If Kethisar never touched another slimy, fetid, rotting pile of bones again, it would be too soon. Day two passed with as little luck as the first. He had managed to work his way deeper into the troll city, finding his way around the small lake with the island in the middle. The only place left to search was the island itself. The greatest activity was located there and the night before he could hear some sort of chanting and deep rhythmic drumming coming from the island. He did not enjoy the thought of venturing onto it. He did not want to find out what the trolls would be up to. It was none of his business, really. But he had no choice, as too often seemed to be the case of late.
As they waited for Firble to recover from his latest use of the invisibility spell, Kethisar went scouting as a stealthy cat. He still had to be careful to avoid the many semi-tamed critters the trolls kept around them, but he found it easy enough to slink from bush to bush keeping to shadows and ditches. His smell had certainly become ripe enough to blend into the surroundings so he did not have to worry about being smelled. There was only one rickety rope bridge crossing to the island, or a short swim across the too-still lake. He had seen some very nasty looking crocodiles in the water, and he suspected there were other unsavory creatures within the murky depths, so he wanted to cross the bridge by cover of night and save Firble's invisibility in case of an emergency. He returned to relate his plan and await nightfall.
Posts: 1143 Location: The Freakin' Interwebs. Joined: 12.09.07
((You may want to come up with a way for Keth and Firble to be separated. That way, you won't have to keep halfway writing for him, and he'll be able to decide what's been going on with his character when he gets a chance to post again.))
"It's working!" Thyssen squealed with delight and broke into a spontaneous dance, or at least a poor attempt at one.
Yaznik wandered back over from where he had been etching demonic circles into the floor, each possessing some form of deadly trap. He sincerely wished that the spell binding him to the gnome didn't require him to ensure that his master was unable to spring said traps. "What's working?" he asked, not truly interested but still eager for any diversion. They had been in the warehouse for days, and the only entertainment had been the completely random attack by the orcs.
"My Hyper-Deluxe Literary Source Triangulationator is working, you stupid imp!" the gnome gleefully replied. He danced around the device, which consisted of a compass, a metal box that held the letter he had received from the night elf, and an assortment of tubes, gauges, and wires.
Yaznik couldn't help but notice that the needle was following the gnome as he pranced about, and said so.
"Of course it is, you brainless insect! I've got it set to find the last person to touch the letter, which is me! If I set it for the next-to-last person..." He did so, and the needle immediately pointed almost directly north. "There! Now we can find that big elf guy! Now grab the HDLST and bring it to the flying machine. And don't you dare let it get even a scratch! If you do, I swear I'll make you change a hundred baby diapers..."
***********
The trolls quietly entered the gates of Zul'Gurub. One of them, a female rogue named Hal'zula, was disappointed that they had been forced to leave the elf and dwarf dangling in the trees, but they didn't have time to do much else with them. Gemmalama, the group's witch doctor, had sensed something powerful within the walls of the jungle troll city, and they had to get in and out as quickly as possible if they wanted to avoid fighting every troll within.
Jah'rakal, a warrior of the group, seemed equally displeased at the need for haste, though he had more strategic reasons. They were, after all, dark trolls, and they would have been at more of an advantage had they been able to wait until nightfall.
But Gemmalama had said no, and few dared to directly oppose her.
They moved quickly, eliminating any Gurubashi patrols they encountered with ease. The group was only six in number, but they were powerful. Dark trolls were larger, stronger, and faster than their jungle brethren, and they had the element of surprise. They also had Unda.
Unda was a dire troll, even larger and stronger than the other members of the group. The jungle trolls they encountered barely came midway up his chest, and it was a simple matter for him to crush their bones in his strong grip or tear them apart with his bare hands. He was their ace in the hole.
He was also their biggest liability.
They had been faring very well. Gemmalama said that they were nearing the location of the item, whatever it was, and that soon they would have it in their possession. That was when, Rukahn, the hunter of the group, sensed something big coming. The smaller trolls easily and quickly found places to hide, but Unda was hard to miss. The Gurubashi patrol came into view: two berserkers and their own dire troll. They spotted Unda immediately and attacked.
