Thinslayer

medieval /fantasy

Suppose we did, in fact, work for the dragon...

The Faraway Land: Path of Heroes

The Kingdom of Man has conquered the world at last. Elves, orcs, dwarves, all races are brought under the thumb of human overlords. And the domination is miserable. All non-human races have been either killed or made slaves, and the few that are allowed their freedom are burdened with high tribute.

Then, the Guardian appeared.

The twelve ancient Guardians were long thought dead. Once upon a time, they'd saved the world from the dark hordes, but one by one they were hunted down and destroyed by those they sought to protect. Only one of them survived, the fire dragon Caradras. With his near-divine powers and miraculous strength, he rallied most of the surviving non-humans to his side and began a long, bloody campaign of revenge.

What part will you play? Are you the human, disenchanted with the Kingdom and yearning to set things right? Are you a monster, despised and abused, who fights for freedom and the right to live? Whichever path you take, beware, for not all that seems noble is true.

The End of the World on an X

The princess can be pretty spineless sometimes, but she has her moments. :P

The Faraway Land: Resurrection

@Samdragonx
I can't quite make out your tone from the text whether it's sarcasm or humor.

Ravadon stole the letter from Druth Vanarys, thinking it belonged to the latter. Caradras has just revealed that the letter was intended for Ravadon all along. It is The Letter from the intro.

The End of the World on an X

The assassin weaved around most of Solomon's jabs, but one connected. One was enough to provide an opening. The jab threw off the assassin's rhythm, giving Solomon the opportunity to line up the shot for the princess.

Meanwhile, Amalthea drew her bow and watched the fight unfold.
It's all my fault, she told herself as the assassin came within a hair's breadth of killing her hero.
It's all my fault, she thought as Solomon retreated step by step toward the bank of the stream.
It's all my fault!

She gritted her teeth. Her muscles tensed. Her grip on the bow wavered. I have to make this count. Solomon and the assassin weaved back and forth on the grass. A jab here, a slice there, then a backstep. Twice they narrowly avoided tripping over roots and rocks in the earth. Amalthea's knuckles whitened. She couldn't make the shot. She'd risk hitting Solomon.

A sudden, but subtle, shift changed the flow of battle. The men stopped weaving around the battlefield. The princess had a clear line of fire.

By the power vested in me, let my aim be true and my shot be deadly.

She let loose the arrow.

The flames of magic propelled it through the neck armor and carotid artery. The assassin dropped like a rock. The two still living got to their feet, swords drawn and itching for revenge, both of them just as skilled as the fallen one. Amalthea nocked another arrow, but the assassins wouldn't fall to the same trick twice. They charged past Solomon and straight for the princess instead. The moonlight glinted their blades.

Their swords cut through air. Their target had darted under their legs. Surprised, they glanced back to see Amalthea grab the fallen assassin's sword and level it at them. In their ignorance, they charged her again. Her eyes flared with newfound strength.

They locked blades with a master swordfighter.

Steel sang like a death bell when Amalthea struck back. She backed away toward Solomon and took a position at his side. "What do you say we keep fighting?"

Rose paled.
Don't do it. Run.

The End of the World on an X

Posting Saturday afternoon. My vacation for the rest of the year begins! :D

medieval /fantasy

Idk what toptable is

Also, having a hard time coming up with an intro :/

@AcetheKidd

Tabletop = board games & dice-rolling

I'm working on an intro for it too. Try listening to some music done by Thomas Bergersen and Nick Phoenix; their orchestra Two Steps From Hell does some amazing crazy bombastic themes that'll have your intro write itself in no time flat.

The Faraway Land: Resurrection

Got the rest of the year off starting Saturday. I'll be able to post more often then - provided I don't get too sucked into an anime rut. xD

medieval /fantasy

Who's down for some tabletop elements? Normally I prefer freeform RP, but this is more of a battle-focused story, so I think a balanced combat resolution system would be useful here. Maybe something loosely based on DnD.

The End of the World on an X

Rose and Amalthea ran for the forest as fast as they could. Rose pulled ahead, and used her speed advantage to select optimal routes through the forest. The four enemy scouts stayed close at their heels. If there was going to be a fight, they had about half a second to prepare. Amalthea's untrained body would run out of stamina in a minute or so, after which she would slow down and get everyone caught.

And so, Rose formulated a plan. The princess was a good shot with a bow, but Rose was the one carrying it. It would take several seconds to put it in the right hands, which was several seconds too long. Solomon would have to buy them time. They would have to trust that he could hold off four trained assassins for at least a few seconds, trust that the princess could shoot strait, trust that she could stop them by shooting them, and pray that they would have enough energy for all of that after sprinting at full speed.

It was now or never.

She grabbed the princess by the collar and dragged them both to the ground, sending them careening down the bank of a stream. The sudden halt forced a confrontation, and in a blink, all four scouts descended upon Solomon. Rose removed the bow and arrows and shoved them at the princess.

Amalthea grabbed them, sat up, and took aim. The bow twanged four times. Two scouts dropped, but were far from dead. One was hit in the shoulder, but tried to resume fighting. Rose growled, ran up to him and stuck her dagger in his neck. He peeled her off and tossed her to the ground, but the damage was done. He stumbled and collapsed beside his dazed attacker.

The fourth scout, whom the fourth arrow missed, attacked Solomon with the skill and precision of a trained assassin. His blade snapped through the air like a lightning bolt: There would be a flash of steel, followed by a thunderous roaring in the ears. Hair would stand up on end for how close each swing brought a violent end.

They could escape if they continued running.

The Faraway Land: Resurrection

@AtomicNut
The King and all the courtiers turned when Sykes entered the room. Some scoffed at his peasant robes and looked away. Others stared out of curiosity. The King, for his part, appeared not to care. He slumped into his throne and jabbed his finger at the table-sized map display in the floor. "What is that? What did you do? It looks like some sort of magic map, and it only appeared when you fixed the star core in the basement."

Shortly after Sykes delivered his reply, the earthquakes and screams drew closer and closer until a tremendous crash brought down the whole front face of the palace. Guards stood their ground trembling while courtiers darted every which way screaming. Through the opening crawled the great dragon, orange flames engulfing his entire body and torching everything it touched that wasn't stone. He gave a deafening roar that shook the tower to its very foundations.

Now that everyone's eardrums were adequately broken, he drew his face to human eye level and glared at the King.

"Where is your daughter?" he rumbled.
The King clenched the armrests. "She- she's not- which one?"
"Both of them."
"One- one is in prison. The other is right here- here." He pointed to Evelyn's body on the floor.
"Give me both of them."
"N-No! You can't-"
"I'LL DO WHATEVER I PLEASE!" Caradras bellowed. "YOU WILL GIVE THEM TO ME, OR I WILL TAKE YOUR LIFE!"

By now, the King had turned into a frightened, sobbing mess. Tears and snot poured down his face in equal measure. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Take them! Please take them!" he cried.

Caradras turned down the flames and drew closer to the King. "Do not think I have not heard of your misdeeds. I know what plans you concocted with your silly mages to secure the throne for your descendants. You failed to realize the irreversible harm you have wrought. The bill has come due, Alexander."

Caradras picked up Evelyn in one paw, broke the dungeon and withdrew Isabella in his other paw, and took off with them.

The King composed himself long enough to deliver a message to his cowering servants.

"Tell the Kingdom to find my daughters and return them to me."
@Avali