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Post by Crow on Mar 19, 2008 15:17:53 GMT -5
After eating her fill, which was a fairly small piece, she stood and looked for a decent tree to practice on. When she was far from the camp she summoned her usual katana and went to work, taking the thing apart peice by peice. "I thought that I was going to get a decent fight here! Was I wrong?" She stepped aside as the third swing brought the thick tree down onto another to knock it down.
She continued on, leaving deep gashes in the trees in the area. Any watching would think, or rather feel somthing was wrong with this. Her swings of the oversized katana might have been replaced with strokes of a dagger, and the gashes in the trees should have been made by a weapon like Mammoth's. Nothing less could be expected of a soul hunter.
She finished maybe around the time Mammoth had walked out with the meat. The forest around her for at least thirty feet was nothing but fire wood. "Hope there's a ranger around here. I need somthing to stick a dagger in....." She dropped the katana and it vanished as it hit the ground. She walked back to the camp and noticed he was gone. She just sat in front of the fire and stared.
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Post by Da Pwny on Mar 19, 2008 16:08:26 GMT -5
Jodice's stomach growled... she knew she hadn't eaten in a long time, and now, her own enemy was offering her food? What was wrong with this? She refused to even speak to him unless he fought her, but at the moment, her will power was weakening...
And with the angle at which he'd approached, she couldn't simply snag the leg and make off with it. That, and her stomach wouldn't shut up about the food. She kept holding out for several more minutes, but after a search of her own bag turned up nothing, her stomach won out. Digging a dagger into the tree she'd been in the whole time the man had been making his offer, she climbed down rather spider-like, jumping lightly off and landing next to him. Even if she tried to dodge, at this range and this angle, he would mostly likely catch her before she even had a chance to get a few feet... With her body now off-guard, the strength she'd had in her anger and annoyance gave out, as did her legs... As she landed, they crumbled underneath her, she letting out a yelp as she hit the ground. Looking up, she was now completely defenseless, with one dagger still stuck up in the tree somewhere and the other stuck underneath her...
Now that she could see the man in full, her body quivered, too scared to even move now... Seeing an opponent face to face and having one staring down at you are two completely different and barely related scenarios. She turned away, her body recognizing the cold as well, only adding to her frightened appearance at the moment. She was scared, to a point, and the more she tried to hide it, the worse she shook... what a mess Jodice was in, especially if the man had just lied to her... too weak to fight back, too frightened to get up, too head-strong to play dead or plead for her life... whatever happened now, she was at this man's mercy, and although she hated it, she didn't have much of a choice to go on...
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Post by Talin on Mar 19, 2008 20:04:07 GMT -5
Talin and Fin sat by the fire through it all. They had nodded to Pinata when he asked them to watch his equipment, ensuring him that it would be safe with them. Then they had all returned with food, and Mammoth had done quite the job with the preparations. As for the knives, Fin had his own fine repertoire of daggers and had given a few to Talin, so they were well enough off with those. After everyone had started eating and such, Mammoth had left and offered the food to the woman who had been following her. Findarial had wanted to interfere but Talin had talked to him and informed him that it was not their business.
And so Fin, bored with just standing by and watching, strode over to Pinata. "Hail Pinata, forgive my rude behavior of earlier when introductions were called, I am Findarial, but you can call me Fin. Talin tells me that you've met, and about the runes on your robes. Worry not though for you seem a kind enough sort to me, Tal just gets himself a bit on edge is all" the young elf said with a wink and a quiet chuckle. He hooked his thumbs onto his belt and glanced to his sword and then back at him. "Madeline eh? 'Tis a beautiful sword, where did you get it?"
