Dwarves Prefer Walking, Not Riding (AevumEternity)(Closed, PM to Join)

[Elector Count of WAAAGH!]

The Sirantil Valley was a beautiful site. True, to any old dwarf it wasn't much to look at, but to Josef it was plenty amazing. He never saw this much green outside the Commonwealth back at the motherland, but even those humans never managed to achieve this level, with constant raids from the beastly spawns.

The dwarf was traveling towards the city dubbed Reajh, accompanied by a female Major by the name of Hakon Killandre. The dwarf was on foot while the Major was on her horse.

The dwarf was just telling the young(by compare to dwarves) human about a time he and some humans tracked down minotaur and slew it.

"....and the drakk charged us, I aimed for it's eyes and with one bolt was able to blind the beast. It crashed into a tree, and then the umgris charged! The Captain, ha, you should of seen him! The other manlings were trying to hack it from all sides, but this barakaz jumped onto the minotaur's back, grabbed onto it's horns. The beast got up and tried to shake him off, but ohhh, was he a stubborn manling. The monster tried to slam him into a tree, but the manling jumped clear in time, and the beast got it's horn stuck into the tree! THe thing tried to hack it down with it's axe, but before the beast could do anything else, the other manlings with the halberds hacked off the beast's head!" the dwarf was laughing quite loudly.

"Oh, and that was only one of the smaller drakks I've seen, hehe." the dwarf chuckled to himself as he continued on, his crossbow on his shoulder.

"What about you umgri? What foul beasts have you've slain?"

[AevumEternity]

The Major's gaze was fixed upon some distant point in the horizon, seeing but not quite seeing as her body swayed to and fro with the Theocog's gentle walk. Every so often the great horse would stop in order to keep the Dwarf at a relatively close distance for once more plodding on slowly. Hakon looked down at the man as he told his story, a small smile curling her lips as she tilts her head faintly- allowing the white-blonde locks to fall over the massive pauldron, being pressed tightly against the emchanted metal by the power of static.

" Oh I've fought many hellspawn, my friend- and I must say I find it rather enjoyable-" she pauses as if finally seeing the little dwarf for the first time, blinking once to keep her vision from blurring out as she chuckles," But oddly, the most fearsome I find to be are the corrupted centaurs." She chuckles dryly, her gaze growing distant.

Purgatorio let his large head fall, swinging his large face about to briefly snort into the Dwarf's scraggily face, ever since their first meeting, the great six-legged horse seemed to find his bristly beard incredibly appetizing despite all persuasion to not.

[Elector Count of WAAAGH!]

"They're like them elgi, fast, but can be easily shredded to pieces by a crossbow or handgun." The dwarf snorted as he walked, not paying much attention to the horse. "Trust me when I say this lass, be thankful that the worst you fight are centaurs."

[AevumEternity]

" I never said the worst, only the most fearsome- when educated at the least," she answers vaguely, pausing a moment before idly drawing her shield about from her back, offering it down to the dwarf,"... The worst I have fought, was the Leviathan myself. I will always bare the marks of that fight and it will be the only to reoccur to my thoughts in my final moments- I'm sure of it." Hakon offers a small smile.

If the shield was taken and inspected, the trained eye would see many times over it had been twisted and hammered back into shape. Though there seemed a stain upon the green and black metal- like the hardest of dried splatterings of blood, it had turned black.

" I was alone and scouting out perimeter near a beach where we settled for the night-" she began quietly,"- it decided I seemed to be the easiest meal and took me from the shores. Beached itself just enough to hide in the fog before lashing out- grasping my leg. I am lucky I had not been wearing my armor else it would have drowned me with ease. Nonetheless, I think I did die that night, my men found me on the shore all but shattered with the creature beside me." She pauses for a moment, smiling dryly," I remember nothing of the battle, but occasional the Leviathan's ghost enjoys poking me with vague flashbacks and memories."

[Elector Count of WAAAGH!]

The dwarf took the shield and examined it as he listened to the major's story, but by the end of it he was frowning.

Not necessarily at the women's story, he was just more concerned with the shield. As much as dwarves loved to see blood from a nasty creature coat their weapons, their less fond of it when it sticks for so long. Even a ranger such as Josef knew that part of maintaining equipment was to keep your weapons polished, never mind the quality the shield was in!

"And you let the brakk's blood stick for how long?" the dwarf grunted.

[AevumEternity]

" Trust me- I would never let it stay dirty if I could but even soaking the steel in chemicals for hours on end couldn't make it any less clingy- if you have a remedy, I would be most grateful." She murmurs, her voice becoming low and gentle.

Hakon still had much to learn of this race of small people, and she couldn't help but feel the Duke approving her for such a mission of bringing them closer together was a mistake. Nonetheless, she was quite interested in what he could do- as the little man seemed to have quite the arsenal of ingenius weaponry at his disposal.

As the trio plodded on, Purgatorio began to nibble upon the dwarf's tufted head, as if trying to get a little taste- just a tiny one!

[Elector Count of WAAAGH!]

