Fantasy The world of a thousand legends (always open)

[Emu]

Craggard grinned toothily at Lecoro as he whipped his daggers out. For a second he ran the tip of his finger over one, and was satisfied to see a drop of blood drip down his finger. For once, the daggers were sharpened.


" Wee-ell, I don't wanna brag, but I've got quite a few tricks up my sleeve, kitty-cat." He boasted. Truth be told, it was awhile since Craggard actually fought anyone. He did a lot of running away and indirect attacks, but he avoided battle when he could. But he was as quick on his feet as ever, and had little issues lodging a dagger deep in someone's throat. Llugats weren't known to be fighters and this was shown in their desperate attempts to stay isolated from the world, but Craggard prided himself in his combat abilities.


Lecoro himself probably was more gifted in the strength field. He was the King of the Jungle, so to speak.


@Ghost Hunter

 

[Yum222]

Sera approached Minnie and the others, smelling the stew...then sneezed all of a sudden. "Whew...weird.."


Minnie motioned for her to grab the bowls and spoons, meaning the food was ready. "Finally! I'm starving.." She helped serve the stew to everyone. She walks to Aer and Lukar--Luke, once they were done talking for the moment. "Here you go~", she said as she handed them their meal. She went back to sit with Minnie, politely letting Aer speak to the 'God' in privacy.


@Pandorian @Clockwork Syringe

 

[Pandorian]

"I wouldn't say all on my own. It was the will of the masses that willed me into existence, and I simply answered their call. And even if I am special, my ability isn't really anything that a human couldn't do as of yet... but your words flatter me." Aer noted quietly, before being interrupted for a moment by Sera, who handed them both a bowl of stew. Taking a quick sip to admire their work, she was met with a delightful mix of tastes in layers, bringing a rather abrupt motion of joy on her face. "Oh, the joy! Delicious...". Her speech then returned to whispers once again. "...I'll be sure to watch out for him. We might've even already met. But these people I'm travelling with? It's just a hunch of my interest, so don't expect the world out of it. But Sera... I could agree to that. Planning to take her under your wing or something? Or are you just wanting my opinion on her?"





@Yum222 @Clockwork Syringe

 

[SpookySpecter]

" Wee-ell, I don't wanna brag, but I've got quite a few tricks up my sleeve, kitty-cat." The vampire said, grinning and drawing his daggers. "Good...is that the barracks right there?" The barracks was a large stone building with barred windows.The door was smashed open, and a pool of blood flowed from the inside and out of the doorway. Leco turned to Craggard. "Stay behind me...." He said, raising his sword and slowly walking forward to the doorway.

 

[Clockwork Syringe]

With the momentary pause provided by Aer, Lukard and he received their human meals. Taking a spoonful, it tasted quite well and had that consistency of a rustic meal. Although he didn't need to eat in his divine form, he needed to for his human form and this would provide substance. Turning back to Aer, he continued his thought, "If you were made to be the goddess of your trade, then it's special enough, take my own trade for example, forging and crafting. No human can do what I do in the forge or in crafts and thats why they seek my guidance. You just need to demonstrate your powers to a few humans, they start to seek you out and then you gain a following. One avenue I can see you exploring, although you don't need to, is to bestow game sense on humans. As to Sera, she's got potential to be a good smith, a magic smith even as I detected a lot of dormant energy within her. I plan to ask if she wants to come to the forgemasters with me when we reach Gyinsheer. I'll be unveiling my actual form then."


@Pandorian

 

[Pandorian]

"To bestow game sense... but who would pursue me for that? It wouldn't hurt to try, but I feel I kind of need to do more than that." she thought aloud to Lukard, the path on her mind. Her ears seemed to perk at the mention of Sera. "...I'm glad to see you agree that Sera is capable. Though, that won't stop me from having my own say when you come to ask her about it - she'll probably be blown away from your true form, in an... any case.". Her whisper suddenly faltered at the thought of his true form. True form... true form... as far as she was aware, she did not yet possess one. What would she even become if she did? How would she even achieve ascendancy..? The questions rattled her head, but she knew that Lukard would probably have little answer to such things. She was a rare case, once more. "I'm yet still young. I guess I'm in no rush to find my way so soon. Perhaps one day, I'll be able to stand on more... equal terms with you, Lukard. Not to say that'll be easy to achieve, mind me!"





