Strange Fates

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Kitti

Empress of Niflheim
Original poster
DONATING MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
Posting Speed
  1. 1-3 posts per week
  2. One post per week
  3. Slow As Molasses
Writing Levels
  1. Adept
  2. Advanced
  3. Prestige
  4. Douche
  5. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Female
The late morning sunshine beat down on a field of grass whose blades were stirring gently in a breeze so faint it was almost imperceptible save the rustling of the leaves in the trees overhead. The scent of fertile earth wafted upward from the sunkissed soil, mingling with the green smell of fresh tree leaves and sap. The warmth of the humid air combined with the odors of spring fading into summertime to create a veritable wall separating the outdoors from the cooler interior of the small home from which Roddy was exiting.

This was a golden day, a beautiful glimpse of heaven in Roddy's eyes. The temptation of the springy grass underfoot and the promise of a swim in the crisp waters of the spring was almost enough to make him falter, to hesitate on the beginning of his adventure. He already felt homesick not more than three paces from the door, looking back with his mind full of memories like sleeping in the grass on a day like today or biting into a fresh, juicy apple. He had barely enough willpower to turn his eyes back to the dirt path beneath his feet that led into the town.

The sack on Roddy's back had a skin filled with spring water and a few hunks of coarse bread in addition to a length of rope and thin mat that he could spread beneath him to sleep on. His skinning knife was tied to his belt at his left hip (for Roddy was, in fact, left-handed) while a bow of clean and efficient, if not masterful, workmanship kept company with a small quiver of arrows on his back. He could scarcely believe himself that he was setting out for whatever came his way, the anticipation of adventure momentarily outweighing his previous homesickness. He had just yesterday accepted the first of what he hoped would be many contracts, his first step into an exciting new world.

The apothecary in town had posted a message on the board looking after an adventurer to bring him goblin ears, an ingredient apparently needed for some new brew or powder. The why didn't matter to Roddy as much as the pay, more money than Roddy had ever owned himself. Ten gold pieces was enough to do... well, he wasn't quite sure. It could be said that he had seen more money switch hands, when his father sold the yearly harvest, but that money hadn't belonged to Roddy, not like these gold pieces would. Besides, the money from the harvest needed to be reinvested in fixing up the house and saving to buy a new horse when the old one got knackered. This money would be Roddy's, to use as he saw fit. He smiled a secret smile to himself, approaching the town.

Just a few hours away from the town was the ruin where the goblins liked to hide and set up little burrows and that was where Roddy was heading, he just had to pass through the town on his way there. He promised himself that he wouldn't get distracted, no matter what he saw in town. That was, until he spotted a familiar head (and bum) of hair.

"Pan! You've come back! So soon?"
 
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The wind kissed at Pan's human skin as he foraged for berries within the byre near the camp. The satyr smiled as he collected blackberries, blueberries and strawberries from bushes and vines alike. The forests leaves left a crunch underfoot as Pan's satyr form strolled. The fresh, scintillating scent of the berries wafted into his nostrils as he placed them into a small berry pouch. The tribe would be most happy to find he had brought them back, and if he brought firewood back also, he would have many congratulations, he hoped. He wandered the forest, testing various lengths of twigs, sticks and logs for various factors. Dampness, length, heaviness, they all factored into his decision. However, after an hour of collecting, his knees were giving way and he decided he should take a shortcut through town in order to get back home.

Walking from the verdant forest to the green plateau that surrounded the town, Pan strolled across cobblestone streets, past armorers and smithies, he smelt the scent of oil and bread, of vegetables and sweat in the air, as labourers toiled their days away for the joy of work that they shared. The weather was crisp, and Pan was chipper as he wandered in an out of intersecting streets, until he noticed a peculiar sign on the window of the apothecary, mentioning a reward for the death of goblins and the collection of their ears. He would have to mention to Roddy, because he was damn well sure the pair would cook up some get rich scheme to have the excuse to travel the world.

However, as he left the town confines and saw the familiar tribe home in reach, he spotted his friend Roddy waiting for him. "I've come back, Roddy. With berries, and firewood!" He exclaimed joyously, unzipping his pouch and showing the teen some of the collection he'd gathered in the nearby forest.
 
A smile crossed Roddy's face and widened into a grin that went from ear to ear as his enthusiasm was echoed by his friend. They had, without ever paying any mind to the obvious differences in their origin, become fast friends almost from the moment that they had met. It had been years since then but Roddy was glad to have someone that he could count on to share his various schemes and, in more trying times, his feelings with no matter how much time had passed. The scents wafting from the bag that Pan carried had alerted Roddy to the firewood and the berries before he had been told and he was already concocting ideas of pies made with some spare berries. Quickly, though, he snapped back to his task at hand.

"Look here, Pan! I'm going to become the grandest adventurer that there ever was! I have a new pair of boots, my bag, my bow..." he indicated each item in turn as he spoke and the expression on his face could have been mistaken for a child barely able to walk showing his mother a flower he'd plucked. His cheer was a runaway horse, bowling over anything in its path and he couldn't wait to share his ideas and schemes with his friend.