The dwarf gave a smack at the mount, before jumping back. "Watch it" he said angrily. "You eat anything below my head, your be feeling the full force of dwarfish vengeance!"

It took him a few secounds to calm down, but then he examined the shield again. "Hm, I'm no smith, but even the youngest of dwarves know how to maintain their equipment. THough in your case, a piece of metal." he said looking up. "No matter how many times I see you umgri's work, I am always so amazed on how poor your workmanship is. Be lucky I'm not a runesmith or I would have very colorful words for you."

THe dwarf was in thought for another moment, before saying to the Major. "If you can find me a place of work, I wouldn't just be able to get the blood off, I think I can turn this piece of scrap into actual protection." he thought for another moment, before mumbling to himself. "Though I may need some iron ingots..."

[AevumEternity]

Purgatorio's head shot back with the small smack to his nose, making a protesting whinny before shaking his massive head, tossing his head away in an 'ugh, FINE' sort of gesture. His long grey tail snapping once as if dismissing the threats idly.

Chuckling dryly, Hakon looked away, gazing across the valley,"... I do enjoy how my race, particularly those without magic, always seems to have the most faults," her voice wrought with false humor before looking down at the little man with a slightly arched eyebrow, her thin lips curling downward in a slightly wry half-smile.

" If you need iron ingot, I'm almost positive we will run into a mining settlement up here-" motioning around the crowning peaks, pausing for a moment as her eyes fix upon the trees for a moment- her visage slowly relaxing as her attention seems to be absorbed by this single spot.

[Elector Count of WAAAGH!]

"Course you are umgri!" exclaimed the dwarf, taking it quite seriously. "Especially when you use magic! Oh, the amount of explosions I hear coming from that college every time I'm at the capital! Or even better, those umgri at that so called gunnery school, I've heard the stories from my kin! What makes you manlings think it's a great idea to strap bombs to a pigon! Your kind just love to do all sorts of zaki stunts! I swear! It's as if yo-"

The dwarf stopped mid-exclmation when he noticed where the Major was looking. Griping his crossbow, he said "What's the matter?"

[AevumEternity]

" At least we all don't sport identical beards and know when it is time to shut up." She grunts under her breath, merely motioning for him to look. At the edge of the forest- a giant white boar lay on its side, unmoving- the beast mearly as tall on its side as the woman on her Theocog.

This disturbed her greatly, Hakon kicking the massive horse into a trot toward the fallen beast. Upon nearing it, she could hear the great lungs scratching for air- its wide eyes teared up with odd pus and fluids as it looked toward her.

" Ansgar's wrath..." she mutters the oath, drawing her sword as she looks about warily.

[Elector Count of WAAAGH!]

The dwarf began jogging, but he was still a while back, making progress slowly but steadily.

[AevumEternity]

Having dismounted, the Major had already murmured a prayer to move the monster's soul on peacefully before forcing the curved blade through its jugular- flies buzzing idly over the fresh carcass. She turned to look toward the dwarf, a serious look furrowing her brow," Tell me, Josef, what kind of creatures would live about here to make such a monster fall?"

She motions idly with her armored hand- the beast's flank had all but been torn open- but none of it devoured- almost as if it had been hunted for sport

[Elector Count of WAAAGH!]

The dwarf came running up, his breathing slightly heavier.

"Well, what do we have here?" he said as he came up to the fallen beast. "A large brakk ain't he?"

The dwarf took a moment to circle the boar, as he did he said "I think you asking yourself the wrong questions, umgri."

Josef stopped near the flank and examined the damage. "The question isn't "what", it is "who""

The dwarf paused at the wounds and bent a little. Still holding the major's shield, he proded the monster's wounds. "Hm, these do have the marks of an inferior weapon, umgri weapon, probably."

The dwarf stood up again and looked at the major. "Though I think you'd need somthing heavy to cut this hide.  Who ever did this either was really karaz, or just had a big axe or sword."

[AevumEternity]

Frowningg slightly, Hakon ran her armored hand through the harsh bristles with a somewhat mournful sigh," We are still in Connlaoth, I can't imagine anyone who would dare dishonor our sigils' animal so but an individual who wish to insult the Duke," standing slowly, massive armor rumbling quietly, the Major straightens.

" A human, I doubt could swing such a weapon but with the nonsense this world constantly spews, I would be unsurprised- any ideas?"

[Elector Count of WAAAGH!]

THe dwarf snorted. "You are underestimating what your kind is capable of doing."

The dwarf knew many humans who had great strength that could rival those of his kind. Of course, no normal dwarf would admit it, but he was not a normal dwarf. He had fought by the sides of many humans, as crazy as they were, it would be lying to say that they're weren't some merit in their kind of craziness.

"Well since it is holy to you, someone would have known about it's apparently holiness. Why it's so is beyond me, but whoever did this might have had a motive. Maybe this is a message from an enemy?" The dwarf said with a shrug. "Or maybe a trap?" He said the last part way too casually, though he was a dwarf, and ambushes didn't really frighten him.