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Meanwhile, Talin looked away from the conversation Fin was having with Pinata and turned his head to Mammoth. Just then the woman came on, and Talin feared there may be trouble... until she fell before the giant man's feet. A look of surprise crossed his face at that, for he had seen her fight earlier and she certainly did not seem that careless, so she must be very weak indeed. In any case Talin did not think Mammoth would kill her, he was far more honorable than that, or at least that's what he had gathered from the large man. He had also watched the other woman, Luna by name he believed, and her work with the trees. He had been sizing up everybody the whole journey, looking for weaknesses and such, as he was very rarely one to be caught off guard, and he knew none of these travelers save Fin. Already there was in-fighting and who is to say that it might not soon turn on him. No doubt lay in the elf's mind that himself and Findarial could take down any of these warriors before them if it came to blows. He did not wish that outcome however, but as for now he would wait... and watch
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Post by knightc3 on Mar 19, 2008 21:26:50 GMT -5
Arthos moved under a thick branch of a nearby tree as Mammoth roared. He was a beast in a man's disguise, this Mammoth. He understood what he was trying to achieve and was not surprised to see that he did achieve it. Both women were trapped or immoblized under the snow that had fallen. He, on the other hand didn't have anything to worry about as the snow fell through him. He looked up as a pile of snow began to acculumate around his feet, rising to his knee. He missed the feel of the snow, the coolness. He could touch it but his skin wouldn't feel the sensation one would expect.
He climbed the tree he was under, crouching down on the branch he had been standing under looking as the two walked off leaving the girl buried in the snow. It took some time but the girl freed herself from the snow and climbed a nearby tree. Within a few minutes something unexpected happened. Mammoth had come back and offered food to the girl who had been bent on killing him . As Arthos repositioned himself to see the fight that would occur, he was shocked to see what the girl did next.
Seeing her so weak and helpless in front of the man, he scowled and his face registered something that could be associated with a murderous rage. She was no good to him, too weak mentally to stand the pressures of the life he had imagined for her in the future. His last remaining hope crumbling he saw her crumbling to her knees. Hades would never accept her.
"Noo...", he growled in a voice that would stop the weak hearts of men if they saw him as he spoke it. An invisible shockwave was emitted from him shaking the tops of all the trees around him. Birds and bats, resting for the day, flew up as they felt the presence near them.
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Post by The Mammoth on Mar 19, 2008 21:27:59 GMT -5
Mammoth knelt down, and with a kind grunt handed her the food.
"Relax, I ain't here to fight." He said patting her on the shoulder. He stayed in that position, the sumo-stance. It was comfortable, and it brought him down to her eye level, which was a sign that he indeed was not looking for a fight. He reached into his pack and pulled his flask from it, taking a swig of the cool water, and then setting it in the snow next to her. No doubt everyone around him found his actions odd, assisting the woman who he had just fought against. His reasons were his own. Why should he kill her? What thread was she beyond a frightened young girl who had gone down the wrong path. At least, thats how he saw it. If he could, he'd help her, if she ran off, so be it.
"Ya fight well, but ya really need to take care of ya'self better." He said, chomping down on his own Deer leg.
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Post by Crow on Mar 20, 2008 0:19:36 GMT -5
Luna looked up as if she had been jolted by electricity. The birds and bats that began flying away when she did so were bound to be a bit discomforting. "That's familliar.....another soul hunter? Or somthing worse?" She muttered, looking back into the fire. This could be a problem. He was either here to drag her back and finish her contract, or he was somthing with a similar aura.
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Post by Da Pwny on Mar 20, 2008 4:36:31 GMT -5
Cautiously, she sat up and took the leg, sniffing it a bit... just the scent of it made her eyes water as small drops of drool ran down sides of her mouth... she wanted to refuse, to regain that composure she'd had had before, but everything went against that will as she bit deep into the meat, only interrupted momentarily as a cold chill ran through her, something other than the snow that was all around her. Jodice's body was sensitive to magic of all kinds, and this feeling she'd gotten just now chilled her to the bone...
But even that didn't distract her long, as she returned to her food, digging in deeply to satisfy her empty stomach. Within a minute or so, she'd devoured every bit of meat, ligament, and whatever else there was besides bone... even the marrow, which she'd snapped the leg in half to get at. She started reaching for the thing of water, but hesitated... still, she picked it up and drank from it quickly, putting it back down as she pulled the train around herself, her eyes still fixed on the man... did she really still want to kill him? Was her silly, self-righteous title worth knocking off the guy who'd just fed her after she'd tried to slay him twice now?
Slinking back, she pouted slightly... more because she hated indecision than not wanting to speak. Jodice was still untrusting of him, not taking her cloudy eyes off him for even a second, but her mind was working on its own, and she was more or less thinking to herself for now. Why was he doing this to- no, for her, after what she'd done? It just didn't add up... unless he was going to ask something of her... how she hated being forced into favors... that was why she'd taken up this life, to get away from having to pay back anyone, and to take as she saw fit.
