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Post by Enchant on Feb 28, 2008 0:29:02 GMT -5
"Charity, take it. Take it and make the rally point." Blood rolling off his fingers, as he pushed the container toward her. "Keep it safe and trust no one." Once she took the container, he reached up and cupped her face in his hands. "I hate you."
Her heart was breaking, she was feeling all hope rising out of her. It took all her strength to respond, "I hate you too." She reached down, one hand still grasping the container and the other one pressing down on his open womb. She looked up, trying to find someone who could help. "MEDIC", she screamed, although the words didn't seem to be heard above the weapons firing, dragon breathes and spell casting. Shaking and she looked him over trying to quickly assess the situation and figure out a solution, but the fact of the matter was she didn't know what to do. She held her hand over the womb, the blood still managing to escape between her fingers and out the sides of her palm. "Please, please...Don't leave me", she begged him. his hand slowly began to slide down her face. "Oh god, no...no...Marshall...no...." her words were now nothing more then whimpers in the wind. His hand finally dropped to his side with a soft thump. Heartbroken she vigorously began to shake him, screaming at him, but no response, he was gone.
Charity's eyes opened abruptly. She was no longer at the inn. Instead she was some place dark, dank, and dusty. She slowly sat up, her ribs still hurting and quickly tried to get her bearings. Where am I?. Slowly trying to push her self up off the floor, she panicked when she realized that she wasn't holding onto her bag. She looked down in front of her and then swung around to look behind her almost tripping on the it. She quickly reached down, picked it up and prayingly made sure that the contents still remained enclosed. Thank goodness. They did. She then heard a slurping and crunching sound hidden within the dark shadows.
"Who's there?"
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Nemaisare
Warrior Hunter
The farther you are from the edge of reality, the closer you are to my world.
Posts: 157
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Post by Nemaisare on Feb 28, 2008 15:02:46 GMT -5
Tilting his head to the side, Matt listened as her breathing grew harsh, wondering what she was dreaming, but even his good hearing couldn't catch the words she was mumbling. Still, it didn't sound overly enjoyable, but there was nothing he could do about it, since she was asleep and he was awake. So he didn't bother to try, but rather, remained as he was and tore off another bite from the rat with his flat, human teeth. They were really, very useless and it took a bit of effort to work through the tough muscles so he could swallow, but Matt was hungry and he couldn't, at the moment, change the shape of his teeth, so he persisted.
By the time he heard movement from the woman, he was halfway through and had to keep licking his hands clean of the blood dripping from them. He didn't manage to get it all, so there was a small puddle of the warm liquid cooling by the crates he was perched on. He almost dropped the rat when her sudden flurry of activity startled him into fear. At least, until he realised she was only looking for her bag, because he heard the scrape of its material against the floor and then she stopped panicking. Of course, then she had to go and ask a question. Didn't she remember anything of the past day? Yes, she had passed out before they set out, but surely she hadn't forgotten him so easily.
Matt swallowed to clear his mouth then tore off a long strip of flesh with his fingers before letting the grisly carcass fall behind him where the other rats could clean it up. Shaping his lips and pushing his tongue to the roof of his mouth, the youth made a shushing noise and dropped from the crate to come towards her. He knew that he would have the advantage, since, even though he could hardly see anything, he might be able to see more than her, but he also had the better senses of hearing and smell. Well, that was all well and good for him in case she felt like attacking, but it didn't help him much in reassuring her that he wouldn't attack. Particularly since human words were beyond him. Then there was that other little fact that, were he in his true shape, she could very well have been his prey.
But he wasn't, so she wasn't and now he had to make sure she didn't scream. Or chuck something at him. Did she have a knife on her? He didn't think he wanted to find out. So he tried to make some noise as he came up to her, which wasn't hard since the floor creaked every now and then. Lifting one hand, he tapped her on the shoulder, having made a very lucky guess as to where that might be. Then made a grab and caught her wrist. He followed that down to her hand and put the meat inside it as a peace offering. Maybe she was hungry? After all, she had missed breakfast too.
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Post by Enchant on Feb 29, 2008 15:03:45 GMT -5
It was dark and dusty. She could feel someone else in the room. Although, it was dark she could make a dark shadow figure moving closer. She was about to defend herself, but something grabbed her arm. For a split second, she flashed back to the image of her looking up and seeing him carrying her with the sky blanketing above him. It was soon, she figured out it was the servant boy. His grip was strong for a servant boy, but there was a gentleness to it. He lowered her hand and dropped a lump of warm, thick slim in to it. She could feel the flesh sliding through her fingers. Looking up, she could barely see the shapes of his face. But it was apparent that he meant for her to eat it. A faint smell of flesh floated on the air. What was it that he expected her to eat. Her stomach turned at the possibilities.
