Desperate Times

She too leaned forward, trying to make out the silhouette in the distance. Finally, she said, "I--I think it is. But what's a horse doing out here?" She asked him, her eyebrows pressed together in confusion.
 
"Only one way to find out!" He said, before he gave the wolf a signal to run faster towards it.
 
She grimaced, doing the same, and following him closer towards the silhouette. As they got closer, passing through the shadows of the trees, the figure of a horse got clearer.
 
"It is a horse! And a person lying at in the sand!" He shouted. As he approached them, he jumped of his wolf and ran over to the person, lifting him carefully. "Hey! Are you..." He stopped as he saw all the blood running off him.
 
Knariit'ash was becoming steadily more confused the longer he followed the unlikely companions in their journey towards what was, as far as the Demon's records showed, a completely barren wasteland. They were talking most of the way there, though he couldn't quite make out what they were saying and didn't want to blow his cover by getting any closer.

The landscape changed abruptly and it was apparent that they had crossed the western border of Orcish territory and entered the wasteland. The ground was no longer verdant soil but a strange, mottled grey sand-like substance and there was a smell on the air which could only be described as 'death'. The Imp had never ventured this far West: he'd never had any cause to. He soon became uneasy which was an extraordinarily rare occurrence but there was something about this land that set his teeth on edge and made his instinct tell him to leave but he was too intrigued in what the Human and the Orc could possibly be doing out here to listen to it.

Not long after crossing the border the pair suddenly increased their speed and changed directions slightly, then came to a halt and dismounted. As he got a little closer he could see what had prompted the sudden injection of purpose into their actions: there was a horse, and a human who had probably been the horse's rider was on the floor beside it. Knariit'ash decided to take the break as a chance to survey his surroundings, and started towards the outline of a building to the South which looked as if it would make a good vantage point.
 
A few words in an ancient language rolled off of the necromancer's tongue as he traced a symbol in the air with the white onyx tip of his yew staff. Once the final arc of the rune joined with the first, the corpse of a gecko which had perished moments earlier in a shroud a dark mist became animated once more and proceeded to march back and forth between Vinthus and a guard tower behind the main gate of Ogre's Skull. Practising his art was the closest thing Vinthus had to entertainment these days and geckos were one of the few forms of life left within his borders.

The gecko suddenly stopped in its tracks and keeled over, lifeless once again, as a wave of anger flushed through Vinthus. The kind of anger which could only mean one thing. Then I was right. Demons have returned to Skyfall. Vinthus had never crossed paths with Demons himself: they hadn't been present in Skyfall since before even Vinthus' birth but his former master once clashed with their hordes and had passed on knowledge as well as hatred of the beasts during his tuition.

Now, the feeling of Demonic presence in his lands made Vinthus' face contort with rage and he made the only decision his abhorrence would allow: the being which had made the mistake of venturing into his realm must be annihilated.
 
Chand felt himself pulled from the sand that was eating at him. His eyesight came into a blur before he actually relized a large hand was being resurected from ground level. His wound stun from the movment of muscle and pulling. Chand widened his eyes as much as he could, crust from his lids falling. He made a sounf of agony in quite tone. Soon enough the blur turned into a solid figure, it twas of a Orc, that was holding him close. Chand could not quite hear what he was trying to say... Chand felt his grip still on the horses reigns, almost for dear life. Chand felt his eyes roll to the back eveything becoming a black-out. His grip loosened and his horse was free from his hold. The mare was rustled from the presence of others, startled, she whinnied and stood on her hind legs. Possibly mistaken them for wild animals. She pulled back her ears in anger, blind and unaware she turned away and ran off, leaving the scene.
 
