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Post by knightc3 on Mar 15, 2008 2:29:56 GMT -5
Lost in her emotions, she hadn't noticed Arthos following her. She was following the group for reasons he knew well and so was he, it was that simple. He thought about whether to help her. She would probably kill the man who he had heard call himself Mammoth with a little help from him, which is also what he wanted. But then she would be venturing very close to the path he had taken so long ago.
He realized recruiting another potential agent for Hades might free him from the dreadful 'job'. But the small part of humanity still left in him didn't think it was right. He would have to at least warn her. Besides knowing Hades treacherous tactics, he would probably recruit her but not let him go either. What then?
He stayed away behind the woman, his cloak flying through some nearby bushes. "Do you want to end up like me? If you do kill him and others that would undoubtedly cross you, you will eventually end up like me. So think of it carefully before you act. Don't think with your emotions." He didn't mention it would be him who would personally take her soul to Hades if she did.
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Post by Da Pwny on Mar 15, 2008 16:00:19 GMT -5
Pissed to no end, she turned and hurled the dagger through a nearby tree. "F*** off" was the only response she gave to him, flicking her wrist to retract the knife from its hold. Jodice wasn't in any mood to listen to anyone, nor did she want any help from anyone else. Her eyes flashed white for an instant as she stared at the man a bit longer, then disappeared into the forest ahead of her as she turned back.
Great... now she had to watch her front and rear... this revenge business was really becoming a pain in the arse to her...
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Post by piñata on Mar 17, 2008 10:48:12 GMT -5
Pinata let a flicker of surprise pass across his face before schooling his features again. "Luna?" he said. "That's interesting... I knew another woman named Luna once. Nice to meet you."
He turned to Mammoth. "And you, as well. Talin, I've already met... I don't know his other friend, though." He nodded in Fin's direction.
(OOC: Where is Talin?)
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Post by The Mammoth on Mar 17, 2008 12:12:10 GMT -5
OOC: I think he said he can't post on weekends, so i assume he'll be back tonight.
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Post by The Mammoth on Mar 18, 2008 9:18:00 GMT -5
Talin and Fin nodded and introduced themselves ((Hope you don't mind)). Soon enough however, Talin had decided that it was a good time for them to stop and make camp. As the group set up for the night, under a small tree that seemed to be the only one in the field they were traveling in, Mammoth took off his gauntlets. There was a dry wrap, seemingly made from horse hide around his hands. He took it off and replaced it with one he pulled from the pouch at his side. He carried a pouch on his right hip that had essentials for survival, specifically, any small gear, a knife, and a flask. Taking a drink from the flask, he had filled it with water earlier, he put everything away, and after wrapping his hands meticulously, ensuring good coverage around his fingers to allow him to have a firm grip in often loose fitting gauntlets. It also kept his hands dry, which meant that his gauntlets wouldn't slip. They were lined, as most were, but often seemed to slip from wear. He no doubt knew he needed to craft new ones at one point.
He finally turned from the group, heading for the nearby forest that bordered the large field they were in. The snow laid heavily on the ground, and despite the bitter cold, Mammoth hadn't noticed until now.
"I'm gonna go find us somethin' to eat. Hopefully one of ya other than me knows how to make a fire..."
With that, he headed to the woods. The thick underbrush made it difficult to move, as the various weeds and roots caught his armor. He trudged through it, using his sword to clear a path in front of him. Before long, he stood, silently, waiting...
He didn't move, not an inch. For what carried on for about a half an hour, Mammoth stood like a statue, watching as a deer inched its way out from behind a tree, moving toward a small pond of water left from melted snow on the treetops. Surprised to see a deer in the winter, Mammoth raised an eyebrow, but still didn't move, this was his chance to get something good for the group to eat. Watching ever so carefully, he waited until the beast turned, and then hurled his blade at it. By the time it had turned to run, the blade took its head off right behind the neck.
"Haha! Sorry little buddy, but we gotta eat." He said, walking up and pulling his blade from a tree that it lodged in. He reached into a pouch and grabbed some of his hide wrap and tied off the deer's neck so that the blood wouldn't pour out as he carried it, no doubt attracting unwanted wildlife.
Before long however, Mammoth stopped, something made a noise, something that wasn't an animal.
She's still following us?
