Not Another Medieval Thread...

[Tantrikenetic]

Alexander

Alexander took a deep breath. Time to explain himself.

"My kingdom has fallen under a horrible plague. It makes it's victims very sick, then turns them to stone. It can be spread through any means, even through breathing. We've named it the Medusa Plague, and it's killing everyone." Alexander poked a stick into the ground. "My father, the king, has passed away and I left to find a cure from the plague. We know it came from the west...I left my brother Lyim in control of the kingdom."

"A lone prince? With no guards?" Del asked. "That is very unlikely."

"We can spare no guards. Those who have not fallen victim to the diease must try to quarentine the infected villagers so they don't spread it to other people." Alexander sighed. "The kingdom is in a state of destruction."

"So you're looking for an antidote?" Rassid asked.

"Yeah. I'm hoping to find someone from the west who knows a lot about the plagues." He paused and looked around. "Wait. Are you from the west? Do you know of any medicine men who may help me?"

 

[Emotionless]

Del shugged in appology. "Sorry, i come from the north. Im afraid i've never heard of such a horrible plague." He suddered slightly at the though of being turned to stone.

This thought process reminded him of his dammaged arm. The cloth was soaked in blood. He removed it and inspected the cut, it was healing but would need to be stiched. He poured some water over it and tied a fresh cloth around it.

"It's a noble quest you're on, Price Alexander. Much the opposite of why im here in this land." He looked across the fire at the young prince "If you're willing, I'd like to come with you, to help where I can." he chuckled. "That is, if you're willing to have a thick headed sword-swinger around."

 

[IDreamofBunnies]

Rassid looked pensive, thinking quietly to himself. His comrades spoke quietly amongst each other in their own language. After a moment's thought Rassid looked up, "This plague indeed sounds like a bane upon humanity, unleashed by devils that live only to torment us. There is a possibility however, that my people might have a remedy for this. While I have never heard of a plague of stone amongst the peoples of the sands; it is said that their is no malady that the sacred fruit of the oasis in the eye of the desert cannot cure. Surely such a cure would be worth many bushels of gold and treasure? My men and I could lead you there, I see you could not pay us now but the word of a prince is good enough. Any prince should be a man of honor, anything else and such a man could not live with himself."

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Dust

They huddled there, sitting quietly in the darkness, the baby surprising him by not making a sound. Within a minute or so, he could hear it approaching, the sound of its scream preceding it.
As it came, the wolf stuck its head in the opening that acted as a door and said. "Here it comes. We'll lead it away if we can and you head back the other way, move quickly, and try to find a human town."
He said nothing, but the wolf waited for no response. He glanced to the woman who'd entered the building along with him (or at least to where he thought she was) and whispered, "Are you ready?"

 

[Tantrikenetic]

Alexander

Alexander nodded with a smile. "I would be honored to travel with such warriors. This plague is indeed a trouble for all living beings." He turned to Rassid. "I assure you that all of you will be justly compensated for your help."

"I'm very glad I ran into you." Alexander continued. "I was without much of a map and low supplies. I'm sure that with your help I can find that antidote." He took a bite of some leftover bread and turned to the fire. "By the way, you may call me Ash. That's what my friends call me."

 

[SecretDesires]

Aris gave the dwarf a hard stare. "Are you kidding?" She hissed at him,"Noone is ready for that thing!" The scream pierced the air again and she shuddered. "But anything is better than waiting around for it to appear. Lead on."

Crouching down, she waited for the dwarf to move from the hut before she followed. She again wondered how she had gotten here and why. She still hadn't found the answers by the time she moved out into the darkness and away from the wailing of the wraith.

 

[Khadgar]

Keldak

Keldak was already back inside his building when he heard it again, whispering voices and a small man child. that was it.

He stormed out of the house and began systematically routing out each room, looking for these people.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Dust

He moved quickly, baby held tightly to his chest, hoping this was the right thing and wondering if he would ever see this wolf creature again.
Another time, he thought. Perhaps in another lifetime.
The Wraith was ahead of us, directly ahead, its black shape somehow still visible in the shadows sent down the slope by the trees overhead.
He stepped quickly to one side, ducking into the shadows thrown by a nearby shack, half-fallen down.
Hiding there, waiting for the Wraith to pass, he hoped the baby remained quiet.
Only a few seconds later, a shiver rolled down his spine, letting him know the spectre was very close. I tmust have stopped just on the otherside of the building, as he could feel the cold air rushing toward them through the gap in the buildings.
He waited, eyes closed, knowing all he could do was pray it passed them by.
A moment passed, then the Wraith let out another loud shriek, causing his body to clench and remain that way.
He glanced around, wondering where the woman had gone...

