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Ixidor92

Dungeon master
Original poster
LURKER MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Posting Speed
  1. 1-3 posts per week
Writing Levels
  1. Intermediate
  2. Adept
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
Genres
Fantasy, Sci-fi, Adventure, Slice-of-life
The town of Littlerook, founded by settlers on the budding edge of civilization. Numerous individuals have found their homes here, whether for the promise of wealth, escape from previous lives, or adventure. Most everyone rises early, to tend to their fields, families, or their jobs. Every evening, the tavern is full of individuals drinking and singing away their toils of the day. Today is the day before Drachentags, the weekly observance of the great dragon, and the town is quiet. Or rather as quiet as it ever gets. For there is always someone busy within town.
BANG
A gun shot sounds in the distance. Most of the town pays it no mind. A single shot, fired off far in the distance? It is likely a hunter, nothing to worry--
BANG
. . .
BANG
Two more shots, fired with the same amount of space between them. Something is wrong outside town, and those who reside within start to worry and rally the local defenses . . .
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Neil felt sorry for the poor creature he rode upon. The beast had been galloping at full tilt for several minutes now, and there was no reprieve in sight. He urged it to move even faster as the telltale sounds of churning earth returned behind them. "Come on girl!" The horse leaped over a rock formation about as high as a small child, just shy of a pair of iron jaws breaking the earth. A bullete: a magical creature with a hide seemingly impervious to harm, and surprisingly fast both above and below the earth.
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Neil had the misfortune of finding this one having moved in to one of his normal hunting grounds. He chanced a look down at the revolver in his hand, tucked between his palm and the reigns. Five bullets had been spent. Two were wasted trying to shoot the rampaging beast behind him. The eyes should be vulnerable, but they were only about he size of a man's fist, and he was nowhere near a good enough shot to actually hit that while galloping at full-tilt on horseback. And now three had been fired as a cry for help from town. He couldn't ride back, the creature would just tear through town, eat all the livestock, and then maybe leave it wasn't still hungry. He would have to hope a team from the town would come to help him, or more likely than not he and his horse were going to be a meal very soon.
 
Shi'Kara heard the first shot and shrugged it off. The second shot made her stop pouring the ale in her hands. The third shot made her put the ale bottle away, down what she had poured, and grab Eleanor. She dismissed her waiters and started to prepare to head outside to see what the ruckus what. This wasn't exactly out of the ordinary for some catastrophe to happen on the outskirts of town; it was more a nuisance than anything. But since there were multiple shots going off, she figured things might actually be serious for once instead of some kid getting stuck in a well or something.
"Get your guns." She called upstairs to whoever was possibly up there. "And make it snappy. Probably some fool got caught by some creature and we have to rescue his sorry caboose." She climbed up to the attic that she called her abode and slapped off her nice green corset and black ruffled skirt in favor of plaid and jeans. Her hair was thrown up in a messy bun and she marched back down the stairs.
"Hey Sheriff..." Shi'Kara sighed. "Sheriff..." She saw that he was leaning over on the table with a stein full of ale. She reached out and took the stein out of his hand. Nothing. "Dammit. I told you to stop falling asleep in here."
 
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"Get your guns," Shi'kara called upstairs as Elbridge stood up from the table he shared with a few guests. He runs a finger and thumb through his moustache clearing it of the drink he left, unfinished, on the table.

"I'll have ta finish that story some other time," he says as he strokes his middle fingers along the back edges of the handles of his twin revolvers. "But ya don't worry," he walks to the door of the Adamantium Tiger. Elbridge pulls his dark brown wide-brimmed hat off of the rack by the door and smiles over his shoulder, "there's a happy ending." He pushes through the door and it swings behind him as he stands on the porch of the saloon looking out in the direction of the noise.

He squints his eyes for a moment. There's a rider kicking up a cloud behind their horse. Elbridge stares for a few beats before he stands with a start and rushes to his horse a brown stallion with white socks that pulls at his reins that are wrapped around a post. Elbridge tightens the saddle and strokes the horse's neck.

