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Post by Leandros Aurthurian on Apr 10, 2023 20:45:12 GMT -5
When Leandros first heard the Winged Expeditionary Force was rebuilding he was admittedly a little bit surprised. He had read about them in history books, but there didn't seem to be a lot of need for them recently. Given recent events, he figures he shouldn't be so surprised after all. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
This was a good opportunity to really give purpose to his traveling. He had found plenty of people to help, but having some direction to go will certainly help. The knight rides atop Byrr, flanked by Theobo and Gilder as usual. Gilder was actually the one who tipped him off to this work, the older tracker having a few old, old contacts who used to be members or at least know more about the guild. His wife rode in front of him on the saddle as usual.
What Leandros wasn't certain of was who would be traveling with him. The Black Bog was a notoriously hard to navigate place and he knew little about this outrider. On top of that, he had heard he would be meeting with someone else who was planning to help as well. More hands would be useful if they were fighting a hydra, but it could always be a mixed bag meeting new people if your fighting styles don't match.
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Post by Leni-Aura Thunderpaw on Apr 11, 2023 10:48:00 GMT -5
From above Leandros and his entourage comes the shadow of something winged; it flits above them, rustling branches as it passes; and then all is still once again. Leni-Aura glances up as a drake emerges from the branches overhead; she twists the beads of a necklace usually hidden beneath her armour between her fingers, offering out her free arm as a perch. The wind from Nimbus’ wings kick up loose, dried palms from around where she sits, on an island amongst the thick bog, with an exhaustion behind her hazel eyes. Her paws are muck-covered, bogwater pooling around them after schloffing off her armour. Nimbus rests on her upper arm, talons curling around chainmail. He’s not fully grown yet, but Nimbus has gotten so much bigger since he first hatched; she winces slightly at his weight— it’s only a matter of time before she’s unable to hold him like this anymore. Nimbus chitters as he climbs around her neck, coiling comfortably with his neck raised towards the direction he’d come from. “ You say you hatched him from an egg?” The gruff voice that joins her comes from a tanned half-elf; he sits on a rock nearby, boots equally covered in muck, and his dark hair falling in braided ringlets around his face; scars prominent against what shows of his skin— primarily on the back of his hands, and across his left temple. A black draft horse lingers in the bog nearby, its reins tied loosely to a dead stump, and mouth chewing on the oats placed atop the flat surface. He calls himself their outrider— whoever the other party may be that they're waiting on. “ Mm.” She agrees, reaching over her shoulder to scratch beneath Nimbus’ chin; the drake cranes his head, making a rumbling purr not all too dis-similar from a cat’s. “ He is a few months old.” She’s not sure what to think about what she’s chosen to do; as someone who did not grow with the same knowledge, nor history, as the rest of Charon, she was largely unfamiliar with the concept of the Winged Expeditionary Force. As with most things, she learned by rumour: coming to understand that their purpose, especially after…. After what had happened at the Arid Mesa… was to assist, fight, and research some of what had begun to happen. She’s seen the earthquakes; she was in the Moonglade when a massive crater opened in the middle of Moonveil Village. She’s seen the aftershock and the devastation of such a thing. She does not consider herself smart, but she does consider herself a warrior to some degree; and although she could continue to travel with her caravan, living a life under the guise of some pseudo-mercenary, she can’t… are they really going to be safe with this kind of destruction happening all around them? The least she could do is use her only talent to secure some kind of safety for the few people in Charon who she’s come to care for.
Leni-Aura Text Colour: f2a588 Outrider Text Colour: ff5d5d
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Post by Leandros Aurthurian on Apr 11, 2023 20:20:13 GMT -5
"Seems I'm the last to officially reach the meeting spot." Leandros chuckles softly as he raises a hand in greeting to the two, or four depending on how you count. Byrr comes to a slow stop as they join the group.
"You are." An expectedly curt response from the outrider, though the level of disinterest does get Gilder's respect. The scout appreciated people of little words.
"Have we had any luck finding the hydra? Is it roaming about or has it sequestered itself into a lair of sorts?" Leandros dismounts from his horse, hitting the soft mud with a heavy but dull thud. Theobo takes the reigns of the horse as Apogee will stay in the saddle for now. She is well-dressed for adventuring, but if she doesn't have to get muddied boots, she's not going to.
