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Post by Shitakibo on Jun 11, 2023 9:38:45 GMT -5
"That would be quite the achievement indeed, a wonderful idea Leandros." Taki replied. She followed the man and his companions, down the craggy hillside and back to his steed. Once retrieved, they worked their way up another hillside that stood in a group of other similar formations. The valley between the hills was teeming with life, calls from all manner of creatures the first sign they would possibly find the bounty they needed below.
"Ryu, Yukina, please help the others in finding suitable prey." "As you command Miss."
The pair took off over the valley, working together with Lee's companions to find game large enough to meet the demand of the deal. Taki drew her bow and slipped into hunting mode, her movement silent as they descended the hill. Hearing a sharp cry from above, the shaman looked around to see Yukina circling overhead indicating where something would be that might be suitable. Pointing it out to the hunting party, she fanned out with the others and began to approach from a flanking position. She marveled at how well the others coordinated their movements, even Lee who seemed unfamiliar with the disciplines of Stealth. The trio came upon the clearing Yukina was circling first, where a family of deer were grazing peacefully. Taki approached from the far side, limiting their means of escape and found a suitable place to conceal herself in the underbrush to await the signal from Lee and the others that the hunt was on.
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Post by Leandros Aurthurian on Jun 11, 2023 9:56:34 GMT -5
Gilder would take to the shadows along with Taki. He was most comfortable with taking the lead on these hunts anyways. Knight and squire would stay a good distance behind so as not to draw unwanted attention. The scout sent his owl up with Yukina as an extra set of eyes and a bit of protection for them as well.
"Why didn't we just kill the arcuila? They could just come back and still be a problem." Theobo looks up to Leandros as they walk, making a bit of idle talk as they bring up the rear.
"Violence begets violence Theo...if we meet every problem we encounter with violence, then we aren't really solving things...Killing your enemy is the easy option, being a knight isn't about finding the easy answer, it's about finding the right one."
Gilder holds up a hand then closes a fist to let the others behind him know to shut up. Leandros looked up to see the flying creatures circling then gave a nod. Gilder split off in a different direction to surround the deer. Another hand signal is given to signal they are in plce.
"That's our cue." Leandros grins and snaps the reins, leather cracking gets the deers attention as he and Theobo charge in.
The deer start to flee in a panic as now Gilder starts to fire, aiming for the bigger set of does in the middle of the grazing group.
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Post by Shitakibo on Jun 11, 2023 10:08:40 GMT -5
At Glider's signal, Taki sights in on the largest buck. She let her arrow fly as the creature took off in her direction, then stood from her cover. The sudden appearance of the bizarre looking shaman caused those fleeing toward her to backpedal, hesitating just long enough for the shots in flight to strike true. Two deer fell a moment later, while Lee and his squire charged into the panic stricken group of animals. She let out a sharp pair of whistles, paused, then let out a second pair to signal Yukina to action. The massive owl, and her guardian descended from above into the mayhem. As Ryu's aura swept over the group, they slowed drastically as if trying to swim through air that was viscous. The snowy owl harried the edges of the group, letting the youngest slip by and corralling the remaining adults while banking sharply to avoid the path of Lee and his charging steed.
Taki drew another arrow, trying to get a bead on one of the larger does. She nearly loosed the arrow as Yukina took another swooping pass, who reacted at the last moment and relaxed her draw. Ryu and Yukina did a fabulous job of keeping the group together, but skewed her shots from this position. She waited patiently for another opportunity to present itself, doing her best to drive the group into the others.
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Post by Leandros Aurthurian on Jun 11, 2023 19:50:49 GMT -5
Gilder was quick with his arrows, the fiery energy around the tips helped them do more damage than a typical bow. They had a long enough trek ahead, so he wasn't too keen on making this a prolonged day of tracking a kill. Theobo stayed behind to take care of the deer they had shot and cut short and needless suffering. He could also act as a protector for their kills and prevent opportunists from stealing their work.
Two arrows were knocked and loosed towards the slowed group. Thanks to Ryu's efforts Gilder had a breath to center himself and aim the shots more precisely than he would have without their presence. They were wounded, but bleated out before splitting directions.
HYA! Leandros snapped the reins of Byrr to get wide of the others. He'd take his halberd from his back, the blade glowing for a moment before he swung it. A bolt of holy light would shoot past the deer, scaring it back towards Taki's group. Thankfully the holy damage shouldn't start a forest fire. The knight continued to circle around and bend the deer to get closer again.
The deer are in a full blown panic, running as fast as their hooves can take them. Getting more food than promised was turning to be more troublesome than Lee had thought, but not impossible. The deer were smart, but wounded.
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Post by Shitakibo on Jun 12, 2023 0:59:07 GMT -5
Taki loosed her arrow, striking a deer that was charging toward her. It dropped upon impact, skidding to a halt in a spray of grass and dirt. The pair of arrows Glider fired struck another, one slowing it's gait, the other bringing the creature down. Just one to go thought the shaman, who traded her bow for a shuriken in each hand. The thin metal spikes were perhaps the most difficult of her martial weapons to use, but would pierce even the toughest hides and even armored surfaces if they were flat enough.
She moved out into the clearing, turning a few more back towards the waiting hunting party. She tossed her shuriken at a fleeing buck, but the shots went wide and skewered themselves into a tree before returning to her hands a moment later. Yukina banked hard, climbing high over the canopy before diving back down into the wild mess. The snow owl drove the last of the big males toward Lee and his waiting blade, then turned sharply away to get clear. Taki marveled at the grace and control Yukina had over herself and how commanding she could be on a battlefield. Ryu moved with the bulk of the group, slowing them down and making their hide cut as easily as paper.
