Setting
Setting
0.00 INK
Setting
0.00 INK
Just as Longwank, the world began to melt. Horik began screaming desperately and clawed into her skin without hesitation. Those who had stepped forward to apprehend her now froze. Horik's nails digged into her skin and began to drag themselves along it, pulling up skin and blood. Her arms and stomach. Her face. She began to claw into her face and eyes and that's when people sprinted forward.
They tried to pull her arms away but there was an unnatural strength within her fragile limbs. Nothing could stop her. Nothing.
~*~
The place was huge. The commotion Horik caused was contained to one area as staff rushed forward, trying to keep the distressing view from patrons elsewhere. Even outside, no shrieks or views of running staff were seen. In fact, it was a quiet and peaceful night. Too quiet and peaceful for a giant worm to be outside among the crowds.
The worm was in another place waiting. Inside the carriage, a much smaller worm was wrapped up around something. Its body hugged it tightly but it made sure there was enough room in case it needed to move or air. The thick white coating had hardened around the worm's body and acted as a cool blanket to not overheat the body within its coils.
Soft purring lulled the body into sleep and it was so unaware of the chaos elsewhere. The chaos its other half caused.
~*~
Talideth could see the bumbling idiots all around and turned to Qunith with a smile. She raised a hand, an obsidian pipe in her hand. It wasn't the same quality as Qunith's gold one but it was something. Qunith however knew that Talideth had never had such a thing before.
"You know, I feel this is a rather opportune situation, Quni," Talideth smiled. "Maybe we should take advantage of it? Inebriated people are rather careless, both with their possessions and information.
~*~
Blood and melted skin covered the ground. The patrons had dispersed and Otis remained to see Horik dragged off, leaving bits of herself behind. However, of Otis looked long enough, he would notice her hair getting lighter to a light brown as she was dragged away. But perhaps, that was just a trick of the light.
~*~
The worm lifted its head and stayed still for a long time. It was like it was hearing something off in the distance. But when the sound stopped, it gave a low, deep rumble. Movement began within its coils and a hand reached out. Another hand and Horik pulled herself up from among the coils of the worm. She looked half asleep and even, a bit older.
Setting
0.00 INK
Staff ushered out the panicked customers out of the building as Mild shrugged at Otis, "I can honestly say in all my years here, that I've never seen uh...that before. I hope she's alright. She didn't seem entirely aware of what happened herself..."
Mild then narrowed his eyes and spotted a trail of slime. "At least there's a trail. You ready?" He asked the young Sorillian.
Setting
0.00 INK
And he did.
Wiping his mouth, Otis nodded, smiled and marched out the door after the worm.
Setting
0.00 INK
"This...this is one of Arubak's carriage. Wait, this..." Mild scratched his chin, recalling this as the carriage Arubak had left the Rock in to pursue the Waste Witch and Otis' instant recognition of the woman. "Wait, don't tell me...she was with you?" He asked, reaching for the carriage handle.....before the thought better of it.
Instead he blew a cool breeze onto the carriage door, the wind decreasing in temperature a until formed into a thin layer of ice surrounding the door. Such action, Otis could possibly note are indicative of one practiced in Phoenix wizardry.
Mild then gave the frozen door a stern knock, causing it to gently shatter to the gound, revealing what lay inside...
Setting
0.00 INK
"Is uh, is something wrong?" she asked innocently.
Setting
0.00 INK
Setting
0.00 INK
Setting
0.00 INK
Setting
0.00 INK
Horik then glared at Otis before turning to Mild, "I can't promise I'll have all the answers but I can try to answer what I can. So long as you let me go if there's nothing you got to hold me for."
Setting
0.00 INK
Otis eyed the worm, wondering how many more weird creatures he would have to avoid having their fluids injected into him.
Setting
0.00 INK
Opening the door to to the jailhouse, Mild was somewhat surprised to find Arubak himself, along with Caenna. Caenna had her shotgun in hand, whilst Arubak was clutching an elderly man's neck, holding him up against one of the jail cells.