He left the deer lying on the ground, and stood, checking his surroundings. If she was intent on revenge, he was at an extreme disadvantage in these woods. Why he didn't think of this before left him angry. He was smarter than this, and now he had himself in a position that was going to be nasty were it actually that woman from before... Unless she decided to speak first...
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Post by piñata on Mar 18, 2008 11:48:15 GMT -5
"I've got the fire covered," Pinata assured Mammoth as the larger man left to do some hunting. Pinata was happy with the distribution of responsibilities... he rarely had the patience for hunting.
He put some dead branches -- they were always dead branches when he made a fire, as he abhorred harming living trees -- in a small pit of earth, then waved his hand over his handiwork, muttering an incantation. Within moments, the fire was going at a very satisfying rate, not large enough to be alarming to the others in the camp but certainly large enough to provide heat and cook food. He sat back and waited for Mammoth to return.
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Post by Talin on Mar 18, 2008 11:57:25 GMT -5
((OOC: Sorry I have been on spring break and just got back to school, very busy very busy, I have been reading but not posting, i'll post soon though. You're welcome to control mine for a bit though until I get back though ))
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Post by Da Pwny on Mar 18, 2008 17:06:30 GMT -5
*Its ok just don't take too long* She had, indeed, been watching the entire event for the last half hour, not in the mood to interrupt a hunt, although that would undoubtedly piss him off about as much as him losing to her. Perched in the treetops nearby, hidden behind her train which she was using as a cloak, the girl waited as long as she could... It was the unfortunate prospect of an itch that'd nearly blown her cover. She'd been silent, quieter than death himself, when out of nowhere she needed to scratch her side. And that would have been all fine an dandy, had her chains not rustled in the wake of movement... And now the itch was still there, but she had frozen up completely, envisioning what was about to happen... Thankfully, he was not facing her direction, so she easily slipped out off the tree and into the underbrush, which provided perfect cover for her. Speak? Not a chance... she wasn't going to give him any sort of advantage, as she could already feel his anxiety at his current position. The more he kicked himself over it, and therefore the less he paid attention, the easier it was going to be to sneak up on him... But much like a child who'd just caught a squirrel, what was she supposed to do with him after she had him in her sights? His armor was too thick to simply punch through, and she didn't know quite how she was to go about attacking him... Still, he had his helmet off, which would make things easier for her if it stayed that way... Perhaps... no, she would wait, dragging this game out a while longer while she looked for a weakness in his armor, something that she could actually use...
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Post by Crow on Mar 18, 2008 17:20:02 GMT -5
"I'll be going out for a walk, I don't really like sitting still unless I have to......" Luna stood up and walked into the woods after Mammoth, figuring that he would have already scared the wildlife away. She soon spotted him with a kill at his feet looking for somthing. At her angle she easily spotted the would be assassin. She quickly enacted a spell that would dampen the noise around her, making her as quiet as the shadows she controlled. She crept up behind the girl who still hadn't noticed her due to the lack of noise she made. She was standing a good foot behind her wondering what to do when she decided to go with a clasic. "Hey!" She shouted.
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Post by knightc3 on Mar 19, 2008 5:25:20 GMT -5
Arthos had followed the girl as she kept close the group. Very soon the Mammoth had strolled into the forest fearless of the the dangers lurking within. He saw as he stood like a foolish man in the middle of the forest, stalking his prey. He felt like going after him as he stood oblivious to him and the girl. But he was afraid of the curse, and he thought he would give her a chance to exact her revenge. It helped him in more than one way.
But she was way too cautious, apperently having learnt her lesson during the previous fight. He grew even more interested as another entered the 'arena'. She was making a very grave mistake as he saw her approaching the girl. The girl was fast and she was getting too close to her. He wondered how she would react to find someone so close behind her. He would't allow her to die here that was for sure. She was the only one who could probably life this curse off him and he wouldn't lose this chance.
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Post by The Mammoth on Mar 19, 2008 6:34:14 GMT -5
Mammoth could hear them, there were many. Chains, no doubt the girl, and a heavy cloak, whipping against the brush in the wind that cut through the trees. That sound, it had to be the man from before, the one with the almost demonic presence. Mammoth cursed himself, knowing that he could have easily avoided this situation, this was a stupid mistake, a very stupid mistake...