@Clockwork Syringe

 

[Yum222]

Sera sneezed again, worrying Minnie a bit. "Geez, I hope it's not a cold.."


"Nice work on the stew Minnie~" she pat her friend's head, eliciting a little purr.

 

[SpookySpecter]

As Leco entered the main room, he carefully examined it. It was dark, and a pile of guard corpses lie in the center, creating the pool of blood that flowed out of the building. "None of these bodies are Rook's...I don't think he was here, or if he was, he probably high tailed it out of here, these bodies look like they've been here for a little bit.." Leco moved deeper into the room, the stench of the bodies filled his nostrils. Suddenly, he noticed a gleam in the darkness from the corner of his eye. It was a cleaver! The gleam began to move silently towards Craggard. "Craggard, look out!" Leco yelled.

 

[Clockwork Syringe]

Lukard continued to eat while talking to Aer, "It is not easy to achieve a gathering of followers, it takes time and patience as well as when to and when not to intervene." Lukard finished his soup and then stop up, "Well thank you for the soup Minnie, it was delicious, now I must go take first watch for tonight." Lukard then placed his bowl near the campfire and walked off to learn on the nearby tree to scan the horizon once more. Once he began to do so, thoughts of Deumex'ani began to swirl in his mind, The eldest god had over 150,000 years of seniority over him, and yet he has not made an appearance. Lukard, however, looked forward to when Deumex'ani would awaken and they could talk as divine beings.


@Ghost Hunter

 

[Yum222]

When Sera and Minnie finished eating, they decided it was time to go to bed. Minnie then wrote to her that she set up two bedrolls together for her and...


"Y-you wha..?", Sera said, her face beet red. She got up and quickly looked around, finding the doubled bedroll and separating them, giving enough space between them to not be considered 'too close'. She glanced at Aer for a moment before returning to Minnie, bopping her on the head as punishment. "W-we aren't like that...dummy.."


@Pandorian

 

[Computing Magus]

Marcus went for a bowl for himself and got a rather small one for Maliset. He ate them rather quickly. How Marcus ate food, one could only guess; the scarf covered where his neck could be. He stared blankly at the group as he finished. Sera and Minnie seemed to be getting ready to sleep, though the extra bedroll was slightly questionable as he counted. Aer and Luke are at a conversation. That left only Maliset and him, who he now called off to bed for now since it could be a bit way to late for her.


@Federen Mason

 

[Clockwork Syringe]

Lukard took one look over his shoulder and noticed that everyone was getting ready for bed, all the more reason for him to keep watch for now. This human disguise had it's limits, but with what energy he could use, this body would not grow tired while awake for extended periods of time. If his estimates were right, he would be able to stay up all night and wouldn't need to sleep. This would last until he unveiled his true form, his original human form which was now brimming with divine energies. Scanning the landscape, he noticed a shooting star soaring across the night's sky like a jewel. ~Heh, a shooting star, just like the ones she used to watch at-~ Suddenly tears began to form in his eyes and he held his fist to his mouth to attempt to muffle out the sounds of crying. ~Oh no not again, why does this have to always happen when a shooting star forms?~ It had been 50,000 years since he became a god, but he was still thinking of Her from when back when he was a human. Her face still haunted him to this day even with periods of not remembering her for long periods of time as if to try to push out the memories. ~You are a God, you cannot let the mortals see you crying like this Lukard, stay strong, for Her sake.~


@Ghost Hunter @Emu

 

[Pandorian]

Given a few seconds to revel in the campfire's warmth, Aer soon stood, born with a new direction. By the time she had reached the bedrolls, the meal that Sera had eaten had been consumed completely, a content expression of joy still placed onto her. She thought only to thank Minnie at first. "That meal was divine, Minnie, thank you. Best I've had in a while!" she sung, placing the bowl just beside her. Gesturing to Sera, she motioned towards the two bedrolls set out for them by Minnie. "I might be a bit presumptuous, but are these two for the both of us? How devious."