The old man sported a pinstripe suit, and a close cut gray hair. His skin was weathered and wrinkled and he sported red-tinted sunglasses that nearly dangled off his nose. On his hands, now clutching and his neck, trying to break free of Arubak's grasp, sported fingers covered in jewelry while a golden gleam came from his mouth. He had a gold tooth, several in fact.
"I had it up to hear with yer bullshit, old man!" Arubak snarled. "You done pulled yer last trick!"
"Arubak..." Caenna calmly touched the Warlord's shoulder, staring between him and the old man with concern.
"It wasn't a trick...wasn't a trick..." the old man gasped. His accent was Sorillian. "I've never done ya wrong. Everything I've done...is all for you, son. Always...always has been."
"I ain't yer goddamn son, old timer!" Arubak spat, tightening his grip. "You better talk real quick, if you wanna live out the rest of yer miserable life! Why'd you take my ring to that waste witch, old man!?"
"Arubak!" Mild finally exclaimed. "The man can't tell you anything if you can't breathe."
Arubak turned around, noticing Mild's prescence for the first time along with Otis and....a handcuffed Horik. "Mild Man...just what the hell is goin' on?"
"There was an incident in the Pearly Gates...some sort of worm-"
"God help me..." Arubak pinched the bridge of his nose.
"But what's all this...what did pops do this time?" Mild asked, concern clear in his voice.
Arubak sighed and motioned towards Caenna. She nodded and opened the cell they stood in front of and Arubak roughly tossed the old man in. "You, Caenna and me. We'll talk outside..." he ordered, as he and the shotgun wielding woman, stepped passed Mild and the two Lords of Rocks, and walked out the door.
Mild gave a heavy sigh and asked Otis, "Can you...watch her for a bit? Hopefully, I'll be back shortly." He opened the cell door, the same one the old man was tossed in and motioned for Otis to lock Horik in as well...for the time being.
Setting
0.00 INK
Otis wanted to trust his group. They may have different opinions, but they were in this together.
Setting
0.00 INK
"Now this hunter, he had no care for these lands, never did anything to look after them, never bothered to use the wisdom of those who knew how to live off the land. When he finishes off his cigarette, he tosses it into the grass, and goes back inside to go to sleep. His dreams are restless, uncomfortable. He keeps waking up during the night, feeling hot and sweaty. This continues until finally, he wakes from his sleep feeling an almost burning sensation on his skin. He almost thought it was a fever, until he noticed the cracks of light shining through his cabin walls, and the thick smell of smoke. Before he knows it, there's a huge crash! His roof collapses in, he can now see that his home in engulfed in flames! Well the hunter, he's truly panicking now, so he rushes to the door, bursts through it... And immediately stops in place. The whole forest is engulfed in fire. Everything around his is searing hot, burning him just from being close. He has nowhere to go, nowhere to run. The hunter is about to run back into the cabin, but now the whole cabin has collapsed behind him. The hunter stands there maybe another minute or two, and then he too is engulfed in flames."
Ash looked uncomfortably up to the stage again as he thumbed the glass in his hand. "When you disrespect the forest, the forest will find a way to turn against you, and to devour you. Even the tiniest blades of grass can fuel the most unstoppable forces. If I'm being honest with you Rob... I've always seen myself as a blade of grass in this story, waiting to devour the wicked in a sea of flames." He looked back to the Ulfirian for a moment, his gaze steely, but pained. "I'm sure you know as well as I do... The universe has a few too many terrible people in it."
Setting
0.00 INK
A man with a curled, devil-like goatee turned from the bar he sat at, exhaling smoke from his nostrils furiously.
"Tobacco, nightshade or hemp?"
"What is it to you?" The man replied.
"If it's hemp you're selling sell, hemp I'll buy," Qunith clarified, revealing a handful of the diamonds studs.
***
Qunith and Talideth emerged beneath the orange sun, it now hanging lower in the sky. Qunith exhaled a long breath of smoke from their newly gifted pipe. "It was a weird thing our jailors said, no thralls within the walls of the Holy Land." Qunith glanced at Talideth. "This place is an insult to the will of the gods and this land may one day be brought down with fire and hollows, nevertheless it may hold the key to our further ambitions."