 

[SecretDesires]

Aris had immediately put her warrior's training into action. The same warrior training she had complained about and tried to get out of when she was home in her tribe. Right now she was very glad for her mother's insistance that she train no matter what excuse Aris gave for not going.

Walking almost catlike, she came up behind the dwarf, a shiver running down her spine at the chilling sound of the wraith. Or was it more a feeling that the wraith knew where they were and could get them at any time?

She didn't suppose it much mattered. The only thing that mattered right now was that they get out of her and quick. Placing a hand gently on the dwarf's shoulder, she squeezed it to let him know she was there and waiting for him to make a move.

 

[Khadgar]

Keldak

Keldak realized that these voices were not comming from inside the buildings at att. they were behind them. *he grimaced and bent down, picking up a fallen beam from the ruin in front of him he hefted it in his hands. it's comfortably heavy weight smacking intohis palm lightly. with the light slap of wood in gnarled flesh came his footsteps as he rounded the building.

Comming to the far corner he raised the beam above his head and lunged foreward, suddenly jumping in front of the, now obvious woman and short man. Keldak snarled and grunted out in his man-speak (he was a tradesman, he had to know some of the language he traded with)
"what the hell are you doing here? this is my land, get out or be tossed out.!"

 

[SecretDesires]

Avis reacted instantly to the assault. Her staff came up and hit the man with a distinct thud in the midsection which caused him to buckle and lose his wind. As he lay gasping on the ground she hissed at the dwarf.

"The wraith probably heard that. We have to get out of here now!"

Grabbing hold of the man's shirt, she said,"There is a wraith around here and I don't think it cares about property rights. You can stay here if you want but I won't bet on your chances of survival."

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Dust

With a whistling shriek, the Wraith was moving toward them, seeming to coast across the air, black cloak splaying out all around it.
He hurried in the opposite direction, baby held tight, thinking, of all the things, the baby stops crying and some oaf comes along grunting and holding a rock...
He hoped the woman was behind him, but wasn't sure. He didn't want to be alone, responsible for the baby's life without any other help in the task.
As far as the oaf with the rock...well, that man would have to take his chances. To not know that the Wraith was out there? WIth all its whistling and shrieking...?
His feet pounded the ground as he headed back toward the hillside they'd come down, but his mind told him to find another route. Whatever the wolves had planned, it wasn't working, and he wasn't going to be able to keep a leadof the creature at close range, especially headed uphill.
He heard the growls then, several of them, and glanced back, seeing the Wraith as it was confronted by what he guessed was either five or six wolves, the one he'd spoken to right in among them.
"You'll not pass," one stated, firmly, lips retreating from its teeth.
Run, Dust, his mind told him, and he headed up the hillside, hearing behind him the growls sudenly becoming more aggressive and the Wraith shrieking, though it was most certainly not in pain...

 

[SecretDesires]

Avis dropped her hold on the man. "Run!" She said taking off after the dwarf and putting actions to words.

Damn! She thought Isn't this what I left the tribe to get away from? All this warrior, fight your way through life, kind of thing? Where the hell did I go wrong? Probably deciding to let my curiosity get the best of me

Not stopping to contemplate the answers, she caught up with the dwarf and kept right on his heels as the sounds of the wraith and wolves reached ear pounding level in the background.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Dust

She was right behind him then. He could hear her footsteps as she caught up. THe man's whereabouts were still unknown to him, but that was fine with him. The man had gotten them into trouble, so if he couldn't get himself out of it, Dust would be able to deal with that. He just hoped the wolves would run as well. It seemed impossible that they might achieve victory against the creature, especially given that there was no known way to destroy one.
He hurried up the hill, trying not to get in the woman's way, and debating trying to get her to take the child. His legs just weren't long enough to give him any real speed. If she could get the baby to safety, then at least he'd have that to comfort him if he were caught.
The whining sounds of wolves being hurt echoed up the hillside to him, and he glanced back, seeing one of the furry creatures landing a several feet away from the Wraith.
Don't look back Dust, he told himself. Forward, to a town, a safe place.
Then he was beneath the dark canopy of the trees again, atop the hill and panting from the climb, especially after the running he'd already done that night.
A long night, he thought, short legs sweeping through weeds and grass, then finding the rocky soil beneath the trees, where the sun wasn't strong enough to allow grass to grow.
"Are you...?" He began to ask, panting the words. "Who are you?"

 

[SecretDesires]

Avis was keeping pace with the dwarf who seemed to be tiring. His legs were not as long as her own and it didn't seem that they would be making a town any time soon if she did not do something.

Stooping down as she ran, she picked the little man up and sat him on her shoulders even though he protested. It was one time she was grateful for her Amazonian strength. She didn't know how long she could go carrying the load...she had always found a way to weasel out of the marathon running sessions her mother had ordered the warriors to go through...but it would be faster than matching his shorter steps.

