|
Post by James Zynthos on Dec 19, 2009 20:22:58 GMT -5
After being gone for around 15 minutes of time, Z was heard outside. There was far too much noise for him to be making alone.
As he stepped inside, it became clear that he was healed. Flesh and bones were regenerated, and he looked as any commoner would. The excessive noise became obvious shortly after Z walked into the cave.
Behind Z stumbled in a great boar, easily the size of two men. It's right hind leg was missing, and there was a massive wound in its side. Blood trailed where it was injured, but the beast just kept walking, like a pet dog.
Z stood over to the side of the cave, eying the boar, as a master would a slave. The boar walked as best it could near the fire, and fell.
It moved no more after that.
"Please, eat."
|
|
|
Post by Seraphin on Dec 22, 2009 15:05:56 GMT -5
Seraphin stopped staring into the fire long enough to see the boar. She eyed Z warily before saying,"Thank you." In his regenerated form, Z was handsome, although she still didn't trust him from the pains in her arm. The cut had started to turn black, and there was clearly some sort of poison involved.
However, she was hungry. Wasting no time, Seraphin cut apart the boar with a pocketknife, preparing the meat to be cooked over the fire. Well, cooking does help with one thing I guess, she thought, I'm not brooding on Malakai's death..
Finding a clean enough looking stick, she speared the strips of meat onto it, and held them over the fire, hunger increasing as the boar let off an ambrosial aroma. There was plenty more meat, and after the kabob was done, she would give it to Z, in credit for killing the boar in the first place.
|
|
Retuke
Apprentice
????#??? ?????? ?
Posts: 129
|
Post by Retuke on Dec 28, 2009 16:44:25 GMT -5
Retuke was going to reply to Seraphin, but the mention of Malakai made it difficult for him to think of something to say. He decided to skip that and reply to the the part about Z being a lich, but then Z reentered the cave looking more normal than before, leading a wounded boar. Retuke winced as the wild animal went over to the fire and died over it.
"Wow..." Retuke said. "Sorcerer indeed," he muttered to Seraphin. Only a magic-user could do that. Well I'm not eating any of that, he thought. He didn't want to accept food from a lich, especially one roasted over putrid flames. However, after several minutes, Seraphin went up to the boar and began to carve a bit for herself. Retuke watched in hunger and finally gave in and went to join her.
"So, what do you around here, Mr. Lich?" Retuke asked, taking a bite out of his meat.
|
|
|
Post by James Zynthos on Dec 29, 2009 1:04:07 GMT -5
"Hehe...HeehhahHAHAHA!!!" Z suddenly burst out laughing. It was a laugh of hysteria, not insanity. "Eheh. Oh, how it feels to laugh! Thank you!"He really seemed to enjoy himself. He calmed down before speaking again. "And to answer your question:"
The boar, halfway eaten, rose again, despite missing a leg, and plenty of flesh. It was obvious that magic was the culprit of the boar's false life. "I have been studying the various magics of the earth, and finding the limits to my own abilities." He watched the corpse, observing it with a keen interest.
The boar slowly walked around the fire, before falling again.
"Necromancy is such a brilliant thing, is it not? Funny, I used to loathe and shun the undead. But now, I realize what the line between the living and the dead is, the horizon splitting the soul from the shell."
He sat down next to the two mages, and hovered his hand above the fire.
His eyes spaced out into the dark corner of the cave. His hand remained in the fire long enough that the hellfire caught, burning away the flesh.
"Hmm..." He calmly withdrew his hand, and watched the fire burning from his fingers. It did not spread down his arm, but rather stayed on his hand, like the fire was erupting from the hand itself. He stayed fixated on this, until bringing his attention back to the mages.
"So tell me, what exactly brought the magi Seraphin and Erk to my humble...cave? I did not expect company, but what is even more odd is that neither of you expected me."
|
|
Retuke
Apprentice
????#??? ?????? ?
Posts: 129
|
Post by Retuke on Dec 29, 2009 2:05:58 GMT -5
Retuke edged away from Z at the sudden laugh. Other than that, however, he remained calm. This whole situation was unnerving to him, and he was really wishing that he and Seraphin could just leave. However, neither of them were at their full strength.
"Interesting..." Retuke muttered as Z's hand caught flame. Z also seemed to find it interesting, for he just watched it 'burn' for several seconds. Then he turned back to them;
"So tell me, what exactly brought the magi Seraphin and Erk to my humble...cave?"