What is this? She lifted it up to see it, but it was still to dark to tell. She knew of a night vision spell, but she wasn't strong enough to hold it. She was hungry and hadn't eaten, she knew she wouldn't have a choice but to consume it and it was probably better if she didn't know what it was. Hesitantly, she brought her hand to her face, opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out to investigate it. Her tongue tasted the flesh and found it to be warm, salty and gamey. It wasn't a taste she had been hoping for. Her stomach rolling, and its content within rising up, she cringed as she forced her mouth to cover the top of the flesh and bite down. As she tried to rip a piece off, she found it wasn't easy. It was like trying to tear rubber with her teeth. She could feel liquid rolling down the corners of her mouth, even felt a piece of flesh touch her nose.
She ate it as quickly as she could, trying not to think about the fact, that it most likely would come back up, if she ever found out what it was. She then feigned a smile and nodded in thanks. Wiping her face with her dirty sticky hands, she then felt her way around the room. It was obvious by the texture and size that there were several sealed crates.
"I need to see if these crates have any kind of supples or something of value in them. I haven't any more money and I am going to need something to trade." She could feel him watching her, and a sudden realiztion came over her. She couldn't protect him. She appreciated the fact that he had helped her, but she didn't want him to get in trouble with the shadow guards. "You have been a great help. You got me away from the inn safely, and you provided me.." again she feigned a smile, "with a fine meal, but it isn't safe for you to be around me." She then slid her hand around the crate before her. She reached her arm to the far side and struggled to get it open. As she dealt with the excruciating pain, she continued, "Don't get me wrong, I am grateful," struggling with her words, as she used her strength in an attempt to open the lid, "but you have people who count on you." She couldn't pull it off yet. "Damn it." She sighed and stepped back in frustration.
She didn't hear a sound coming from him. "You just going to sit there and say nothing? Don't you speak?" She then stepped forward again in attempt to give the crate another try. "Your a peculiar one, aren't you?"
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Nemaisare
Warrior Hunter
The farther you are from the edge of reality, the closer you are to my world.
Posts: 157
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Post by Nemaisare on Feb 29, 2008 21:07:22 GMT -5
Matt breathed out a sigh of relief when she didn't strike out at him immediately. Of course, he could have defended himself, and would have, but that didn't seem like a good way to come to an understanding. And she took the meat too, though it was far more hesitantly than he'd thought her acceptance would be. Mind you, his master probably never would have held it for that long. He'd have tossed it back saying that he'd learned his lesson the first time, whatever that meant. Waiting for her to decide what to do with it, he crouched down, listening for others and watching her faint silhouette while he licked his own hands clean. It was an effort, since the blood had turned sticky and he couldn't see clear enough to tell where it was and where it wasn't, but he didn't like to be dirty.
It was with a certain amount of pride that he heard her tear the flesh and swallow it. He was quite pleased that he could have done at least that much for her. True, it wasn't waffles or coffee, nasty, smelly drink that was, but it would fill her up and it didn't taste all that terrible. Matt smiled with an almost innocent pleasure into the dark as he wiped his fingers dry on his shirt, unaware that he had probably just gven the woman something that she would never have eaten otherwise. Then he stayed where he was as she explained what she wanted to do with the crates and he listened to her gentle footsteps, following her progress through the attic and along one wall. Yet he didn't move from his place, because he didn't want there to be too much noise just in case someone came along beneath them.
He could, however, be of some help to her, not in finding valuables or supplies, but he could carry it for her. Oh yes, and... His grin widened again as she told him that his help was appreciated, but then it dissapeared abruptly when she said it wasn't safe to be around her. Well, yes, he'd realised that when the guards had come chasing her and he knew how dangerous shadow guards could be, but then, he could be worse, if he could escape the binding. Matt grew thoughtful, enough so that when she mentioned others counting on him, he snorted a great gust of air in what couldn't be anything other than a laugh. Granted, it wasn't exactly noisy, but it was amused.
No one was counting on him, and if she meant Mary and Arthur, well, she had it the wrong way round. He'd been the one counting on them for shelter and food. They'd been doing just fine before he showed up. Besides which, the last people who had trusted him were dead, so maybe he should go back, maybe she'd be better off without him. But it hadn't been his fault, not entirely, everyone else had been too scared of him to come back and help. Well, now that he was here, he figured he ought to try and do what he could for her. No one else would, and he didn't want to stay in that inn forever, besides, maybe she could help him in return.
Briefly his eyes gleamed in the dark as he turned back to her, hearing the gasps and scratching of her struggle with the crate lid. Slowly, he stood, then he eased himself forward, sighing and shaking his head. Personally, he wouldn't have bothered with the trading part, sure, he understood the system and how it worked, but he'd never understood the point of it. If he wanted something and he could take it without raising too much fuss, or be gone before the fuss started, then why not? It was a much simpler way of going about supplying one's self with the required items.
The only hint of him nearing her was his silhouette coming closer and then he brushed past her, giving another amused snort at her wondering if he ever said anything and calling him peculiar. Well, if she meant, not human-like, then of course he was peculiar, and quite proud of that fact too. Now he explored the top of the crate with his own fingers, feeling lightly around the edges as he found the crack where the lid joined the rest of it. If she wanted it open, well, nothing could be done except open it, and quite obviously, she was having trouble. He dug in with his nails, squeezing out more space for his fingers in the dry wood and feeling the splintered edges protest, but he needed a good grip if it was going to come off, because he didn't think the woman was that weak.
