Arc 1 - Beast of a Thousand Knives (Completed)

[Kowsauni]

Poa the Dryad, Mr. Redford

As Kuori makes her way to Mr. Redford's office she would hear two voices talking from within, both of which she would recognize. As she steps inside with her monstrous trophy, her suspicions would be confirmed. Mr. Redford and Poa are having an intense discussion. The head councilman bears a concerned look upon his face while Poa looks extremely agitated. The conversation would immediately stop as the Golaith enters the room. Mr. Redford would look at the Razorclaw in surprise and exclaim. "What is that?"

Poa would look at the head and simply explain. "That is the head of a Teraxis. An overgrown species of millipede unique to Tapana Woods. Despite its diet of decomposing plant matter, it is incredibly aggressive and violent. Your comrades mentioned you might show up this morning. ...Is this the supposed creature that has been making the cattle disappear?"

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The soldiers calmly approach the end of the road where Tapana Woods begins. News of their destination must have traveled quickly, for the Hopkins ranch seemed to immediately become deserted. Gloom and Revenge would see Emmaline Hopkins come outside and close the front gate. She would cast them both a worried look before darting back into the house.

The soldiers march almost to the edge of the road then stop. They definitely notice Gloom and Revenge's presence, but at the moment they don't seem to pay any attention to them. One of the soldiers, who looks like a mage, summons a hawk familiar, which then takes to the sky over the forest. The Lizard-folk soldier sniffs around the area and then goes to talk with Nathaniel, who is studying the map Kuori has drawn. Their voices are not audible at their distance. The rest of the soldiers would mill about and talk with each other as they wait nearby. Gloom would know they are waiting for Kuori who has promised to lead them.

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Ying

Ying would look up at Hakka in surprise. "Oh, hello. I wasn't exp..." As soon as Hakka's words hit her ears she freezes. The stick in which she was using to cook a bit of meat falls from her hand into the fire. A shocked expression washes over Ying's face as her crystal blue eyes open wide in fear. "N-no, they can not have already tracked us here. They couldn't have!"

Ying clutches her head as tears begin to well up in her eyes. "No, nononono, this can't be happening! They're going to capture us again and take us to that dark place and..." Ying begins to cry. "It's not fair; w-we've done nothing to them. Why... do they want to hurt us more?"

Ying cries uncontrollably. Her sister is nowhere to be seen.  

[Rain Yupa]

The soldiers would stop and seem to be waiting for something. Revenge wouldn't be able to predict exactly what, but it didn't stop him from issuing Gloom a warning. "If you want to do your disappearing act, now might not be a bad time for it."

After giving him enough time to do that, or not do it if he saw it fit, he would step forward enough to be barely in speaking range of the group of soldiers.

"Good morning," he would address the lot of them. "It this your first time in Lupa? The woods are dangerous, particularly so this time of year. I couldn't help but notice that you seemed to be moving in a direction to enter them. If I am correct on my assumption, then I am morally obligated as a paladin of my goddess Sehanine to try and dissuade you from this obviously suicidal course of action."

With the base of his halberd resting against the ground, he would force a smile and extend an open-handed gesture towards the soldiers.

Quote:

Diplomacy Natural 20 for a 31

 

[PupSage]

Kuori nodded, "Duke's corpse was nearby, stripped clean. Gloom has one of its legs, but the sharp, armor played, legs should have been more than capable of the damage that was done. The markings are the same size as well. I am not familiar with your customs here, but my tribe keeps trophies of great beast that have been conquered, this head is for you to make suck a trophy with."
On that note she looked to Poa and said, "Also, we fixed tour soldier problem."  

[Ryssa Blackblood]

Hakka wasn't sure what sort of reaction to expect, but she was leaning more towards a weapons brandished at her sort when she just poofed out of seemingly nowhere. This panicked, crying reaction, however, wasn't anything that had even entered her mind. SHe closed the distance between herself and the girl and put a hand on top of each of Ying's.She tipped the girl's head so she could look right into those tear-filled eyes, and she yelled at her to try and shake the girl out of it (Intimidate 19). "Hey! Snap out of it!" she yelled, then continued in a softer voice, "I'm not going to let them get you, either of you. You're both important friends to me, and I'm going to protect you. Now where is your sister? We have to find her and leave, immediately."  