A battle between two evenly matched dire trolls was a magnificent sight to behold. This battle was not. Unda overcame the Gurubashi dire troll in mere seconds, breaking its body and letting its corpse drop to the dust. The two smaller trolls immediately turned to flee, but a pair of arrows from Rukahn's bow stopped them dead in their tracks. Literally.
And that's when it happened. Overcome with his own glory at having so easily defeated the enemy dire troll, Unda let out a mighty roar that shook the ruins around them.
It also alerted the entire city to the intruders.
"Sorry," said Unda sheepishly. He was going to be.
How many mystery writers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Two. One to screw it almost all the way in, and the other to give it a surprising twist at the end.
((Sorry, guys. I've got like two weeks to find an apartment and be moved in, so I haven't had much time for this. If you wanna find a way to get rid of me temporarily, go for it. Once again, sorry.))
Posts: 1143 Location: The Freakin' Interwebs. Joined: 12.09.07
Firble wrote:
((Sorry, guys. I've got like two weeks to find an apartment and be moved in, so I haven't had much time for this. If you wanna find a way to get rid of me temporarily, go for it. Once again, sorry.))
Firble had a heart attack and died.
((Done.
Or Keth can do whatever he wants. That's cool, too.
Also, good luck with the apartment search.))
How many mystery writers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Two. One to screw it almost all the way in, and the other to give it a surprising twist at the end.
(Gopher your writing is so good that I don't even want to interrupt you! Excellent material.)
Nightfall was fast approaching and Kethisar and Firble were impatiently awaiting the concealing cloak of darkness. They tensely watched numerous patrols wander past, unaware of their hiding place. Then something happened that changed everything. A ground shaking roar echoed throughout the troll city, followed by a swarm of activity as the city came alive like a stirred beehive. Trolls and their pets rushed past presumably to face whatever frightening thing had caused the roar. In a few minutes the area seemed deserted and Kethisar could hear sounds of combat far away. He made a hasty decision, something he did not like to do often.
"Firble, I think this would be a good time for you to get outta here. I'll tell the dwarf you were killed by the trolls. He'll never know the truth, I hope. Thanks for your help and good luck!"
Without waiting for prolonged goodbyes, Kethisar shifted into catform and darted out into the open and across the bridge stretching his lithe feline body into a full run. His golden eyes scanned the area watching for signs of danger but more importantly looking for an unusual skull.
The center of the island was dominated by a large tiered pyramid. Power emanated from the top of the structure as Kethisar worked his way closer. He passed the spitted remains of recent and not-so-recent sacrifices on wooden spears, whether as tribute to the heinous troll gods or as warning to trespassers. He found nothing at ground level around or near the pyramid and was forced to ascend to the second tier. More bodies, body parts, and skulls, were skewered on poles. His pace slowed and he cautiously ascended to the next level. There was something ahead that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up and as he climbed the last set of stairs he finally saw what it was.
He stood looking at Hakkar the Soulflayer, the blood god Himself. The Faceless One did not look pleased to see an intruder. The winged serpent god thundered, "You dare set foot upon Hakkari holy ground? Minions of Hakkar, destroy the infidel!"
Kethisar felt no fear. All the frustration, anger, and rage that he had fought to contain for days welled up from within and filled him with an insatiable bloodlust. It was not the cowering night elf that Hakkar expected to meet, but a very large, and very angry bear that rushed forward to do battle. Even a god would not stand in the way of saving his wife.
Author
RE: For Love or Honor (Open RP)
Posted on Jul 20, 2010 at 8:40 pm | Edited by Jeniphire on Jul 21, 2010 at 9:07 am
Jeniphire was dealing with her own struggles, as she drained the life from the last troll, replentishing her own strength, she backed up to survey her recent battle. Six armed troll warriors lay dead at her feet, her imp panting and cut slightly, her own robes torn in places, she wiped the sweat from her brow with a sleave. Having fought trolls before she able to curse and afflic them while ducking in one window and out another, using her small stature against her taller and physically superior opponents.