Bracing himself, he took a deep breath then heaved up with all his strength. His eyes flashed the dark, deep red that was their natural colour for just an instant. Matt let out a choked off squeak of effort and then there was a protesting squeal and loud crack... The lid lifted as the nails pounded into it released their grip and then it toppled down to the other side. Oops... The young man froze, panting slightly, fearful of the consequences, but nothing moved beneath them, even the rats were silent, so he relaxed and moved out of the way so the woman could look inside to her heart's content. He just hoped she didn't want every single one of the great big boxes opened, his fingers wouldn't put up with it. He winced as he sucked on the offended digits, they certainly hadn't appreciated being jammed up against the sharp wood.
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Post by Enchant on Mar 1, 2008 20:23:48 GMT -5
As her breathing started to calm down, and still gripping her side, she peered into the darkness, as he attempted to lift the lid off the crate. He didn't say much, only a few grunt like sounds. It didn't take long before the wood started to crack. Then out of the darkness came a loud thud of the lid falling to the ground. For a moment, there was no movement, no sound. Her heart began to race, at the prospect of them being heard. I hope no one heard that
When the panic subsided, and the realization that no one had heard it, she began to calm down and move toward the crates. As she gripped the edge of the crate, she could feel the hard wooden splinters and what she assumed to be fresh blood from Matt. He must have hurt his hands. She then looked in his direction and nodded, "Thank you". Then as she reached into the crate, she looked up again, and smiled, "Just so you know I loosened it for you.". She then pulled a large round object. It seemed to be wrapped in a cloth. It was too dark to see what it was. She didn't want to use her night vision spell unless absolutely needed. But she needed to see what these containers help. She put the item on top of the crate and looked up at the hatch door. Should we risk it?
She reached up and cracked the hatch. It was dark out now. She listened for any sign of the shadow guards, but didn't hear anything. She then opened the hatch and let the moons shine down and give the dark space some light. She looked around and saw that there were many sealed crates. Each of them marked with the same emblem on them. They must either be in a museum or its warehouse. She looked at the open crate and saw that it was a vase wrapped in packing cloth. I don't have use for that.
She looked at Matt, who was perched on top one of the crates. He seemed to be licking his wombs. Sympathetically, she walked toward him. She reached inside her shirt and unwrapped a piece of her bandage and reached out for his hand. "You know, you didn't need to help me. She gently began wrapping his fingers so that they were protected and still usable. "But, I am glad you did."
Once she was done, she turned around and began to look at the other crates. She observed that they had individual invoices on them. That makes things a bit easier She then made her way around the room, reading each of the labels stapled to them. It took awhile till she came to one that might prove to he of use. It had been equipment from WWII. "This one looks promising". She pulled the label off and read, " According to this list, it has some bayonets, a couple of canteens, uniforms, looks like a tent and a rucksack. Yes, these are good, it's not much but, we will most likely need these, and they are light to carry." She then placed the label on top of the crate as a way to mark the ones that will need to be opened. She moved on to the next ones. When she was done, only two crates proved of any use. One was the WWII camping gear and the other was part of an Egyptian expo, it had a bunch of jewelry and other things that might catch a good trade.
Looking over at Matt, she then smiled, "Well, it is apparent that I am not going to be getting rid of you any time soon, so we will need to open these two crates, do you you think you can help me?"
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Nemaisare
Warrior Hunter
The farther you are from the edge of reality, the closer you are to my world.
Posts: 157
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Post by Nemaisare on Mar 1, 2008 21:24:05 GMT -5
He huffed at her thanks, pleased that he could have proved his worth to her while she was awake, then, he grinned at her next words. He could hear the smile in her voice and wondered if she knew her voice changed with her expression, no one else realised it though, so she probably didn't either. Curiousity had never been a strong point with Matt, mostly because curiosity could get him killed, the habit was hard to break, so, although he was interested, he didn't show it and just went back to sucking on his fingers. Had to make sure there weren't any splinters in them, that would make things worse. Huh, he didn't get how something so small could be so bothersome, but then, flies could be bothersome too...
Then he blinked as the moons flooded the place with light, creating shadows upon shadows. He should have been paying attention to what she was doing, then he wouldn't have been so surprised, at least with the light they could see again, and him more clearly than ever. Matt had never seen what the attic actually looked like since he was usually smart enough not to wander until after dark, in the time between sundown and moonrise when almost no one was about. It wasn't nearly as interesting as he had thought it would be, the dust was thick, the crates were big and... box-like and there wasn't really anything else to see. Except the woman, who was coming towards him, doing something with her hands.