He looks out to where the dustclouds start to veer away from Littlerook, "Shh, I know boy, I know... someone's gone and stirred up a landshark."
 
It had been a busier day than usual for the Sheriff. The elves grew more restless by the day, and somehow not everyone could behave themselves around Littlerook. Cowardly bandits and rowdy drunks ensured that there was always work to be done, and by midday Sully was ready for a cat nap. Normally he made time for one in the Adamantine Tiger, but it looked like his rest today would be cut short.
Sully righted himself and smoothed the wrinkles of his vest from leaning over. He rose from the table slowly, flexing and stretching his legs one at a time, shaking off the stiffness of rest. With a shake of his head and flick of his tail, he was fully awake. A quick run down the checklist of his belongings revealed that everything was in its place. He paid for his drink, retrieved his hat from the rack by the door, and trotted out of the tavern in to the bright midday sun. He passed Elbridge with a polite tip of the hat, and broke into a run, galloping to the distant havoc that awaited him.
 
The first shot had frightened the horses around the ranch that Cassidy had been tending to, while the second set most of the herd into a galloping mess. She turned toward the presumed origin of the sounds, way off out of Littlerook. "Well," Cassidy said with a start while walking towards a saddled Palomino nearby, "Glad something interesting finally came along today. An afternoon of horse shit and tumbleweeds can only be so engaging." She put one foot up into a stirrup before hoisting herself upright in the saddle, the dark metal of her shotgun glistening in the holster on the side. She gave the horse a light jab in the side and, with a shout of encouragement, the equine rumbled toward the outskirts with abandon.
 
Elbridge, upon seeing the sheriff gallop past, swung up into his well-worn saddle and sped up to match the older centaur's pace. "Looks like a landshark," he hollers pointing at the large dust cloud following the rider.

"I've never fought one before but I've heard their hide can take even the hardest bullets... how are we gonna take it down?"
 
Shi'Kara left out the back door and went to go get her paint, Captain. She wasn't exactly the sharpest shooter; but, it was better to go out and make sure she helped out. Anything to gain some image points around this place was worth it. She mounted Captain and took off after the Sheriff and Elbridge.
"What have we got out there today, Gentlemen?" Shi'kara asked as she came up alongside them.
 
Neil grit his teeth and yanked on the reigns of the beast beneath him. turning sharply to the right to avoid a lunging monster. He could smell the torn earth behind him, and hear the roaring of the beast behind him constantly. What twisted deity had decided to make something not only armored, but also fast enough to catch a horse galloping at full tilt? And of course it could burrow at the same speed. The only advantage he had was that the creature's turning ability when moving at such speed was slow, and quick turns bought him precious seconds to get back ahead. Of course, the panting creature beneath him was already nearing the end of its stamina, having had to outrun this thing for at least a few miles. As he turned the beast yet again to keep away from the creature, he spotted a couple of people on the horizon. He couldn't make out their exact forms, but he could only hope they were from town. The man grit his teeth, kicked his horse for another burst of speed, and let off the last shot from his revolver.
 
On the outskirts of town, Karst was walking towards a patch of land he had purchased when he arrived in Littlerook. On the opposite side of the town from the elf-claimed forest, he had purchased this plot of land for his experiments and projects in Dragonology and alchemy. And Brewing. More importantly, it was out of the way. No one would complain about loud noises in the middle of the night, or of noxious gasses that were the occasional result of an alchemical draught, and no one was likely to interupt him in the midst of his research. Having left early in the morning to let his latest project... percolate without him hovering over it, he was eager to see the results as he walked towards his home at a leisurely pace. Then, a gunshot pierced the air, and two more quickly followed.
Having thrown himself to the ground in a panic, he quickly realized that he was not shot, aided by a distinct lack of blinding pain, and rose to his feet. Quickly sprinting towards the small home he had had built, he ignored the wide apparatus set-up outside it in favor of dashing inside and retrieving his 'Self-Defense' kit. A satchel, with a variety of pouches and loops, held a number of dangerous and volatile compounds which were useful in disabusing bandits and outlaws from the notion that, as a city boy, he was defenseless. Returning outside, he searched for (what he assumed) was the asshole trying to kill him. There wasn't much else out this side of the town, so either they'd have a good reason for firing off rounds like a nutjob, or he'd show them why you don't mess with alchemists. A quick look around found (from the direction he had heard gunshots) a figure riding hard on a path bypassing the town, and a number of others riding from town towards the first. As luck would have it, the lone figure seemed to on a course leading him quite near to him and his home. A cruel grin formed on Karst's face, as he readied a vial of alchemical agents for throwing, 'That bandit won't know what hit it.'
 
