Red Gypsy@DestinyStar Well, that and pills. Most live on pills these days. A calorie per pill and you've hit two grand by noon. But, nah, Smarter just lives on spite and a burning desire to chase kids with sticks.
Haeo Member
One Who Listens Deeply
STATUS: Pirates, monsters, magic, islands and no civilization to steal from. Hmm. 5 yrs agoStatus
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5 yrs ago
Current
Pirates, monsters, magic, islands and no civilization to steal from. Hmm.
7 yrs ago
Now, what happens when you have a bunch of monsters that were living in a forest and they get transmigrated into a futuristic urban setting?
8 yrs ago
I know that few, if any, people on this site would be interested in it... but... I just got an idea for a SAO/GGO/XCOM/UFO crossover... fun tingles...
8 yrs ago
Life has never given mankind sufficient time... nor sleep... nor comprehension. If it had, we would have stopped trying.
2
likes
8 yrs ago
It can be greatly refreshing to return to a thing that one has long loved.
3
likes
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Most Recent Posts
@DestinyStar I'm glad! We intend to make the creative vileness go on and on and on in as many flavors as we can think of. Though, they will need to take breaks for food.
@DestinyStar@Zelosse
Tailpin
Lvl 11
Day 16 Afternoon
There was nothing to do until he received a reply from the Guild Leader. So, Tailpin stood up again and took a look around. He didn't want to try anything experimental with loot that he already thought of as belonging more to the guild so he had to find things that he could test the limits of his remaining abilities with. He had never gotten around to testing his Synthesis skill and now he had earned a Fletching skill when he hit level ten. He hadn't been hunting in a place that gave materials for that skill so he had put it out of his mind. Specifically, when he tried to use it there had been a request for an item he didn't have. Now, though, he had idle time and a little money to spare. Maybe he could find one of these "Attribute Prism" items.
There was a part of town that wasn't very busy or loud. It was just an intersection of back streets with some empty storefronts and blank signs. While one of the streets connected to the market, it was far enough away that few people thought it would be a good place to start a shop. Besides, buying an actual store was a lot more expensive than just a stall. Still, there were two big benefits to this area. One was a single, slightly shady looking, merchant vendor who hung out in a dark doorway in this part of town. The other was the fact that unpurchased business buildings could be entered by anyone.
You couldn't change anything about the building's interior or conduct a trade within the building but you could do your own crafting in privacy or get a little safe zone swordsmanship practice in, for those who knew real sword forms. Eventually, Tailpin intended to buy a storefront like this. It would make for a good place to store and organize any crafting he did, along with the large amount of materials that he tended to accumulate.
For now, though, he had business with that shady vendor. The guy stored his merchandise in a hidden room under a loose paving stone and it took a few minutes for him to get the items you bought and bring them up to you. But, this guy carried a random inventory. Tailpin had visited him twice before. Between those visits he had seen equipment up to level twenty, but never more than one piece at each level, random potions and crystals, and the occasional rare component material. But, one of the things that he always seemed to have was crafting equipment. Nothing for blacksmiths or leatherworking, he only carried equipment that matched uncommon crafting skills.
As tailpin quietly entered this derelict part of town and spotted the vendor, the shady NPC greeted him with a furtive grin and a glance from side to side. He approached and the vendor spoke in a raspy whisper.
"Welcome back."
Then the shop window popped up with the list of what he had in stock. Tailpin paged through the list in silence, marking several items that caught his eye, and then hit the bottom of the list. There was one left. Last time there were two. Still, it was here. There was a single unit complete set of fletching tools. It was low level equipment but it was a travel set and didn't require a building to use it. The price had gone down too. He selected it and ran some quick totals before completing the transaction. He was almost out of money now. He looked at the list again and spotted something that hadn't been there before. This time, the shady fellow had an "Attribute Prism" in stock.
Actually, the vendor had three and they were very inexpensive for an item with no level that was required by a skill. He purchased them all and concluded the transaction. He turned away and jogged to a nearby empty storefront, without listening to the vendor's vaguely creepy come-again line, opened the door and headed inside without hesitation. As the door closed behind him the open space fell silent.
Here was true silence, a thing that few people ever really heard. He stood still and softly held his breath for a moment, feeling that silence settle like a shroud in the dusty building. Here he could work in peace until he received a reply from Delcastle. Tailpin took a deep breath and let it out slowly in a sigh. Then he walked quietly to the back of the room and opened a door there. Stairs led down into a room that could serve as a forge or a storage room, depending on the equipment the owner wanted to install.