He pulled his sword, when all of a sudden he heard a voice, Luna's voice, shout. She had caught up to the girl, and now was Mammoth's chance. He quickly shouted out with a rumbling roar, which would cause all the snow lying on the treetops to fall in, the others were light enough to be buried by it, where he would stand above it. The roar echoed, and then came the snow, crashing in in far more force than Mammoth expected. It thumped against him, and finally settled to the ground. Treetops were not strong enough to handle that, his roar could shake the ground, and it did...
Quickly, Mammoth put on his helm and grabbed his catch, moving to leave the woods. He couldn't move quickly, but with everyone buried under the snow, he would have time before they broke free. He hoped Luna was tough enough to either avoid the snow, or make it to the surface, and in case not, he glanced around for he hand to pull her from the snow as he made his way to the edge of the forest. He also hoped none of the others he intended to bury were quick enough to avoid it...
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Post by piñata on Mar 19, 2008 11:07:55 GMT -5
(OOC: Sorry for doing this without permission, but I'm not taking control so I think it's okay. BTW, taking control of a person's mind is much harder, and just to be clear is beyond Pinata's abilities.)
Pinata jerked to attention at the sound of Mammoth's roar. He thought about what to do... leaving the camp without knowing what was going on would not only leave just the Elves defending it, but also could cause him to walk into a trap. He realized he had to enter Mammoth's mind in order to find out what was going on; the larger man was smarter than Pinata had expected, but he just had to hope Mammoth's defenses were weak enough for this bit of advanced magic to work.
Sure enough, Pinata found himself looking down at the ground from much higher up than he usually did. He brushed Mammoth's private thoughts aside gently... he was in the man's head to visualize, not to intrude. Snow -- much more than before -- covered the ground, presumably shaken loose from the treetops by Mammoth's roar. He saw a familiar-looking blade sticking out from under it. That stupid b**** still wants more after my warning, eh? he thought, as he returned to his own mind. Slow and painful it is, then.
"Keep an eye on my gear," he told Talin and Fin, taking off into the woods, blade already drawn. Moonlight glinted off of the blade, revealing the name inscribed on it, then Pinata disappeared into the trees.
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Post by Crow on Mar 19, 2008 13:54:31 GMT -5
Luna stood burried in the snow, more than a bit annoyed. It was heavy, but not too heavy. She crouched down and jumped out with strength someone of her size really shouldn't have. She looked down and kicked a bit of snow over the girl before walking to Mammoth. "Should I fish her out, or leave her burried?" She said, apparently not caring either way.
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Post by Da Pwny on Mar 19, 2008 14:09:11 GMT -5
It was a good thing the snow had fallen when it did... at least for the woman who was stupid and cocky enough to call upon Jodice as such. She might not have heard the woman, but that didn't stop her from feeling the energy flow behind her... She was about to turn around, blade already in the proper position to decapitate the irritating b****, when she heard the roar...
Immediately, she dashed to the side, avoiding a rather large amount of snowfall that would have landed right on top of her, ducked to avoid the rest of it on the other side, and only succeeded in getting piledriven face-first into the ground by another patch of falling white fluff... It took her a minute to gain her bearings, but she managed as such, and quickly began rustling the snow from her back. A minute or so later, she poked her head through the top; her body was light enough that she could easily fit through a larger set of jail bars, and even an average set, should the situation call for it (as she'd done before, and hence why she was on the run now), but this stuff was harder to move around in. Freeing one arm, she yanked the chain to her, hurdling it upwards and wrapping it around a sturdy tree limb above her like a grappling hook (which took several rather painful attempts), and began pulling herself free from the hard-packed snow, soon freeing the other hand to continue in the effort for the next several minutes as she pulled her legs free...
Once she was up far enough, Jodice began swinging back and forth, eventually gaining enough momentum to reach the tree itself, which she used as a wall, running up and flipping off of it to the higher branch that her dagger was stuck to. Yanking it free with her hands, she observed her immediate surroundings, and those a bit further out; the girl was gone, and that freak was too, whoever he was. Unfortunately, so was her prey. At least he'd be slowed down greatly, which would make catching up a breeze... as long as she wasn't interfered with any longer, or she didn't slip off the branches she lept to.
