Barbearic(OPEN)

[Miki]

Ash 28, 4622¤

Wild goose chase it was, Miki was never good with maps but had stopped in Demavend to purchase one. Traveling the road west to Bardona and then north towards Demavend was easy, she knew Daravin like the back of her hand and had ridden a majority of its roads plenty of times before. With her Moroi sense of direction, getting places in Daravin wasn't a problem if she had a header and the roads made travel with the chariot easy. Reading a map though was complete gobbledygook to Miki, but she didn't let her companions know this. Confidence as a leader was key and Miki would never let friend nor foe know her short comings. If Miki was anything she was resourceful.

They had, as far as Miki could tell, made it to Shoerlund. The landscape was similar to that of North Daravin, but different in a way Miki couldn't quite put her finger on as someone with little poetic ability. Perhaps it was the trees, woods were more and more different as they traveled the eastern roads to Lanbridge-- her first stop to look for Zero. She had explained to her companions that they were headed to Lanbridge, but travel seemed slow. Nearly two weeks of riding on chariot her ass was hurting. The roads were made for slow caravan travel, not the beasts of the Badlands so travel was rough and bumpy. They had passed a few caravans of natives who looked scared and shocked at the Badlanders quickly passing them on the chariots, but Miki didn't slow down at all to impress them, the travelers rode right past.

This night they had stopped at a river crossing, there was a rickety bridge that Miki wasn't sure if they could cross on the chariot. Damned-able shitty roads here in Radenor, not able to handle the beasts that were their chariots.
"It's getting dark, so we'll stop here for the night. I ain't goin' no further til we check this bridge out in the light, ain't losing my hoss to the river spirits."
A fire was made, they ate rations, and went to sleep. Or so Miki thought, as she certainly wasn't asleep despite trying to close her eyes and get some rest. She felt something coming, the fight that she was sure to have with Zero if he didn't comply.. or was it something else. Anxiety shivered up and down her spine making her unable to get comfortable on her bedroll. Instead of tossing and turning, she got up and paced around the campsite for awhile, checking her possessions in the side bag of the chariot, pacing more, looking at the water, watching the moon and stars twinkle. They were a little farther from the road in a wooded area that already had a campsite made. It seemed to be a popular respite for travelers. Risky as she didn't know shit about shit when it came to Radenor, possible bandits or other unsavory people, but she was from the Badlands-- no simple minded Radenor bandit would get even close to the campsite.

Or so she thought. The campfire still had a pot of pocket soup broth cooking down more and more; the left overs that the gang didn't eat that didn't get poured out when they were finished as an oversight of the group. The smell of the pot was starting to be overwhelming, a hardy beefy scent that she could smell all the way at the bank of the river some fifteen feet away. It was almost too much for her senses and it was surely about to burn if not already burning. As she got up to pour the disgusting broth out a rustle in the bushes disturbed her, causing her to immediately grab for her gun. She was expecting a traveler or maybe some kind of bandit, her paranoia from before expecting the worst, but what appeared was much worse than any simple bandit. Around the campsite were dense, tall bushes at least six feet in height. At first, with the light and the shadows cast, she didn't see who was in the bushes.
"Show yourself or I shoot!"
Slowly the lumpy shadow of something large revealed itself, chuffing and growling in a loud, deep tone. It was nearly sixteen feet tall by Miki's approximation, the silhouette of a dire brown bear. Pulling a bullet from her pocket she had time to chamber it and fire off a round from her rifle that was sure to be heard from a distance. It hit the bear in the shoulder, enraging the beast, it roared and plowed through the firepit, sending their cooking wares flying and scattering coals, now it was dark in the campsite.

OOC:

► Show Spoiler

This thread is opt in for anyone in Radenor. If you aren't a fighting character or don't want to help take down the bear you can post after the fight is done. There will be 5 people in this thread, it will get crowded, and we may not all get full thread rewards. The point of this thread isn't to get XP, the point is to meet our fellow players. We are about here on the map:


I am thinking a day away from Kay's town, which is at the end of the river.