Tailpin just needed the floor. He pulled his newly purchased set of tools out of his inventory. It was a rolled sheet of thick leather bound by a cord. He lay it down and sat in front of it before undoing the cord. The "Traveler's Fletching Set" rolled open in front of him. It had a wide variety of tools divided by four categories. The categories seemed to be fletching, shaft, head, and assembly. Next he pulled out some of the miscellaneous crafting materials that he had purchased. An iron sword blank, a couple stout sticks, a chicken's tail, two boar tusks, and a rough rock. These weren't just random items, they were random items that Tailpin knew a little bit about. The sword blank was a sword smithing material, the sticks seemed to have a number of crafting uses, the boar tusks could be made into weak dagger blades, and he had heard that rocks could become whetstones. The chicken's tail he just thought sounded funny and it might be interesting to see what it could do.
He started with his Refining skill since none of these items had attributes as they were. The stout sticks surprised him by refining into different items, a "Maple Switch" and a "Thorny Branch". The iron sword blank just gained an attribute, "Heavy". The tusks both gained the same attribute, "Hardened". The rough rock became a "Crystal Ore", whatever that was supposed to be good for. At least it had an attribute, "Refined". The chicken's tail actually did something rational. It refined into ten "Short Feathers" with no attributes.
Now, the Synthesis skill worked with attributes, according to its description. It allowed the attribute of one item to be transferred to another. However, it only worked on components and the component from which the attribute was drawn was sacrificed. He decided to start with what he could tell about potential. The items in front of him could easily be sorted if he just checked whether or not they were components for his Fletching skill. There were only a few. The "Hardened Boar Tusks", "Thorny Branch", and the "Short Feathers" were compatible with Fletching. The others were not so he set them aside as sacrificial items. With the items sorted it was time to get a handle on this skill.
He set one of the tusks and the sword blank in front of him and pulled up the joint menu that popped up when he selected Synthesis. There was that red space again, a gap between the two items that indicated the need for another component. He placed one of the "Attribute Prism" items in that spot and it turned white, no problems. Then he confirmed his selections. The sword blank and the prism glowed before shattering into nothingness, only the tusk remained. He pulled up its information. It now said that it was a "Heavy Hardened Boar Tusk". Picking it up, he could tell the difference. It was a couple times heavier than it had been before.
"So, that's the balance." He whispered into the silence.
From that point, the rest was simple. He sacrificed the "Crystal Ore" and added "Refined" to the "Thorny Branch" then tried to use his Fletching skill to make an arrow. The "Heavy Hardened Boar Tusk" was converted into five heavy arrowheads with very sharp, hard edges. The "Refined Thorny Branch" became five shafts of dark wood with what looked like a fine grain to its surface. Upon closer inspection, Tailpin saw that the whole surface of the shaft was covered with thorns that were much like quills. The feathers were simple and simply became twenty "Fletch Feathers", ready for attaching to an arrow shaft. After crafting was complete, he looked at the specifics of the arrow that resulted.
He spoke its name aloud for the feel of the sound. "Hedge Boar's Resentment." It was an arrow that could penetrate armor and would remain stuck, causing continuous damage, because of the quills which were placed to spread out and pierce the target after passing the armor. This would be useful but the process to make it was a little expensive. It had cost one Attribute Prism per attribute transferred and then the final product had produced only five arrows worth of materials. Still, it would be worth something. A specialty arrow like this could fetch money if he couldn't use it.
Though, he checked the level of the arrow. It had no level marker and no specific damage stats. He checked again. Still nothing. Maybe it did damage based on the bow used... so, if that was the case then the damage he could do would be relative to his new bow. It would scale with his level, so long as he could find and refine the components. Useful, but it did have a range modifier. 50% Reduction. So, he had to get close. Even with his Longshot skill he'd only get this arrow out to an average range.
He took a breath and prepared a summary of his findings in a small message field and then saved it. He was still waiting on a reply from Delcastle so there was no point inundating him with messages. Besides, he didn't know if Delcastle had even found a market for those components yet, never mind a trick arrow that required Refined components and probably an archer to craft it. He could experiment more once he had more money to throw away or more component loot from the field. For now, he had his proof of concept and understood what he would need for both Synthesis and Fletching.
That was enough progress for now. He packed up his tools and items and sat against the wall. There was time yet to enjoy the quiet before heading back out. Besides, he was so tired. He'd gone almost twenty hours without sleep and he had been hunting or running around town for most of that time. His eyes slipped closed and he rested.
===========================================================
Smarter'n'me
Lvl 15
Day 16 Sunset
Smarter'n'me found himself facing the same set of fists he had faced before. But now, oh ho hoo hee, now they were so much more fun. But boxing wasn't for the scrawny old man in snake tights, oh no. He lunged low and right, using a strong high kick to the face as a feint, and came up behind his oldest acquaintance. Then he grabbed him into a headlock and forced his wrinkled snub nose into Smarter's armpit.