[Kowsauni]

Poa the Dryad, Mr. Redford

Poa would raise her grassy eyebrow at Kuori's mention of the soldiers. "Really? You will have to explain that to me in more detail, but first I must highlight the fact that a teraxis, the creature whose head you are holding, is a herbivore. What's more, they are mindless and function purely on instinct. Though it is quite capable of killing cattle, there is no way a Teraxis was planning a sneak attack in the middle of the night on cattle that it doesn't eat, anyway. You can chalk me knowing that up to several hundred years of experience dealing with them in my forest."

Poa's eyes would focus on Razorclaw's head for a moment before continuing to talk. "I don't detect any magical residue on his brain, so he was not being mind controlled. I feel like the more likely scenario is your party was misled into attacking him. They're pretty scary-looking, right? And they sure know how to fight. It's really easy for people who don't live in the forest to mistake a teraxis for more than it is. Your paladin companion told me that a pair of young women, matching the description of the soldier's fugitives, lead you to this creature. What I don't understand is why. There is something amiss here and I cannot put my finger on it."

The giant Mr. Redford looks down at the petite dryad. He follows her words but seems at a loss. Finally he pipes up. "I do not doubt your wisdom... but they did find Hopkins' bull. It was eaten by something. The women, the teraxis... What do these things mean in regards to our 'Beast of a Thousand Knives?'"

Poa continued to looked lost in thought. "That's what I am trying to figure out. I feel like this all must be connected somehow. My sisters refused to commune with me last night... That's not really unusual in itself, but it does make these happenings in the forest all the more suspicious."

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Nathaniel

Many of the soldiers seem to listen to Revenge's words. Some of them start to whisper amongst themselves, looking progressively anxious, until Nathaniel suddenly steps forward. "Thank you, paladin; we will take your words into consideration. You must have been quite concerned for our safety to come all the way out here this early in the morning just to warn us. Perhaps you know something about what lays is store for us in the forest."

Nathaniel flashes Revenge a deadly look. You get a feeling he suspects your ulterior motives.

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Ying

Ying looks up at Hakka with large, watery eyes and lets out a little whimper as she is yelled at but it seems to get her attention. Her crying subsides--at least for the moment. She meekly responds to Hakka. "B-but, my sister isn't here. She left early this morning to scout a path to the ocean through the forest. She had me stay behind to keep scavengers away from our food. I... I don't know when she will get back. I can't leave without her! I have to stay here until she returns!"

Ying would get up and begin to walk to the cave but then stop. Still sniffling, she would look down at the ground and speak. "You're so kind. Thank you, for coming all this way to warn us. But... I'm not sure if you should get involved. They only want me and my sister. They'll kill you if you get in their way. I... I-I don't know if I could stand that! I don't want any more blood on these hands."

Ying falls silent after her outburst, the silence only punctuated by her occasional sobs.  

[PupSage]

"s**t." Kouri cursed aloud. The gears started turning in her head. "Poa, is there any way you can keep people out of the woods for five seconds. I saw Gloom heading that way and the big picture is starting to come together." She didnt wait for an answer. She ran out, leaving the head behind. Heading for the woods  

[Ryssa Blackblood]

Hakka was glad that her friend was worried about her safety, but that alone wouldn't be enough to make her go. "It doesn't matter if it puts me in danger," she said, walking up behind the girl and hugging her tightly. "I'm not the sort that can abandon those important to me just to save my own skin. I swear I won't let them kill you or Corsica." It was troubling that the other sister had wandered off to scout ahead, but maybe if she got back soon enough they could all escape that way. She still hadn't let go of the girl, hoping that the embrace would comfort her, and Hakka asked the one question that had been burning in her mind. "Why are these soldiers after you, anyway?"  

[Rain Yupa]

"Do I!" he would respond to the commander's words. "I was just tromping around in there yesterday, and I ran afoul of some strangle vines that... well, let's just say that it was an unforgettable experience," he would say, making it a point to make eye contact with some of the soldiers, than with their commander.

"But I'm afraid you're mistaken. I know you're from Aria, your reputation precedes you. But, despite that, I'm here with concern for your lives. Your safety... well, my Goddess is allowing me to use my discretion in that matter."

He would clear his throat.