Still, even after all she'd gone through to amass a sizable wealth... where was she heading with it? What did she plan to do with it once she was done playing her little 'games'? She didn't know... Jocy lived day-to-day, not for the weeks, let alone months or years ahead of her... it was foolish, but she enjoyed feeing that power. But at what expense had it been; she had no friends, no one who wanted to be within twenty feet of her, should they know who she was, and now she was being pursued by the Guard... How much worse was it going to get?
Reaching into the small pouch she had, the girl pulled out the shining gem she had taken not long before first running into the group... she just wanted to fling it as far away as she could, just get rid of it as soon as possible. But was that right? Was that what she should do? What was right? She couldn't tell, but her heart told her that getting rid of it would only cause trouble further down... for now, she stashed it away, hoping she'd know what to do before she was tossed into a dungeon or something like that...
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Post by piñata on Mar 20, 2008 10:53:21 GMT -5
Pinata watched Mammoth with great interest... he had never seen jerky being made before, and memorized every detail he could so he could make some for himself if he ever needed to. Once Mammoth took a piece of meat from the fire to eat, Pinata followed suit... he would remain vigilant, but there was no reason to fight on an empty stomach if the woman arrived later than he expected she would. "My compliments to the chef," he told Mammoth as the larger man soaked and salted the jerky.
His eyes narrowed at the offer of food Mammoth made to the woman that so obviously wanted to kill him... it was either an intelligently designed trap to lure the bandit into the camp so she could be hacked to pieces, or a mistake. However, he raised no verbal protest, deciding to let this play out... for now, it was between Mammoth and the woman. Only if she survived did he have a stake in it.
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Post by The Mammoth on Mar 20, 2008 11:12:45 GMT -5
Mammoth rose from his position, standing up and stretching out. He looked back down at the woman from before, she was confused. Now, it could have been she was confused why he was being so kind, or why he didn't kill her, but he thought it was further than that... That she was thinking about her past. She was deep in thought, and pulled out a gem that was no doubt one of her thefts from earlier in her life. Mammoth was surprised, not at her, but that he had assessed the situation correctly. He had his doubts, to take such a chance like that was a dangerous move, and also very unlike him. He was never very trusting unless that trust was earned. In this case, he saw himself in control, but nonetheless at any point his guard was down.
"Well..." He said, "At least now ya can be at full strength, if ya plan to try and kill me." He said, reaching down and picking up his flask.
He turned around, "Name's Mammoth by the way.
He then starting walking back to the camp.
Once he arrived there, he could see the protest on Pinata's face, and he had heard his comment about the food earlier. He grinned, took another piece of meat, as there was plenty there.
"Thanks." He said, his face turning to a more serious note, "I'm sure ya didn't like me helpin' her. But there's more goin' on here than what it seems. I don't think that's the life she wants, and I think there's a chance here to make one hell of a fighter into a honorable warrior." He said, biting into his food. "And... if not... I'll get a good fight, and kill her later."
He chuckled at Pinata, hoping the man's obvious detest for lowlifes didn't carry past the greater good that could be attained, but nonetheless he figured his comments would suffice for now until the woman made her decision. He would hate to have to kill her, and waste so much talent. But if that's what was needed, then so be it.
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Post by Talin on Mar 20, 2008 16:10:57 GMT -5
((OOC: Pinata I dunno if you saw my post about Fin talking to you or not, or if your character just chose to ignore mine lol, either is fine I just wanna be clear before I do anything))
Talin nodded in approval of Mammoth's actions. He had handled the situation very well, though it had obviously caught the woman off-guard. She seemed to be in deep contemplation about something, likely thinking about what had just transpired between her and the barbarian. She was not of much concern to the elf though, and something else held more of his attention. He had not missed the actions of the animals in the trees, he had felt some sort of powerful energy being emitted for a brief moment in those trees. He would have to keep an eye out. He would inform Fin when he returned from his conversation with Pinata, though Talin was now certain that it was not his real name. Ever observant he was, and he was learning much about this crew.
Talin stepped past Mammoth, patting him on the shoulder as strode near him.
