting and shrinking quickly, allowing her leg to get out and finally be free. It was always a painful process, but for once it didn’t seem to hurt, only her wounds did of course.
Her leg wounds were many, but even the most devastating of the spear seemed to be manageable, thanks to how her forms worked they had healed a bit, the one being eaten easily fixed, the one in the trap a bit harder to heal but would only take a little bit of time though had a nice thin gash along the length, while the spear turned into a simple stab wound that needed a bandage. Her ear was worst, still bleeding and almost allowed an inside look of her head, thankfully transforming mended that and blocked off most of the entrance. But now she was basically deaf in one ear, great, just fucking great luck for healing to full.
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Post by orwelles on Jul 9, 2018 18:59:38 GMT -8
Uain:
He glanced at the cloak figure, briefly considering his options. On the one hand, he would love nothing more than to get to the Hamlet and end this ordeal. The recruit would be tended to, and, as a bonus, they would find out what the hell had happened here. He might even get paid. But he couldn’t leave the rest of the company behind.
“If you see the rest of the guards, tell them to meet us at the Tavern. I wish you the best of luck." Granted, for all he knew, this cloaked woodsman could be the bushwhackers' confederate. But Uain was willing to take that risk.
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Post by relentless on Jul 10, 2018 14:32:48 GMT -8
"Move!"
He barked at him, ignorant of his words of encouragment as he flicked his head toward the hamlet as he hung in the horizon.
"Don't make too much noise, don't shoot, stick to the bushes and most definitely move fast."
Braund gave his own wisdom, in much cruder terms as he set off again toward the area where the hunter had been shot, awkwardly shoving another bolt into his crossbow as he moved. Overstretching his leg over shrubbery and thickets, the man soon poised into a fighting stand, keeping his arms close to his chest and sword held upright to his right as he moved cautiously, and nearer to the area where that man had been shot.
His eyes scanned the terrain, keeping near the trees in case he needed to take cover.
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Post by orwelles on Jul 11, 2018 18:20:35 GMT -8
Braund found the remainder of the quarrel a few feet from where he shot the fleeing abductor, next to the tattered remains of an olive cloak. Its shaft was bent in the middle, deep scratch marks lining the surface. This, coupled with the absence of a head, suggests that the wounded brigand had attempted to remove the offending projectile from their leg, seemingly unconcerned with the potential harm caused by the action. Consequentially, a long trail of blood streaked its way across the ground, leading deeper into the Weald.
Before any other observations can be made, a deafening roar echoes through the forest.
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Post by relentless on Jul 12, 2018 13:39:08 GMT -8
He turned his head at the shriek, wincing slightly as his human ears shrunk on themselves to hide the terror of the unknown howling at him. He went low to the ground, hunched beside a tree with his sword pressed against the ground. And beneath his mind, so fragile yet arrogant of defeat, the whispers of the ether called out to him, the unfamiliar clarity of something so vile and manipulative you could feel the stench of death and rabidness on its breath. "HOLD..." The voice took control with a hushed giggle slipped through the winds of his mind, utilising its vital energy that it used to take control of Braund. By using its energy, Braunds impending possession was pushed back further, but not by much. Braund was mixed with relief at first, then pain as the mans veins on his face began to turn black, his eyes suddenly filling with pitch as he stared blankly to the ground. Meanwhile, the voice began to pull the strings, attempting to detect anything unusual, be it man or beast or... something else entirely.
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Post by orwelles on Jul 14, 2018 18:12:41 GMT -8
As the demon emerges, it is met with the sharp odor of eldritch energy. At least one entity has recently lingered here. To the north of Braund, the stench of rotten meat hangs in a fetid cloud, draping the surrounding trees and undergrowth. The demon can recognize it as a simple spirit, one typically associated with hunting and wildlife. However, the magic binding it seems… incongruous, with more of an emphasis on loyalty, bloodlust, and vengeance than tracking and fighting, items more suitable for a berserker’s fetish than a lucky charm.
Due to Talkir’s preternatural senses, the sound of hounds baying can now be heard from deeper within.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Maria
It was likely she’d die tonight. The girl’s injuries could be fixed relatively easily, but the path to the highway had long since been obscured, the sounds of stamping feet replaced with an eerie silence. Nines and Rey had just gotten Carter on the road when they heard the yowl. She told them to go on ahead, and get to a healer. By the time she tracked it back, whatever beast had caused the carnage already moved on.The creature had torn apart five trained hunting hounds, and was still mobile enough to make its escape. Honestly, it was a miracle the girl survived.