"If you wish to enter these woods, you will have to get through me. I intend to wound as many of you as possible before I die. I have no doubts you will be able to overwhelm me, but ask yourselves..." He would jut his thumb over his shoulder towards the woods. "How long do you think you will last in there with injured? What do you think of your chances if you leave your injured behind?"

He would lift his halberd, and grip it in a fighting stance. "I would appreciate you talking things over with myself, with Poa, and with the Lupa authorities to make a joint effort to accomplish whatever goal you came here to achieve. Let us discuss things civilly. If you think you've above such things, well... do you wish to start, or shall I?"

Quote:

Intimidate of 30. Come at me, bros.

 

[Kowsauni]

Nathaniel

The soldiers must have taken Revenge's threat seriously, for despite outnumbering him 20 to one, they do not attack. Nathaniel himself swallows hard at Revenge's challenge, his eyes widening as he takes in the paladin's stance and the look in his eye. However, where his soldiers continue to hang back and hesitate, Nathaniel recovers himself with a bit of his own bravado.

"I don't know what those little brats told you, but be reasonable! I know you're trying to stall us. No doubt someone from your little adventuring party already went ahead to try and warn them. But you must understand, you're only delaying the inevitable! You are nothing next to the might of the Aria kingdom! Sooner or later we will catch them and your life will have been forfeited for nothing."

The hawk familiar from earlier comes soaring back from over the forest and returns to his master in the crowd of soldiers. After communing with his Familiar for a moment soldier moves up to Nathaniel. "Sir, there was smoke coming from a small campfire that seems to match up with the map we were given."

Nathanial sighs and turns back to the paladin. He seems to be getting impatient--and it's clear he has no desire to test Revenge's blade. "Look. To kill you here would cause difficulty for us later, but don't think that won't stop us. You can't possibly really know these women and unfortunately I'm not allowed to divulge information on them either. If you don't like it, then take it up with my government--but let us do our job! We're not going to kill them! But they will be returned to prison where they belong."

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It takes Kuori some time to get through town, but she knows well where she is going. The streets are full of townsfolk gossiping about the soldiers heading east toward the forest but they thin out greatly as the Goliath gets more towards the farmland. Soon she sees the the mass of soldiers in the distance next to the Hopkins ranch. Standing defiantly in front of them in battle position is a single person in shining platemail. Kuori thinks she can see horns atop his head. (you will reach them with your next post)

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Ying

As Hakka embraces Ying, the blonde girl feels incredibly warm to her touch. Her little heart is racing in her chest, but it seemed to slow down a bit in the fox girl's embrace. Ying would reach up with one hand and place it on Hakka's arm. "Sister said I could never tell anyone. She said if they ever found out we told people, it would get them killed to protect the kingdom's secret... but I feel like you should know." Ying's hands suddenly squeeze down on Hakka's arm. It feels almost desperate. Her gaze seems locked to the ground. "Will you promise me? Even if it's something terrible? If I tell you our secret... will you still be my friend?"  

[Rain Yupa]

Revenge would begin to close the distance between himself and the leader. It's definitely not a charge, and he adjusts his hold on his weapon that it's clear he's not about to attack with it, and stops a few feet short of striking range.

"Perhaps you do not understand the situation... can I get a name? I don't want to refer to you as 'you'," he would start. "We don't understand the situation. We have half an argument. But unfortunately, I don't have the luxury to riding to Aria, going through the bureaucratic motions, getting a response, and coming back. I highly doubt you'd politely wait for my return and ensuing apology. You are in charge here, right? You represent Aria's might and wisdom. The reason you are in command is because your superiors would expect you to know when, sometimes, you might need to make a judgement call on your orders."

"This is one of those times. I am willing to throw my life away to delay you - not to mention, cost your men their lives if they decide to press on anyways. And the way you make it sound, this mission is pretty important. What if my delay causes you to fail your mission? Is failure that much less grievous than diplomacy?"

He removed his left hand from the haft of his weapon. "The con is possible failure. The pro might be another able-bodied warrior to help your cause." An exhale of breath. "Aria's might and wisdom," Revenge would say, as a reminder. And he would await a response.  