The outrider spits out a seed from whatever food he had been chewing on while waiting. "It's somewhere in the bog, tracks are had to find in the soft mud. But, we can put eyes to the skies." He points to Nimbus and the owl on Gilder's shoulder. "Get a better idea of where this thing is headed at the very least. Things big, gonna break a lot of branches."
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Post by Leni-Aura Thunderpaw on Apr 12, 2023 18:41:53 GMT -5
She pushes the thoughts from her mind; blinking as another voice fills the empty space. Nimbus clicks and chatters at the newcomers, recognizing them from his short flight through the bog, and sweeps his tail against the length of her arm. She doesn’t answer, allowing the outsider’s curt answer to be the only response for the man.
Her gaze flicks between the arriving party, gauging them briefly on their appearance as they interact with the outrider. She turns her eyes away, feeling too out-of-place to offer any greeting now, and so she simply chooses not to; she raises a hand, which Nimbus snuffles his nose against affectionately. “It is in the area.” Leni-Aura makes a wide gesture to the clearing they’re standing in as a whole while she rises to all four paws. “It is too quiet; everything here hides.”
Nimbus adjusts himself on her shoulders while the outrider stands from his seat; he grunts, pressing his knuckles into his lower back as he stretches. Their voices are, in fact, the loudest things in the bog at the moment; the hum of insects and the call of birds are silenced, as though they’ve disappeared.
“Alright.” Another seed is spit into the water of the bog from between the outrider’s lips, “Now that the whole crew is here, we can get going. You two wanna…” The outrider gestures towards the air, his eyes shifting between Gilder and Leni-Aura. The rabbitaur shifts on her legs, glancing over her shoulder to Nimbus, she outstretches an arm to offer him a perch; the baby drake chitters as he spreads his wings, offering her one last glance before taking off.
Leni-Aura narrows her eyes against the gust of wind caused by his wings, ears tilting towards the sound of the outrider untying his horse from the nearby stump. "Introductions can be done on the way."
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Post by Leandros Aurthurian on Apr 13, 2023 19:36:03 GMT -5
"Friendly crowd." He sighs and motions with his head for Theobo to take the reins of Byrr and keep the horse close. Fighting a hydra would be a good lesson, but one the squire can learn from a distance today. Young and eager as he was, he understood the danger well enough to begrudgingly agree to take a spot at the back.
"Not everyone is going to be impressed because you're tall and shiny, love!" She calls from the horse with a delicate chuckle as Leandros simply returns a half smile and shakes his head.
Gilder does not care for introductions, already sending the owl off on its scouting mission. The ranger wastes no time setting out ahead of them, crouched low and staying between the trees. Leandros follows a good few paces behind, his armor likely to draw attention so hanging back at least gave Gilder a chance to move ahead.
Figuring from the response, this group isn't much for small talk Lee keeps his eyes ahead to look for any signs of their prey. Despite the noise and unfamiliar terrain, he carries himself tall and broad shouldered. He was a cliche of a knight at times, always looking to appear as the hero in shining armor. We will see how long that may actually hold up.
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Post by Leni-Aura Thunderpaw on May 4, 2023 16:21:26 GMT -5
Leni-Aura gathers herself together as Nimbus sweeps towards Gilder and their owl; looking to make a new friend, the drake swirls around the entering party before flapping after the owl with a cheerful squawk of delight. The rabbitaur looks after him with a slight expression of exasperation; after watching him disappear into the trees, she takes time to adjust her saddlebags and armour.
The outrider heaves himself onto the back of his horse, running a hand through their hair as he turns the steed towards the bog. “Gavin,” he introduces himself simply, “Outrider of the W.E.F; and your supervisor today. You can impress me with more than your height and that armour once we find our target.” He smirks at Lee before pressing his heels into the sides of his horse; as it begins to head towards the bog, the rabbitaur steps forwards and looks after him.
She looks at Lee and his entourage for a brief moment, dipping her head in some attempt to be cordial— however awkward it may be for her to go along with etiquette she is still learning. “Leni-Aura,” She introduces herself, eyes shifting away as she leans up. She nods to them before turning and heading after the outrider on his steed; she can just barely see the outlines of Nimbus and the owl amongst the trees; but she catches the silhouette of her drake sitting on the branches of a moss-laden deadwood.
She watches his head turn this way and that, before he jumps off the branch and swoops just out of her sight.