Matt had to fight the urge to leap back before he realised it was just a bit of a bandage and that she wasn't going to hurt him. He felt a bit sheepish, holding out his hands for her as she wrapped his fingers, but it wasn't like he could just ignore his instincts. To distract himself, he watched how she twisted the cloth deftly and kept any loose ends from getting in the way, flexing hs finges, he snorted and shook his head in surprise at how much he could still move them. Masterful, she was, and kind to keep thanking him. But well, you didn't need to breathe and then you'd die, you didn't need to play and then you would never learn, you didn't need to listen and then you'd never hear the birds... It was just something he did, granted, it was strange that he helped two-leggers, but then, he'd mostly grown up around them, so it wasn't all that surprising.
Matt watched her wander about, reading and talking. Since he couldn't read he just listened to what she said was in the crates, and wondered why they would need uniforms. But then, apparently what was in these crates wasn't from his world, so he wouldn't have the slightest clue what to do with it. Unless maybe she found a knife, he liked those sharp things, they reminded him of claws and he liked that. He missed claws...
Looking back at her, he grinned and shook his head emphatically, no, she most certainly would not be rid of him, but if she wanted those crates opened, well, two was better than all of them minus the two, so he figured it was doable. He slid easily off the crate he'd been sitting on all this time and went first to the crate she'd marked last. The one with jewels in it, he couldn't remember where she'd said they came from. Then, just as he had the first crate, he found the crack between box and lid, squeezed his fingers into the space and hauled upward with all his strength. And, just as had happened the first time, his eyes flared red, a dark, rich scarlet that faded a bit more slowly into the brown of his human iris.
This time, however, he didn't give the lid quite such a heave, so it didn't topple off and he had to go around to the side and ease it off with a clumsy care so that it didn't crash to the floor. He had learned, and learned quickly, that particular lesson. Then, Matt glanced only briefly into the box before turning to the second crate that required opening. He flexed his fingers and eyed it speculatively. They weren't too troublesome to open, but they did require a certain amount of strength and his muscles had been taxed quite a bit already today. Now, Matt did have the strength to open it, because his true form was much stronger than any human's, but the binding might not let that happen. He rubbed at his chest, above his heart, then shrugged, there was only one way to find out.
He took a bit more time with this one, arranging it so he could push the top off and have it land on top of another crate, rather than the floor. The strategy remained the same, however, part way through lifting, Matt gasped and faltered. The breath hissed from him and he had to clench his teeth, but then the lid surged upwards and he almost fell into the now open crate before he caught himself. Feeling something tickle his cheek, he wiped it away and was startled to see blood on his fingers where there had been none before, and his chest hurt, but the pain was already receding, and after wiping away the tears, no more fell. So it was just a warning then? He did not know.
The youth glanced back cautiously, had the lady seen? He might trust her if he so chose, but he didn't know if that was the issue, he wanted free of the binding, but he didn't know how to go about it. She might and she might decide to release him, but she might also decide to renew the bond, and that was what Matt feared.
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Post by Enchant on Mar 4, 2008 19:38:49 GMT -5
"We will need to fill these before we go," she said holding two canteens, glancing up at him, and then placing them beside her. She continued to pull out a 12 pack of matches, a couple of bayonets, a medical kit, a swiss army knife, "Nice" she said softly, as she pulled one of the small blades out of its container, then folding it back in., then slid the swiss army knife into her front pants pocket. She continued to take what was needed from the crates. Inside, she found some old uniforms, mostly men uniforms, but a couple were WAC uniforms. Only they were fancy uniforms and served her no purpose, so she started to push them aside. That is when she noticed a pair of womens military issue boots underneath. They were primitive compared to what she was used to, but they were still better then the shoes that were on her feet at the moment. Thank goodness. As she hoped, they were her size. She slid the current shoes off her feet, and her mind flashed backed to the dead women who had previously worn them. She had been much younger then Charity,when she removed them from her corpse.
Charity hadn't forgotten the image of her. Her body badly beaten and her clothing torn, like a child's rag doll abandoned in the mud. The black and blue marks and the deep gashes had left no doubt that the woman had been tortured. Charity would never forget the smell either. The stench of battered flesh and the scents of bodily fluids. Stop, stop dwelling on the past She then slid her feet into the combat boots. "Much better", as she tugged on the strings and tied them up.
It didn't take long to get the rucksack packed. Placing the two empty canteens into the front pockets, she looked over at Matt, "Are you feeling better?" Not waiting for an answer, she reached over, and lifted up her personal backpack and strapped it to her back sending a sharp pain to shoot through her side, causing her to give a slight grunt. Trying to ignore it, she picked up the military ruck held it with both hands in front of her, "You think you are up to carrying this?"
She didn't know weather to trust her new companion or not. He did prove his usefulness and even saved her life, but these were hard times and trust was a luxury that she couldn't afford. Nowadays, people were forced into doing things that at one time they would never have done. What would he be willing to do when the time came? What side would he ultimately fall on? She had alot of questions.
"Here is the deal, we need to make a rally point. I am not sure what happens there or who will be there. But, if you want to bow out, now is the time to do it. I will not hold it against you. Truth be told, I will probably never see you again." She gave a snide snicker, "This is most likely a one way mission". She glanced up at the open hatch, "Once I exit that hatch, there will be no looking back." She then looked directly into his eyes. "I can't promise you that you will be safe. I think you have figured out by now, that the Shadow Guards were looking for me, then you most likely know who sent them.