"You calling me late?!" He shrieked. "You ulcerous hemorrhoid of a pus-laden-pre-pubescent-crocodile! I had things to do, you lazy sack of depleted gamete jelly!"
He jumped in surprise when he heard the brat's voice. Literally, he jumped about ten feet up in the air with that itchy set of yard-long nose hairs still held to his armpit. Then he flipped over and delivered the head that belonged to those nose hairs to the digital stones, hard. Why? Why not? Then he scampered away before the dust settled and jumped up to where that brat's voice came from.
He saw her. He saw her outfit. The bridge of his nose turned just a little red. Then he slipped backward and fell back down to where he had been in a plume of dust. Out of that plume of dust came a thin voice, trembling with righteous anger, among other things.
"You decrepit old wretched bag of unmentionables! How did you let her wear that thing! Isn't there some kind of age restriction on dressing like a cosplay hooker!"
Tailpin
Lvl 11
Day 16 Afternoon
There was nothing to do until he received a reply from the Guild Leader. So, Tailpin stood up again and took a look around. He didn't want to try anything experimental with loot that he already thought of as belonging more to the guild so he had to find things that he could test the limits of his remaining abilities with. He had never gotten around to testing his Synthesis skill and now he had earned a Fletching skill when he hit level ten. He hadn't been hunting in a place that gave materials for that skill so he had put it out of his mind. Specifically, when he tried to use it there had been a request for an item he didn't have. Now, though, he had idle time and a little money to spare. Maybe he could find one of these "Attribute Prism" items.
There was a part of town that wasn't very busy or loud. It was just an intersection of back streets with some empty storefronts and blank signs. While one of the streets connected to the market, it was far enough away that few people thought it would be a good place to start a shop. Besides, buying an actual store was a lot more expensive than just a stall. Still, there were two big benefits to this area. One was a single, slightly shady looking, merchant vendor who hung out in a dark doorway in this part of town. The other was the fact that unpurchased business buildings could be entered by anyone.
You couldn't change anything about the building's interior or conduct a trade within the building but you could do your own crafting in privacy or get a little safe zone swordsmanship practice in, for those who knew real sword forms. Eventually, Tailpin intended to buy a storefront like this. It would make for a good place to store and organize any crafting he did, along with the large amount of materials that he tended to accumulate.
For now, though, he had business with that shady vendor. The guy stored his merchandise in a hidden room under a loose paving stone and it took a few minutes for him to get the items you bought and bring them up to you. But, this guy carried a random inventory. Tailpin had visited him twice before. Between those visits he had seen equipment up to level twenty, but never more than one piece at each level, random potions and crystals, and the occasional rare component material. But, one of the things that he always seemed to have was crafting equipment. Nothing for blacksmiths or leatherworking, he only carried equipment that matched uncommon crafting skills.
As tailpin quietly entered this derelict part of town and spotted the vendor, the shady NPC greeted him with a furtive grin and a glance from side to side. He approached and the vendor spoke in a raspy whisper.
"Welcome back."
Then the shop window popped up with the list of what he had in stock. Tailpin paged through the list in silence, marking several items that caught his eye, and then hit the bottom of the list. There was one left. Last time there were two. Still, it was here. There was a single unit complete set of fletching tools. It was low level equipment but it was a travel set and didn't require a building to use it. The price had gone down too. He selected it and ran some quick totals before completing the transaction. He was almost out of money now. He looked at the list again and spotted something that hadn't been there before. This time, the shady fellow had an "Attribute Prism" in stock.
Actually, the vendor had three and they were very inexpensive for an item with no level that was required by a skill. He purchased them all and concluded the transaction. He turned away and jogged to a nearby empty storefront, without listening to the vendor's vaguely creepy come-again line, opened the door and headed inside without hesitation. As the door closed behind him the open space fell silent.
Here was true silence, a thing that few people ever really heard. He stood still and softly held his breath for a moment, feeling that silence settle like a shroud in the dusty building. Here he could work in peace until he received a reply from Delcastle. Tailpin took a deep breath and let it out slowly in a sigh. Then he walked quietly to the back of the room and opened a door there. Stairs led down into a room that could serve as a forge or a storage room, depending on the equipment the owner wanted to install.
Tailpin just needed the floor. He pulled his newly purchased set of tools out of his inventory. It was a rolled sheet of thick leather bound by a cord. He lay it down and sat in front of it before undoing the cord. The "Traveler's Fletching Set" rolled open in front of him. It had a wide variety of tools divided by four categories. The categories seemed to be fletching, shaft, head, and assembly. Next he pulled out some of the miscellaneous crafting materials that he had purchased. An iron sword blank, a couple stout sticks, a chicken's tail, two boar tusks, and a rough rock. These weren't just random items, they were random items that Tailpin knew a little bit about. The sword blank was a sword smithing material, the sticks seemed to have a number of crafting uses, the boar tusks could be made into weak dagger blades, and he had heard that rocks could become whetstones. The chicken's tail he just thought sounded funny and it might be interesting to see what it could do.