"There's this posting, you see, the apothecary wants someone to bring him goblin ears! And I thought, well, I could fetch some goblin ears from the old temple ruin outside the town! And there's more! The apothecary is offering ten whole gold pieces for the ears! Ten!" Roddy's eyes were glazing a little, images filling his head of all the things that he could do with ten gold pieces. And then a glorious thought struck him and his smile became, if at all possible, even larger.

"Pan! You should come with me! We can get the goblins together and we'll be an unstoppable team and we'll have so much gold! It'll be great to have you with me, the only thing that could be better than adventuring is adventuring with you! Plus, you're great at all kinds of things, so it will be easier with you along!" He could have taken note that they were standing in front of the apothecary and his friend had been looking at the posting in front of him, but his mind was in other places.
 
A smile crossed Roddy's face and widened into a grin that went from ear to ear as his enthusiasm was echoed by his friend. They had, without ever paying any mind to the obvious differences in their origin, become fast friends almost from the moment that they had met. It had been years since then but Roddy was glad to have someone that he could count on to share his various schemes and, in more trying times, his feelings with no matter how much time had passed. The scents wafting from the bag that Pan carried had alerted Roddy to the firewood and the berries before he had been told and he was already concocting ideas of pies made with some spare berries. Quickly, though, he snapped back to his task at hand.

"Look here, Pan! I'm going to become the grandest adventurer that there ever was! I have a new pair of boots, my bag, my bow..." he indicated each item in turn as he spoke and the expression on his face could have been mistaken for a child barely able to walk showing his mother a flower he'd plucked. His cheer was a runaway horse, bowling over anything in its path and he couldn't wait to share his ideas and schemes with his friend.

"There's this posting, you see, the apothecary wants someone to bring him goblin ears! And I thought, well, I could fetch some goblin ears from the old temple ruin outside the town! And there's more! The apothecary is offering ten whole gold pieces for the ears! Ten!" Roddy's eyes were glazing a little, images filling his head of all the things that he could do with ten gold pieces. And then a glorious thought struck him and his smile became, if at all possible, even larger.

"Pan! You should come with me! We can get the goblins together and we'll be an unstoppable team and we'll have so much gold! It'll be great to have you with me, the only thing that could be better than adventuring is adventuring with you! Plus, you're great at all kinds of things, so it will be easier with you along!" He could have taken note that they were standing in front of the apothecary and his friend had been looking at the posting in front of him, but his mind was in other places.






A posting? How curious. This elicited a smile from Pan, followed by a mental montage powered by teen-aged greed, seeing before him what could be done with the gold they would earn. Pan looked toward Roddy and nodded, pleased. "We should take this job. You're good at shooting things with your bow, I'm good at giving things a good ol' kick with my legs. It'd let us travel the world, see the sights! We might even become legends!" Pan exclaimed, starstruck at the possibilities.

So they walked, across a large plateau of plains, the grass, verdant as always, whistling sweet temptation in their ears to stop their journey and rest. But across the plains they walked, and soon their journey became darker and darker as they came into the entrance to a large copse of forest. Pan, with his enhanced hearing, could detect something akin to goblin noises coming from the heart of the forest, so gave Roddy a quick jab.

"We'll have to go deep into this forest to kill those goblins, Roddy." He exclaimed with a frown, limbering himself up for what was to come.
 
What had initially been cause for fist pumping and loud exclamations of how he just knew that Pan would understand and want to come with turned quickly into the much more tedious chore of actually walking to their goal. To his credit, so early on in the trip, Roddy didn't make so much as a peep about how much he just wanted to be at their destination already. It was, he reasoned, too early in the adventure to start complaining just yet. Instead he busied himself with thinking about what the best possible title would be when he made it big as a hero. Obviously not Roddy. Roderick the Great, perhaps. Roderick the Best Hunter Who Ever Lived? That was a little long.

Roddy was still musing what would sound best when he run into Pan, who had come fullstop in front of a clump of trees. Having no been paying attention, Roddy hadn't noticed the darkening path nor his friend's gradual halt at the noises of goblins not far off. He turned pink up to his ears and mumbled an apology. In the next few minutes, he looked around the area, taking deep breaths to focus and center himself like he did before a hunt. He could hear it now, too, the busy sounds of scampering feet and thudding as they unsettled crumbling pieces of rock in this old ruin.

"Wonder what this temple was dedicated to, huh? And why they abandoned it" he said aloud, a piece of the light grey stone catching his eye. The ruin seemed like it would have been fairly large to have bits scattered out this far, andjust been left here to the goblins. He didn't put much more brainpower into the matter, instead devoting his energy to the hunting of as many goblins as possible to get the required ears.

"Do you want to split up or stick together. I don't want either of us to get lost, but I don't want them all to go and hide so we can't catch them, either..." He had taken his bow from his back and was ensuring that the string was prepared while he whispered just loud enough for Pan to hear.
 
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