@Yum222


(Not 100% sure I know what I was going for here x-x)

 

[Yum222]

"T-that..!" Sera already dealing with Minnie's teasing, and Aer adding on to it made it much more embarrassing, creating a new shade of red. "I-I moved them away from each other...because I move in my sleep..I'd never f-force you to sleep next to me..!"


A close look at Sera would reveal steam rising from her head as she spoke.


@Pandorian

 

[Emu]

" ...Eh?"


Craggard barely had time to react before he turned to see a gleaming clever raised above a figure's head he couldn't make out. His normally cocky expression widened in surprise at the attack. The figure raised the cleaver high and brought it to the ground, making an ear splitting clang as it did so. But Craggard was nowhere to be found.


The figure cocked their head, confused. Why had their blow been met with the dirt instead of flesh? They felt a light tap on the shoulder, and whirved around to be met with a dagger in their chest. As the figure silently crumpled to the ground Craggard revealed himself. he winced a bit at his handiwork. He wasn't able to get a clean stab at his target, so he doubted the wound could prove fatal. He supposed all he needed to do was get them on their knees. Still, that wasn't mentioning what a close call that was. He could have been sliced in half like a hunk of his aunt's honey ham if Lecoro hadn't warned him. At least he got to show off a bit, but a common criminal wasn't much to be proud of. He knew his way around bandits and freaks, but he was no professional.


He roughly pushed the bandit aside with his leg as he sauntered back to Lecoro's side. However, he made sure to stand behind the lion this time, slightly spooked by the sudden attack.


" If the kid's not at the barracks, let's get outta here, yeah?" Craggard offered. He was eager to leave after what just happened.


@Ghost Hunter

 

[Pandorian]

Sera's reaction had caught Aer off-guard, even though she was kind of expecting such a reply. "O-Ok, I get it, Sera! Just please, calm yourself down a bit - you'll tire yourself out even more if you keep on like this." Aer pleaded, backing off from her teasing rather unexpectedly. Almost like karma, Aer began to yawn, lowering herself to the bedroll right beside her, where she sat on her knees once more. Looking back up at Sera, she gave an expression that could only be read as friendly. "...Not that it would bother me too much if you slept next to me. It's not as if I can't trust you, after all. At least, I hope."





@Yum222

 

[Yum222]

Sera shook her head. "I-I.." Aer's words successfully calmed her down. "S-sorry, I overreacted...I know you didn't mean to...achoo!" She sneezed again, her face returning to a regular colour. She was still rather nervous about being so close to Aer, but she finally sat down on her bed, yawning as well. "Good night, Aer~" She said with a smile, happy that Aer could trust her. Sera laid down, going to sleep.


As soon as her heart stopped beating so strongly.


Minnie went to sleep at her own bedroll, purring softly.


@Pandorian (I swear I should tag first, then write. Then you'd get the notification x-x)


(Also, ready to skip to morning)

 

[Pandorian]

As soon as Sera had fallen asleep, Aer pulled herself into her bedroll beside her, looking outward towards Lukard for but a few slow moments before she turned back towards Sera, falling asleep slowly but surely. Only her passing thoughts kept her awake; Her sense of direction in life, the group's journey, the gods she had yet to meet. They all inspired her curiosity, and so inspired her will to move forward, with a new spin on her life. It was to be long, so why not make it all interesting? As Aer faded into her slumber, one thing still rose out of the darkness - her confession of status to Sera. The contrasting possibilities made her stir quietly as she succumbed to sleep.


(Same here.)

 

[SpookySpecter]

Leco watched as Craggard made quick work of the bandit. Leco smirked, the vampire's agility was astonishing. " If the kid's not at the barracks, let's get outta here, yeah?" The vampire asked hastily. Leco sniffed the air. He couldn't smell Rook. But he swore he could smell someone else.. "Very well...I can't smell him. Would you like to turn in for the night? Leco asked. sheathing his sword. He took a flint and steel from his pocket. "I could make a fire outside." He said, testing the flint and steel by quickly sliding the two together. A spark lit up the room for a moment, and scream of pain quickly followed. Along with a thunk and clang of a metal on the floor. "AUUUGGHHH MY EYE...where's that dagger...I'LL KILL YOU!" The bandit yelped. The injured bandit began crawling and rummaging on the floor. Using his noes to sniff him out, Leco calmly walked up to the bandit, put his foot on his head, and crushed it. "Well..I think it's time to get out of here.." Leco said. Motioning towards the door.

