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Post by The Mammoth on Mar 9, 2008 21:13:26 GMT -5
As they walked, the sound of scratching became evident from the surrounded wilderness. Exiting the city left them into a wide open area with nothing but plains surrounding them. In the dark, there was not much to see, but Mammoth could hear something... Someone.
He pulled his blade and held out his arm to the group, no doubt the elves had already heard the bandits surrounding them. How they managed to spot them when it was so dark was beyond his knowledge. Mammoth waited, watching for any signs of the bandits he knew were close by.
"No sense hiding it boys, the big one knows." Said a dark dwarf, coming into view. Within a few seconds, there were dozens of them. Why a group of bandits would travel in such large numbers made no sense. They would get very little of the spoils of each victim. Mammoth kept a close eye on the head dwarf.
"Hand over your gear and nobody gets hurt." The dwarf said, unbelievably confident.
"You want it? Come get it." Mammoth said, cracking his neck in preparation for the battle.
((This will give you a chance to show yourself Swytch))
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Post by The Mammoth on Mar 7, 2008 18:52:38 GMT -5
Mammoth kept walking, "Not sure, but this border town ain't it. I'll bet its a few days travel before we reach the capital city, or at least somewhere near it. Korgasa must have been pushed back pretty bad to have a city with nobles so near the the front lines." He stopped, something caught his ear. After all, he spent hundreds of days in the wilderness surviving, if he didn't catch little things, then he would have been long dead. Something was on the rooftops. The shingling scratched along its shoes. It had probably been tailing them, but it had got careless. However, he couldn't tell how close it was, or if it was even a threat, but it wasn't a natural sound. He couldn't make a problem of it, not until he was sure he knew what it was, or that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him... "I plan on finding this king. He obviously doesn't know that money doesn't make people fight, it makes them take it, and desert. If he wants to win, he needs tactics, and real soldiers, not mercenaries." (Sorry pinata, if I messed with what you had thought, but I'm pretty sure if Korgasa is a kingdom, and its anything worthwhile, it won't be a days walk from the outer border to the king's seat, nor would it be ONE city. . I had kinda figured it would take some travelling, be a time for character development of sorts.)
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Post by The Mammoth on Mar 7, 2008 12:29:38 GMT -5
And so, Mammoth began his trek, the snow freshly settling on the ground, and his newfound ally, or allies, should the rest keep following, in tow. The cold was biting, but oddly enough, it felt somewhat nice after being cooped up in a tavern, Mammoth always enjoyed braving the elements. Looking behind, Luna was keeping up alright, and the others were still in sight. He figured there would be a following, everyone felt the same way about this war, it needed an end, and one where the tyrants did not win. At least, Mammoth assumed everyone thought the same way. If they didn't it was not his concern.
He would be the vessel to command armies. If the king refused, he would create sects inside the armies. These generals were foolish, at best, the commanders weak. That was why they were losing this battle. With the terrain knowledge, despite weaker forces, Mammoth knew they could get the upper hand. But foolish tactics were leading Korgasa to lose.
His stomach grumbled, and he looked around.
Shoulda ate before I left...
He reached into a pouch on his hip and pulled out a peice of beef jerky. He tossed it in his mouth, knowing it was his last piece, he would have to make more soon. When the night came and they made camp, he would find something to make jerky out of...
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Post by The Mammoth on Mar 5, 2008 22:54:50 GMT -5
He turned around, putting his hand out to shake the woman's hand.
"Name's Mammoth." He said.
Looking over the woman behind him, he could see others flocking to follow him.
"Well I'll be d**ned... Looks like I've started a group!" He said, laughing as he watched others starting to follow.
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Post by The Mammoth on Mar 5, 2008 1:47:21 GMT -5
Mammoth laughed,
"That boy will be pissin' his pants when he wakes up, and I guarantee ya he won't cross me again. He's a new recruit, they're easy to turn, especially under weak leadership."
But, he stopped, turning to the woman.
"I'm headin' inland. If this king is enlistin' these punks, he'll need all the help he can get. The neighbors to this place were far more unwelcomin'." He shrugged, "Feel free to tag along, but I doubt I'll be good company." He meant no offense with his comments, he was simply telling the truth. He wasn't sure he trusted the assassin, and if she had ulterior motives for wanting to tag along, probably sparking from his killing of the guards. How she reacted would truly dictate if she was worthy of his trust, and his alliance.
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Post by The Mammoth on Mar 5, 2008 0:39:41 GMT -5
The weather lifting, Mammoth walked out of the tavern only to be greeted by some dead bodies and three guards looking for a fight.
"You there, Barbarian! Come quietly or this will get dirty."
Mammoth raised his eyebrow, and turned, looking at the three bumbling idiots, and the nearby mage. It was obvious that they weren't going to accuse the mage, as the men were killed by slashing weapons.
"Are ya kiddin' me? I just walked out of the tavern?! How could I have killed them?" He laughed.
The men hesitated.
"I don't know, but you're coming with us." The guards raised their swords.
