Solo Glassbeaks Beware

[Oryani]

Fall 56th, 513 AV

Oryani had been practicing with her bow when they heard the news. Well, they hadn’t really heard it. Her mentor, Hashiam Waterhoof, had sensed it on the web. He’d been watching her slowly fire arrows into a target, occasionally telling her to stand there, or there, or fire faster, and once he’d asked her to hit the rim of the target, rather than the middle. It made things complicated, but it varied up the practice a little so she didn’t get too used to one shot. He was good at that, and was also an exceptional archer himself, being a Zalok Yakhtai. She’d actually been quite lucky with this, getting such a skilled mentor, though a Tayvekh would have done the job perfectly. Still, Hashiam was an excellent teacher and fighter, meaning that learning wise… she had a bit of an advantage.

”Stand over there” he instructed, pointing further back from the target than she’d gone all day. The Chatakwe nodded, moving to the indicated spot but feeling a little uneasy. ”I’m not sure I can hit it from here” she told him bluntly, never one to keep her mouth shut. She earned herself a shrug and a ”Just try.” She did try, drawing one of the arrows from the quiver currently on her back, and knocking it into her bowstring. She grasped the intersection in two fingers, before drawing the weapon as far back as possible. If she was this far back… even with as much power as she could muster, it would probably drop. To fix that, she pointed a little upwards, but wasn’t sure how much… so she just guessed. Hashiam liked her figuring stuff like this out for herself, so asking was useless. She tried to point it relatively straight at the target, before loosing the arrow. It flew straight, arching, and actually looked quite magnificent as it flew across the grass… until it soared straight over the target and landed in the ground behind it.

Oryani winced, and grumbled ”Too high” to herself. Her mentor didn’t comment, still sitting with his legs crossed and eyes on her. She knew he wasn’t actually watching her half the time, though. He used her training time to keep an eye on the web, and watch out for any disturbances that needed Watch help. Usually nothing happened, but it was his job, and he did it diligently.

The Drykas drew another arrow, feeling it as the last in her quiver, and once again drew her bow easily. She wasn’t the best at aiming- hence why she was practicing like this- but knocking and drawing the weapon came easily. She repeated last time’s position, trying to remember the exact placement, before lowering the angle slightly. She once again fired, and watched the arrow smack weakly into the bare rim of the target, too far too the left, before bouncing off and flying into the grass. She sighed, annoyed at another failure, before retrieving her arrows from in and around the target. Once she had all forty, she glanced up to see Hashiam standing with his bow strung in one hand, his short sword at his belt, next to his horse. ”Something happen?” the Chatakwe inquired, slightly nervous. From his stance… he was about to go out and do something. Her mentor nodded, stating ”Get ready for a fight, and mount up.” He mounted his own Strider, before bothering to explain.

”There’s a Glassbeak attack on outer pavilions just west of here. From what I know, there’s about ten.” Ten. Ten was bad. Very bad. Oryani sincerely hoped it wouldn’t just be them protecting the camp… but other Watch members as well. She followed his instructions diligently, the worry obvious in her face. Why would such a large pack of Glassbeaks so blatantly attack Endrykas? It was a stupid move… even for an animal. She sighed, swinging easily onto Khal’s back where she sat comfortably, bow in on hand, and the other grasped onto the grip in front of her. She’d moved her full quiver onto the Yvas for convenience, and it sat on her right along with her Scimitar. She’d never tried to use it from horseback before, and was not the best user at all… but it would probably be handy in a pinch. ”Lets go.” was the next comment, and the two rode off at a trot westwards.

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[Oryani]

They rode hard once they’d found an empty area, pushing their horses at a gallop- but not as fast as Striders could go on the Sea of Grass. Their strength would be needed for the coming fight. Oryani thanked all the gods she could think of that her cough had ended the day before… it would have been a serious hinder in something like this. Khal’s movements under her were a little… unsettling, as the Drykas wasn’t used to riding so quickly. She wasn’t so skilled at this either, but planned on training until she could go at full speed with no hands… that would be an accomplishment. Until then, her left hand gripped the hold before her with all her strength, as she was determined not to fall off at a time like this. To be honest with herself, she doubted she could take down a full grown Glassbeak on her own. Hashiam probably could, and maybe bring a second down as well, but… he was a much better archer, rider, and swordsman than herself.