However, all that work she had to do set her back quite a bit more, forcing her to stay alert above and below, knowing that these enemies could be anywhere. This was becoming more of a game, which was exactly what she didn't want. This was between him and her... why these others were butting in and irritating her further was beyond her. Feeling a slight tug as she stood, Jodice realized her cloak was still trapped in the snow, and knelt down again, yanking it free and shaking as much as she could off of it, wrapping the precious train around her body as she thought upon how she got it for a while... for the life of her, she could not remember. Jodice could barely remember what her real mother looked like, but she was sure about some things...
Even as she devied into her thoughts, Jodice remained on alert, aware enough to make a quick reaction should someone attempt to attack her. She wasn't about to get caught off-guard a second time, nor did she wish to get involved in a multiple opponent battle... she just wanted her revenge, and then she'd disappear. That was all... As she brooded, her head occasionally moved from side to side, her ears cocked to catch even the slightest noise that would be made by anyone, and her mind staying clear for the most part to catch any faint magical traces that could be made by anyone trying to stifle or fool her senses...
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Post by The Mammoth on Mar 19, 2008 14:41:28 GMT -5
OOC: that was fine Pinata, at first i thought the thoughts were you saying what Mammoth was thinking, but they were Pinata's own thoughts, and I'm cool with the whole ordeal (Mammoth has no mental defenses... yet...)
IC: Mammoth helped Luna free from the snow, and then motioned for her to move with him.
"We should get out of this position, get the food back to the fire first." He said moving toward the camp. With a few tense minutes passing, the two had made it from the forest, and subsequently out of the woman's grasp. However, Mammoth didn't plan on ending it like this. As they walked back he saw Pinata moving toward him.
"Relax Pinata. We got the food, and I left them a nice message. Lets eat first, worry about them later." He said, grinning. Once he got back to the camp, he skinned the deer with the knife from his pack, only taking a few minutes, as he was extremely skilled with his knife. Once he had finished that, he began removing the flesh from the bone, and setting the bones aside. Mammoth was a wandering barbarian, he never let any part of a kill go to waste. He took the rib meat and set it on the rocks in slivers, it would cook slowly, and be made into jerky. The rest of the meat he skewered on sticks gathered for the fire, and set atop the flames to cook. Most of the deer was very useful, however a few parts Mammoth just tossed into the fire to burn up. The intestines, and the rest of the digestive system, for instance. He cut the skin into strips and set it near the fire to dry and harden, it would replace his hand wraps, and he set aside all the rib bones and leg bones for work with later. Once the food was cooking an all prepared, Mammoth was quite a mess. He had removed his gauntlets to work with the food, so nothing but a patch of snow and his hands were bloodied, no doubt rough to those weak of stomach. He washed his hands off in the snow, and then looked to the food.
"I think that's a good enough feast for us." He said, happy with his work. He then took his knife to the bones, cutting the edges off and carving the ribcage bones into effective throwing knives. They would be extremely useful for hunting later, and against quick enemies, like the woman. "If anyone wants some bone knives, let me know." He said, as he continued cutting away.
Within an hour, he had finished, and the food was cooked. He picked up a piece, a part of the leg, and bit in. It was fantastic. He smiled, and set aside the stones the jerky was on, letting it cool and dry. He quickly pulled from his pack the small bag of salts and salted them and soaked them, so that they would make proper jerky. Finally, he rose to his feet, grabbing another piece of meat.
"Those two in the woods will follow us until we do something about it. The girl is mine, we have a score she obviously wants to settle, the... demonic man... Luna, Pinata, you guys can have him." He said, nodding to Luna, "I told you i'd let you have the next one." he said, joking.
He walked toward the woods, finally removing his helm and holding up the piece of meat.
"Come on bandit! Ya probably havn't eaten in a few days. Let's settle this peacefully, I'd hate to have crush such a pretty face!" he said, joking lightly, but his offer was honest, "Come on, if you want to fight, at least be at your best. Have some food."
Mammoth assumed Pinata's zeal against bandits would take protest to his kindness, but Mammoth saw potential in this woman. He saw a hidden kindness, a hidden protest for a life of a bandit, wandering, alone, and hated. He liked the way she fought, the pride she had... It reminded him of himself years back, a young kid looking for a place in the world. After all, one showing of kindness couldn't hurt, and if she refused to be reasoned with, he could always kill her... Even if this time he knew better than to underestimate her...
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