"well that was unpleasant, I only wanted some coins..." she frowns and turns to leave the hut she is nearly trampled by a large angry looking bear. As she falls on her butt she notices the bear is familiar to her.
"oof! Keth?" she asks hesitantly, motioning her imp to ready a firebolt spell incase she was wrong, trolls can't be druids right?
I can not understand you...
To me you live in a world of chaos...
Life is a play you star on...
To you it's all a game...
Author
RE: For Love or Honor (Open RP)
Posted on Jul 21, 2010 at 1:57 am | Edited by Gopher on Jul 21, 2010 at 2:00 am
Posts: 1143 Location: The Freakin' Interwebs. Joined: 12.09.07
((Hey, thanks. I get that a lot. :P
Seriously, though, your writing is great too. This is shaping up to be one of the best RP threads I've ever been a part of.
And Firble, halfway through your first post, I completely forgot you'd never even done this before! Great job, dude.
And zomg someone else joined! /wave Jeniphire
Anyway, I guess I should write something.))
The flying machine sputtered and popped as it made its way over the jungle of Stranglethorn Vale, a trail of black, choking smoke in its wake. Thyssen sat in the cockpit, piloting the vehicle in a manner that could have been described as either expertly or erratically, both with equal accuracy. The HDLST sat on the dash, faithfully pointing the way to "that big druid guy". Yaznik clung desperately to the landing gear, wishing with all his little, black demon heart that the craft would just crash and finally free him from his lifelong bondage to his wicked, wicked master.
***********
The head of a Gurubashi throwing axe sunk deeply into Unda's calf, just another of hundreds of wounds he had received since foolishly alerting the jungle troll city to the presence of intruders. The dire troll ignored the embedded weapon, but he grabbed up the nearby corpse of a Gurubashi warrior and chucked it back at the axeman in response. The gruesome projectile missed, but the message hit home all the same.
The dark trolls had taken refuge in a blind alley at Gemmalama's command. She was correct in saying that it would allow them to defend from only one direction, but Jah'rakal was equally correct in saying that it left them with no way of escape short of killing every jungle troll in the city. The female witch doctor ignored his advice; he was there to kill, not to think.
Jah'rakal cursed Gemmalama under his breath for the hundredth time. He had never liked her, with her light gray skin that was so unusual among the ranks of the dark trolls. This mere physical peculiarity had allowed her to gain influence over others simply because she stood out in a crowd. She led not because of competence, but because she was bizarre. She wasn't even a great witch doctor!
How many times had he been on the verge of challenging her authority but lacked the courage to do so? How many times had he let the chance slip away when he could have changed the course of the group's fate, a course that had finally led them to a battle against a city full of enemies with nowhere to run? Rukahn had already fallen, Hal'zula was missing, and he and Unda were tiring. Gemmalama was nearly useless, her hexes and curses having no effect more often than they worked, and it was all the shadow hunter Oskling could do to keep Jah'rakal and the dire troll from crumbling under the sheer volume of wounds they were receiving.
Jah'rakal shouted a curse aloud as he cleaved the arms from a Gurubashi warrior before finally decapitating her. The curse was not intended for the enemy however, or even for Gemmalama this time. Jah'rakal cursed himself for cowardice and allowing things to come to this end.
How many mystery writers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Two. One to screw it almost all the way in, and the other to give it a surprising twist at the end.
Kethisar was no stranger to battle. He had even faced off against the old god, C'Thun among other unsavory beasts both powerful and terrifying. He had almost always been backed by allies, combining each of their unique talents and skills together to create a team that was greater than the sum of it's individual parts. Throughout the years he had been amazed at the number and strength of foes he had been able to defeat by working as a coordinated unit. But he never imagined, nor would he ever willingly choose, to single handedly face a god that was backed by the power of the trolls held under it's sway.