He started with his Refining skill since none of these items had attributes as they were. The stout sticks surprised him by refining into different items, a "Maple Switch" and a "Thorny Branch". The iron sword blank just gained an attribute, "Heavy". The tusks both gained the same attribute, "Hardened". The rough rock became a "Crystal Ore", whatever that was supposed to be good for. At least it had an attribute, "Refined". The chicken's tail actually did something rational. It refined into ten "Short Feathers" with no attributes.
Now, the Synthesis skill worked with attributes, according to its description. It allowed the attribute of one item to be transferred to another. However, it only worked on components and the component from which the attribute was drawn was sacrificed. He decided to start with what he could tell about potential. The items in front of him could easily be sorted if he just checked whether or not they were components for his Fletching skill. There were only a few. The "Hardened Boar Tusks", "Thorny Branch", and the "Short Feathers" were compatible with Fletching. The others were not so he set them aside as sacrificial items. With the items sorted it was time to get a handle on this skill.
He set one of the tusks and the sword blank in front of him and pulled up the joint menu that popped up when he selected Synthesis. There was that red space again, a gap between the two items that indicated the need for another component. He placed one of the "Attribute Prism" items in that spot and it turned white, no problems. Then he confirmed his selections. The sword blank and the prism glowed before shattering into nothingness, only the tusk remained. He pulled up its information. It now said that it was a "Heavy Hardened Boar Tusk". Picking it up, he could tell the difference. It was a couple times heavier than it had been before.
"So, that's the balance." He whispered into the silence.
From that point, the rest was simple. He sacrificed the "Crystal Ore" and added "Refined" to the "Thorny Branch" then tried to use his Fletching skill to make an arrow. The "Heavy Hardened Boar Tusk" was converted into five heavy arrowheads with very sharp, hard edges. The "Refined Thorny Branch" became five shafts of dark wood with what looked like a fine grain to its surface. Upon closer inspection, Tailpin saw that the whole surface of the shaft was covered with thorns that were much like quills. The feathers were simple and simply became twenty "Fletch Feathers", ready for attaching to an arrow shaft. After crafting was complete, he looked at the specifics of the arrow that resulted.
He spoke its name aloud for the feel of the sound. "Hedge Boar's Resentment." It was an arrow that could penetrate armor and would remain stuck, causing continuous damage, because of the quills which were placed to spread out and pierce the target after passing the armor. This would be useful but the process to make it was a little expensive. It had cost one Attribute Prism per attribute transferred and then the final product had produced only five arrows worth of materials. Still, it would be worth something. A specialty arrow like this could fetch money if he couldn't use it.
Though, he checked the level of the arrow. It had no level marker and no specific damage stats. He checked again. Still nothing. Maybe it did damage based on the bow used... so, if that was the case then the damage he could do would be relative to his new bow. It would scale with his level, so long as he could find and refine the components. Useful, but it did have a range modifier. 50% Reduction. So, he had to get close. Even with his Longshot skill he'd only get this arrow out to an average range.
He took a breath and prepared a summary of his findings in a small message field and then saved it. He was still waiting on a reply from Delcastle so there was no point inundating him with messages. Besides, he didn't know if Delcastle had even found a market for those components yet, never mind a trick arrow that required Refined components and probably an archer to craft it. He could experiment more once he had more money to throw away or more component loot from the field. For now, he had his proof of concept and understood what he would need for both Synthesis and Fletching.
That was enough progress for now. He packed up his tools and items and sat against the wall. There was time yet to enjoy the quiet before heading back out. Besides, he was so tired. He'd gone almost twenty hours without sleep and he had been hunting or running around town for most of that time. His eyes slipped closed and he rested.
===========================================================
Smarter'n'me
Lvl 15
Day 16 Sunset
Smarter'n'me found himself facing the same set of fists he had faced before. But now, oh ho hoo hee, now they were so much more fun. But boxing wasn't for the scrawny old man in snake tights, oh no. He lunged low and right, using a strong high kick to the face as a feint, and came up behind his oldest acquaintance. Then he grabbed him into a headlock and forced his wrinkled snub nose into Smarter's armpit.
"You calling me late?!" He shrieked. "You ulcerous hemorrhoid of a pus-laden-pre-pubescent-crocodile! I had things to do, you lazy sack of depleted gamete jelly!"
He jumped in surprise when he heard the brat's voice. Literally, he jumped about ten feet up in the air with that itchy set of yard-long nose hairs still held to his armpit. Then he flipped over and delivered the head that belonged to those nose hairs to the digital stones, hard. Why? Why not? Then he scampered away before the dust settled and jumped up to where that brat's voice came from.