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Post by Leandros Aurthurian on May 7, 2023 15:46:02 GMT -5
"A knight doesn't work to impress others." He now gives his wife a playfully scornful look having drawn such attention to it. "Stick close to Lady Apogee, Theobo, remember to keep your eyes to the marsh. The waters can hold any kinds of danger."
The halfling nods as he follows after, looking between everyone. The outrider and the rabbitaur both looked so professional. It wasn't often they had a chance to travel with other experienced adventurers so he had to hold in his awe and not ruin things by flooding everyone with questions.
Ahead, Gilder keeps low and watches the owl from below. Tracking will take sometime, the muck and mire tends to cover tracks or hide them in deep, soft mud. They were going to have to be careful if theyere going to have any luck.
"Either of you ever actually fight a hydra? Don't want to be liable if you get scared off by it. Lots of heads and all." Gavin looks back from his horse to the two of them.
"No, but I have fought other dangerous monsters. Battle is nothing new, but I've read some, I know this will be a tricky foe." Lee follows his own advice to Theobo, keeping his eyes on their immediate surroundings while Gilder has the front covered.
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Post by Leni-Aura Thunderpaw on May 7, 2023 16:23:24 GMT -5
“No… I have not fought a hydra before.” Leni-Aura’s voice is somewhat grim when she responds; without a mount, she wades through the muck alone. The feeling of the mud beneath the bog squishing beneath her paws is not ideal, but the disgust doesn’t show on her face; rather, she is currently considering a different kind of fight which causes her brows to furrow slightly and her eyes to avert.
It was a battle which took place not all that long ago; filled with stars, friends, and strangers alike in a dream-like void; one which still haunts her in quiet moments despite every attempt to physically claw its memory from her mind. It's part of the reason she is here in its aftermath; to busy herself from considering truths she's not ready to face.
“I can assure you that I have fought worse.” She takes a slow, steady breath and lifts her head high; she shakes it side to side. “I was trained never to run from a battle, and I can assure you, I shall not. Regardless of the number of heads it may have; although, I… have not read much of them.” She chooses not to reveal that she can’t actually read, “I have heard rumors, though... Is it true they grow their heads back when cut?”
Up ahead, Nimbus ducks after the owl; he pulls to the right, separating from the other flying creature to flap between high-hanging mosses and low-hanging branches. He tucks his wings in as he slips through, looking around for signs of anything nearby; whether it be the creature, its footprints, or some other hint that the creature is out there.
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Post by Leandros Aurthurian on May 10, 2023 7:31:13 GMT -5
"It is, so while it's tempting to try and cut off the heads, it's better to aim for the core....not that it's going to be easy." Gavin looks back to answer Leni before turning his attention ahead once more, his eyes focused on the scout and the two flying creatures ahead.
It is a long and slow trudge through the swamp and unfortunately there is little other options for the group. Whatever signs Gilder is picking up on is taking them far from the scant infrastructure the Marsh Flats has. The buzzing of insects grows louder and the stench of the bog thicker as they continue forward. It is a long few minutes before Nimbus and the owl would be able to spot something.
Still a bit ahead, but in the muck is the first evidence of the hydra being close by. A horse lays on its side with a significant bite taken out of it. Surrounding the corpse are the remnants of a wagon it might have been attached to, bits of wood and random scraps of mercantile wares litter the ground around.
Seeing his owl bank back Gilder holds up a hand to stop the group, "Feeding ground must be ahead....that means we are close."
"Let's be ready then, I'm sure this thing will be quick to defend its territory.....or search out its next meal. I doubt one horse is enough to satisfy all five heads they supposedly have."
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Post by Leni-Aura Thunderpaw on May 24, 2023 18:12:19 GMT -5
Leni-Aura purses her lips, ears lowering slightly at Gavin’s answer. “I see,” she agrees through a grimace; a creature with five heads, best to aim for the core… but through what? Those five, teeth-embedded maws? She likes to think she did not underestimate this job, but there is a certain breadth of uncertainty that comes with Gavin’s response and the fact that she does not know the rest of their party.
Granted, they seem capable enough at a first glance; but she’s still not so sure…
…Up ahead, Nimbus glides after the owl; he flaps his wings, tucking them closer to his body as he narrowly threads between a few branches into the clearing beyond. He glances around, electric blue eyes narrowing when he spots the debris; and then, the corpse; he stops on a dime, flapping warily towards the outskirts of the clearing as he searches the grounds.