To keep things flowing smoothly we will be skipping players who don't post in 3 irl day's time. I will keep track of this in #Radenor on the discord. Exceptions can be made, just please be communicative! Posting order comes initially as first come first serve, but once this is established please don't deviate!

[kayleth]

After his run in with Oliver and Eric in Nurin, Kayleth took some much needed time for himself to return to his roots. The things that resonated with his mind and gave him a sense of purpose. Many months passed since he gave any attention to his first love, fragmentation. Usually, a wealthy royal or research institute would procure any number of arcanacrags with the hope of returning profit. However, often the eccentric material would explode or be used for disposable means like ammunition and other machinations of war. Kayleth did not have access to such luxury but, he did know how to find the masses of crystalized ether. The magi thermal radiation they poured into the environment was visible in the flora and fauna and many times lack thereof. Kayleth had yet to read about a naturally occurring purified arcanacrag nor did he think any existed.

He left town a day ago in search of signs in the unmined lands of Radenor. He would be surprised if any at all had been dug up unless by the expressed interest of a Reeves or higher. Perhaps a court mage but, the art of fragmentation was exceedingly rare particularly because many had not found a practical purpose for them outside of war. Kayleth was not the best survivalist but, he was resilient and did not require much. He carried a simple pack with a loaf of bread and some salted fish, a blanket of medium thickness, several pages of paper and some charcoal. He wore his classic black vestments and a thin cloak that barely kept the bite of wind at bay.

Dangerous as it was he never felt the type of fear in the wild that he felt under the Dranoch. Perhaps it made him ignorant to the wild or in tune with it. He was just dozing off after having written down some notes about the area and a promising direction where he might discover signs of what he was looking for. One of the passers by from town had mentioned something about tree that was burning for several nights but not being consumed. He put his head down to rest falling asleep to the silence of the land when several paces away he heard an incredibly loud bang.

“What on Atharen was that?”

The sound of violence filled the air with screams of a struggle and the roar of a large creature. Quickly silenced with the period that was the enormous eruption that traveled for several meters.

Quickly Kayleth headed in that direction to investigate doing his best to peer from around a tree covered with some bushes. It was dark in the area that was dimly lit by the squashed fire but, a trained eye could see him. The cloths these individuals wore were extremely foreign. Although, it was not the attire of this travelers that grabbed his attention but the metal contraptions they had in toe with them.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood as some form of primordial danger sensor but, his mind was already too intrigued by what he saw. Technology years beyond anything that the town of Nurin had nor anything as crassly designed in Sil’Elain. He stared perhaps too long almost as if begging to be seen.

[Arnos Gleren]

Night time within Radenor. This was perhaps something that not many had the joys of being able to enjoy, for a multitude of reasons, and yet it was perhaps one of the few things that Arnos had held rather dearly to him. Night was the only time in which Arnos could truly feel like he had belonged to the Moroi people. Due to his instinctual ability of being able to navigate through the stars and constellations, Arnos could only ever feel as though he was normal during times such as these. There weren't any weary eyes watching him from across the way due to his race and there certainly wasn't anyone that would be able to judge him for possessing such an ability. It was the only time in which he wouldn't have to feel isolated by the society in which he had grown up with and as such, it was something that he would treasure forever.

In order for him to best understand the ways of his people and the innate abilities that had been bred within them, Arnos had opted to perform his monthly ritual of exploring the lands outside of his hometown of Nurin. He had taken time off from his job the day before and was thankfully free to be on his own for the next several days. It was this very ritual that would lead to the Moroi being where he is today. About a day away from his home and towards the end of the river. Honestly, these are the nights that I long for. The time in which I can finally feel free.. Free to be myself away from the prying eyes of those that can't find it in their hearts to trust me. Free from the lingering gazes that watch my every move, hoping to call the Guild to take me away like they had my mother. Such thoughts had often found themselves within the Moroi's mind around this time. In fact, it was more often than not one of the only things that he would come to hear during this little journey of his. Tonight though.. Well tonight was different.