Letitia got off her wolf as the Orc did, moving next to the body to feel for a pulse. The sight of blood startled her, but, as her hand came in contact with his neck, to find a pulse, she wasn't pulled into a vision on how he was to die. He wasn't going to die today. At least, she hoped. As he slipped into unconsciousness, she desperately tried to talk to him, to give him something to hold onto, but he was already too far down that road. Taking his wrist, she could still feel his pulse, which was a good sign. Still, she cursed under her breath, not knowing what to do, and knowing she hadn't brought medical supplies for injuries like these.
 
Rogdush lay the man carefully back on the ground. "Get some water from my pack! Once we make sure he wont bleed to death, we don't want him drying out!" He commanded Letitia.
He then closed his eyes, kneeling next to the man, put his hands together and started mumbling something in Orcish. As he opened his eyes again, they were on fire. His hand also caught fire, seemingly from nothing. "This will hurt a bit..." He said to the man, before lowering his hands onto his wound. The fire spread slightly around his hands and the wound, but it did not burn the flesh. "Not a exactly a small wound, but I've healed people with worse..." He said, trying to calm the man.
 
She nodded, going to his wolf and finding his bag. Letitia dug around it until she found a flask, and she gave it to him, once again kneeling on the other side of the man.
 
Chand lied, sight in darkness, muffled words seeped to his conscious. Chand made a pitiful grunt before he felt the seer heat pressed against him. It felt getting warmer and warmer. Chand had awoken back to reality, the sun beamed into his sight making things a flash of light. Pupils desolated into adjusting it all in. He began to groan, dry mouth agape, weak hands turned into fists. He looked to the Orc that was beside him, healing him. He breathed heavy looking around quickly from the sudden verge of energy. He noticed the woman next to him, he eased his breaths looking up at her. He let the tensity of the flames take hold, his flesh wound healing. He felt like a panicked animal in a enclosed room, but soon enough his nerves calmed with his breaths. He licked his dry lips from common response... His head started to hurt, energy felt suddenly consumed from the panic he had caused himself. He looked away from the woman and down to where the Orc has placed his flaming hands. Chand unclenched his hands and he layed his head back. Eyes swished back and forth between the brute and armored female.

"Wh...What happend?" was all he could muffle under a dry throat, still licking at his lips.
 
"You tell us." Rogdush said, as he lifted his hands. The flames both on his hands and his eyes died down as he leaned back a bit. "We found you here, lying on the ground with a nasty wound on your chest, next to a horse. Thirsty?" He signaled for Letitia to give him some water as he asked.
 
"..Yes"was the immediate response he gave to the Orc suggesting about the water. Rhaspy and dry breaths begged for it, hand limping up eagerly for it.

"Please..." he heaved after trying to take in the fact they could help him... Take him to a place other than this waste land.

Chand fluttered his eyes taking in detail of the green giant before him. He turned his head to the woman again and back at the Orc. He glances at his chest, remembering now of the blood he felt on his hands. Looking to his had, dried of red from before. His pale blue eyes squinted as the sun still beamed on his face.
 
Upon relaxing his mind, Vinthus deduced that the unwelcome guest was toward the South, and so he set off walking, his staff swinging back and forth with each step like a walking stick. He was relishing the feeling of having an actual objective to work towards, since he hadn't had something he could really focus his thoughts on for centuries.

After a few minutes of walking he became aware of another presence in his midst, in fact more than one, and closer than the one he'd homed in on. These differed from the unmistakable signal of a Demon. It shouldn't have taken him this long to notice them but he had obviously narrowed his mind in his conniption. Usually he would simply destroy any who wandered across his borders but all his hate was focussed on the presence of the Demon and he decided to approach these folk. Perhaps they're hunting the Demon? He reasoned. Or perhaps the Demon's hunting them. Either way, he felt it prudent to at least see what the reason was for their encroachment on his territory before deciding what action to take.

He altered his course so that he was facing slightly more to the west and made his way towards the new life signs, apprehensive of their goals and ready to retaliate, should they be hostile. Once they were in view he could see that one of them was on the ground, the other two knelt over him, and as he drew closer he noticed that the one on the floor was an injured Half-Elf who was being tended to by a Human and an Orc, which didn't really help him in his assessment of their purpose, so he decided to make contact.