Then, as the owl swoops away, so too does Nimbus; and as the little drake disappears back into the shadows, the muck gurgles and shifts ever-so-slightly. Ten yellow eyes glimmer deeper beneath the murky bog water, bubbles rising as a creature exhales deep beneath the surface; before they disappear, and the glimmer fades. A moss-laden boulder, scaled and splattered with bog-muck and vine, tucked away close to the shadows of the clearing, shifts only slightly…
The rabbitaur takes a slow breath, chest rising and falling with her inhale, at the same moment that the owl banks back to the scout. She watches the owl quietly descend; and her ears perk when the silhouette of her drake appears from the shadows. She’s able to breathe a tiny sigh of relief as she reaches out to him.
Nimbus perches on her arm, trilling softly as he nips affectionately at loose strands of her hair, before looking back towards the group. He shuffles his wings slightly as he tucks them close to his body. “Good boy,” Leni murmurs, scratching beneath the drake’s chin as warnings are sent around the small group of what may lie ahead.
Gavin leads them through the shadows quietly; as quiet as a small party of researchers and warriors can be, at least. Leni-Aura holds tight to the spear she’s unsheathed, ears perked, and on the alert for anything out of the ordinary; Nimbus has curled up around her neck, his bright blue eyes shifting between shadows and party members alike.
Gavin pushes back a draping of pine branches, revealing the clearing that had been spotted by their two aerial scouts; debris litter the bog, joints of a broken wagon jutting from the muck, paired with a horse— not necessarily decaying heavily, but certainly beginning to give off quite the… unpleasant smell.
Leni might guess the horse has been here for a day, at most; after a moment of scoping the area, Gavin motions for the party, “Eyes open; the kill may not necessarily be fresh, but that doesn’t mean it’s still not around.”
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Post by Leandros Aurthurian on May 24, 2023 19:56:06 GMT -5
"I'm surprised it hasn't come out already...I alone make enough noise and we are clearly within its territory." Leandros takes his halberd from his back just to prepare himself for whenever this thing might come out.
Gilder crouches beside the kill, shifting it a bit to check the wounds and just how decayed it was. His eyes then move to the surrounding areas, tracks, damage, anything that could give them a clue as to where it was.
The scout traced the surroundings up and down before he caught it. The slightest bit of movement causing a ripple where the shallow water gets deeper. He stands and begins to grab an arrow to nock. Before he can open his mouth to warn the group it emerges.
Five massive draconic heads burst from the water, connected to a thick body that rose from the depths. One head went straight down the middle for Leandros, the knight having just enough time to get his halberd in front of him for the gaping jaw to crash against it. Sword like teeth gnash and scrape against the halberd shaft as other heads dart for the others.
Gilder hops back from the snapping head, teeth just managing to clip his leather armor, before a holy arrow is fired into its neck.
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Post by Leni-Aura Thunderpaw on May 24, 2023 20:48:39 GMT -5
Leni-Aura tilts her ears towards the sound of Leandros’ voice, but her eyes remain on the clearing ahead, taking in the destruction left behind in the supposed wake of the beast. “ That begs the question of how big its territory is,” She remarks quietly; her gaze shifts slightly to watch Gilder examine the dead horse— but no sooner has he moved from it— is Leandros’ initial statement foreshadowed. “ Gods damn it, it was waiting for us!” Gavin’s draft horse shrieks, its whinny cutting through the air, as it spooks with the emergence of the muck-covered beast. The earth shudders, its five draconic heads tangling so quickly, that Leni-Aura is initially uncertain which head attaches where, and gods know she doesn’t have the time to look.
As one head thrusts towards Leandros, the far left lashes out at Leni-Aura; she hears Nimbus squawk, his surprise drowned out by sloshing bog water and rumbling, guttural snarls of the massive beast. Leni-Aura pulls her body back to dodge in the same breath that she thrusts the blade of her spear forwards as a precaution, meeting gaping jaws that bite down at her— — and into the blade of her spear. She hears its groan, deep and rumbling, as the spear pierces through into the roof of its mouth— pushed deeper by the pressure of its jaws snapping. Lightning crackles from the wound briefly, lighting its eyes in reflections of cyan electricity, but doesn’t seem to take hold as well as it should have. (1. Spear: Lightning Rune) Its head pulls back, howling in anger— and its sudden retreat takes her spear with it.