"Not sure, haven't tangled with one before and never wanted to," Solomon grumbled as Elbridge rode parallel. "But everything that breathes has similar weaknesses, like throat and eyes, so I'd suggest aiming somewhere you yerself would rather not be hit."

As they closed the distance, Solomon confirmed a couple things. "I think that's Neil out there...and we're headin' in the direction of the new blood. Whatshisname, Kurt or somethin'," he was saying as Shi'kara rode up. "Right, first order of business, get it's focus off of Neil. Good kid, I'd hate to see him eaten."

It seems he lucked out, in a weird way, with those elven scouts from this morning. He drove them off with his rifle, and still had it slung over his back. He was pretty sure he would need it's extra oomph that a handgun can't quite supply.
 
"Well shoot, the whole welcome wagon showed up for this." Cassidy said as she rode her steed hard toward the columns of sand being kicked up at the outskirts of town. Cassidy caught the end of Solomon's 'focus off of Neil' statement as she joined in with the group. "I can make a mighty fine distraction if we can come up with some way to put this thing in the ground. Or, I guess, out of it rather." She retorted to the centaur, breaching her shotgun to load two shells as they rode towards the chaos ahead.
 
"A fair enough position," Elbridge calls back to the sheriff as their posse grows. Turning to Shi'kara, "Looks like a landshark, boss." He kicks his horse and urges him forward, "That kid ain't going ta last too much longer." He rides down out of the wake of destruction to cut inside the gentle curve that Neil seems to be leading the beast.

He rides hard and starts to pull up to the landshark's left side a fair few feet off. His eyes dart over the beast as it careens over the dusty ground. The throat of the beast is halfway underground, the eyes are small for a creature so large, covered in a sharp brow, and barely a foot above the ground. A small stone shoots from the prow of the landshark and crosses in front of Elbridge's face and he loses his hat as he jerks his head back and pulls on the reins to pull them away.

He grasps his gun for a moment but does not pull it from its holster. "Morgana take it I ain't got no shot on this fucking thing! We need to force it out of the ground!"
 
At the sight of Elbridge riding in, Neil finally allowed himself some level of relief around the current situation. He had help. More to the point, he had help that wasn't exhausted from trying to outrun a metal-plated badger that wouldn't tire. On the edge of his vision, the young man also spotted the old sheriff and a few other individuals from town, all armed with better firepower than he had. That being said, Elbridge was right, they needed it out of the soil. But how? It had torn through tree roots, trunks, rock formations, and miles of soil to stay on Neil's trail. How would they get it out? The man's thinking was cut off as he kicked his steed and forced the creature to the side yet again before they were both devoured. The dodge was closer this time, and Neil swore he could feel the creature staring at his back as it came around for another pass. It was official, his horse was just out of stamina. If the bullette came by for another pass, they were both screwed. "Mizu's too tired to keep going!" He shouted at Elbridge to warn him of the situation.
 