Retuke's eyes widened and he jumped back to his feet - regretting instantly as his head began to spin. "How do you know my name?!" he asked loudly, reaching up to hold his head. Retuke very rarely told people his first name, and he had absolutely no idea how this lich could know it. "Who are you?" he asked in a more calm voice, his eyes boring into Z's.
|
|
|
Post by James Zynthos on Dec 29, 2009 2:26:21 GMT -5
D***it James, how could you be so foolish as to use his name?! Think quickly, now!
"I may not get out much, but I am still fairly intelligent in terms of the land. Knowledge is the only thing of value to me anymore. You seem so surprised that I used your name. Is there something else either of you preferred to be known? I wish to stay on good terms with my guests."
"And how rude of me. I have asked you your names, and never gave one in return. You may call me Adahn. Lich as I may be, I still enjoy some company."
He quickly changed the subject. "I never fully understood why the undead are so threatening. Aren't the priests of Mirawold no different than us? They reanimate the dead, and manipulate the spirits for their goals. Doesn't that describe a lich?
Ah, I digress. Regardless of your standing of the hatred of the undead, you both may stay here for the next couple nights if needed. But if you do stay, you must talk. Hearing nothing but hellfire and wind for a couple months really breaks in the feeling of solitude. Please, make yourselves comfortable. If needed, I can make sure that boar skin is prepared for your comfort"
|
|
|
Post by Seraphin on Dec 29, 2009 11:45:43 GMT -5
Seraphin stopped to think. They needed the rest, but would they really be able to trust Adahn? Really, she could be poisoned from her wound, and he might just be waiting for her to perish, so he could devour her. He was undead. And she did have an answer to his question, rude as it would be. "The difference between priests and liches, that is, the only difference, is priests do not revive themselves. If they die, they stay that way. Not to be rude.
"And we're here because we fell into a spot of trouble. Retuke and myself will be here for a few days to regain our energy before we return to the Mage Guild House." She made sure not to include Adahn, see as he was a sorcerer. The fact that he was a lich did not bother her, but she did not want her guild's secrets revealed to someone other than a mage.
"Thank you for your offer. I would quite enjoy not sleeping on the bare floor." As unappealing as boar skin was, it was better than rock, which could cause frostbite if bare skin was exposed to it at night.
|
|
Retuke
Apprentice
????#??? ?????? ?
Posts: 129
|
Post by Retuke on Jan 5, 2010 19:54:33 GMT -5
"Yes. Call me Retuke, like everybody else," he growled, obviously not satisfied with "Adahn"'s seemingly cool answer. Then the subject changed to one Retuke was less-willing to participate in. Priests and lichs the same? Pfft. Retuke turned away to let Seraphin do the talking. Then Adahn offered them a place to stay, which Retuke was grudgingly thankful for, but only if they "talked". Seraphin accepted.
"Thanks," Retuke offered, when Adahn mentioned the boar skin. It sounded rather empty, but Retuke didn't care that much. "Seraphin, tomorrow we might be able to get back to the guild house..." he suggested. He didn't want to spend more than a day here...
|
|
|
Post by Seraphin on Jan 5, 2010 20:17:11 GMT -5
Seraphin sighed. As much as she wanted to leave, she was afraid for the health of Retuke and herself. It was bitterly cold, and they were both tired. It would depend on how they felt in the morning. But she doubted that they would be able to.
"Possibly. It may tax our health, and the road is steep. We'll just see how we feel in the morning.." Seeing the look on Retuke's face, that of complete mistrust and disgust, she would try to leave in the morning to make him happy. Making Retuke happy seemed a worthwhile enterprise to her.
|
|
|
Post by James Zynthos on Jan 6, 2010 23:53:11 GMT -5
"Well, whichever you choose is fine with me. I understand that these are not exactly..."favorable" conditions for a Guild master and her aide, but I will see what I can do." He pulled out a silver flask from his coat, and took a long swig.
He walked over to the boar's corpse, and quickly snapped off the remaining hind leg of the beast. It dropped, and was left for further consumption. The rest of the body was picked up by Z, and placed on his back, where it was then carried outside. His strength was exceptional, but there were obvious signs of a slight struggle.
"Please, relax. I will be back" .proboards.com
|
|
Retuke
Apprentice
????#??? ?????? ?