When they arrived, she felt a little relived, but not by much. There were five Tayvekhs, as well as another apprentice like herself already in the fight. When the pair approached, her mentor slowed his Strider, sitting straight up and drawing an arrow. After a moment of aiming, he fired, hitting a Glassbeak straight in the chest. It was quite an impressive shot, and probably saving the skin of a Tayvekh who’d fallen off his Strider and was attempting to take the beast down with his long sword. Using the beast’s weakness as an advantage, the man quickly landed a killing blow to it’s head, chopping the thing full off. Well… one down, nine to go. A woman, also a Tayvekh, trotted over to join the new arrivals, an impressive longbow in her hand. ”Thanks for coming.” she said bluntly, before joining the pair and making it a trio, directing her Strider to stand beside the other two. Hashaim only nodded, already with another arrow knocked and prepared to fire.

Oryani did the same, drawing her shortbow and aiming for the nearest predator possible. She trusted Khal enough that he would run away if one of the monsters got close enough… but she didn’t trust herself not to fall off in such an event. To make sure she stayed on, her knees gripped the stallion’s sides with all her strength, as her mind went into trying to hit a Glassbeak… somewhere, anywhere. She picked one that was standing still, facing down another armed Tayvekh on a massive gelding. The horse reared, and the Chatakwe picked that moment to fire, hoping that her arrow hit it… but it didn’t. Instead, it went flying over the creature’s head… and went straight into another’s behind it. At least she’d hit something. A wry grin on her face, she picked out another target, noticing that the Strider she’d seen earlier had landed quite the kick on the Glassbeak’s head, nearly flipping the massive creature over. It staggered, flapping its wings awkwardly, whilst the Tayvekh used the moment to ride closer and swing at its head.

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[Oryani]

She’d found another within her general range, when the thing she’d wanted least of all happened… a Glassbeak noticed them. Not one, actually, but two of the massive, horrifying creatures turned and began to run in the trio’s direction. Noticing the attackers, Khal danced away, causing Oryani to drop and grab the grip with both hands desperately. Her right hand was also trying to keep a hold on her bow, and the left had an arrow between its fingers. She had no time to even bother to direct her stallion, and instead, let the horse sprint away as fast as possible, meaning Khal was galloping at top speed. He ran away from the fighting group, long mane flicking the Chatakwe in the eyes as they rode away. Sure, maybe they were being cowardly… but she was an archer. An archer stood as far away from the enemy as possible, shot at them a bit, then ran away when they got too close.

The Chatakwe glanced back, the movement slightly putting off her balance on the Strider’s back, and swore loudly. Her words were swept away by the rushing wind, but it didn’t matter. The Glassbeak was following. It was still far behind them, and… thank whoever… it had an arrow in one of its legs. That slowed it down a great deal, as a full grown Glassbeak could probably overtake the stallion. Feeling a little more comfortable, Oryani let go with her right hand, as it wasn’t doing much anyways. Khal began to turn, in order to circle back to the main group, when her bad luck hit again.

She fell off.

Her grip slipped suddenly, and with her Strider moving at top speed, she began falling sideways. ”No!” she yelled, panicking, and tried to grab onto the Yvas, Khal’s mane, anything, but it was too late… she fell, dropping her bow (though still remarkably keeping a hold on her arrow) and went crashing into the ground. Now… even falling from a still horse hurt, but from a running Strider… she went screeching through the grass, gaining bad scratches on her arms and legs, and smacking her head hard on the earth below. Everything hurt. Her entire body felt bruised, and she could see blood trickling from multiple scratches all over her arms and legs… and something on her forehead apparently, as there was a distinct wet feeling there.

After taking stock of her injuries, the Chatakwe tried to push herself up into a sitting position. The Glassbeak would be coming soon, and who knew what else wandered around a place like this. Still, it hurt to sit, every part throbbing in pain and bringing tears to the corner of her eyes. She was not going to cry, however, or complain… this was all her fault, really. She had to get up… Her left hand was still clutched tightly around the arrow, which was missing the back half, but still seemed relatively useful. Pushing herself onto her feet, her legs wobbled… and she fell down again with a groan. That just caused her backside to hurt even more than before…