"It's moving a little too fast for me to try to move it out of the ground." Shi'Kara was not even sure she was strong enough with her abilities to get it out of the ground in the first place. "...can it be lassoed and pulled out of the ground? It'd be a hell of a throw." She took in the young man who was probably going to get eaten if they didn't stop this thing. Definitely still looked like a kid. "Don't know what other options we got right now. Could that Kurt fellow help us in any way? I mean, what the hell does he do anyways way out here in the woods?"
 
The group of riders had closed on the lone (assumed)bandit, and they were rapidly approaching. A nervous sweat broke out upon his brow, as he contemplated his options; He had prepared an alchemical phial to throw at his assailant, but he didn't have the greatest of luck with throwing things. With eyes as bad as his, even with corrective lenses, his ability to judge distance beyond an armslength or two away from himself was abysmal at best. But he had walked out with confidence, and he'd let that confidence carry him through. As his arm swung out, releasing the round phial at what he judged to be the correct time, and watched as the mining-grade alchemical explosive flew towards the lead rider.
 
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Neil felt the horse beneath him slow down substantially once some of the others had come in and attempted to help. The poor thing just didn't have anything left to keep running. Elbridge was running on the other side of where the creature was, trying to get its attention or even get a shot in. And that was when it hit his nose. It smelled vaguely--in some alternate universe perhaps, like water. But much fouler. Like someone had taken a pond, dumped the foulest of earth in it, and lit it on fire. Somehow. Neil had just barely enough time to spot the offending vial that had been tossed through the air--and less than enough time to properly get out of the way. It landed smack-dab in the middle of Neil, Elbridge, and the bullette.

The resulting explosion that occurred deafened everyone in the nearby vicinity, threw horse and rider to the side, and blew up a dust cloud so large you could hide a house in it. Neil coughed a couple of times after landing roughly on his side, but immediately scrambled his way over to Mizu to make sure she was okay. It looked like some earth had scratched her side, but thankfully none of her legs had been broken by shrapnel or shock. The young man didn't have it in him to shoot the poor creature. That being said, she was not getting up off of her side anytime soon. The bullette--where was the monster? Neil's thought process was interrupted by a roar that echoed for over a mile from their position, bullette had taken the brunt of the blast right on its face. There was a crack in the plating around its right eye, with black blood oozing slowly from where it had done so. The beast was clearly dazed and not lucid, as it swung its head wildly around, trying to find the offender
 
"What in tarnation?" Cassidy exclaimed as the flask exploded a short distance away. She swung her shotgun up into her lap and unlocked the breech chambers, loading a set of slug rounds before snapping them closed. As she turned to aim at the source of the explosion, the wail of the injured bullette gave her pause. "Sometimes a distraction finds you I s'pose." She said, as she spurred her horse around and rode into the thick of the now settling dust. Riding a sharp arc towards the beast, she leveled her shotgun and let go of the reins, trusting the horse to keep on galloping. As she turned onto it's right side, she saw the cracked carapace on the right of it's face, the black ooze of it's blood almost a warpaint on it's visage. 'Boom', Cassidy mouthed as her shotgun fired from both barrels, the iron slugs screaming out towards the thrashing bullette and finding purchase in the blackness of it's face. With a resounding crack, the beasts skin splintered and fragmented from the impact, only possible from the damage it had sustained previously. "Hope a hole that size is easier for y'all to hit!" Cassidy yelled to the rest of the posse as she swung back forward in her saddle, urging the horse to sprint. "Especially cause now it's probably a might bit pissed at me. There's your damn distraction Elbridge!" She finished, as the bullette shook off the now broken plates near it's right eye and began to renew it's chase with a vengeful vigor.
 
Elbridge found himself laying on the ground... he blinked a moment and was kneeling, working his way to standing. He waved a blood covered hand by his right ear and shook his head. He blinked rapidly and saw the shadow of a man leaning over a horse and he stumbled forward a few steps before falling into a stable, if limping, stride.

The sound of Cassidy's shotgun blaring in the trilling silence drew Elbridge's right pistol from its holster as he turned to point it in that direction; dust sticking to the blood smearing his steady hand. He tracked the rider as she road past with the gun as her horse galloped off into the falling dust. Elbridge's back straightened and he turned in a single step, the practised work of a soldier.