Whilst making his way along the river in an attempt to find a good enough tree to hold up in for the night, Arnos would spot something that he hadn't often seen within these parts. The warm glow of a camp fire emanating from within the woods. Curious to see just whom had been the source of such a thing, this far from civilization, Arnos would decidedly begin to creep a bit closer. His knees would bend slightly as he had attempted to make his way towards the source of light without causing too much sound. Not being at all versed in such things though, the Moroi was almost certainly making all kinds of noises along the way. On occasion he would find that he was stepping on branches or bristling against the leaves. All in all, he was likely drawing more attention to him than he was hoping. With each step that he would draw closer to the camp fire though, more intimidating sounds could be heard. Shuffling among the leaves followed by a deep growl was enough to set off every single alarm within the Moroi's body. W-what in the hell is that sound?!

Bang! Another unknown sound would begin to bellow through the night, likely drawing the attention of various things nearby. Admittedly, this had downright horrified the Moroi. He wasn't exactly the kind of person that had often gotten himself involved in danger. Not unless it was accidentally, much like this instance had been. Knowing that drawing closer to whatever the hell was going on would likely lead to all kinds of problems for himself, Arnos couldn't help but freeze for a brief moment. The sound of yet another ferocious roar would be enough to snap the Moroi out of it though and would result in the man rushing towards whatever was going on. In the following moments, Arnos would watch as this towering beast would plow directly though the firepit, sending cooking wares and coals across the field. The next moment would leave them blinded by darkness...

Whilst Arnos had been left dumbstruck before, this was an entirely new feeling for him. For all intensive purposes, Arnos was feeling quite stuck at the moment. Every part of him had wished to jump into the fray and attempt to assist those that were being attacked by such a beast.. Every other part of him was shouting that it was a horrid idea and that he should get away. As far as he was concerned, the only real way in which he could help right now would be via using his newly understood magics. A magic that he had sworn to his mother that he wouldn't use unless his life had depended on it or until he had come to learn everything that he could about it. Is this really something that he can consider doing in this moment?? If he were to be exposed by these people to the Guild, he would be taken away like his mother. But could he really just run and leave them to die?

Unfortunately, he couldn't. It wouldn't have been right for him to do such a thing. His goal was to preserve life, not to take it. That being the case, he knew what he would have to do. Whilst attempting to push past all reservations, Arnos would make quick work of his magic for perhaps the first actual time. Channeling Ether through the Neurocrux within his brain, Arnos would project his will upon the air surrounding the beast. He couldn't exactly tell if the creature was moving about in the darkness but he was hoping that what he had planned would at least assist these individuals in some way. Focusing his mind on one of the coals that had scattered away from the firepit, Arnos would fabricate a weave of crystalline, transparent-purple around it. It is almost as though it is a glitch in reality. One that he was hoping no one would take notice of, given the lack of light outside of the coals. Using just about every ounce of energy within his person, Arnos would Impel the coal off of the ground and towards where he recalls the beast being. "O-Oi, dickhead!! L-leave them alone!!" And with that, the headaches would start setting in, paired with the sense of wanting to vomit.

"Fear stops life. Not death."

[Alleizha]

Alle didn’t think he would be too invested in the Moroi woman’s shenanigans. He didn’t think he would be willing to leave his homeland either. He’s found that on this journey he was somewhat patriotic, often comparing his home to the outside world that was completely foreign. Since he and Brawny did not have a chariot, they somewhat fell behind the red lady. Alle was relatively good at swindling people and finding a ride. He sold a pretty good story about how he just wanted to see his mother’s home one last time before her passing and how he lost all of his money. Part of that story was true too— he was curious about Victoriana Lorraine’s country of origin, so it wasn’t too hard to sell half of a true story.

Somehow with Brawny’s good nose, they were always a good half hour behind Miki, following her footsteps to a tee. There were a couple of times Alleizha swore he could hear that lousy chariot of hers. So that must’ve somewhat helped as well. The low-class Moroi stopped at some point and when Alleizha arrived on site, he held his hand out and asked for his money as somewhat of a joke.

