Well, this one had a little bite to his words. Somewhat infuriating to the warrior, and then it was somewhat calming. At least she didn’t have a pushover on this mission. Although she didn’t take kindly to having information, especially pertinent information kept from her. While brooding, she listened to his words. Physically stronger with teeth, distracted with loud noises – some of these facts she already knew, and some were new to her. She expected that the new information about loud noises would come in handy. Her concern was on the killed. So, these things had been in the forest for some time. Now that was worrisome. Before she could continue to grill him with questions, he was disappearing into the jungle to aid Kwantu’s call.
Meanwhile, her companion was dying. Her eyes were wide with fear, her body growing cold as Zemeia inspected her. Blood gushed from the open wound onto the lap of her friend. For a split moment, with the healer there, she thought everything was going to be okay. She tried to speak, but all that came up with bright red blood in frothy foam. Her hope shattered when Zemeia began to pray to the gods, to Myri and Dira. It was then that tears pricked her eyes. Again she opened her mouth in efforts to say she didn’t want to die, but again only foam was emitted. In the distance, Kwantu was calling out. She wanted to react, to leap up and aid her champion, but her body was not responding. It was the first time in her life that she felt incredibly cold. Dira’s grip was already working to lure her soul back into the cycle. Cold steel brought her thoughts away from her body. Zemeia was taking a kind action, and the scout accepted this fate. Closing her eyes, she moved her head only slightly in acceptance. Gingerly, she was embraced by the healer just before the cold steal was thrust into her back, piercing her heart. Ba-dum, Ba-dum, Ba… With that, Dira had claimed another.
The scout that was now covered in blood took the time to lay her friend down and in a way that was honorable. Even though it would have been easier to take her body directly to Taloba, this was but a casualty of war. They still had a mission. Relieving her dead friend of her bow and arrows, a curved dagger, she too disappeared into the jungle. The head scout then came over to pay brief respects, circling the area on the map so that they could come back for the body. ”Myri will be honored to have you back sister.”
The rider was practically shredded, his left leg angled in a way that implied it was dislocated from the hip, wretched to one side, and violently twisted by something that had wanted to rip the appendage off. Half his face was covered in blood, the eye missing from its socket. The right arm was broken, bone protruding from his forearm where it had been snapped. He stared, gasping for breath. There was no hope for this man, clearly, but there seemed to be a glimmer of light in his one remaining eye as Kwantu approached him. The rider took a ragged breath before going into an abbreviated version of the story.
”Mon-monsters. From the earth. Yuk-yukmen. Monsters from children’s stories. Ambushed. Took my Tokoh and another Rekrut into the jungle. Took my Lolani…” This brought a new bite to his words as he spat curses out. It could be implied that Lolani was his tiger, his bonded friend and companion as a Bahadur rider. Reaching out, he snagged Kwantu’s shoulder with a good hand, a mix of rage and fear swimming in his eye as it began to grow distant. ”Avenge me. Avenge Lolani. Bring the earth-witch to the pyre, burn her, burn them all.”
Then there was nothing but silence. The group was all accounted for, dirty, bloody, and most likely all around exhausted. They had been traveling for many bells now, and then sun was beginning to creep towards the horizon. Another three or four bells and it would be dark. Setting her things down, the inferior scout lowered her head to pray for another fallen Myrian. The head scout circled another spot on her map before addressing the group. ”I think this has become far more than six…uh, five of us can handle. He has confirmed Naekasi’s suspicions. Which means, it is now I who should inform you all entirely of our fears.”
Sitting down, she opened the map one more to give a complete description. Sure, she seemed heartless for not empathizing with her comrades and offering prayers of her own. Yet, she was geared to the mission, to save further death and destruction. ”These red spots have been bodies, or parts of bodies, that we have found. Animals, Myrians, and the occasional Dhani carcass. Every one of them showed bite marks, very humanoid like. They encircled this clearing, which made us believe it was an organized attack from some small camp. They were attacking out of spite…they were hunting.”
She let her words sit for a moment. ”Somehow, they have learned. With Kol’s information, and our fallen rider here, the pieces all fit. These Yukmen have been around for half a season, at least, and they have been learning. This ‘earth-witch’ must be some form of leader, the most advanced of their kind. I suggest, with a heavy heart, that Kol, Kwantu, Zemeia, and myself push forward. I shall send this scout swiftly back to Taloba for reinforcement riders. With Myri’s grace, maybe they will arrive in time to save our hides. No matter what, we have to try and complete this mission. We have to kill them all, and we have to burn their bodies and return them from where they came from.”
She rolled the map up, looking sincerely at each one of her champions. ”What say you?”
