"Jacque, flying wolves can reach speeds of up to ninety miles per hour. I don't think you'll be able to outrun them. However, that's still a good idea. We need bait. Let's see..." Diego looked off into the distance, lost in thought. "That's it! Flying wolves won't attack anything unless its dead. Sort of like wolf vultures. So we play dead. Once the wolves get close, we overpower one of them, pin it down. I'll hop onto its back. Then I'll try and fly it up to the window," with that, Diego flopped to the ground. Julia shrugged and collapsed onto the grass as well. Two wolves take notice, but only circle over their heads- they do not dive down to attack the group.
*****
"Retreat! Fall back! He's not worth it! A magic user will get him!" calls out one of the men. The swordsman pinning James is temporarily distracted. James seizes the opportunity and swipes the man's sword. He slashes at the swordsman who screams, blood pouring from his chest. But, as he bleeds, he lands a blow on James' skull. James crumbles to the floor, unconscious. The swordsman is not so lucky. The cut is deep, and he is mortally wounded. After briefly writhing in pain, he collapses lifeless to the floor.
The men do the best they can to retreat, but only one escapes. The others are killed by the orc and Nikolai. The orc may not have possessed finesse, but his blows were powerful. He struck one man's sword so hard that it splintered the hilt.
The orc doesn't react to Nikolai's insult. Clearly, he doesn't speak Czech. "Leh...Мы должны бежать.Leh Будете ли вы принимать этот уродливый человеческий девушку и ранил человека человеку с вами Leh Leh Leh Leh?" he says.
Hey sorry, my laptops been out of commission for a while. I ordered new parts for it to fix it up but that could take a few days. I'll try to get a post up Monday from the campus computers.
Luckily, surprise was on Nickolai's side. Clearly, a mixture of Zenia's reassurance and the unusual circumstances had made an attack seem fairly unlikely. The bear headed man's head snapped back as the bullet punctured his skull, and he collapsed in a heap onto the ground. This made it easy for Zenia to see that this was no fake mask.
"A shaman!?!" one of the men shouts, although it sounded like he was shouting it to someone that wasn't in the room. Quickly, the other men surge forward. One of them charges towards James, who makes a hasty retreat to the corner of the room, where he is pinned against the wall by a swordsman. Four of the other men quickly rush towards Nickolai with their swords raised in the air, giving him only enough time to perhaps fire one more shot before they are close enough to swing at him.
But the green skinned creature doesn't move, and seems to be more confused and he remains glued to the floor. Suddenly, a look of shock crosses his face. "Leh...Отец...leh?" he says in a strange Russian-like slur, his eyes widening. "Leh...Вы не один из двадцати шести братьев... Leh. Leh... Конечно, вы отец Leh.Leh Но ... они мертвы ... leh."
"What are you doing orc! Seize the shaman's tool! For the glory of the Claws of-" his sentence is cut off, as is his head. The orc had easily decapitated the man mid sentence, leaving the others temporarily dumbstruck.
"Leh! Для славы отцов старших! Leh! Для двенадцатом сына! Leh! Для славы оживших огров! Leh! Это не человек, дураки! Это бог!"
*****
Diego reaches into a scabbard and pulls out a chipped sword that he throws to Habb. "This will have to do for now, at least until we get to the Guardians," he says, as he pulls out a blade of his own. However, as the two begin to make their way towards the castle, the forest erupts with a chorus of howling. Suddenly, two dozen wolves large wolves fly out of the woods- literally. The wolves flap low to the ground with large white wings. For a moment, Diego freezes in horror, but then quickly recovers as they fly overhead. "Ah, um... they're just a scavengers. I think. To eat the fallen guards..." he looks at the wolves for a moment, but then his eyes light up. "Habb, see if we can't grab a few of those and ride up to the window. I doubt Nickolai will fit into that chimney."
Alright, I created a new rule. Failure to post within four days will result in me taking control of your character until you return. I will only do this if it is essential for them to move in order to make the plot carry on.
Diego made it down the ramp easily and gracefully, while the princess descended slowly, nearly tumbling down the entire makeshift ramp. They both listened to Ian's idea. After listening, Julia's eyes became purple, "Personally, I don't care whether or not we split up, I'm going to the Crystal Rivers. You may join me if you wish."
After being pushed, Diego gives Meryn an apologetic look. "I don't really know much more than you do, honestly. I'll try my best..."
"Queen Julia," said Diego, "I think you should explain to them what the Crystal Rivers are."
Queen Julia scoffed, "What kind of person doesn't know what the Crystal Rivers are?"
"Julia, have you seen any of these people before? They are foreigners from a distant land. In fact, most of them probably aren't even familiar with magic."
"That's Queen Julia..." her voice fades away as she realizes how out of place everyone seems.
"Uh... fine, I'll explain," she said finally.
Most people aren't born with magical powers, of course. They touch the Crystal Rivers, which are just south of here. Anyone who simply touches the water becomes a Shaman, who can use magical items. However, if one submerges half of their body in the Crystal Rivers, then they become an Enchanter, who can make normal items magical ones. If one manages to actually swim in the Rivers, they become a sage. Most people that get close to the Crystal Rivers are sages. A sage can't just start casting spells- they need to see a spell performed in order to cast it. Plus, they have to have some sort of magical item to help them channel their powers The sage can only perform certain types of magic, based on how their body is moved through the Rivers. You can't control where the currents push you at that point, and nobody knows what type of magic you get from going down different streams. In fact, most people aren't even sure that we have found all the different magic types. They range from control of fire, to creation of living beings. Wizards submerge themselves completely in the water. They don't need to see a spell performed to cast it, they don't need to be aided by magical items, and they can do whatever their magic type allows them. They are only limited by imagination and energy. Using magic burns energy- lots of energy. Wizards can build up magical strength and stamina, therefore many experienced wizards can cast bigger and better spells without having to worry about passing out. Magicians drink the water from the Crystal Rivers. They have control of all of the different types of magic- they don't have to specialize. And finally, the Sorcerers are the ones who put the water into their bloodstream. They aren't limited by stamina. Only by imagination. They simply see themselves doing something and it is done. However, it takes tremendous skill to be a Sorcerer. There are only five, and they stand as guardians of the Crystal Rivers.
Queen Julia stops as her eyes become a dull brown, "if you thought that was complicated... well, it's not even that simple. You can't just go for a bath in the Crystal Rivers. The water is alive. And it's constantly hungry. If it thinks you are weak, it devours you. That's why the guardians are there. They want to make sure that those who enter the water aren't going to be swallowed immediately. You know... uh... yeah...they put you through a series of test." the queen seemed to become bored with the conversation and stared off into the distance.
wwwwwwwhooops i got mixed up and thought diego had already come down the ramp to where people were gathered and now i am too tired/lazy to change the post =,D
i mean, if it's an issue i can, obviously. just let me know.
No problem, Diego will go down the ramp very soon anyways.