He saw her. He saw her outfit. The bridge of his nose turned just a little red. Then he slipped backward and fell back down to where he had been in a plume of dust. Out of that plume of dust came a thin voice, trembling with righteous anger, among other things.
"You decrepit old wretched bag of unmentionables! How did you let her wear that thing! Isn't there some kind of age restriction on dressing like a cosplay hooker!"
@Zetsuko
... I'm noticing. I can't say that the lack of interest at large hasn't been a disappointment. I also can't say that things between us GMs have progressed as we wished. I do think that the concept was solid and the means were in our hands to make it work but I just don't see the people here jumping at the chance. Besides, at least one of my CO-GMs has had some significant upheaval in RL.
I have to suggest at this point that you save a copy of your character so that when we try to re-boot this thing you will be ready for the call. Unless, of course, you don't want to get the notice. That part is up to you. For now, I'm going to start a list of Usernames who have interest in this Roleplay and when I have something decisive to show then I will send all on the list an invitation.
I do not intend to delete this, however. There's still the faint possibility that a dozen people will suddenly submit character sheets and we'll be underway. I'm just tired of stalling when there is no movement in sight except for you, me, and the occasional peek from Zelosse.
... I'm noticing. I can't say that the lack of interest at large hasn't been a disappointment. I also can't say that things between us GMs have progressed as we wished. I do think that the concept was solid and the means were in our hands to make it work but I just don't see the people here jumping at the chance. Besides, at least one of my CO-GMs has had some significant upheaval in RL.
I have to suggest at this point that you save a copy of your character so that when we try to re-boot this thing you will be ready for the call. Unless, of course, you don't want to get the notice. That part is up to you. For now, I'm going to start a list of Usernames who have interest in this Roleplay and when I have something decisive to show then I will send all on the list an invitation.
I do not intend to delete this, however. There's still the faint possibility that a dozen people will suddenly submit character sheets and we'll be underway. I'm just tired of stalling when there is no movement in sight except for you, me, and the occasional peek from Zelosse.
In
The Elder Scrolls: Fruits of Contention - Chapter 1 (Completed)
→
11 yrs ago
Forum: Advanced Roleplay
GREAT BRAIDED FEM-BEARD!
In
The Elder Scrolls: Fruits of Contention - Chapter 1 (Completed)
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11 yrs ago
Forum: Advanced Roleplay
Collab between @Haeo and @gcold
A life of mining and hunting did not help when suddenly placed in a game of dodge the rock with an armored cousin of a frost troll who happens to carry a grudge. Utu-ja tried to reach the relative safety of the shield wall so that he could bring his bow to bear again. But, he failed. Again and again he was forced to run or jump the other way to avoid hurled rocks that broke into pieces from the impact when they hit the stone of the docks. He was too busy dodging to notice how close to the water he was being forced. He did notice the sound of gutteral laughter coming from the nearest of the enemy ships. It seemed that throwing rocks at an lizard was considered good fun where these daedra-lickers came from.
That was not something that he liked. He could not afford to be a source of shame for the company, not right now. Not with moral so low and casualties so high. He took note of the distance between him and the water at last. Ten feet or so. His thoughts were interrupted by the pressing need to dodge. But, he made sure to dodge toward the water. These things seemed unable to swim so he might have a chance. That rock throwing hulk of meat and metal was bleeding steadily, the blood flowing in a thin trickle out the bottom of his armor and onto the stones before running slowly into the water. On his next dodge Utu made a step that seemed ill chosen, half on the stone and half in the air over the water. He made as if he slipped and splashed into the ice cold dark.
A burst of bubbles broke the surface and then nothing. The beast rose unsteadily and turned to face the shield wall that opposed his brutal comrades. Then he raised the great axe that he had carried and brandished it above his head with a loud cry.
It was terribly cold. The lakes of the Reach were nothing like this. It bit and stole his breath. But, this was still water. He twitched and wriggled, hooking his bow over his shoulder so as to not lose it, and drew his dagger. Its long blade would have work soon. Turning over, he looked through the swimming light that touched the surface of the water and picked out a silouette. It rippled with movement and he heard a resonant roar, though dimly through the water. The rancid skeever was cheering already. He swam smoothly up to the surface, pausing just beneath it, and braced himself against the stone of the dock. He didnt have long before the cold would rob him of feeling. He had to hurry without being seen. Maybe, just maybe, he would be able to turn the attention of the beasts back toward the water and give the other mercenaries a chance to turn the tide.