"Your loss." Mammoth said, putting his helm on and pulling his massive blade, "Let's hope you bite as much as you bark." He said, his tone dropping from comical to dead serious.
The guards charged him, and Mammoth promptly split two of them in half with one swing. The last, a sergeant, quickly ran.
"Are you kiddin' me?! That's all you got?!" He took off his helm and spit on the ground, "I didn't even break a sweat."
Annoyed, Mammoth turned, only to hear the bark of the gaurd again.
"Halt, criminal."
Mammoth turned around, facing a cadre of guards. He smiled and put his helm back on.
"Must be my lucky day, seems you had a patrol."
Without wasting any time the men rushed him, although being smarter than their previous allies. Surrounding him, they prepared to arrest him. Mammoth laughed and twirled his massive blade in the air with one hand.
"Do you really think ya have what it takes?!" He roared out, slicing down two as they attacked. He deflected an attack, but was slammed by the sergeant's shield. He rolled to his feet and sliced up, cutting the sergeant in two. Five guards remained, and they were not eager to attack him. They struck together, like trained men, but it was little use against Mammoth. He was bigger, stronger, and a warrior trained by survival. They stood no chance. These men were pups, barely trained from the garrison, and there was no telling what they were told. He wasn't about to orphan their children.
As they struck, Mammoth came down on their blades, breaking them with his.
"Run back to your garrison, little dogs. Your corrupt sergeant's bloodlust is gone! Don't waste your lives here." He said, offering them mercy. Four ran, and the fifth stood.
"You don't scare me!" The young man said, rushing in and striking Mammoth with his blade. The blade clanged against Mammoth's armor, not even making a dent. Mammoth clutched the man by the neck with his left hand, and raised him up to eye level.
"I offered ya life... You refused. This is how ya pay..." He promptly threw the man against the tavern, knocking him out cold.
"Waste of my d**n time..." Mammoth said, removing his helmet. He looked over to the mage, "You saw what happened, I defended myself, if anyone asks."
Placing his sword back in the sling on his back, and putting his helm back on the hilt, Mammoth wiped the blood from his hands, stepped over the bodies of the corrupt guards, and headed toward Korgasa's center.
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Post by The Mammoth on Mar 2, 2008 6:28:03 GMT -5
After a few painstaking hours hammering away at the forge, Mammoth was finished. Allowing the plate to cool, then submerging it to finish the process, he was finally done. He put it all back on, and thanked the smith. Finally leaving to the snow once more, he looked up at the sky, there was no break in this storm, it looked like it would go on for a while. Mammoth began to head west, toward the center of the kingdom, but as he left the border town, the storm's intensity was obvious. He wasn't worried about braving the elements, but the fact that he couldn't see much in front of him would make it difficult to keep direction.
Disappointed, Mammoth turned back around and headed back in toward the tavern. There was no use, he wasn't going anywhere until this storm was gone. He might end up back where he started, simply wasting energy.
With a sigh, Mammoth returned to the tavern, sitting down near the fire on a large padded bench. Stretching out, he laid there comfortably. He figured if he had to wait it out, he might as well be comfortable while doing it.
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Post by The Mammoth on Feb 29, 2008 18:49:27 GMT -5
"Not too bad, scotch was a bit cheap and watered down..." He said, moving to make his way by the man. He wasn't interested in conversation. He had enough at the tavern. He nodded to the man, not aiming to seem rude, and made his way away. He walked to the nearby blacksmith, just a few buildings down. Oddly enough, this small town had a smithy. Mammoth walked in and the man turned around. He was an old grizzled man, looking as if he was about to keel over at any point.
"How much to use your forge." Mammoth said.
The smithy looked at him oddly.
"What do you got?"
Mammoth tossed a sack of coins on the table. The man was in awe, he quickly moved aside,
"Go ahead!"
Mammoth walked over and picked up the smithing hammer. He unstrapped his breastplate and looked at it. It was beaten up pretty badly. So, he took some metal lying around, and began his patchwork. It would be a difficult job, but he could complete it much faster than any city blacksmith... After all, he had to keep his gear in check himself for so many years...
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Post by The Mammoth on Feb 29, 2008 2:35:10 GMT -5
Mammoth was getting impatient. The snow refused to die down. The weather didn't bother him, he had seen harsher climates, but he didn't feel like roughing the elements. There was little to keep his attention in the tavern either. The patrons continued to sit around and drink, talking calmly. There was nothing of note going on. He sighed, and rose to his feet. Walking toward the door, he decided to hell with it. As he began moving toward the door, he turned to the assassin.
"Good work. You obviously got a strong strike." he said, grinning. He moved out the door, stepping by a man robed in awkward garments that had a different language than he could read. He identified it as elvish, but he did not speak it. So, he let it go.
The snow began to kick up, almost to spite him as he stepped outside. He grinned...
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Post by The Mammoth on Feb 27, 2008 22:58:07 GMT -5
Mammoth finished his drink and turned around in his chair, the assassin obviously didn't think Mammoth was a threat, nor did she mind that he observed her work.