When she mentioned having a good night’s sleep and a meal, he also commented on how that wasn’t on his tab. Although it should’ve counted as so since he ate a majority of the stew before setting up camp and sleeping with his favorite dog. Brawny was like a heated blanket and sometimes slept on top of the young man. But he never mind because of the warmth provided. Unlike his new leader, he slept without a care in the world. He didn’t have a clue who that Zero guy is and preferred to keep it that way. He slept like a baby after a hearty meal and had nothing but sweet dreams. For some reason, he dreamt of the very woods they were sleeping in. He sat amongst a group of animals, birds to be a little more specific, and had a conversation with them. The dream was pleasant until the little smiles on the animal’s faces faded away.

“Danger.”

“Danger!

“DANGER!”

They spoke in unison.

“BANG!”

The loud noise caused his eyes to shoot open. Brawny’s leg was pinning him down, he had to shake the large man awake just to get it off. “Danger.” He repeated the very words of the birds to his pet before crawling out of their tent. He spotted the invader immediately and panicked for a few seconds.

“Hide!” Brawny shouted before changing into his faunas form. He joined the Snake Eye’s leader, however, he was not of much use. The two didn’t come to fight a large bear. He acted more like a hunting dog, running around the beast and barking at it. Brawny tried to nip at it a couple of times, but that was a dangerous move.
Alleizha, being the troublemaker that he was, didn’t listen to his companion. Channeling the ether within his body, he concentrated on his magical ability. Bones cracked and shifted, and he screamed in agony. The mixed blood experienced the same pain he swore he would never risk his life for again. Eventually, he would become a beautiful white owl.

[Miki]

¤

Everything collapsed around Miki at once. In the split second before the fire went out she was able to see a figure creeping up towards the chariots but not make out any details. Swinging around the large bear she ran towards this person first, assuming they had released the bear to steal their shit. Her mind was racing at the thought and she grabbed them by the collar of their shirt ripping them up from their crouch, but quickly had to toss them to the side and aim the gun towards the bear who came barreling towards her, its focus most on Miki. She took a lucky shot and blew off an ear, though she was aiming for the eye. It was enough to stop it in its tracks and roar in pain, grabbing its face with huge claws, spittle and blood flying. That was when she saw the man Brawny transform into a dog and Alleizha become an owl. Mages? There wasn't time to think as one more came for the show, a young Moroi.
'Where the fuck did you come from?'
Miki thought as she watched them pitifully shouting and throwing rocks at the massive beast. From her vantage she did not realise it was with their mind and assumed they threw with their hands, as anyone would. They did succeed in getting the attention of the bear though, who took out its rage by snarling and running towards the Young One.

There was a lot going on, but Miki knew what to do. This place was too enclosed and she hated forests, she would whoop and yell, while reloading, hoping the Young One would not be injured by the bear. In her confusion she yelled in Kornaan instead of Common,
"Get back here you fucking soft headed violent bastard!"
But it was not enough to distract the beast. Hoping the Young One could run or defend themselves somehow, she took her best shot yet and shot the beast in the hand as it raised it to swipe at the Young One. A sizable hole tore through the very middle of the bear's hand, then reloading and shooting again she got it right in the arm, causing the arm to drop and saving the Young One from being rearranged by claw. At this point, the bear knew who the threat was and while injured and now limping, it started to chase her.

Miki was not a fast runner, but with a lead was able to make her way to the edge of the river. There was a small cliff, about a ten foot drop, leading to the water below although Miki wasn't sure how deep the water went. The plan was to lure the bear in her direction and somehow make it fall into the river. Taking her stance she reloaded and shot the bear in the face, landing a bullet in the meat around its jowls but otherwise not killing it. The bear seemed tired now, riddled with holes and there was a moment of a showdown. Locking eyes with the beast she knew it was unintelligent and enraged, likely just some poor fuck looking for an easy meal but knew now it bit off more than it could chew. There was a moment she thought it might turn and simply leave, defeated, but instead it lifted its lips and revealed all of its teeth, roaring again before charging head first towards her. There was only a split second that she had to dive out of the bear's way, and did, but as it fell into the river it swiped her thigh with its claws. The river was deep enough where it had to swim and even though Miki was wounded she continued to reload and shoot bullets into its hide. The water was tainted with its blood as it swam in confused circles before retreating away.