 

[Emu]

"Well...I think it's time to get out of here..." Lecoro said, with a strange calmness. The merchant simply nodded at Lecoro, shocked. He looked back at the bandit, wincing a bit. What was left of his crushed head was a grisly mess of blood and bits of brain splattered across the floor. The bandit's fingers twitched wildly before stiffening and falling to the floor. He looked back at Lecoro with a stunned expression. He silently thanked the gods that it wasn't his head Lecoro was crushing. Still, the lion's effortless display of strength made Craggard certain he was a good ally to have. He figured he would stick around awhile. Inderigo may have been ruined, but it was also significantly more exciting to Craggard. And he suspected that Lecoro might have had a hand in that.


He pushed the door open and peeked outside. Most of the houses were damaged by the apparent attack earlier, but Craggard reckoned the other part was still intact. He wondered if the tavern was still open. Or even there anymore. He wasn't sure if the attack was on the entire town or just what he had seen.


" You still up for makin' a fire?" Craggard quickly spoke up again.


" And by the waaay, I've got plenty of stuff for comfy sleepin outdoors if you want to y'know- buy something." Craggard noted. He couldn't believe himself. All this time he had completely forgotten to sell anything, to Lecoro or even those bandits.


@Ghost Hunter

 

[Computing Magus]

Marcus scooted Lissy to the tent so that they can finally rest after a long day. Hopefully tomorrow won't be as tiring than what he would like it to. After a few more moments of tidying and organizing inside the tent, a bit more sorting around in his wares, and making sure that Lissy slept first before him so that she won't go outside the tent without his supervision, he finally lied down inside to put himself to slumber.


@Yum222


(Ready. I doubt Federen would reply soon)

 

[Yum222]

The night passed quietly, without any disturbances. The morning sun came to greet the group along with the chirps and rustling of forest life.


Sera opened her eyes first, blinking in the morning light and sat up. Before she could get up though, a familiar feeling of dread washed over her, making her dizzy and tired. She fell back onto her pillow, pain exploding from her body and head. 'Not...this again..', was her last thought before lapsing back into unconsciousness. Her face was red with fever and she was sweating bullets. Her breathing got ragged and irregular while she'd seem to be having nightmares, unable to be woken up.


@Pandorian @Clockwork Syringe @Computing Magus


(Have fun with this!)

 

[SpookySpecter]

Leco took one more sniff to make sure he didn't smell anyone else. It was all clear. " You still up for makin' a fire?" Craggard said quickly. "Of course, it'll only take a few seconds, and the townspeople can gather around it too." As Leco talked he scraped his foot against the wood floor at an attempt to get the bits of brain off of it. " And by the waaay, I've got plenty of stuff for comfy sleepin outdoors if you want to y'know- buy something." Leco put his hand up. "That won't be necessary." He said shaking his head. Leco walked outside and looked around. To his left, a perfectly destroyed house lay in the moonlight. He could use the wood for the fire! "Ill be right back." He said to Craggard without looking over his at him. At the house..er more like the wood pile....Leco dug through the rubble and found some good starter wood, and some good large planks to keep the fire going all night. He threw these to the side and looked back at the house. His stomach grumbled, and he ached from hunger. "I suppose they wouldn't mind if I took some food..." Leco said. He walked back to rubble and dug around again. Throwing wood behind his back into his two piles of small and large pieces of wood. After a few minutes of looking, Leco struck food. A barrel labeled "EMERGENCY RATIONS" lay in the bottom of the rubble. Quickly, he heaved up the barrel and walked back to Craggard. With a heavy clunk, Leco placed the barrel down and he began eagerly looking through it. The contents included: three sacks of dried fish, a large sack of beef and turkey jerky, smaller sacks of dried fruits, dried corn, and jars of what appeared to be chowder.....After examining the contents, Leco got up and turned to his wood piles.