She inhaled deeply, sucking up the pain."So what say you?" As she waited for an answer, a puddle of red crimson below him caught her attention. Realizing what it was he gave her to eat, causing the contents of her stomach rise with in her chest. "Oh hell no, you fed me a rat?" She ran to the corner, bent over and let it all thrust out.
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Nemaisare
Warrior Hunter
The farther you are from the edge of reality, the closer you are to my world.
Posts: 157
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Post by Nemaisare on Mar 4, 2008 21:56:26 GMT -5
Hmm, well, perhaps she hadn't seen or maybe she was just politely ignoring it the way he was ignoring her own wounds for now. Of course, the moment they showed signs of slowing her up or putting them in danger, Matt wouldn't make any allowances, he'd catch her up and get out of the situation as fast as he could and then he'd let her know just what he thought of her poor judgement. But she had yet to prove that she did have bad judgement... Well, apart from going against the Shadow, as Matt had named it, that was foolishness of epic proportions, but then, it wasn't really a choice. Once you knew about it, you were either allied with it or you fought it. He knew that only too well.
Fill them with what? He tilted his head and walked a bit unsteadily over to the woman and the objects she was unearthing. Picking up a canteen, he shook it and tapped it with a finger, then, he sniffed it and promptly sneezed at the old, dusty smell it emitted, but he still- Oh, wait, this was one of those things his master had carried water in! Now he knew what she meant, he eyed the containers warily, water shouldn't be carried like that. He'd tasted it once and it had hardly been fit to call water. Matt curled his lip in disgust. Granted, he saw the usefulness of it, but if you couldn't get to fresh water on your own, then you didn't have much right to be wandering away from it. And with that thought, the youth returned the canteen to its place and leapt back onto his earlier perch to brood.
He crossed his legs, rested his elbows on his knees and stared at the wall, mostly ignoring the antics of the woman. He needed to think, really think, but he didn't know humans as well as this problem required so he didn't know just how far thinking would get him. He could go with this woman, and gain the chance to free himself, or he could stay. It was safer to stay, but somehow, it didn't really suit him and Matt knew he'd go crazy soon enough from all the people. He didn't know anyone else whom he could be sure of trusting, his kind were generally feared, and for good reason. But he didn't have nearly as much to protect himself in this shape, which made the risk even greater. Still, simply living day to day was a risk too, so he might as well try.
By the time she was ready to leave, Matt had made his decision. She would not be going alone, though he would wait until they were out of this city to ask her for help. Safer for both of them that way. Her words made some small sense, after all, one didn't blame the rival male for backing out when the other proved stronger, but one also expected him to be ready to defend himself against an enemy, because that was different. Matt recognized the Shadow as an enemy and nothing else, but his respect rose a notch for the lady as she told him she wouldn't blame him. Of course, he would still blame himself, so that wasn't much of a consolation. He snorted and uncurled his legs, grinning wickedly at her mention of Shadow Guards.
Yeah, he was coming with her, it seemed the more she tried to warn him off, the more determined he grew to stay at her side. Maybe it had been the day spent carrying her that reminded him of the boy, or maybe it was how the Master had explained the choices to him as well, but Matt had attached himself to this woman. Not wholy though, but enough so that he wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, and they didn't even know each other's names. But, just as he was pushing himself from the crate, her eyes fell on the blood he had missed and the small carcass within it.
Her reaction was, to him, rather odd. What was wrong with a little rat? Would she have prefered mouse, or maybe a bird of some sort? He wrinkled his nose at her heaving frame, the look of confusion prominent on his face. He wasn't insulted, merely unsure as to whether he'd done something wrong. He didn't wait for her to compose herself, since that would have meant spending more time in a closed in space that was starting to smell. Instead, he picked up the sack she'd been holding out for him and struggled his arms through the straps before leaping to grab hold of the edge of the hatch and hauling himself through it to the roof. And there he stayed, crouching patiently as he eyed their surroundings warily. He knew of a way out of the city from here, wouldn't have come into the bustling place if he didn't, but she had said something about filling the canteens up before they left.
Matt stuck his head back down and blinked owlishly down at her, was she coming or not? That rat hadn't been poisoned!
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Post by Enchant on Mar 5, 2008 18:41:24 GMT -5
The night sky opened up, as she pulled herself up and out of the hatch. The moons were bright enough to make it easy for her to see, but there was enough cloud coverage to help conceal them within the shadows.
Moving toward the edge of the rooftop, she hunched down, and observed the city below. The city was silent, all but the normal sounds of night. She could smell a wood fireplace burning nearby. The sound of the nightly predators could be heard scurrying about. Don't think about it. It looked to be safe. Moving to the other side of the roof, she peered off into the distance. She could see the edge of the back outer wall of Paladin City. Beyond that was the a flat field that stretched to the base of the wood line that stood at the base of the mountains. That was were she needed to go. But first, she had a couple of things to do in the city. Then she would need to make the rally point, but where?.