"Very honorable of you Mammoth, I am ever amazed by you barbarians" he said with a warm and sincere smile at the man. Then he nodded to him and looked to the horizion. The sun was setting and light was fading fast. It would be night soon, and a cold night at that, and they would be leaving early. Some of them would likely need to sleep soon, though Talin and Fin would only need a few hours of simple rest and not sleep, so they would likely be up for a while. It was up to the others however, for he knew he held no leadership over them.
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Post by Da Pwny on Mar 20, 2008 20:05:23 GMT -5
She looked up and back several times, trying to decide what to do. Eventually, she retreated back into the tree, unsure of what was going to happen, but knowing most certainly when she wasn't wanted. The one man was making mean glares at her, so she retreated into the forest, watching from a distance.
Sitting up in a tree, away from the rest of the group, Jodice fell asleep as she watched the group from a distance. Perched in such a way as to keep herself up, she still stayed on guard, waiting for when they would move on in the morning... She herself was an undesirable, having abandoned those that were holding her back to make a life for herself elsewhere. But why? Why was she so independent? Would she ever know? These questions ran through her head as she drifted off, finally snoring softly to herself, her unkempt hair falling away from her frontal features, exposing the face of a sleeping angel...
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Post by piñata on Mar 21, 2008 10:42:57 GMT -5
(OOC: Sorry Talin, I missed an entire page of posts somehow and replied only to the last post on page 7. *headdesk* ) Pinata nodded to Mammoth. "I get a little too angry sometimes," he said. "Our sense of honor isn't really all that different, and I should have seen the good in what you were trying to do earlier. Still, if she decides she doesn't want to redeem herself..." His eyes hardened slightly, but he didn't finish the sentence. With men, it was easier to devise extraordinary punishments... once you got castrated with a cheese grater, you weren't likely to cross the man who did it to you again. With women... he hadn't come up with anything suitably diabolical to do to this one yet. He turned as the other Elf, Fin, spoke to him. He greeted him in Elvish, just as he had Talin, then said (still speaking in Fin's language), "It's goblin silver. I had it made to slay werewolves nearly a century ago. It was engraved a few years after, when Madeline..." He choked back a lump in his throat. "When Madeline died," he finished hoarsely. A single tear ran down his cheek... any observer, even one who didn't speak Elvish and was simply watching his reactions, would be able to tell that he was mourning the loss of someone he had loved very deeply.
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Post by Talin on Mar 21, 2008 15:06:29 GMT -5
((OOC: No need to apologize, it's all good ;D))
A century ago? That caught the elf by surprise, for he had figured the man to be a human, and maybe only twenty or so at that. That thought was short lived however, as Fin had not expected the next reaction from Pinata. He saw the hurt in the man that stood before him, saw his anguish as that tear rolled down his cheek and understood that this Madeline had indeed been someone very dear to him. He didn't know what to say to him though, so he just placed a hand on Pinata's shoulder, and gave a light squeeze.
"I.. I'm sorry, I.. I was not aware..." He stumbled through his broken speech, losing his words. He bowed his head then, and removed his hand from the man's shoulder.
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Post by knightc3 on Mar 21, 2008 23:51:24 GMT -5
Arthos closed his eyes and stopped the release as soon as he realized he had lost control. He took some deep breaths waiting for his emotions to die down again. He finally opened his eyes and looked around. The people on the ground had gone back to their camp. He moved towards the tree line to watch them. He saw that the girl was not with them.
He looked around and found her asleep in a tree close by. He jumped when he was close enough and landed on the branch she lay on. Before she would have the time to get up, he held her up on the tree trunk behind her by taking hold of her neck. Looking at her now, he realized how much she looked like her. "Who are you?", he growled at her.
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Post by piñata on Mar 22, 2008 14:53:05 GMT -5
Pinata had regained his composure. He shrugged and told Fin, "Don't worry about it." His voice, however, was still a little hoarse. He looked to see what the girl was doing, but could make out only the shape of the man who had killed the dwarf earlier, apparently standing on a tree branch. He could not see the girl (she was below the treeline, and therefore out of sight), though the man was in the same general area she had retreated to. He went over and tapped Mammoth on the shoulder, then pointed at the man. "Looks like the Red River Bandit's not the only one that decided to follow us," he said in a low voice.
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