Confident. Good. Figure she knows I'm no noble gloryseeker.
Mammoth wrote her off, he cared not about her now for he felt her as no threat. Observing the bar there was nothing of note to pay attention to. The storm continued going strong. Mammoth began to wonder when it would die down. He figured he'd sit quietly and observe the people until it did...
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Post by The Mammoth on Feb 26, 2008 23:49:04 GMT -5
Mammoth nodded.
"Mammoth." He said, taking Talin's hand. However, he mentioned nothing about the mage's slaughtering. With the assassin so near, he preferred not to fight with her. He had no doubts he could win the fight, but the chances he wouldn't make it out unscathed were high. He wondered if she'd notice he paid for her drink, but it mattered not, he didn't expect gratitude.
"Sometimes a dent in ya pride hurts more than any blade..." He said, grinning.
Ordering another scotch, Mammoth sat back down...
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Post by The Mammoth on Feb 26, 2008 23:19:59 GMT -5
Mammoth was curious, the woman had a zeal he hadn't seen in many as she charged out the door after the mage. Something told him there was more to her than meets the eye. He would have to keep his look out. But the weakened elf, pounded by the blast, was what he was focused on. The poor man seemed to be taken aloof by the blow.
Mammoth rose from his chair, shifting his shoulders as the now melting snow fell from his plate armor to the ground. Looking around for a mop, finding one, and quickly cleaning the mess from the floor. Tossing the mop back to the corner, he stepped outside, looking around. Checking to ensure the elf would survive, he turned his attention back to the direction the woman had gone, as she was walking back.
That mage couldn't have gone far...
His body relatively impervious to the cold, Mammoth made his way down the road, in the direction that the woman had bolted. Within a few blocks, he found the mage, split cleanly in two.
Not even a notch on the bone... She struck hard, and with somethin' not crafted by hand.
Turning around, he began to walk from the corpse, realizing he may be accused of the murder if he stayed too long. He feared little however, his claymore would have made a much different cut were it him. Returning to the tavern, he saw the elf ordering water. Elves... They always made him laugh.
However, Mammoth knew to keep his eye out. The woman undoubtedly knew he traced her steps and found the corpse, and he suspected she was a skilled assassin to do so with so little time and effort needed. If she felt she was compromised, Mammoth could become her next target. He would need to watch her. Taking his seat near the elf, he rumbled out in the low growling voice of his "You a'ight there, bud?"
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Post by The Mammoth on Feb 26, 2008 2:07:32 GMT -5
Mammoth laughed as the woman wailed on one of the men, sending him flying across the room. He let out a deep belly laugh and then went back to drinking his scotch.
He only quipped "Remind me not to get on her bad side!"
Looking over at the man who was stirring from his slap-upside-the-head induced stupor, his buddies began to help him up, looking to get out of there after such a pounding. Mammoth chucked again as the men backed out of the area. He leaned back and told the bartender he would be paying for the lady's drink. He figured he should pay for the entertainment he just witnessed.
Once the tender took the drink over, Mammoth went back to drinking his scotch. He looked out the window as the storm began to kick up. It was quite a storm, nothing more terrible than his hometown, but nonetheless bad. He figured it would be best to stay here until it dies down. Once the storm died down he'd start moving toward the center of the kingdom, and enlist his services...
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Post by The Mammoth on Feb 25, 2008 22:01:44 GMT -5
Mammoth entered the city from the harsh winter, his armor caked with the snow of a blizzard, and his beard and hair covered in it. His deep blue eyes peered out from the horrid appearance, and glared as he entered a border town in Korgasa. His massive sword hung on his back in a sheath, and his armor clanged as he walked into the small town. A nearby man, sitting on a bench out front of a bar looked at the man who entered the cities walls and laughed.
"Looks like you've had quite the journey, Young man!" He yelled out.
Mammoth looked over and grinned, "Yeah, you could say that..."
The man waved for Mammoth to come into the bar, and he did. Once inside he began brushing the snow from his face. The tavern wasn't filled with too many people, and he promptly sat down at the bar. Ordering his favorite drink, a scotch, Mammoth paid the old man and looked around, there wasn't much to look at, only a few people fighting and arguing. But a sign requesting soldiers on the wall did catch his eye, and it would require him to go further into Korgasa to learn more. His facial expression did not change. The deadpan expression remained as he contemplated assisting this nation against those he had travelled from. The harsh neighbors to Korgasa were none to friendly. Mammoth had killed numerous men who tried to accuse him of crimes, and attempted to wrongfully imprison him. Whether this was the mistake of a select few, or the collective attitude of the neighboring kingdoms, didnt matter. They had made an enemy, and were Korgasa to need him, Mammoth would offer his services.
But first, he was going to finish his scotch, and enjoy the show...
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Post by The Mammoth on Mar 20, 2008 21:50:47 GMT -5
"Let's go then." He said, nodding his head
(sorry, short post, but not much more I can do)
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