The shadow Guards were in full force, Weapons and magic shooting through the air and making thunderous noise. Fire could be seen erupting everywhere and the smoke filled the land like an early morning fog. "We need to get to Paladin City," he said, clutching his bag close to him. She looked at him curiously. With a smirk, he continued, "There is a man I need to see a horse about."
"What are you talking about?"
"Our orders have changed, I just received word, we are to goto Paladin City and meet up with a contact."
She looked over at him, "What contact?"
He was about to tell her,when the wall that they stood behind exploded, sending both of them into the air. Charity didn't know how long she had been unconscious,but as she opened her eyes, trying to focus her blurred vision, she realized it couldn't have been long, as the rubble still falling and the smoke and dust still floated thick on the air. As she slowly tried to raise herself up from the ground, she felt a sharp pain in her side. Gasping for air, she looked down and saw that a large part of the wall still had her pinned. Allowing her to fall back to the ground, she inhaled deeply. "Marshall, are you alright?" Her ears were still muffled from the explosion. Trying to keep herself level headed, she search the immediate area, for some kind of leverage. "Marshall?"
She saw a metal pipe in arms distant. The agony was fierce as she reached her arm out and grasp it with her hand. Pulling it toward her, something caught her attention. In the distance, she could see the legs of Marshall, lying on the ground behind another piece of the large wall. "Marshall?"
After positioning the pipe, she pulled down with all her weight and the wall rose, then as quickly as she could, she pulled herself out. She felt the vibration of the wall falling to the ground. As she tried to catch her breath, she found breathing to be difficult. The air was filled with ash and her chest felt like it was kicked in. Putting her pain aside, she rolled over and slowly pulled herself up off the ground. As she moved toward Marshall, she continued to call out his name.
Panic ensued, as she came around the corner of the wall, she saw he was lying there gasping for air, and blood was erupting from his mouth. "Oh god, No." She ran over to him and dropped to her knees.
"Charity, take it. Take it and make the rally point."
She glanced over her shoulder at her companion,"We need to see a man about a horse."Turning back toward the city, she began to search for the stables. From what she could see, there were two of them. One on the by the front wall and the other on the back wall. She was uncertain as to which one to goto. She doubt it would be at the front wall, as that would normally be the first place anyone would go to seek out answers, not to mention that the back one was easier for escape. She decided that the back stables was a more logical place to meet up with a contact. Without looking at Matt, she nodded, "the back stables it is."
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Nemaisare
Warrior Hunter
The farther you are from the edge of reality, the closer you are to my world.
Posts: 157
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Post by Nemaisare on Mar 5, 2008 21:44:00 GMT -5
Ah good, there she was! He sidled over to give her more room, then crouched quietly to wait for her to tell him what needed to be done. He was loathe to leave the route he knew, but it was her job, so she knew more about it than he ever would. Still, the thought of losing themselves on the streets made him frown worriedly, since that was where the Shadow Guards would find them, if they kept on looking. His gold flecked eyes traced her path along the roof tiles, though he didn't move any other muscle. It was safer to stay still when you dudn't have anywhere to go, and, until she told him they were leaving, well, she was probably better with city directions and all that than he was.
Matt shivered at the thought of having to stay here for much longer, then shut his eyes against the thought and shook his head. No! He definitely did not want that to happen. It was too terrible a thing to contemplate, so for the moment, he forgot his dread and scented the air, lifting his face to the slight breeze and catching just the faintest hint of the forest he let that relax him, then moved to crouch beside the woman when she spoke. HIs movements weren't the uncaring, swiftly graceful movements they had been earlier, but then. Matt was tired, but there was a calm, deft confidence to them still.
For a moment, the youth turned his attention to why they might be looking for a horse before he realised that they would travel faster with a hoofed creature, even if the fool horses were frightened of him. Now, Matt didn't know what stables looked like from above, but he could guess and if they got close enough, he could always use his nose. Following the woman's gaze as she seemed to decide on their destination, he tried to come back to where they were using the streets, but he couldn't, they were just too... criss-crossey! He snorted, then tossed his head to get the loose hair from his eyes before looking over at the lady.
If she wanted to take the roofs as close as they could get before going down to the streets, he'd feel much safer. And Matt tried to convey that thought by tapping on the slate tiles beneath them and pointing out the path he thought they might follow for awhile, above the cobblestones. Then he tilted his head in question and wondered if she'd even seen his gestures. But it didn't really matter, he'd be following her anyway and, if she went down to the streets, he'd come too, eventually. But so long as he could follow from the heights, he would do that, now, what was she wishful of doing?
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Post by Enchant on Mar 16, 2008 16:59:24 GMT -5
Charity moved stealthly across the rooftops and it wasn't long before she reached the end of the line. There were no more rooftops to move across. As she peered over the edge , she noticed the streets were empty. Quietly, climbing down, she watched for any signs of movement below. The blanket of darkness wouldn't last much longer and she needed to get out of the city soon. Once her feet touched the ground, she tightened the backpack and waited for her companion to jump down.