Leni-Aura feels a pop in her shoulder as it violently rips the spear from her hands, and she gasps as she finishes stumbling back into the outskirts, reeling from a wave of pain. She grasps at her shoulder with her opposite hand and dashes to the left to avoid the bulk of the rest of the heads hounding the party while she regains herself.
Nimbus takes off from her shoulder, following her trajectory, and freeing up her other arm to fumble quickly for her lightning spear before the draconic creature can fully recover— or another head comes after her.
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Post by Leandros Aurthurian on May 24, 2023 22:42:23 GMT -5
"Aim for the core if you can!" Gavin is tossed off his horse, but he is able to recover quickly enough and draw his swords. The outrider is more then nimble enough to dodge and strike in one movement, but it is hard for any of the strikes to land too deeply.
Gilder, for his part, is facing the same issue. The hydra can become a pincushion for arrows all night, but he likely doesn't have enough in the quiver to take it down. Still, death by a thousand cuts, he can harry the beast and keep it from bearing down on the others more fully.
"Leni!" Leandros sees the flash of light from the spear as it gets pulled back with the head. The knight takes a few hurried steps forward before his halberd lunged forward.
The point of his polearm seemed to almost pierce the air itself as it plunges through the neck of the hydra.[1] Leandros hoists it up before driving it back down into the ground and holding it in place despite its writhing. As he holds it, another head comes out but Leandros blocks it with a gauntlet. He is unmoved as it tries to pull him free and wrest back control of one of its heads.[2,3]
"Recover your weapon, I will hold it for the moment!"
1. Titanic Reach 2. Lion's Strength 3. Baloth's muscles
-Gauntlet hit prevention used
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Post by Leni-Aura Thunderpaw on May 29, 2023 21:53:36 GMT -5
Her ears turn over the chaos to the sound of her name; as she grasps her lightning spear within the curled palm of her hand, she sees Leandros lunging at the creature. “Nimbus, h’lae!” She speaks quickly, eyes never leaving the Hydra as Leandros drives his halberd into its neck, and drives it into the ground.
She doesn’t need a second invitation.
In a blur, the rabbitaur vanishes; she leaves behind ripples of electricity, and a rush of wind in her wake where she had once been (1. Bullet Dash + Step of the Wind), but swiftly re-appears above the restrained neck of the Hydra. Leni-Aura turns over in the air, a gale picking up around her as she pulls her shoulder back and flings her spear towards the head trying to wrest Leandros.
Upon gaining momentum, the spear crackles into lightning (2. Lightning Spear); and the hydra’s head snaps up as the spear pierces the triangle of its forehead, albeit shallowly. It shakes wildly, knocking into its third head in a clumsy attempt to shake the crackling spear from between its scales, and causing its snarling jaws to miss a snap at the outrider by a hair.
Leni-Aura lands at the base of the restrained hydra’s neck and leaps forwards, using its extension as a bridge to retrieve her spear. “Thanks!” She hooks her spear beneath its blade without stopping and wrenches it out from the hydra. The head snarls, trying to open its maw wide as she pulls the blade and its haft from the roof of its shrieking mouth, and chomps down on air— creating a loud crack that echoes throughout the marsh.
She leaps down feet away to avoid its sharpened maw, “I owe you one.” She remarks, readjusting her grip on the spear, “The hell is our plan to get to the core of something with so many teeth?”
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Post by Leandros Aurthurian on May 29, 2023 22:26:33 GMT -5
"Staying alive is reward enough!" He calls back as he retrieves his halberd and slices at the maw attatched to his arm. The problem is knowing that cleaving all the heads off at once is unlikely and cutting them down one at a time will make their issue a lot harder.
For the moment it is all Leandros can do to parry heads away and keep himself from further harm. Their four versus one advantage means nothing when the hydra has so many heads. They all seem to have the skills to keep themselves alive, but for how long? The heads may glance off the knight's armor, but the body blows begin to stack up.
Though, it's the rare moments like this that Leandros' burgeoning tactical skills start to shine as he puts together the pieces of a plan seeing what everyone is capable of. If they can create an opening for themselves, then they can win this.
"Lady Leni-Aura, can you take to the air again? I can attempt to draw the heads in and give you a shot to go over the top and get to its heart!" It would be a risk for all of them, if anyone of them hesitated when the moment came it would not end well, but it could be the best shot at a devastating blow.
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