OOCThe entire plot has now been laid out. You can turn back now, or you can continue forward. A post from each of you will cover a span of 3 bells: of which you can ponder your decision, rest, clean up, bury the bodies, whatever. After a post from each of you, I shall move you towards the clearing. We shall see more fighting from here on out. This is your last chance to bail out. Choose wisely. Also, remember, I’m not out to kill PCs.
Meanwhile, her companion was dying. Her eyes were wide with fear, her body growing cold as Zemeia inspected her. Blood gushed from the open wound onto the lap of her friend. For a split moment, with the healer there, she thought everything was going to be okay. She tried to speak, but all that came up with bright red blood in frothy foam. Her hope shattered when Zemeia began to pray to the gods, to Myri and Dira. It was then that tears pricked her eyes. Again she opened her mouth in efforts to say she didn’t want to die, but again only foam was emitted. In the distance, Kwantu was calling out. She wanted to react, to leap up and aid her champion, but her body was not responding. It was the first time in her life that she felt incredibly cold. Dira’s grip was already working to lure her soul back into the cycle. Cold steel brought her thoughts away from her body. Zemeia was taking a kind action, and the scout accepted this fate. Closing her eyes, she moved her head only slightly in acceptance. Gingerly, she was embraced by the healer just before the cold steal was thrust into her back, piercing her heart. Ba-dum, Ba-dum, Ba… With that, Dira had claimed another.
The scout that was now covered in blood took the time to lay her friend down and in a way that was honorable. Even though it would have been easier to take her body directly to Taloba, this was but a casualty of war. They still had a mission. Relieving her dead friend of her bow and arrows, a curved dagger, she too disappeared into the jungle. The head scout then came over to pay brief respects, circling the area on the map so that they could come back for the body. ”Myri will be honored to have you back sister.”
-----
The rider was practically shredded, his left leg angled in a way that implied it was dislocated from the hip, wretched to one side, and violently twisted by something that had wanted to rip the appendage off. Half his face was covered in blood, the eye missing from its socket. The right arm was broken, bone protruding from his forearm where it had been snapped. He stared, gasping for breath. There was no hope for this man, clearly, but there seemed to be a glimmer of light in his one remaining eye as Kwantu approached him. The rider took a ragged breath before going into an abbreviated version of the story.
”Mon-monsters. From the earth. Yuk-yukmen. Monsters from children’s stories. Ambushed. Took my Tokoh and another Rekrut into the jungle. Took my Lolani…” This brought a new bite to his words as he spat curses out. It could be implied that Lolani was his tiger, his bonded friend and companion as a Bahadur rider. Reaching out, he snagged Kwantu’s shoulder with a good hand, a mix of rage and fear swimming in his eye as it began to grow distant. ”Avenge me. Avenge Lolani. Bring the earth-witch to the pyre, burn her, burn them all.”
Then there was nothing but silence. The group was all accounted for, dirty, bloody, and most likely all around exhausted. They had been traveling for many bells now, and then sun was beginning to creep towards the horizon. Another three or four bells and it would be dark. Setting her things down, the inferior scout lowered her head to pray for another fallen Myrian. The head scout circled another spot on her map before addressing the group. ”I think this has become far more than six…uh, five of us can handle. He has confirmed Naekasi’s suspicions. Which means, it is now I who should inform you all entirely of our fears.”
Sitting down, she opened the map one more to give a complete description. Sure, she seemed heartless for not empathizing with her comrades and offering prayers of her own. Yet, she was geared to the mission, to save further death and destruction. ”These red spots have been bodies, or parts of bodies, that we have found. Animals, Myrians, and the occasional Dhani carcass. Every one of them showed bite marks, very humanoid like. They encircled this clearing, which made us believe it was an organized attack from some small camp. They were attacking out of spite…they were hunting.”
She let her words sit for a moment. ”Somehow, they have learned. With Kol’s information, and our fallen rider here, the pieces all fit. These Yukmen have been around for half a season, at least, and they have been learning. This ‘earth-witch’ must be some form of leader, the most advanced of their kind. I suggest, with a heavy heart, that Kol, Kwantu, Zemeia, and myself push forward. I shall send this scout swiftly back to Taloba for reinforcement riders. With Myri’s grace, maybe they will arrive in time to save our hides. No matter what, we have to try and complete this mission. We have to kill them all, and we have to burn their bodies and return them from where they came from.”
She rolled the map up, looking sincerely at each one of her champions. ”What say you?”
OOCThe entire plot has now been laid out. You can turn back now, or you can continue forward. A post from each of you will cover a span of 3 bells: of which you can ponder your decision, rest, clean up, bury the bodies, whatever. After a post from each of you, I shall move you towards the clearing. We shall see more fighting from here on out. This is your last chance to bail out. Choose wisely. Also, remember, I’m not out to kill PCs.