"The stable is just around this corner", she said pointing to the corner ahead of them. As they turned the corner, it was apparent that the stable were still open. A fire was roaring in the center and a man was adjusting melting metal within it.
"Good morning. I am here to see a man about a horse" Charity said, in a confident manner.
The man paused and then looked at her breifly, and then continued to shift the metal. "A horse you say? What kind of horse are you interested in?"
"I am not sure, to be honest." She said nerviously.
"Well then I am not sure how to help you." he said as a matter of factly.
"The situation is, I am filling in for someone else. I was told to come to Paladin City and see a man about a horse. I was given no further details and I only know that it is important to meet up with this person." She tried to be as truthful as she could without given away all that she knew or possessed.
The stable guy looked her over as if studying her."Perhaps, I have a horse you might be interested in."
He pointed to a pair of horses. "These are the best mustangs in the city. They travel long distances and have great speed."
"They are lovely. How much?" Charity asked as she glanced at her companion. She knew that they didn't have the money to pay for them, no matter the price.
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Nemaisare
Warrior Hunter
The farther you are from the edge of reality, the closer you are to my world.
Posts: 157
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Post by Nemaisare on Mar 16, 2008 20:03:26 GMT -5
Matt followed the woman easily across the roofs, and there didn't seem to be any fear in him of falling off the edge or of overbalancing, though that last did happen on occasion when he forgot to adjust to the weight of the sack he was carrying. But it was never enough to make him fall. He was, needless to say, quite comfortable and that short rest and their steady pace had helped him regain his energy. Granted, he could still have done with some more sleep and a bite to eat, but it wasn't urgent or anything. Then, they reached the edge of the buildings and the stable that had been their destination. The youth yawned widely as he watched over the woman's descent, just to make sure nothing caught them by surprise, then, once her feet touched the ground he lowered himself along a drainpipe, swung onto a lower window ledge and made the short leap to the street in quick succession as if he had done it every day of his life.
He hitched the bag up on his shoulders, and struggled for a bit with the straps, but he had to abandon his attempts to tighten the straps when she reached the corner. Matt didn't want to let her out of his sight for a moment, bad things could happen in the briefest second of time. He ran after her, long legs closing the distance quickly, though he kept a pace back and to the side. And the moment the stranger came into view, Matt looked down at his feet and adopted a submissive shuffle that was completely at odds with how he had been acting so far. He also stayed farther back so as not to unnerve the horses with his scent. They might not recognize him as a predator by the way he looked, but once they got a good whiff of him, well, they spooked sometimes. And he didn't want to draw attention to himself, not now.
Matt listened silently to their brief conversation, and had to admit to himself that the woman sounded a bit desperate, or slightly stupid, whichever way you looked at it. But he already knew she was smart, so that was alright. He didn't even bother to look the horses over, he didn't know anything about the hoofed beasts and wouldn't be of much help, unless she wanted to know which one was braver. Still, he hoped she didn't think he was going to get on one of them. He held up a finger and nodded, then held up two and shook his head. She didn't need the pair, because he had no intention, absolutely none, of getting on one of them, and it wasn't as if the horse would let him anyways.
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Post by Enchant on Mar 23, 2008 20:58:39 GMT -5
Charity watched as her companion gestured her to get only one horse. It would be faster and easier on two horses, but she could tell his resolve was final. With uncertainty, she looked at the stable keeper and asked, "How much for one horse?". The man looked at her curiously, noticing that there were two of them, although her friend seemed to stay within the shadows. He mentioned a price and it was more then she could afford. She didn't have enough money to cover it, but the jewelry came to mind. "Would you settle for a trade? I have some nice pieces of jewelry I can offer. She reached into her bag opened the box while still in the bag and grabbed a couple of the trinkets leaving the remaining pieces in the box. She reached out her arm and opened her hand. In it were three very gaudy but expensive looking pieces. One was a necklace and the others were bracelets.
The man reached out and took them from her hand. He held them up to the light and studied them. From his expression, he seemed to be pleased. Then lowering the items at his side , he smiled, "These are some nice pieces, where did you get them?"
"They have been in my family for many generations." She said feigning a deep regret.
"hmmm...One horse, that is all I can give you." He put the pieces in his pocket and started to pull out the less impressive horse.
Charity saw the horse he was offering and knew it wouldn't do. "I would rather have this one." She walked over to the nice stallion in the next stall. It had nice lines and seemed to be more healthier then the others.
"That one will cost you extra." he said.
"Fine, give me back my family jewelry and I will go to the other end and see if they are willing to do business with me." She held out her hand for him to return the necklace and bracelet.
It was obvious that he did not like that. Raising both his hands up, "Hold on, hold on, we are still negotiating. You want one horse, you win take that one." then he chuckled, "You have been around I see."
"Yes, I have been around." She said not trying to give anything away.