The bullette roared and cast a terrifying shadow in the last of the dust as Elbridge stood before it with his pistol pointed at it, two hands bracing his elegant pistol.

The beast looked side to side one eye red with blood, the other with fury. It charged with the force of rolling boulders for the two men chasing after Cassidy.

Trunks of rocky flesh beat the ground.

Elbridge's moustache twitched as he smiled.

A shovelled and bloody face raised high in a yell.

Boots shifting in the dirt.

Elbridge leapt to the right side of the beast back to the ground, never wavering in his aim.

The bloody, exposed eye of the landshark exploded in a flower of blood. It careened to the left away from Neil and his horse, missing them by feet, as it doubled over in pain. Its momentum carried it down the hill in a rolling, thriving, mass of pain.

Elbridge hit the ground hard, his back landing on the uneven rocks torn up by the bullette's wake. Having dedicated himself wholly to the single shot he didn't brace a hand behind him or even cast an eye to where he may fall. He left a bloody streak as his shirt and back was shredded by the sharp gravel. He barred his teeth but kept his eyes open as he aimed his gun between his legs and pointed to where the bullette had rolled off.

" 'And so it was that earth was parted by steel,' " Elbridge grits his teeth as his blood seeps into the ground, "you are no stone, beast, and this no sword, but I have ammo aplenty to forge one upon your brow."

Elbriged pulled the hammer of his revolver back in a clean quick motion, "Come and take it if you would test my mettle again."
 
Once the ringing in his ears stopped and the dust began to settle enough to see, Solomon surveyed the damage. The bulette was looking pretty roughed up, fortunately for them all. Elbridge was a bit torn up but nothing life-threatening. Neil...it took the Sheriff a few beats to find him, but the kid was on the ground tending to his horse, neither looked too sore. Should probably give that horse's leg a look-see, just to be sure. Shi'Kara had been unsteated by the blast but she had already righted herself, shaking off the impact of falling several feet onto hard dirt. He couldn't see her horse from here, but it couldn't be too far. It was just obscured by dust at the moment. Last but definitely not least, Cassidy was certainly fine. At least, fine enough to unload a slug and it's twin brother into a rampaging monster.

As for the landshark itself...as Solomon rode up on Elbridge, he could see the beast righting itself, blood sputtering from where it's right eye should've been. It rounded on the sheriff, though it didn't have the same glare in its eye; rather, it seemed wary after receiving such wounds, and now a new, different threat stood before it. There was a span of a handful of seconds, where Solomon and the bullette sized each other up, at a standoff as each waited for the other to make a move. Just when the tension was ready to snap...

It turned away.

Solomon gave a huff of equal parts relief and disappointment as the bullette roughly dug its way into the earth and "swam" away, its self-preservation instinct winning over any desire it could have had to get revenge for it's eye. The sheriff slung his rifle over his back once more, having drawn it when the bullette moved, just in case it had charged him. Smart of it not to: at that distance Solomon would've put three or four rounds into its shattered hide before it made it halfway to him.

"Th' beast's turned tail," Solomon called out to the somewhat-scattered group. "Sound off, everyone alright?" He looked pointedly at Elbridge.
 
Shi'Kara was currently stalking towards the person who had thrown that explosive thing. "What in the hell do you think you're doing??? You trying to kill someone???" She hurled a small barrage of stones at him; not to hit him, but to underline her words. "Your damn blast caused a lot of damage to the rest of us! What the hell were you thinking?!?!"
After sending one more glare at the offending person, she walked towards Elbridge. "How are you doing?" Her tone was still strained; he was a part of her staff. Anyone that hurt on them hurt her as well and she didn't take too kindly to that. She examined his hand for a moment before wrapping it up in her handkerchief that she always stuck into her pockets just in case. "I expect you to get that looked at by Doc when you get back, you hear?"
 
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