Qunith handed Talideth the pipe. "Perhaps we can buy freedom from those lords of rock. Make a legal claim on mother's treasure while we are here. Gold and money rule all in this land. Talideth, find the most sparkling summit in the townscape." Qunith grinned. "And let's rob it blind."
Setting
0.00 INK
"You, uh, you got something planned here Otis?" Horik asked, unable to hear his internal thoughts.
~*~
Talideth looked around and surveyed the landscape. The buildings were all grand and luxurious, many people mulling about in fine threads and adorned with the likes of metal their mother would have adored. Taking a drag from the pipe, there was one building in particular that stood out to her. It looked ornate to the point of tackiness and there was a servant or two heading towards it.
"That one, perhaps?" Talideth mused as she passed the pipe back to Qunith.
Setting
0.00 INK
***
Rob sighed heavily. "Listen, Ash, you might be fine killing yourself for your revenge, but in that story, you're not the only one who burns to kill the hunter. The forest dies." Rob leaned forward, his eyes dark. "But I have a different ending for you. The same premise - a hunter who defiles the forest he lives in. But here's where your ideals differ from mine.
"See, there's animals that live in the forest - a wolf, a falcon, a bear," Rob said, a strange light appearing in his eyes. "The falcon watches from above, and sees the sins of the hunter. The wolf smells the trash, tastes the poisoned river. The bear sees the animals left broken in the hunter's wake. The hunter, one day, goes out as he normally does, to hunt. He sees the wolf, and wishes to kill it. He chases it, but the falcon pesters him, tearing out his eyes. Now blinded, the wolf easily tears out his throat. Then the bear comes, and eats the remains."
Rob leaned back. "The forest recovers. And soldiers like you and me... we rest easy."
Setting
0.00 INK
Instead Qunith simply moved forward toward the main entrance, where servants milled too and fro from the open entrance. Qunith stepped into the ground house, violins playing as a party seemed to be on the way- and of course, a party in the Holy Land was nothing without drinking and gambling. "Let's see if we can find the owner," Qunith said, squinting across the candle-lit hall and the richly dressed guests who occupied it.
Setting
0.00 INK
"The forest never did anything wrong, nor the animals. Just the hunters. The tyrants." Ash paused again to let the thoughts sink into him, and to take in what Rob had said. "Well, what are your plans now that you're a wealthy man Rob? Do you intend to live a more quiet life here in the 'Holy Land', or do you have something else in mind?"
Setting
0.00 INK
The bet came round and Syra put her 1000 on the table, as she did she felt Kuchillo's elbow in her rib. "Mama Lewd here, has made history. She was among the first group of Ulfirans to settle on the Rock. They laid a big claim to a patch of land out east."
"Oh?" Syra began, "So she's old money, from when the war ended? Took a liking to a backwater world and decided to "settle" it? I mean, people were living here before so can her moving from Ulfire really be considered, history?" She paused for a second, giving Kuchillo a second to think about what she'd said, "Call," she added, ready to continue the game, and hopefully her winning streak.
Setting
0.00 INK
Rob extended a hand for Ash to shake. "If you see me around again, make sure to give me a holler. And if you ever need help, just send word back here. I'll find you."
***
"The bet has been set. Mr. Price, please play your first card," Freddy said, nodding to the mentioned player.
Setting
0.00 INK
Ash took the man's hand and shook it, both holding the firm grip of a soldier. "I wish you luck in starting over soldier, not many get that chance, so I hope you can make the most of it." Ash smiled sympathetically. "I appreciate the conversation Rob, it's always good to talk with someone who understands the life of a soldier." The last things the old soldier said to Ash surprised him a bit, and intrigued him as well. "And thank you Rob, I look forward to crossing paths with you again one day." He smiled and watched as the older man took his leave and exited the building. Ash felt a little saddened almost. It was strange, he obviously had never met the old soldier before, and yet he felt so familiar, so much like an old friend. Perhaps that was part of the lives of soldiers.