It took every ounce of his considerable strength, every druidic power and combat trick he could muster, but he found himself standing over the bloody crumpled corpse of Hakkar. The blood haze of battle began to clear as Kethisar stood panting for breath and he realized what he had done. He had killed a god. The blood soaked bear rose up on hind legs and roared out his triumph.
As he returned to elven form he looked around the platform for the first time. It was ringed with sacrificial offerings skewered on poles. His eyes stopped on one in particular and his heart nearly leapt out of his chest. The skull... it had a black star on the forehead. It was glistening white, picked clean by the ravages of time, sun bleached and dried. It had been there a long time. Kethisar cautiously removed the skull from the spear it adorned, looking at it in disbelief. He had found it, finally. If I'd only know it was here to begin with, I wouldn't have had to dig through all those disgusting piles of bones, he thought wryly. He carefully wrapped it in an old cloak and tucked it into his pack, then turned to leave.
"I can't be lettin' you take that skull, mon." The troll had been sneaking up behind Kethisar readying an attack when the druid turned and caught him in the act. The troll stood frozen, looking more frightened than threatening now.
"I don't think you can stop me," Kethisar said quietly, his eyes narrowed in warning. The troll caught the meaning, his eyes darted to the corpse of Hakkar then back to the big kaldorei.
The troll made the right decision. He took a step back, then moved aside so the druid could pass. Kethisar took no chances, however. He dropped to all fours in bearform and charged past the troll. If the troll changed his mind and decided to attack him after all, the druid would be protected from serious harm. He remained in bearform as a precaution, and because he found it to be his most comfortable form when in danger, and began the long run back through the troll city the way he had come.
The few remaining trolls who saw him were wise enough to steer clear. They either watched in open mouthed amazement as a ferocious looking bear ran past them, or turned tail and ran as if the ghosts of all their sacrificial victims were after them. His mind was on other matters. He had done as they had asked. He got the skull. They would surely release his wife now. They had to. But somehow he did not feel so certain.
"Oof! Keth?" a hesitant female voice said as he rushed past. The big bear came to an abrupt stop and turned.
"Jen?" He was astounded. This was the last place he ever expected to see someone he knew. He forgot to return to elf form as he usually did when conversing. His voice rumbled in his chest. "Jen.. what are you doing here?"
Posts: 1143 Location: The Freakin' Interwebs. Joined: 12.09.07
((Dang it, Keth. I was gonna let you get knocked around for a while, then back you up with a crazed warlock and a handful of dark trolls, but noooooo, you just HAD to go and kill a god by yourself. I feel so superfluous now...))
How many mystery writers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Two. One to screw it almost all the way in, and the other to give it a surprising twist at the end.
Jen stands up her imp by her side now, dusting off her long wicked looking robes, wearing her full battle dress, she pulls the hood back and down she peers at the bear "I am here looking for coins trying to raise my reputation with the Zandalar tribe, was that you making all that racket with everyone?"
She bends down to pick up several scattered coins of various design "I heard a big battle but I was already fighting some warriors myself" she points to the withered bodies inside the hut "If I wasn't a warlock I would have surely died, thank goodness for demons" She giggles sure no one has said that before.
"Why are you here?" she asked pocketing the coins.
I can not understand you...
To me you live in a world of chaos...
Life is a play you star on...
To you it's all a game...
A menacing growl rumbled in Kethisar's throat at Jen's question. Blood caked claws raked across the ground.
"I'm here doing the dirty work of others. They kidnapped Cirra so I came at their bidding into this wretched place. I don't know that I'll ever get the stench of trolls off me."
The bear lifted his head, sniffing the air with his black nose. He turned and his eyes narrowed as black lips peeled back from long yellow fangs.