Leco grabbed an armful of starter wood and quickly built a small nest to start the fire in. Taking out the flint and steel, Leco slid the two pieces together. Soon a fire began crackling. "There...that's more like it" He said. Leco noticed a small group of townsfolk hesitantly walking towards the light of the fire. "Come on over, the fire is all built." Leco announced to both Craggard and the group of villagers. The villagers all looked at one another, and slowly began to walk over. Leco took a piece of wood from the large pile and carefully set it in. The fire roared and began consuming the wood. "Now then let's eat." He said eagerly, Walking back to the barrel and pulling out the bags of jerky and fish. He started handing out rations to the villagers, occasionally tossing a fish in the air and catching it in his mouth, and receiving a little bit of laughter and applause for this trick. He walked back up to Craggard. "You want some food?" He asked, offering the two bags to him.


(Almost ready for the skip, just a little bit more.) @Emu

 

[Emu]

((OOC: Yes, almost ready! I apologize for my choppy writing, btw. I've been feeling pretty uninspired lately, but it'll hopefully pick up soon.))


Craggard let himself kick back and relax as Lecoro busied himself gathering firewood and food. He let out a deep sigh and leaned against a pile of rubble. It had been a very long time since he had been on any of his misadventures with another person, even if it was just for a day. While Craggard was by no means unsociable, he wasn't good at sustaining friendships. However, even he had a few people he cared about. How long had it even been since he had visited? A year? Several? Still, his last stop there was vivid in his head. It always left him shrieking with laughter and the others fuming. One year he left with a busted lip and a black eye. Craggard smirked a bit. Good times, good times. His thoughts were suddenly thwarted by Lecoro, who had dragged a barrel over and was sorting through its contents. Craggard gazed greedily at the dried meats, fish, and fruits inside.


" Attaboy, kitty-cat! There's enough chow for weeks!" He barked gleefully. Lecoro then got started on the fire, and it didn't take long for the fire to spark. The warm embers brought out the remaining villagers, each cautiously emerging from their ruined homes.


"There...that's more like it" He said.


"Come on over, the fire is all built. Now then let's eat." Lecoro said warmly. Craggard was in too much of a good mood to shoo them away. And besides, people were actually beginning to enjoy themselves, and he was too. Villagers clapped at Lecoro's tricks and children taunted the fire by throwing wood in it, some approaching dangerously close before their parents pulled them away. In an attempt to join in, Craggard threw a stray log towards the fire, instead hitting a small child. They began the ever familiar wailing, and Craggard quickly decided the incident never happened.


"You want some food?" He asked. Craggard let out a bark of a laugh.


" Hah! You don't even need to ask, kitty-cat! " He stuffed a few dried fish in his mouth, instantly tasting both the overuse of salt and dust. He spat out the fish quickly.


" Eugh. Good Gods. I might as well eat my own arm." He muttered, the taste still lingering. Craggard actually eyed his arm thoughtfully for a second before opting for the dried corn or fruit instead, hoping it lacked the salt.


" So! Lecoro! You uh... got any..." Craggard fumbled about for a few moments, trying to make conversation.


" Where you from? You know, you kinda stand out around here."

 

[SpookySpecter]

Leco laughed when Craggard spat out the fish. "Yeah, should've warned you, it tastes awful." He said without looking at Craggard. So! Lecoro! You uh... got any..." Leco looked over to the vampire, and he stuttered. " Where you from? You know, you kinda stand out around here." Leco looked at Craggard with a blank expression. He looked down at his feet, thinking of what to say. After a moment he looked back up at Craggard. "I'm from the Arid Plains to the east. My tribe used to live there...the Whitemanes." Leco rooted around in the fish sack and pulled out a paw-full of fish. "I'm the last surviving member of my tribe." He said quietly, looking down at the fish. He shoved them all in his mouth and practically swallowed them whole. He was incredibly hungry. "And that's why i'm here now, otherwise, I think i'd still be east...I like it there better...but I can't go back." A villager woman offered Leco a large gallon canteen of water and he took it, gulping down half of it. Leco set it down by Craggard. "Here you look thirsty." Leco got up and threw a plank of wood into the fire. A loud snap and a satisfying sizzle was heard, and sparks flew into the night sky. He sat back down by Craggard. "I don't usually ask others about where they came from. None of my business, and frankly I don't usually care..but you intrigue me, Craggard. So, Where are you from?" Leco asked, placing a paw on his cheek. His yellow eyes glowing in the fire.





@Emu


(Almost ready)