Again, she stood up, and this time managed to stay upright. Khal appeared out of nowhere, a steady support beside her. She didn’t blame the stallion for dropping her… he was just doing his job. Still, it was nice for some help. She grabbed her scimitar from his side, in case something turned up… it was better than the arrow. Her arm felt weak and beaten up, but she still kept it in hand, using the other to steady herself against her companion. Soon enough she felt strong enough to stand, and did so, trying to formulate a plan. When that Glassbeak came… they’d have to figure out how to deal with it. She’d be able to tell when it got within 30 feet, but that didn’t give her much time… considering she could barely see above the long grass. She’d be able to spot it from Khal’s back, but didn’t feel up for mounting…

Instead, she tried to use her sixth sense as she liked to call it for what the rest of her race did… to find moving water. She wandered around a bit, not quite sure where to go, but still focusing on all around her. She managed to find the tiniest stream and collapsed beside it, letting Khal drink while she attempted to scoop the cool liquid into her mouth. Most of it dribbled out of her fingers, but she managed to sate her thirst after a few chimes. The stallion had begun nibbling at some grass strands, while Oryani attempted to formulate a plan. She had no idea how far away she was from the city… though it should be in sight range if she mounted, but wasn’t going to bother with that. Instead, she should probably begin to get back some strength in case the Glassbeak turned up.

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[Oryani]

Wandering around, Oryani decided maybe it would be a good idea to find some food… she knew what to look for and what not to for edible plants, so maybe she’d be able to put that knowledge to use. Maybe… some kind of tuber, or that grass-like stuff… She began puttering around the general area of the stream, careful not to let it out of her senses, so she wouldn’t get lost. She managed to spot the grass-like stuff that was edible for humans, though not exactly very nourishing… it was also incredibly bitter. She pulled out a bunch of that, before spotting the things she’d been looking for mostly… the tell-tale leaves of this root vegetable thing… she hadn’t bothered to actually learn the names of anything, just their appearance and important facts about them. You didn’t need names for things like that.

She picked all she could see, since they would be useful in the future anyways. Her scimitar was always at her side, clutched firmly in her bruised left hand. Holding her finds in her right hand, she straightened, groaning at the stiffness and pain in her back. Then she noticed another thing… something wooden. The color was innately familiar, and the Chatakwe went to collect it. To her delight… it was her bow! It was amazingly undamaged, and she picked it up with a warm feeling inside. Even the string was undamaged… but she bet it would break pretty quickly after this. Her arms full, she returned to the slowly munching Khal and the bubbling stream, and set down her bundle. Even though she had her bow back, it was relatively useless in a place like this, so she strapped it to her Yvas to keep it unharmed. Her scimitar stayed in her hand or nearby at all times, just in case…

Her ‘food’ sorted, she sat down cross-legged, glad for the rest. Everything still ached, and she wasn’t exactly in the best of moods. Grabbing one of the pieces of grass, she nibbled on it, scowling at the bitter taste but knowing it was needed if she was going to find the energy to actually get back to Endrykas… She quickly finished off her pile, feeling a little better, and stared at the tubers blankly. She didn’t exactly feel like eating them… she’d really need to cook them, but she wasn’t a cook in the slightest. Instead, her mind drifted, until she lay back and stared at the blue sky. She was… tired. Really, really tired. Yawning, her eyes closed, until the Drykas forced them open. No! She couldn’t sleep! That Glassbeak! But… it was so tempting… and she was so tired… her eyelids flickered closed again, until she couldn’t force them open again. When that happened, she quickly fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

She woke a little later, with the sun lower in the sky. Oryani started upwards, staring at nothing, while her back screamed in protest. Nothing seemed to have attacked them… thank Semele. Khal gazed at her with one brown eye while he grazed, his munching creating a calming effect. However, his ears were perked straight up, and the Chatakwe herself felt like the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up. Though she was probably just being silly… she felt like something was coming. Standing up on wobbling legs, she grabbed her scimitar and held it up in the position she’d been taught. She’d hate the Glassbeak to sneak up on her like this… but at least she was awake… and there was nothing she could do about this. Sighing, she prepared herself, hoping to all the gods she knew that someone other than a wild animal came.