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Post by Leandros Aurthurian on Jun 14, 2023 21:51:27 GMT -5
Leandros was not expecting any of the deer to come their way and misses his opportunity to do anything truly useful other than rustle up the deer. Gilder sighs and puts a final arrow through the buck's eye as it bears up on its hooves. The scout was most disappointed that wouldn't be a trophy to take home, it was a sizable buck. Likely 8 or 10 points.
The knight gets Byrr to settle a moment as the rest of the deer start to scamper off, leaving their reach. Still....from the looks of it they had gotten the four they were searching for, one of them being quite the offering.
He smiles at the group, "I think this is enough to call a success, no? Any further hunting may leave us a bit worse for wear to travel up the mountain again." A boyish laugh leaves his chest as he climbs down from the horse.
"Theobo, collect the arrows if you can, I'll start to gather the kills.....Your group is impressive Taki. Such a range of tactics you're all able to use in such a quick fashion!" He gives a grin as he takes a rope and starts to collect up the deer, getting ready to tie them behind Byrr.
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Post by Shitakibo on Jun 14, 2023 23:17:50 GMT -5
Taki gathered a trio of long, slightly curved branches as Lee was gathering the deer. She dragged them over to his steed and set them down. She set a hand over his as he began to lash the deer to rope to be dragged.
"Allow me, this should ease the burden on your steed, and preserve the deer from being damaged in transit."
She took the rope, weaving it around the the near ends of the branches before securing it with a pair of knots to fashion a simple harness. With a bit of effort, she took the far end of the branches and did the same. Starting on one end and working her way to the other, she soon had a very crude field sled built, with a central beam and a pair of outrigged supports. The spaces between were roughly set to rest the haunches of the deer if layed in an opposing pattern, allowing the weight of each to hold down the one before it.
When the work was done, she brushed off the dust and grime as best she could and smiled. While it was far from pretty or perfect, she was satisfied it would speed their travel greatly, even over the bumpy, hilly terrain back to the ravine where the Arcuilas lived.
"I think that should keep things in good condition until we return, well done all around. Your team is skilled and well coordinated, and the help is very appreciated. This job would have been many times more difficult on our own." Taki said as the group prepared to set out again.
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Post by Leandros Aurthurian on Jun 18, 2023 10:46:12 GMT -5
"A good thought, I imagine they wouldn't be happy with a meal that looks like it has been dragged through the wilds." He nods at the makeshift sled, Gilder helping find and provide any additional padding they could settle inside.
Theobo came back with any ranged ammunition he could recover by the time everything was set up and the group was ready to go. Leandros gave Byrr a gentle pat on the flanks to get the horse moving as they turned to start moving again.
"I could say the same for you and yours...This has been an enlightening outing....It's easy to forget that often times what we call monsters are also just creatures trying to survive in life as many of us are. I strive to teach Theobo here that violence is rarely the best solution to a problem, but I admit I sometimes forget to extend that courtesy to beings like the Arcuila. Not having the skills to talk to them is no excuse for the lack of trying. This has been a reminder of that."
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Post by Shitakibo on Jun 19, 2023 3:40:06 GMT -5
The group had to take a slightly longer route back to the hill, one that would allow the sled passage over the sometimes rough and uneven terrain. Other than the trail being winding and long, the journey was calm and without delay. Taki would occasionally walk up to Byrr and feed him berries from her rations. Yukina took rest atop the fore of the cart from time to time, and the shaman gave her a hearty treat to keep her energy up. The sun was growing low in the sky as they rounded a bend and came upon the hill where they'd met the Arcuilas.
Their olfactory senses must have been impressive, for they were still a few miles out from the hill when their cries came echoing up from the ravine. The pair came soaring over the hill, spreading their electrically charged wings as they approached. They landed ahead on the trail, awaiting the group to approach. Clearing the last of the distance between them, the group came to a stop a few yards away. The group unlashed the sled, and Taki instructed the others to clear the way. The pair of majestic birds approached, inspecting the prey that had been brought. After a few quiet moments, the pair turned to the group and beckoned the shaman forth.
"You have all done well in this task, as per our pact we shall make the journey to a new home. You have our thanks for your efforts in this."
"You're both welcome, and have our thanks for ending the disturbance for others. Safe travels and be well in your new home. Should you have need, I make my home in the Crescent Isles."
"Farewell Shaman, be well in your endeavors."
The pair each filled their talons with the deer, then hunched close to the ground. Spreading their wings wide to the side, they took back to the sky with great sweeps of their wings. The pair kicked up a wild wind and huge clouds of dust as they left the area with immense speed. With a great sigh of relief, Taki finally relaxed and sat down to watch them go. With the local farmers and their herds now much safer, things would quiet down at least for a little while in the region.
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Post by Leandros Aurthurian on Jun 22, 2023 17:23:02 GMT -5
There is no hiding the sigh of relief from Leandros as the Arcuila take off. His shoulders drop partly glad to no longer be carrying the deer and partly to not have to face off with these creatures. They seemed far more clever and less arrogant than the dragon.
He waits until they leave their eyesight to put his hands on his hips and smile. "I must admit I am surprised they did not turn to greed and demanded more from us...though perhaps I have been tainted by the politics of Sol City despite my best attempts."
Leandros offers a light chuckle as the group takes their moment to savor victory and rest. For a moment he moves to say more, perhaps impart a lesson on Theobo, but he pulls back thinking better of it. There was no need to ruin a job well done. He'd already shared his feelings on how this adventure has shaped his perspective going forward.
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