The beast wasnt going to sit there for long. It would be joining the attack soon. Utu slowly raised his eyes above the water, then his shoulders. Not a drop fell to reveal his presence but time was running short. The beast shifted its balance to its right leg, then the other. As it shifted back to its right and began to lift its left foot to advance away from the water, Utu sprang up and grabbed ahold of the beasts waist with one hand. His dagger bit deep through the leather at the back of the knee and then he withdrew it and struck again, driving the tip between the helmet and the collar and levering himself up onto the beasts back. He was only there for a moment but his eyes flicked out over the battlefield to spot the one person who probably wouldnt care for his plan, Daelin and Utu saw each other, in a brief moment of mutual recognition.
Then he swept his tail powerfully from one side to the other and smacked it into the wounded knee of his enemy as he leaned and pulled backward with all his strength. The knee buckled and the beast turned and fell into the freezing water with a dismayed howl that carried as far as its cheer had, but cut off much sooner. Utu wrenched his dagger free as soon as they were below the surface and narrowly escaped the beasts lashing arms as it tried to drag him down with it. It faded into the dark below as Utu began to realize that he could barely feel the tip of his tail. His fingers were going numb along with his toes too. And his chest hurt. It felt like his blood was freezing in his lungs. Heh, maybe it was.
He smiled mirthlessly into the dark and swam away, using the pier and then the enemy ship for cover he sought to reach the gap between two battles. He was hoping to get back on land before he froze. The last thing he wanted was for Daelin to think that he, an argonian, had drowned. For some reason that thought was abhorrent suddenly.
That was when the water exploded around him, the water sang, and everything went black.
The enemies on the ship had spotted him as he swam out from beneath them and mages on deck shot out large ice lances at Utu-ja. Several of the lances of ice collided under water, shattering with great force and causing a large fountain that cast spray across a good part of the docks. The lances had missed their intended target but the blast had not.
Utu came to his senses a few moments later in the shadow of pier two. There was a small ledge there and he mustered enough control over his numb arms and legs to haul himself onto it. There he lay for a long moment with tiny shards of ice sticking out of his skin like needles while his hearing and vision tried to decide whether to stay or go. His lungs felt wrong. He tried to cough but only managed to turn his head and make a weak sound. He managed to fumble one of the vials he carried to his lips and swallow its contents, or most of it, before coughing hard. It seared and bit and he tasted copper and cold. He couldnt feel his lips but blood and healing potion intermingled in a thin trickle from the corner of his mouth. It truly was luck that it was a healing potion and not poison. The empty vial fell next to him as his senses finally made up their cursed minds. They left him alone in the shivering, silent dark.
Prior to a large rock flying their way, Daelin thought his position was secure, at least relative to everyone on the docks. But when the armored brutes came charging in at him and Utu-ja, it quickly became apparent that nowhere on this battlefield was safe. He saw the Argonian archer dodging and running, out of his sight not for long as the Bosmer went his own way to prevent a painful death. Pier four had fallen, they were a dozen corpses sprayed about, many with half connected limbs and smashed it heads. Daelin was not much of a frontline warrior, quite the opposite, small stature and weaker blade swings contributed little to the Red-Bear's tattered line. So he took off quick, sliding underneath one of the massive invaders and found him between piers three and two. Somewhere along the waterfront, a shape appeared behind one enemy and it fell back into the water. There was no struggle or repeated splatters. With metal plates of this weight, keeping their snouts above water is futile struggle.
The kill, if it could called as such, was quiet and nearly unnoticed. But what happened next was absolutely not. The ships that were inactive thus far decides to eject its munitions. Wait, it felt different then the bombardments across; it was closer to when the atronachs were conjured. Whatever the case, the resulting blast brought out a beaten shape at dock two. It had a tail, the scaled tail of an Argonian. Utu-ja, the last of his favored scouts beside Farid, survived an insane ideal. He didn't know how but wasn't entirelly surprised given the shear toughness Utu exhibited before. His position was close enough to Utu fumbling with a potion bottle, then splayed on the cold stones, shivering and drained of strength.
Daelin took off after him, but between the piers, Ashav was directing panicked folks around. Daelin grabbed his superior's shoulder, shaking him out of his business and turned his attention at Utu-ja. "He's still alive, we can't leave him there!" Daelin said.
"Him? Who?" Ashav perplexed. There was other unmoving bodies around the second pier. Though most of the fighting north-side were centered around the first pier. "No time for one man, our line is barely holding."
"It's Utu-ja, my scout, and he just drowned one of these, things." Daelin argued. "He found an opening and dying will make it all for moot."
"Fine, fine." Ashav conceded. He shifted his greatsword and followed after the scout. "Get him back to where the Orc is." He pointed to the scrap-barricaded section near the large stairway, where Orakh lies unconscious.