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[Oryani]

Soon enough, she sensed something coming forward… the right size and shape for a glassbeak. Staring closely… yes, she saw the disturbance in the grass, and some colors through the dense vegetation. And… now she saw the entire thing. Oryani swore, biting her tongue in worry. Her limbs were still weak and pained, and she doubted she could take on the beast alone… well… she could try. She’d at least do some damage before falling. After agreeing to this mentally, the Chatakwe felt a little cold inside. Emotionless. Yes, she was going to die, but she’d still fight to the end… it was a good, and decent policy. It was an interesting and eye opening policy, causing an unnatural grin to spread over her face.

”Well… let’s do this already! “ She told it, voice steady and toneless, except… a little excited? This was the kind of stuff she lived for… the life/death environment of the Sea of Grass. She risked her life every day just by being in the Watch, and, well… this is what she looked forward to in death. The event was actually quite the interesting one. As the Glassbeak approached, stunted wings spread and hissing, Khal reared, lashing out at the air threatening with his sharp front hooves. Those could take down a lion… she’d seen the stallion do it, but Glassbeaks were bred… was that the word… to hunt Striders and horses. It was part of the reason they could run so fast. Still, maybe the two of them could take down the stupid feathered thing. It was a possibility… but a thin one. She ignored it really, not focusing on the outcome, and fully prepared to die. It didn’t matter too much… all that existed was… her… Khal… and the Glassbeak.

The thing was still a little ways away, so Oryani stooped down and grabbed a stone that lay by the stream, and flung it at the creature. It struck the thing solidly, not hitting anything important, but still causing it to yell. It hissed at you, but focused more on the more important attacker: Khal. The Strider had stomped forward, and was now kicking wildly at the Glassbeak’s head while backing up. He managed a solid hit, drawing blood, and shied away from a ripping talon, barely avoiding getting hit. The Drykas took her chance and darted forward, slashing awkwardly at the creature with her scimitar. She tried to use that backhand stroke, but only used her arm and didn’t do much damage… really, she’d only irritated the creature. Wanting to avoid getting injured herself, Oryani stumbled backwards, but tripped over something and went toppling over onto the ground.

Pain filled her body as all the recent injuries flared up again, and she yowled like a scared cat, tears of pain reaching her eyes. The Glassbeak took the chance to approach, lashing out at Khal to stop him attacking. Oryani could swear it was grinning… but a beak couldn’t show emotions. Trying to push herself up, she glared at the thing, knowing there was no hope now… she was screwed… until…

An arrow went through its head. She hadn’t noticed the movement, but did now as the Glassbeak went crashing through the ground. The Chatakwe stood, utterly confused, but slashed awkwardly down to sever the monster’s head from its body. Only then did she glance up to see where the arrow had come from. To her surprise… it was Hashiam. Staring at him with wide eyes, her determined expression suddenly turned into a wide grin. ”Thanks!” she told him, not quite sure what else to say. With him was the woman they’d seen earlier, sitting imperiously on her mare.

”You don’t seem too bad” her mentor commented with a raised eyebrow, but focused on another step. ”This is Shavia Ironriver, of the Diamond clan. She’s a Rayvek.” Oryani’s eyes widened at the last word, before cursing herself mentally at thinking the woman a Tayvekh. ”Hello” she greeted the rider, with a nod of her head, before stretching awkwardly. ”I’m so tired…” she admitted, all the exhaustion of earlier returning as the adrenaline of their fight returned. Khal turned up beside her, and she leaned on the stallion with a sigh, putting most of her weight on his solid side.

”Right… mount up. We’ll deal with this, and you head back to the city and see a healer.” The Chatakwe nodded and mostly pulled herself onto her Strider’s back, before lying exhaustedly against his back. ”Let’s go” she muttered, before nudging her heels lightly into the stallion’s sides. Knowing the command, Khal set off at a gentle place in the direction of the moving city.

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[Taylani]

Oryani Darkeye

Skills :

+3 Weapon: Short Bow
+3 Riding
+1 Land Navigation
+1 Foraging
+1 Weapon : Scimitar

Lores :

Short Bow: Angle High for Long Distances
Falling From Running Strider Worse Then Standing Strider
Battling Glassbeaks was Tiring
Scimitar: Put More Weight Behind it Than Just The Arm.
Shavia Ironriver: Not Reyvak Not Tayvekh

Notes :

Lots of different skills wrapped up in this thread. Nice job. If you have any questions or concerns about the grade feel free to PM me. Don’t forget to edit the grade request in the Moderation/Grade forums.