Strangely enough, most of the wounds on her appeared man made. Judging by a lack of a body or it's remnants, whoever inflicted them made their escape.Perhaps the monster had stumbled across a bout of "fox hunting", and the hunter had to abandon their intended quarry.
Regardless, if they did make it out of the forest alive, Maria had no way of knowing how far their destination was. Was the Hamlet complacent in the attack? Unlikely, but still a possibility. The local noble could have sponsored the affair.
Well, first things first.
“Can you hear me?”
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Post by The Carrying Blade on Jul 14, 2018 19:22:58 GMT -8
Ellie had her hand touching where her missing ear was, fascinated yet incredibly sickened by how it felt and must’ve looked. At first she didn’t notice Maria, but then she spoke and her head darted to where she was standing. She seemed different, definitely not that monster from earlier, the smell was too unique, nothing like whatever the creature that ambushed her was. However...even though she did not attack, Ellie wasn’t likely to easily trust her, in fact she had backed herself into the tree, looking at the woman with both fear yet at the same time a sort of sorrow.
“B-barely...” She answered her, clearly cautious of whoever this person might actually be, in case this was all just a ploy to lower her guard and finish her off. She actually forgot as well that she was completely naked, her body a small shivering wreck that reaked of unfathomable hatred and what could most likely presumed to be torture given her wounds. Ellie wasn’t proud of this moment, not one bit, but it wasn’t her plan to end up like this, possibly needing the help of a stranger or vice versa.
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Post by relentless on Jul 18, 2018 12:57:16 GMT -8
/Braund/
"CLOSE... SO CLOSE..."
The entity mouthed the words through Braunds lips, an ethereal, otherworldly haunt to the mans tome had been completely changed, the black veins lingered for a while before they suddenly resided. The mans coloured iris snapped back to its original state, and Braund took deep gasps as he recovered from the experience.
"-Alright... I'm close, let's get moving..."
He encouraged himself to his feet, before he continued in a crouched posture toward the source.
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Post by orwelles on Jul 28, 2018 20:15:16 GMT -8
Maria:
Staring down at Ellie's prostate form, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. Slowly raising her hands, Maria began to advance, careful to not make any sudden or ambiguous movements. As she drew closer, the thick smell of cherries wrapped itself around her, permeating the melange of blood and fungus that surrounded the Weald. “Can you walk?"
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Post by The Carrying Blade on Jul 31, 2018 15:41:31 GMT -8
The smell of cherries should’ve been alarming, it was the same thing that clouded the air before and blocked her smell when the creature attacked her. But she got the real smell, if you could call it that, when it got close to her, and she knew this one was at least a little different. In fact it almost helped her relax, if she was just enclouded from the left over cherry smell that permeated the area, she wasn’t creating it, and therefore wasn’t that thing.
“I’ll run if I have to...” Ellie growled, using the tree to help push her up and make her stand, sweat gleaming on her body as her hair fell down over her face and head properly now that she wasn’t leaning to one side to keep it away from her ear. She glared at Maria, but not in any form of malice, it was the pain from her ear, the one that any loud sound or even her own voice made throb and hurt in a chorus of ringing. They were so far from the Hamlet, probably the furthest she ever had been before being sent here, but she knew halfway between here and the Hamlet was Re... her, her home, and was probably where they would head given she was in no great state to travel the entire way.
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Post by orwelles on Aug 14, 2018 18:07:02 GMT -8
Maria:
Casting an eye around the encroaching forest, Maria pulled her hatchet from her belt loop. Now that she knew that Ellile could move, there was no point in waiting around any longer. The outlaws were bound to come back at some point, and she doubted the two of them could take on the retaliation of an enraged bandit chief. “We can’t stay here. Think we can make it to this Hamlet?”
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Braund:
Abruptly, the woods cleared, presenting Braund with a view of a small clearing in copse. Before him lies the mangled body of a dead dog, head reduced to torn shreds. Behind it lies a steel trap, triggered, bloody, but otherwise immaculate, its intended quarry nowhere in sight, although the two women close to it might know of its whereabouts. They don’t seem to notice Braund, giving him about as much attention as the dog’s twin, a folded corpse braced against a nearby tree.
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