[Ryssa Blackblood]

Hakka was rather surprised by just how worked up Wing had become. Her heart was racing much faster than she'd known any humands to do. It was almost like she had a helpless little bunny in her grasp and was about to tear it limb from limb....The girl's words were a little bit intimidating, but that wasn't enough to deter the fox girl from what she was intending to do. "Ying," she said softly, "You're the one who opened up to a sweet little fox, becoming my friend without caring who I really was...How can I call myself your friend if I can't do that much back to you. I'm in this with you, my friend."  

[PupSage]

Kuori ran into the space between Nathaniel and Revenge. She panted, holding her arms out. "The Beast is still alive. The thing that we killed is an herbavore. They lied to us Revenge." She rose to her full height and said, "They lied to us, and Lupa is in danger because of it. The beast's trail lead us right to them. Maybe its time to think about why you are putting so much stock in a pair of women that lie to you, lead you into a deathtrap, and claim the bounty for themselves." She turned to Nathaniel. "What EXACTLY is this power that they have?"  

[I Drink Blue Moon]

Gloom takes out his rod and stands behind Revenge.  

[Kowsauni]

Nathaniel

With the paladin trying to delay him and the Goliath girl suddenly emerging out of nowhere to demand classified information, Nathaniel seemed to finally meet the limit of his patience. He would suddenly bark forth, "You all overestimate your importance to us! The only authority we answer to is that of the Aria kingdom--and you are now standing in the way of its bidding! Men: code strike delta!"

After uttering this last sentence, Nathaniel would pull a potion from his belt and all the rest of the soldiers would follow suit. Within an instant they have all downed the contents of the vials and vanished from sight. Revenge, Kuori and Gloom are suddenly left to an empty road.

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Ying

Ying would let out a sigh. "Ok, then..." She would free herself from Hakka's embrace and take a few steps forward. Ying would then turn around to face her. She seemed to hesitate for a moment... but then slowly began to speak. "I don't know how long it's been, but my sister and I were once part of a trade caravan for our people. We were attacked by strange men and everyone was killed except for my sister and I. For some reason we were... special to them. They took us far away from our home to a deep dark place where bunch of other people were being held. There they... did things to us... experiments--terrible, horrifying ones. They, well... Maybe it would be best if I... just showed you."

Ying would take another few steps back. Despite Hakka's promise, she still seems a bit scared. There is an awkward silence for a moment, then Ying's face twists into a look of pain and concentration. Suddenly, her lower half seems to explode out from underneath her skirt, her legs taking on a hideously familiar shape at the same time as two large antennae sprout from her head. In the space of a few seconds, Ying's body has morphed into a new, monstrous form. From the waist up she still looked like her same self, but from the waist down... she was an enormous centipede.

Ying's gaze returns back to the ground as if she is afraid to make eye contact now. She curls her shoulders forward as if hiding in herself, one hand caressing the opposite arm. Her voice begins to get choked up again. "This... this is my true body now. My other form is just a lie of who I once was. They did this to us... and made us do terrible things to others. That's why we had to escape--and now they want us back." Ying would then look back up at Hakka pleadingly. She now towers over the small fox girl by a good foot and a half and her armored body looks to be over fifteen feet long--but her pleading expression holds no malice. "Please, don't be afraid of me. I won't hurt you. I don't want to hurt anyone."  

[Rain Yupa]

Revenge looked thoughtful for a moment, as if thinking of an appropriate counter-argument to Kuori's point, when suddenly, the soldiers did the thing. "NO!" He would go as if to lunge around Kuori, but she was kind of big and intrusive like that, and his clumsy attack would go wide.

Assuming nothing immediate would happen, and waiting didn't change that....

"Damnit!" A pause to make sure nothing else would happen, before repeating himself. "GODS DAMN IT!" and he would throw his halberd to the ground.

He would let out several quick breaths, before inhaling sharply through his nose. His tail would lash twice. "Would it kill someone to be straight with us for a change?!" he would exclaim aloud, to no one in particular.

He would hold a cool gauntleted hand to his head, pressing the fingertips to the edges of his face as he centered himself. He would then turn to Gloom.

"I'm sorry, I thought I could talk them into a disadvantage. Even if it came to blows, I thought I could frighten them into breaking formation and botching their tactics. I failed you."

Then he would turn to Kuori. "I'm sorry. I am naïve and take things at face value too readily, and I jeopardized everything in the process."

He would lower his gaze to the ground. "I'm completely out of my element now. I don't know what to do."