Posts: 129
|
Post by Retuke on Jan 8, 2010 17:26:46 GMT -5
Retuke nodded. Waiting to decide in the morning made plenty of sense. Z left the cave, carrying the boar with him. Retuke began to look more closely around the cave, looking for anything of interest. Afterwards, he knelt down by the remaining boar meat and began to cut it into strips for drying. He had learned how to dry and salt meat for long journeys from friends he had in the Ranger Guild. He figured he may as well save some of the meat for tomorrow or the day after, since he didn't have anything else to do. ((ooc/ We really need to find something to do. ))
|
|
|
Post by James Zynthos on Jan 8, 2010 19:10:30 GMT -5
Z rushed in, looking frustrated, and slightly tired. "There is something out there. More than one, definitely not normal." "We must leave." After waiting for a few seconds, he gets even more frustrated. "NOW!" He suddenly turned and started to run out. Just as he reached the mouth of the cave, an explosion erupted at his torso, causing some of his clothing, and a few ribs, to scatter across the cave.
After being blasted back several feet, Z slowly got to his feet.
"More guests. These d***ed heroes never quit."
The firebolt caused a large opening in his chest, but it was repairing itself at an incredible speed, being that he was well fed.
His hand glowed black, as if it was destroying any light passing through it. "You two either fight, or stay out of the way. I don't really want unnecessary corpses." At that,, he stepped outside, waiting for his attackers.
|
|
|
Post by Seraphin on Jan 9, 2010 10:53:38 GMT -5
Seraphin stood quickly and went out to help her new ally. Tired as she was, she might not be able to help much, but she could still fight. "Retuke, stay here. I don't want you to die on me." What she saw outside the cave was unlike anything she had seen before. They were using magic, but they were not human, elf, Drow, or dwarf. They were monsters, plain and simple.
|
|
|
Post by James Zynthos on Jan 14, 2010 23:17:17 GMT -5
As Z stepped out of the cave, he felt something very amiss. A strange sensation crawled into his spine.
The feeling of necromancy. "Heh, this should be interesting".
Eyeing his way through the heavy blizzard, he saw several glows of light. One of the lights burst towards him, but he was expecting it. The blast of magic was blocked with his arm, the cloth and flesh burned away. His skin quickly healed back.
Just on his left flank, a mindless soldier of the dead, a skeleton. His right arm was armed with...his left arm, wielding it as it would a club.
Right before Z was struck, he grabbed the skeleton's remaining arm, and reversed the necromancy with his grasp. The magic holding the arms together dissipated, and Z kicked the skeleton into the snow. Without much of a mind, or the use of its arms, it flailed around, unable to get to its feet.
"Pathetic" He reached down, pressed his hand to the undead's skull, and the rest of its bones fell, unmoving.
At this time, Seraphin was seen exiting the cave.
"Glad you could help. We got some undead to deal with. Find the master, if you can. Watch for any skeletons. They will be hard to see in this snow." He had to yell this to her, as the snow and wind made almost everything inaudible.
Another magic bolt blasted outward, missing Z by several yards. In the distance, a dozen glowing spheres of light shone through the falling snow. They were preparing a volley of magic.
|
|
Retuke
Apprentice
????#??? ?????? ?
Posts: 129
|
Post by Retuke on Jan 15, 2010 0:33:45 GMT -5
Z suddenly burst in again. Er, Adahn burst in again. "We must leave! NOW!" Retuke traded confused looks with Seraphin, who promptly got up. Then there was an explosion from where their host was standing. He seemed okay, but it was now obvious something was attacking. "You two either fight, or stay out of the way. I don't really want unnecessary corpses."
Seraphin was about to run after Adahn when she turned quickly. "Retuke, stay here. I don't want you to die on me." Then she disappeared into the blizzard, leaving a somewhat stunned Retuke behind. His mind was still running a little slower than usual, but after he processed Seraphin's order; "Screw that."
Retuke got to his feet and started to chase after her. If she was going, so was he. There was no chance he was going to be left in the creepy lich cave by himself. And besides, he didn't want Seraphin to die on him, either.
The moment he was hit by the blistering wind, Retuke dropped to his knees, squinting through the blinding snow. There was Adahn, and over there was Seraphin. And there was... something? A skeleton? Some of Adahn's friends eh? Unwelcome friends, that is.
Retuke held out his hand and whispered a magic word. A pencil-thin bolt of magic shot towards the skeleton ahead of Retuke. The magic missile unerringly struck in the center of the skull, and the heap of bones fell. The attack was a very basic spell, but Retuke was not at 100%. The less strength he used the better.
|
|