"What brings you to these lands?" He almost amplified his voice magically but decided against it, not wanting to inject aggression into what may otherwise be an uneventful encounter.
 
Letitia did as Rogdush commanded, giving the man beneath the two of them water. He'd probably need it, especially if he was in such a state already. She tilted his head up so he could swallow properly, before tipping the contents of the flask into his mouth. She started as she heard a man's voice calling out, almost dropping the one beneath her, but she caught his head quickly. Glancing around, she quickly saw the man, but realized that it wouldn't be too easy to miss him. Taking in his appearance, she quickly asserted that the Orc, the man, and she were all done for, most likely.
 
Rogdush was surprised by the sudden question. He slowly stood up, then turned towards the man and studied him for a moment, before saying "We came here to seek help from a necromancer. And by the looks of it, that would be you." He slammed his right fist over his chest. "So I come here, on behalf of every living being in these lands, to ask for your assistance against a legion of demons. We are willing to give you anything, as I doubt what you would demand would be more than what the demons would destroy."
 
Chand sight zoned in and out the sun not helping. His head cradled close made him almost sleepy but very much so uncomfotable being in a huge body of sand. Chand with all his might tried to raise his torso up. He grunted, arm clenched close to him to do so. He panted before raising his head solemnly at the tall figure that held a staff. He could not see detail for his sight went in and out. He turned his head slowly to the woman, she was staring at the figure to pay no mind to him. Chand turned his head forward to see the third imposer in front of him. His blank and emotionless eyes stared at the unidentified figure. His pupils shaky from focusing.

Chand regained better sight, the man was what presented himself of that of a magician or a man of magic. A prince, clueless to who this stranger called himself, did not gawk or have a noble stance. The wind had swiped his hair to the side almost covering his lifeless glare at the necromancer that stood mighty.
 
Vinthus regarded the Orc quietly as he spoke, then fiddled with the details on the white onyx skull which made up the tip of his staff as he considered his words. When he began to speak he was no longer looking directly at the Orc whom he was addressing, instead he examined the human girl. "So you enter a necromancer's realm with the sole intention of seeking him out? That either makes you very brave or extremely foolish." A subtle smile played across his face, as quick as a bird's shadow might. "And you offer me whatever I may wish? What do you think you could offer a necromancer who has existed for 3 millennia, which he could not simply take for himself?" His demeanour became a little more imposing as he continued without giving the Orc a chance to respond, leaving his remark a rhetorical question. "No. I will not help you for a prize." He paused for moment, and turned his gaze back to the Orc. "You may be surprised to hear, however, that I am willing to help you... If you can prove yourself to me."
 
Rogdush smiled slightly as he heard the necromancer was willing to help, and he even grinned slightly, as he heard he had to prove himself. He moved his right arm from his chest and moved it towards the blade on his back as he spoke. "Prove myself? I've been proving myself for almost 800 years. I will gladly prove myself once more!" He felt his body readying itself for battle. He had fought a great many enemies in his time, yet never against an enemy this powerful. He was not scared, no, he was rather exited about it.
 
Vinthus chuckled and shook his head slowly, raising his hand in a gesture for Rogdush to let his weapon lie, "Trust an Orc to jump to a conclusion like that. I'm not asking you to fight me: I am extremely attuned to goings on within my borders and shortly before our encounter I became aware of a presence which I've never previously had to endure, though I couldn't mistake it for anything." He closed his eyes and shuddered briefly before continuing, "A Demon has entered my realm and if I'm not mistaken, which I rarely am, it followed you here. So my task to you, to prove your worth, is to seek out this being and bring me its head. It is currently somewhere south of here, quite close by." he lifted his staff and pointed towards the south with it, the black onyx inlays which made the skull's eyes glimmering in the sunlight as he did so.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back