"Avis," She said ignoring his protests as she settled him and his bundle down and started running to the fullest of her stride. She could already feel the added weight and tried to ignore it. Maybe a bit more training wouldn't have hurt after all.

"Amazon tribe of the Nekkous forrest." she added and then shut up and ran trying to pace herself as not to tire out too soon.

 

[PmTick]

Seven had been huddled on a rooftop of a cottage when he heard a man's stern voice coming from below. Looking towards a nearby hut he saw a man carrying a baby and a woman running from the hut. He recognized them from the forest earlier, perhaps they had stolen some glittering treasure. Shadowing the couple, he dashed into the woods.

 

[Khadgar]

Keldak rose up off the ground. breathing heavy he saw the two running figures escaping. his vision began to tint red, why would someone assault a farmer, and then run?

theives.

Keldak grabbed a small boulder and hurtled it after the two, then took off at a lengthy stride, a thick growl passing his lips. his huge but heavy frame was catching up to those with unfortunatly shorter legs, with each step his breath grew more ragged, and with each ragged breath his rage deepened.

'theiving bastards! i'll water my crops with their blood'

....

 

[PmTick]

Seven looked over his should to see a boulder flying through the air. Startled, he lost his footing and fell to the ground. As he got to his feet he realized that not only was he discovered but it seems he may have a fight on his hands.

 

[poohlive]

He woke up as he had done every day, with a horrible hangover, and a taste of rotten flesh in his mouth. His beard, nearly touching his chest now, hadn't been tended to in over a month. He cared not for it though, he cared for nothing anymore.
Stepping out of the shitty excuse for a room he had rented, Garret stumbled towards the only tavern in town. A wonderful place, where he hoped beyond hoping that he would drink his last.
There were many ways to commit suicide. Apart from a blade or drowning, there were may ways for a man to die. Rousing an Orc without so much as a weapon in your stachel. Trying to assasinate the king, that one was high on the list. A suicide of mass proportions. Just get caught and let the kind decide how you're going to die. You don't even get to pick, what a way to go.
Of course, his way was a little quieter. Garret just wanted to drown himself in alcohol. His wonderful idea would be to drink every day for a few years, and eventually his body will just shut itself down.
Eventually.
It would take a few years.
He smiled, motioning his finger to the tender, who already knew what he wanted. A beer, a wonderfully delightful beer that would start his day of drinking. Beers, ales, whiskey, and the occasional bottle of vodka that would wind its way from the farther east. That would be a nice little bout of happiness in his slow spiral towards death.
The hangover was replaced by a happy buzz, and Garret smiled as he asked for another.

 

[Emotionless]

Del awoke early after a fitful nights sleep. In his dreams orc after orc would charge into the campsite and his sword was always just out of reach.

It was morning now. His injured arm was stiff so he worked it in circles to try to losen it up. Moving around the site Del roused the others.

"After a quick breakfast we'll make for town."

 

[IDreamofBunnies]

"Then we go, this forest no doubt has greater dangers and I am eager to avoid them. We left our camels in the town we are headed to as they are ungainly creatures here, but they will be a must on our way to the oasis."

The nomad whistled at his companions and began to move out. Sleep by day, travel at night this was the way they were used to traveling. The prince would have to adapt to travel with them.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Dust

He held tightly to the woman's shoulder with one arm, gripping the baby much more tightly in the other.
"We need to hide somewhere for the night, but somewhere far away," he said, trying not to stutter as the wind whipped past his head. He'd ridden a few horses in his day, and this run through the woods reminded him of those rides, feeling far too high off the ground, with the world whipping past at speeds it was not meant to move at.
"Can we...maybe...slow it down some?"

 

[Tantrikenetic]

Alexander

Alexander nodded sleepily. He was not used to traveling at all. But he can't appear weak if he was going to be able to keep his companion's assistance. He followed behing Rassid.

"How long of a walk is it to town?" Alexander asked.

 

[SecretDesires]

Avis nodded and slowed her pace, but only just. She was taking no chance of that thing catching up to them. Looking around, she tried to get her bearings. She was barely out of her own homeland so some of the surroundings seemed familiar. Recognizing a slope of hills, she headed for them.

"The Shaman of my tribe speaks of good spirits that help wandering travelers inhabiting the hills just ahead. She never lead me wrong before, lets hope this isn't just some fanciful stories. We could use all the help we can get."

She raced along, the weight of the dwarf and baby telling on her tired muscles but the fear of what was behind them spurring her on anyway. She was intering the forest at the foot of the hills and had covered some distance within when she thought she heard voices to the right of them.

Pausing a moment, she took in some deep breaths and asked,"Did you hear that?"

 

[PmTick]

Going unnoticed, Seven rose from the ground and countinued to follow the couple with the baby.