Limping, Miki wasted no time coming back to camp and demanding answers from the trespassers who strangely showed up right as the bear did. Covered in dirt, sweat, blood, leather, and spikes she would surely look frightening to someone who had never seen a Badlander before. Not to mention, her facial expression was not friendly in the least. Limping quickly she came up to the one who seemed interested in the chariots and stared him down with ivory-gold, pupilless eyes. This time she did use Common,
"Son of a bitch, you want to go? I'll kill your fucking bear if you bring it back, mage."
The energy coming off of her was simply dangerous and it was clear her trigger finger was still itching.
"You two,"
Addressing the Moroi as well,
"Bandits? I have no time for this. If you're part of a gang I will hunt the rest of you down if you make a wrong move, where is your leader?"

► Show Spoiler

OOC;

HEY so because I took so long and there is so many of us I wanted to move the thread along quickly, to get us all to talk. Feel free in your next post to go into as much detail as you want with the bear, moving it around and hurting it as you please. Just keep in mind that it
* Comes after Arnos but is distracted by Miki (or others?)
* Eventually is lead away and falls into the river. (Arnos, maybe you help give it a shove!?)

Have fun and write as much as you want, lets get some points! And have a chat!

[Arnos Gleren]

Much to the chagrin of the young Moroi, the plan to distract the bear by throwing a stone at it had worked out rather effectively. Too effectively depending on how one had chosen to look at the situation. Rather than focusing on the other individuals around the scattered pots and pans, the bear would swivel around and begin to give chase to Arnos. Fear would immediately begin to overtake the Moroi as his brain would attempt to process what the next best plan was. His pulse would begin to quicken and the sound of his heart could be heard within his ears, akin to that of war drums. Rather than fight or flight, he would experience a horrifying moment of freeze. That was, at least, until a sentence in Kornaan would snap him out of it. "Get back here you fucking soft headed violent bastard!" Hearing his native language was all that it would take to snap the Moroi back to his senses. "F-fu.." His words would find themselves cut off as he would instinctively begin to backtrack his footsteps. After only a few feet though, Arnos would trip over his feet and fall back onto his ass.

Within practically no time at all, the bear had begun to tower over him. It was a ferocious beast and a natural predator.. This much Arnos could understand simply by looking into this things enraged eyes. I just had to come out here.." At this point, it was rather evident that Arnos was going to make the utmost use of his magic. He might already be feeling weak but he would rather be on the verge of death as opposed to fully dead. That being the case, as this wretched creature would begin to swing a paw down upon him, Arnos would throw every ounce of himself into his will to live. "No!" Such a powerful force of will to live was bound to manifest itself. Before the bears paw could fully lay claim to the Moroi, Arnos would call forth the weave by manifesting his own consciousness. This time around, the crystalline, transparent-purple shifts in reality would be far more prominent. It was to the point that this "weave" of his had now glowed bright enough to be seen within the dead of night. And as for what this weave would do?? Well it would wrap itself around the wrist of the beast whilst flinging it back with as much force as it could. Admittedly it wasn't all that much power, given the Moroi's relative proficiency in utilizing such a thing, but at least it was enough. Enough to stave off the bears attack and to allow for the other presumed Moroi to unleash some kind of strange attack. From his current vantage point, Arnos couldn't exactly figure out what it was that the woman was using to harm the creature but it seemed to be some kind of metal stick??