Together, the two of them and a newly enlisted mercenary managed to reach Utu-ja. Ashav slung the Argonian over his shoulder, slightly heavy for his old age but Utu-ja's malnourished frames made it bearable. Almost immediately after, one of the invading berserkers slammed through. The fresh faced recruit took most of the first hit, his shield smashed to bits by the gigantic axe and his forearm half dangling off a partially severed elbow. Sheer impact knocked the man on his back, then the monster stepped on his head, leaving behind a puddle of red in it's next step.
Daelin quickly shot off three arrows one after another. They all met metal plating and turned aside harmlessly. Fortunately, he bought time for three more fighters to creep up from behind. They engaged the giant in combat, whatever happened, Daelin couldn't be bothered to know. All he did was run, and crouch beside Utu-ja when he reached the barricades at last. Ashav already left, probably going back to the front. Thankfully, the Argonian was still breathing, but damn, the shards lodged in his scales looked bad, real bad.
"You crazy son of a snake." Daelin mumbled. He poked at one of the wounds, it was treatable, but not something he could do here. "We're going to get you aid, don't go dying on me now."
A life of mining and hunting did not help when suddenly placed in a game of dodge the rock with an armored cousin of a frost troll who happens to carry a grudge. Utu-ja tried to reach the relative safety of the shield wall so that he could bring his bow to bear again. But, he failed. Again and again he was forced to run or jump the other way to avoid hurled rocks that broke into pieces from the impact when they hit the stone of the docks. He was too busy dodging to notice how close to the water he was being forced. He did notice the sound of gutteral laughter coming from the nearest of the enemy ships. It seemed that throwing rocks at an lizard was considered good fun where these daedra-lickers came from.
That was not something that he liked. He could not afford to be a source of shame for the company, not right now. Not with moral so low and casualties so high. He took note of the distance between him and the water at last. Ten feet or so. His thoughts were interrupted by the pressing need to dodge. But, he made sure to dodge toward the water. These things seemed unable to swim so he might have a chance. That rock throwing hulk of meat and metal was bleeding steadily, the blood flowing in a thin trickle out the bottom of his armor and onto the stones before running slowly into the water. On his next dodge Utu made a step that seemed ill chosen, half on the stone and half in the air over the water. He made as if he slipped and splashed into the ice cold dark.
A burst of bubbles broke the surface and then nothing. The beast rose unsteadily and turned to face the shield wall that opposed his brutal comrades. Then he raised the great axe that he had carried and brandished it above his head with a loud cry.
It was terribly cold. The lakes of the Reach were nothing like this. It bit and stole his breath. But, this was still water. He twitched and wriggled, hooking his bow over his shoulder so as to not lose it, and drew his dagger. Its long blade would have work soon. Turning over, he looked through the swimming light that touched the surface of the water and picked out a silouette. It rippled with movement and he heard a resonant roar, though dimly through the water. The rancid skeever was cheering already. He swam smoothly up to the surface, pausing just beneath it, and braced himself against the stone of the dock. He didnt have long before the cold would rob him of feeling. He had to hurry without being seen. Maybe, just maybe, he would be able to turn the attention of the beasts back toward the water and give the other mercenaries a chance to turn the tide.
The beast wasnt going to sit there for long. It would be joining the attack soon. Utu slowly raised his eyes above the water, then his shoulders. Not a drop fell to reveal his presence but time was running short. The beast shifted its balance to its right leg, then the other. As it shifted back to its right and began to lift its left foot to advance away from the water, Utu sprang up and grabbed ahold of the beasts waist with one hand. His dagger bit deep through the leather at the back of the knee and then he withdrew it and struck again, driving the tip between the helmet and the collar and levering himself up onto the beasts back. He was only there for a moment but his eyes flicked out over the battlefield to spot the one person who probably wouldnt care for his plan, Daelin and Utu saw each other, in a brief moment of mutual recognition.
Then he swept his tail powerfully from one side to the other and smacked it into the wounded knee of his enemy as he leaned and pulled backward with all his strength. The knee buckled and the beast turned and fell into the freezing water with a dismayed howl that carried as far as its cheer had, but cut off much sooner. Utu wrenched his dagger free as soon as they were below the surface and narrowly escaped the beasts lashing arms as it tried to drag him down with it. It faded into the dark below as Utu began to realize that he could barely feel the tip of his tail. His fingers were going numb along with his toes too. And his chest hurt. It felt like his blood was freezing in his lungs. Heh, maybe it was.
He smiled mirthlessly into the dark and swam away, using the pier and then the enemy ship for cover he sought to reach the gap between two battles. He was hoping to get back on land before he froze. The last thing he wanted was for Daelin to think that he, an argonian, had drowned. For some reason that thought was abhorrent suddenly.
That was when the water exploded around him, the water sang, and everything went black.
