Fable - Ask On the Road

[Nikaia]

Nikaia had only ever wanted simple things. She wanted to make her family proud, to defend her home, to live her life as it was supposed to be lived. But no. She'd gone on a simple mission to secure a shipment of copper so that they could make more bronze for their spears and their swords, and they ran into a number of monsters, and she'd been the only one to come back. She was demoted for her failure to die with them, and given a few lashings too. After that barbarians attacked her city. She fought well enough, but when she and another group of no more than ten were surrounded by pyromancers and elite fighters she and her unit had no choice but to retreat. That dishonor cost her her home.

She was given a smaller shield, a quiver of javelins and a red cloak, then sent off. If ever she came back, she'd be killed. And so with her heart rent like a deer under a dragon's claws she left. And her travels brought her to the dense forests of the Spine mountains. Maybe some tribe she found could take her in? Maybe the wilds would end her? She didn't know, but she had nowhere else to go, so why not go there?

She hadn't been in the woods more than two hours when she heard the roar of a beast. Looking around she spied the lion, goat and snake that made up the Chimera. An impossibly large lion with a goats head poking out of it's back, which could cast magic of certain kinds, and the venomous viper that made it's tail, it's head as big as hers. She wasted no time in drawing from the quiver a javelin, and preparing to throw it.

The first one struck the goat's eye, and in retaliation she was struck by the lion's paw, and thrown against a tree with a scream of pain, she couldn't feel her left leg.

Abbas

 

[Abbas]

That darned fly. That darned fly had flown right into Abbas' eye when he loosed a shot. A shot that would have felled a meal and good hide in the form of a deer. The only thing to do would be to gather the lost shot and follow in the hopes that he didn't scare the quarry away too far.

Hours passed looking for tracks, young saplings stripped of bark or droppings. He had a fairly solid direction to go as the only fresh tracks were of the same beast he hunted. But the disconcerting thing was that these were the only fresh tracks. As if only one deer inhabits this area of the forest.

Understanding came when Abbas came upon a paw print, far larger than a lynx has. Meaning there was something bigger out there. A creature capable of spooking most of everything in the area. That lone deer was probably on its way out till a fly fouled arrow zipped past... Now a proper hunt began.

After an hour of careful tracking led Abbas to the sound of a roar and a following scream of pain. Quick strides led him to a sight of goat-snake-lion creature, with a javelin neatly nestled into the goat heads eye socket. The creature was moving towards a prone figure at the foot of a tree.

A quick string pull to the cheek... a breath held for a moment... a clear view of the lions neck... a loosed arrow.
A moment later the arrow has mostly passed through the neck, with only the fletching hidden in the wound.

With a quick and practiced movement the next arrow is knocked and loosed the same, this time for the heart.
The arrow embeds itself between the ribs. The creatures surprise and pain twitches the beast, which in turn snaps the arrow and leaves the arrowhead in its flank. The sudden pain forcing the beast to realign it's priorities and choosing find a place to lick it's wounds.

Abbas looks at the monster fleeing from the sudden and deadly attack, knowing with such blood loss from the neck, the creature will not get far. But it was a great creature, and he's pretty sure he wouldn't have got this close for these shots if it wouldn't have been distracted.

Speaking of which. Should see if the figure near the tree needs some help.

 

[Nikaia]

She was on her butt, and leaning back against the tree. Her left leg was numb, she could move it but she couldn't feel anything at the moment.

She withdrew a javelin and waited calmly for the creature to advance. It was almost close enough to stab when an arrow tore through its throat.

She blinked. Where had that come from?

A second arrow embedded itself in the chimera's side. And it began to flee. Well, at least she wouldn't die.

 

[Abbas]

Bow lowered, Abbas began to approach the figure with the ready javelin.

With a reassuring tone he marks "That should keep the beast off. Most likely will drag itself to safe place and bleed out." Then actually stepping into full view he asks "How bad of a number did it do to you?"

 

[Nikaia]

Bow lowered, Abbas began to approach the figure with the ready javelin.

With a reassuring tone he marks "That should keep the beast off. Most likely will drag itself to safe place and bleed out." Then actually stepping into full view he asks "How bad of a number did it do to you?"

She glanced up at him and groaned out, "only injury I can mention is that I can't feel my leg. I think it's dislocated. Other than that, nothing."

She took a few breaths, "thanks."

 

[Abbas]

Setting the bow down and kneeling in front of her to look at the leg.
"Your are welcome. Also I think you might just be right on the dislocation issue. I can help with that if you want? You just got to hold yourself still and I'll pull and twist... Should do the trick though it may leave you sore and in pain for a while."

 

[Nikaia]

Setting the bow down and kneeling in front of her to look at the leg.
"Your are welcome. Also I think you might just be right on the dislocation issue. I can help with that if you want? You just got to hold yourself still and I'll pull and twist... Should do the trick though it may leave you sore and in pain for a while."

She nodded, "if you're willing to, how can I refuse? And don't worry about it making me sore, I can handle it."

 

[Abbas]

Remembering the first time he set a leg, Abbas grabbed hold of her leg and marked, "This isn't...".
And in mid sentence he pulled and turned the leg suddenly. Rewarded with an audible pop he continued "... your first time injured like this?"