Deeming the woman to be a bigger threat than the miniscule Moroi, the bear would turn about and rush back off towards her. This would grant Arnos a brief reprieve from death or injury but that was likely all that it would be. If they didn't work together to kill this thing than that danger would be imminent after all. "Help her... I've got to help her." Whilst attempting to push past the fear that had encapsulated him, Arnos would push himself from off of the ground and would begin to make his way after the beast. All it would take was a few steps though before the drawbacks of using his magic would begin to effect him. He had already been experiencing a headache and some nausea from the first bout of flinging that stone. Now he was hitting a point in which his headache was evolving into that of a splitting migraine. In all honesty, Arnos had rarely ever felt this shitty.. Perhaps if he would have started practicing his magic earlier, things would be different. That not having been the case though, Arnos would have to push past the pain and would continue on. "Can't let her die.."

By the time that Arnos had made it to the river's edge, where this woman and the bear had been, the young Moroi had felt on the verge of collapse. He wasn't aware of the fact that there were others perhaps willing to assist at the moment, given that he hadn't seen the two mages earlier transform into beasts, so he had truly felt as though it was the two Moroi against the bear. Not that it would effect much at the moment. From the looks of things, the bear was about to bullrush the woman off the ledge and into the river... Arnos couldn't exactly allow for that to happen so he would attempt to make use of his magic once more. Calling forth his weave, Arnos would attempt to throw the beast with more force than before. Given the adrenaline that was coursing through him at the moment, and the desperate need for him to get rid of this damned thing, Arnos would fail to recognize that the bear had been just outside the reach of his magics. The weave itself would be thrust forward, only to dissipate before contact. Something that he would notice for only a moment before vomit would expel itself from his stomach. All in all, Arnos had failed to do what he had set out to do.. Whatever anyone or anything else chose to do in this moment, Arnos would barely notice. All that he could even focus on at the moment was just how shit he had been feeling. It was almost as though the Neurocrux surrounding his brain was attempting to break free... Truly a hellish experience for one as inexperienced as he.

Once the Moroi would get his bearings, he would rise up and steadily begin to make his way back towards the camp. If nothing else, he had begun to feel as though he had needed some proper rest. He'd pay these people to let him camp out here if worse came to worse but at the moment, that wasn't even a thought in his mind. Nothing was really, except for how he had felt, until the Moroi would from before would make her reappearance. "You're alive... Goo-" Before he could get more than a few words out, the woman would begin to go on a rant of sorts. She had accused him and another of being bandits, threatened their lives, and had questioned who their leader was. Not exactly the way that Arnos would go about thanking someone for their assistance but to each their own he supposed. "I don't... What are you talking about?" A single hand would rise up from the Moroi as he would begin to rub at the back of his head. He truly hadn't been feeling good at the moment and now was not the time for this.

It was only now that Arnos would begin to take note of those surrounding him. A crimson skinned Moroi woman, a dog of sorts, and a beautiful white owl. Of course there was also the individual that the Moroi woman had now been holding in hand. It was possible that she had been some kind of druid from far off lands, especially given her intimidating attire, but that was of no concern to Arnos. She was the first Moroi that he had ever encountered aside from his family. Given how small their numbers are in this land, it would normally mark a moment of celebration for the lad. Just.. not now. "I came out here to train... You guys are in my usual spot. Why..?? Why would there be bandits out here?? Just who are you??" Quite honestly, the threat of death might have outright horrified the man if it wasn't for the fact that he was too emotionally, mentally, and physically drained at the moment. Especially if he hadn't just assisted the woman in overtaking a bear.

Thinking about the fact that this woman would likely attempt to tear his throat out for the way that he was responding to her, Arnos would begin to sway his head from side to side. In Kornaan, he would simply respond to her with, "My name is Arnos Gleren and I am from a town not far from here. You might know my mother.." If it was true that most every Moroi knew one another than it was entirely likely that this woman had indeed known of his mother. A powerful Mentalist and Druid of sorts from their home planet. One that had chosen to stay behind in Radenor with her family rather than joining one of the small sects of Moroi that had set out upon arriving in Atharen. "...might I ask who you are?? And the names of, presumably, your pets?" This much would be said in Common as the man had tried to snake his way out of the situation. He was no bandit and refused to be taken in as one. He already had enough to worry about with the Guild getting closer to taking him in with each day.

"Fear stops life. Not death."