"Well, as nice as this horse is, I think you might need a second one for your friend." He stretched his head out around the horse to get a better look at her companion. This horse will only go so far with two riders."
"Thank you for your concern," She looked back at Matt. Then confidently she continued with a wink, "But we will be alright."
She petted the horse on the snot, smiled and then asked without looking at the stable keeper, "Is he ready to travel? I would like to get going before the sun reaches high."
"Yeah, he is ready." He answered with confidence. "Where are you traveling to, if I may ask?"
She loaded up the horse, ignoring his question. As she placed her foot in the stirrups, and lifting her self up, and straddling the saddle, she smiled at him. "Thank you, I will be sure to let others know that you have been most fair. Good Morning sir."
She then pulled the reigns and turned the horse around and gestured to her friend that it was time to go. She then turned to exit the city.
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Nemaisare
Warrior Hunter
The farther you are from the edge of reality, the closer you are to my world.
Posts: 157
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Post by Nemaisare on Mar 24, 2008 15:30:40 GMT -5
He kept where he was, nodding once to himself when she changed her request from two horses to just the one. But as their conversation wore on Matt grew rather bored with the proceedings, though he did grin when he realised the woman had won herself that round. Why they had been bothering over which horse she was getting he wasn't entirely certain, but he did notice, when he bothered to look up from the ground, that the one she had settled on seemed healthier, or less weak than the others, he didn't know which it was. A yawn broke his solemn facade and the youth crouched down to draw squiggly lines in the dirt with the least hurt of his fingers and to flick pebbles off in indifferent directions.
It was easy enough to tell that he was bored, and the quick conclusion might have been that he was just a little simple, the way he kept his gaze downturned and how his seemed entirely engrossed in pushing the dirt about. His scruffy appearance and loose fitting clothes didn't help matters much, and the illusion was only shattered when he heard the horse's hooves hitting the ground and the woman's words of farewell because he looked up then and his gold-flecked, brown eyes were sharp beneath the thattch of brown hair on his head. He gave the stablehand a lazy once over and stared him in the eyes, then turned and followed almost meekly behind the woman and her horse. The man had looked away first.
With the horse walking Matt had no trouble keeping up and the streets were still mostly empty, not yet full of those people who would think it strange that a lone woman on a horse trailed by a servant boy would be heading for the city gates at this hour of the morning. But Matt still kept himself alert and more than watchful, the shadow guards would likely still be on the lookout for this woman, and if they hadn't left the city yet, there was a very good chance that they'd run into them again. He was sure of it. Luckily, the back gate was already in sight, and Matt could almost taste the fresh air that was outside this city walls, untainted by humans or Shadow.
In his eagerness the youth sped up a bit and managed, quite by accident, to send the horse a whiff of his scent as he came up beside it. And, being in the shape he was, this served to unnerve the horse a great deal, for it could smell a predator, but the scent was coming from a human. It tossed its head and tried to bite him, but he moved out of the way of those teeth too fast for them t harm him, and hissed in response. He'd forgotten about that for a moment, and now he glanced up at the woman with an almost sheepish expression before returning the horse's glare with his own.
But then they both broke out of their mutual dislike, the horse with a snort and a roll of his large eyes and Matt with a flinch and a sharp glance ahead. All animals could smell the taint of Shadow, and most who were unaccustomed to it, didn't like it. Matt took his cue from the horse, knowing for certain from its reaction that it had smelled them too. At the risk of unnerving te beast even more, the youth closed in tighter until his shoulder was brushing the woman's leg. He didn't know where the guards were, and he couldn't fight what he couldn't see. He couldn't even be certain that they were going to do anything, but he wanted her to know just in case and he had no words with which to warn her.
So instead, he tapped his nose and raised it to sniff the air, exaggerating for her benefit. Then he hissed and bared his teeth, though he was still shrinking against her as much as the fidgety horse would allow. What Matt wouldn't have given for a knife just then was hard to say, but he definitely would have given more to have his own, sharp teeth and claws back.
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Post by Enchant on Mar 27, 2008 22:19:22 GMT -5
As they made their way closer toward the back gate, she couldn't help but notice, that the horse and her companion seemed to have a mutual dislike for each other. But it wasn't till both seem to be agitated, almost primal, that she really began to wonder. The horse was bucking and trying to turn. Matt was gesturing and baring his teeth. There was only one thing that could possibly stir up this commotion.Shadow Guards!!
She looked behind her, then searched the sides and front. She couldn't see them, but she knew that they were close. "We are going to have to make a run for it!" She looked down at Matt, "Do you think you can keep up?" She shifted the straps to the left to prevent the horse from turning around. Looking up over the short wall, she could see the tree line on the far side of the fields.
"We need to run through the gate and then not stop.", she said urgently. Please don't let there be shadow guards there. "Once through the wall run, do not look back."
She then adjusted her strap and inhaled deeply."If I get caught, grab the bag and run. They cannot get it" Looking down at him she looked directly into his eyes, "Do you understand? No matter what happens, they cannot get their hands on it."
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