 

[Nikaia]

Remembering the first time he set a leg, Abbas grabbed hold of her leg and marked, "This isn't...".
And in mid sentence he pulled and turned the leg suddenly. Rewarded with an audible pop he continued "... your first time injured like this?"

"Nope." She said, grimacing with the sharp, sudden pain, but nothing more. "I was a soldier not too long ago, and my fellow soldiers don't play gently. Dislocation is getting off easy."

 

[Abbas]

"Soldier, huh?" Abbas pulls his pack out and starts to rummage in it. "I caught the past tense there. So what's the story that led you into these woods?"

He pulls out some stale bread, cheese and a skin of water. Sets the nourishment onto his pack which he had placed between them and with a wave offers to share.

 

[Nikaia]

"Soldier, huh?" Abbas pulls his pack out and starts to rummage in it. "I caught the past tense there. So what's the story that led you into these woods?"

She looked away from him and said, "I'd rather not say. If that's well with you."

When he offered to share food with her she gratefully accepted, and thanked him for his kindness. "So what might I offer you in exchange for the help that you've given me?"

 

[Abbas]

He isn't a dumb fellow. Abbas understands that some tales need their own time to emerge, and poking them does little to help. So he gives a small understanding nod.

"Well, I did come for a hunt. My prey originally was a deer, but a more curious one popped up." He stops for a moment to quench his thirst from the waterskin and continues, "That beast offers a lion pelt, snakeskin and some goat to boot. Alone I could maybe gather some of it, but a lot would also go to waste. So some help could help the process along and between the two of us we could haul a fair bit more. Or what do you say?"

 

[Nikaia]

He isn't a dumb fellow. Abbas understands that some tales need their own time to emerge, and poking them does little to help. So he gives a small understanding nod.

"Well, I did come for a hunt. My prey originally was a deer, but a more curious one popped up." He stops for a moment to quench his thirst from the waterskin and continues, "That beast offers a lion pelt, snakeskin and some goat to boot. Alone I could maybe gather some of it, but a lot would also go to waste. So some help could help the process along and between the two of us we could haul a fair bit more. Or what do you say?"

"I would be happy to help you out." She said with a smile, pulling herself to her feet. "I owe you my life after all. How can I refuse help to my savior?"

She retrieved her fallen javelin and put it in it's quiver, "Ready when you are."

 

[Abbas]

He gathers his things and with her trailing begins to find the tracks left by the beast.

"The beast took off in a fair hurry." Abbas takes on a speech manner not unlike a tour guides while following the tracks and pointing out marks of interest. "One could follow the path of some broken twigs, but here we have the paw prints that are far apart. The further the paw prints are a part the faster it was going. And we can tell that these are fresh due to the blood spatter on the ground. The beast is exerting itself quite a bit, pumping it's heart faster and faster. This will lead the beast to..."

He trails off and becomes silent for a minute. And then speaks in a more restrained tone. "Sorry if I rambled and might of sounded condescending." Ducking under a broken branch and reacquiring the track, he continues. "You see. It has been a long time since I had someone capable of intelligent thought to converse with. Most civilized folk I've met have been wary of me and do not stay long for any conversation. And the people I share my blood with with me curious and weird, they do not see it proper for an orc to speak as much as I do. It is almost as they believe that being verbose is a direct indication of some sort of weakness. And even after managing to put down my fair share of challengers, they still seem to think that."

He crouches down to find a few tracks that were covered by a branch. Satisfied that the direction is true, he leads on.

"Sorry for dumping all of that at your feet. It's just... been a while."

 

[Nikaia]

He gathers his things and with her trailing begins to find the tracks left by the beast.

"The beast took off in a fair hurry." Abbas takes on a speech manner not unlike a tour guides while following the tracks and pointing out marks of interest. "One could follow the path of some broken twigs, but here we have the paw prints that are far apart. The further the paw prints are a part the faster it was going. And we can tell that these are fresh due to the blood spatter on the ground. The beast is exerting itself quite a bit, pumping it's heart faster and faster. This will lead the beast to..."

He trails off and becomes silent for a minute. And then speaks in a more restrained tone. "Sorry if I rambled and might of sounded condescending." Ducking under a broken branch and reacquiring the track, he continues. "You see. It has been a long time since I had someone capable of intelligent thought to converse with. Most civilized folk I've met have been wary of me and do not stay long for any conversation. And the people I share my blood with with me curious and weird, they do not see it proper for an orc to speak as much as I do. It is almost as they believe that being verbose is a direct indication of some sort of weakness. And even after managing to put down my fair share of challengers, they still seem to think that."

He crouches down to find a few tracks that were covered by a branch. Satisfied that the direction is true, he leads on.

"Sorry for dumping all of that at your feet. It's just... been a while."

(Hey, Summer is going to be really busy for me, so my replies will be slow, please excuse that and please be patient with me.)

"No, no it's fine, keep talking." She said genuinely, "I've never known much about hunting and I'm eager to learn. I'll need to know if I'm to survive much longer anyway."

She patted his shoulder reassuringly, "It's fine, really. It's been a while for me too. It's no issue. Now let's go track down that chimera."