"More are coming. They've worked up enough courage to attack, no doubt. You may be an all powerful warlock, but we'd better be moving along. I suspect they won't make the same mistake of attacking in so few numbers." His head swung to look the other direction as he mused aloud, "I'm not the only one here, either. Someone, or something, caused these trolls to get riled up even before I killed their blood god. Let's get out of here before things get much worse."
Kethisar broke into a swift run, staying in bearform for the time being. He ran past the nearest huts and reached out to take a swipe with a mighty paw just as a troll leapt out at him brandishing a wickedly curved serrated sword. He caught the troll across the belly with sharp claws that spilled the unfortunate troll's guts out. He ran past without a backward glance as the troll tried to gather his guts back into himself.
There were fewer trolls as he drew nearer the city entrance. The huts were empty. Cookfires were left to tend themselves, stew pots boiling over their grisly contents to steam and douse the flames. There was a great commotion ahead and Kethisar slowed, approaching cautiously. Across a swaying expanse of rope bridge he saw an immense gathering of trolls of all shape and size. They seemed to be gathered for war but they were not awaiting Kethisar and Jen. They were instead focussed on some unseen threat apparently trapped in a blind alley.
With no way of knowing who the trolls might have cornered within their own city Kethisar faced a moment of indecision. His indecision did not last long. He hated trolls. If he had an opportunity to deny any form of victory to these barbaric humanoids he would gladly take it. Besides, he could not be totally certain that Firble had escaped safely.
"Jen, I hope you have a few tricks up your sleeves. This could get messy!"
With a ferocious roar that caused the gathered throng of trolls to turn toward him the bear rushed forward and waded into a sea of flashing blades and sizzling magic.
Author
RE: For Love or Honor (Open RP)
Posted on Jul 27, 2010 at 12:01 am | Edited by Jeniphire on Jul 27, 2010 at 12:04 am
Jen laughed "I um...might have killed a priest or three...so it might be me, however I am usually little more...restrained then you are, no offence." she pocketed the coins and retrived her mount from a pile of folage it was happily and ignorantly munching on.
Jen followed Keth, unsure of who this Cirra was, but as fast as her Talbuk Runesave was, Keth still managed to keep a good lead in his feral form.
"Who are you working for? Why would you attack something so powerful as Hakkar? It makes no sense to go this alone!" Runesave slides to a halt as they near the gates "oh no.."
"Jen, I hope you have a few tricks up your sleeves. This could get messy!" Keth said as the trolls advanced in a great rush.
She just laughed and jumped from Runesaves back, leading it calmly to a tree along the path as the hordes advanced "well..." she took a breath and pulled out a small green stone, crushing it between her fingers she opened her eyes, they were glowing a rich fel green as the air around her shimmered "INFERNAL! DECEND AND CRUSH THOSE THAT STAND BEFORE US!!" she screamed
From the air came an echoing roar, a meteor slamed into the throng of trolls, and from a crater arose a giant infernal, it swatted and threw the trolls arouns like toys as Jen dodged and cursed anything that was moved. The trolls screamed in pain as their flesh corrupted and fell from their bones, others cried out as fire consumed them, still more were crushed under the foot of her Infernal. The battle was wholly one sided one her part, though she wasn't left unscathed, her robe was cut and slashed, and if she had been anyone else it might have spelled the end of her, but she had sewn and enchaned the cloak and cloth to be resistant to such things, but nothing holds out for long against this sort of assault.
Minutes flew by as the fight wore on, she was cut and brused, sweating and tired, her infernal long since defeated and turned to stone she relied on her imp now, it would jump to the face of an attacker and claw the eyes out, or throw firebolts into the legs and torsos of the troll shamens. by the end of the fight dozens of broken and bloodied bodies lay at her feet, nothing was alive that she could drain the health from, she swooned and fell backward against the tree next to her beloved mount, a trampled troll lay at his hooves, she smiled proudly and looked for Keth amist the carnage.
I can not understand you...
To me you live in a world of chaos...
Life is a play you star on...
To you it's all a game...
))