The enemies on the ship had spotted him as he swam out from beneath them and mages on deck shot out large ice lances at Utu-ja. Several of the lances of ice collided under water, shattering with great force and causing a large fountain that cast spray across a good part of the docks. The lances had missed their intended target but the blast had not.
Utu came to his senses a few moments later in the shadow of pier two. There was a small ledge there and he mustered enough control over his numb arms and legs to haul himself onto it. There he lay for a long moment with tiny shards of ice sticking out of his skin like needles while his hearing and vision tried to decide whether to stay or go. His lungs felt wrong. He tried to cough but only managed to turn his head and make a weak sound. He managed to fumble one of the vials he carried to his lips and swallow its contents, or most of it, before coughing hard. It seared and bit and he tasted copper and cold. He couldnt feel his lips but blood and healing potion intermingled in a thin trickle from the corner of his mouth. It truly was luck that it was a healing potion and not poison. The empty vial fell next to him as his senses finally made up their cursed minds. They left him alone in the shivering, silent dark.
Prior to a large rock flying their way, Daelin thought his position was secure, at least relative to everyone on the docks. But when the armored brutes came charging in at him and Utu-ja, it quickly became apparent that nowhere on this battlefield was safe. He saw the Argonian archer dodging and running, out of his sight not for long as the Bosmer went his own way to prevent a painful death. Pier four had fallen, they were a dozen corpses sprayed about, many with half connected limbs and smashed it heads. Daelin was not much of a frontline warrior, quite the opposite, small stature and weaker blade swings contributed little to the Red-Bear's tattered line. So he took off quick, sliding underneath one of the massive invaders and found him between piers three and two. Somewhere along the waterfront, a shape appeared behind one enemy and it fell back into the water. There was no struggle or repeated splatters. With metal plates of this weight, keeping their snouts above water is futile struggle.
The kill, if it could called as such, was quiet and nearly unnoticed. But what happened next was absolutely not. The ships that were inactive thus far decides to eject its munitions. Wait, it felt different then the bombardments across; it was closer to when the atronachs were conjured. Whatever the case, the resulting blast brought out a beaten shape at dock two. It had a tail, the scaled tail of an Argonian. Utu-ja, the last of his favored scouts beside Farid, survived an insane ideal. He didn't know how but wasn't entirelly surprised given the shear toughness Utu exhibited before. His position was close enough to Utu fumbling with a potion bottle, then splayed on the cold stones, shivering and drained of strength.
Daelin took off after him, but between the piers, Ashav was directing panicked folks around. Daelin grabbed his superior's shoulder, shaking him out of his business and turned his attention at Utu-ja. "He's still alive, we can't leave him there!" Daelin said.
"Him? Who?" Ashav perplexed. There was other unmoving bodies around the second pier. Though most of the fighting north-side were centered around the first pier. "No time for one man, our line is barely holding."
"It's Utu-ja, my scout, and he just drowned one of these, things." Daelin argued. "He found an opening and dying will make it all for moot."
"Fine, fine." Ashav conceded. He shifted his greatsword and followed after the scout. "Get him back to where the Orc is." He pointed to the scrap-barricaded section near the large stairway, where Orakh lies unconscious.
Together, the two of them and a newly enlisted mercenary managed to reach Utu-ja. Ashav slung the Argonian over his shoulder, slightly heavy for his old age but Utu-ja's malnourished frames made it bearable. Almost immediately after, one of the invading berserkers slammed through. The fresh faced recruit took most of the first hit, his shield smashed to bits by the gigantic axe and his forearm half dangling off a partially severed elbow. Sheer impact knocked the man on his back, then the monster stepped on his head, leaving behind a puddle of red in it's next step.
Daelin quickly shot off three arrows one after another. They all met metal plating and turned aside harmlessly. Fortunately, he bought time for three more fighters to creep up from behind. They engaged the giant in combat, whatever happened, Daelin couldn't be bothered to know. All he did was run, and crouch beside Utu-ja when he reached the barricades at last. Ashav already left, probably going back to the front. Thankfully, the Argonian was still breathing, but damn, the shards lodged in his scales looked bad, real bad.
"You crazy son of a snake." Daelin mumbled. He poked at one of the wounds, it was treatable, but not something he could do here. "We're going to get you aid, don't go dying on me now."
<Snipped quote by Haeo>
Blaspheme! Lies and deception! They will love and adore me for keeping them safe and hidden from the world for decades!
Well, I guess there's a discount on wall padding and those funny jackets right now. Gotta get the sale price, right? I just hope there's a discount on traction gear for when my kids are through with me.
@pockets Heh, I love them but I wouldn't hold them too close. I don't want my grown daughter to have to beat the crap out of her old man in order to move out.
@DestinyStar 7 months old. Going on crotchety!
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