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As The Snow Settles (Open / PM to join!)

Started by Kalak8538, September 20, 2017, 10:35:21 PM

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Kalak8538

There was only one word that could describe the scenery. Dismal...

A mixture of white cloud and black smoke filled the sky, denying the land below the little warmth the sun provided. The once fresh snow on the tundra had been kicked up and dirtied by mud and ash.

The charred remains of a small settlement lay in the middle of the tundra. The blackened and withered skeletons of its buildings stood in the frozen earth. Although the fires themselves had long since died, the cold breeze that extinguished them still carried its red hot embers. They floated over the blood soaked dirt roads of the hamlet. They were now only occupied by corpses of fallen militiamen.

Only hours ago, the residents of this hamlet had refused to give tribute the the area's newest power : the Tanurak.

Two hundred and fifty of these fur-clad wild men rode to respond on the backs of their great war elk. Armed with bow, spear, and antler, they rushed through the settlement and slaughtered all who took up arms against them. Now that the "battle" had ended, the raiders moved about the settlement unrestricted. They were collecting what resources they could. All of it was being gathered together in the central square of the wrecked community, where it would be distributed and carried back to the main tribe.

Among these resources were live prisoners, those who either refused or were unable to fight back against the Tanurak horde. The barbarians, in turn, were merciful. They rewarded these survivors by allowing them to live. They were bound by rope, sitting amongst the piles of food and other supplies, waiting to be taken away with them. In the square, a young blond man oversaw the progress his people made from the back of his war elk. By the way he carried himself, this was the commander of the raid.

Time went by as slightly less than two hundred and fifty savage warriors occupied the settlement. Some were dismounted just beyond the perimeter, allowing their beasts to graze while they kept watch for any unexpected visitors. Others scoured the wreckage for additional resources or people. Many still held their weapons, either bow or axe, wary of survivors who would not give in without a fight...

Terra

Terra walked through the blackened snow,taking in the horrifying scenery the raiders have caused. She could only watch as the survivors shivered as the men rode on elk around their village,or what remains of it. The bodies,the red stained snow,the ash in the sky showed it all. All of the violence,all of the pain,all of the sorrow these raiders have caused these innocent villagers. Terra looked over at one of the few men outside of the perimeter that aren't mounted on elk. She used her powers to make one of her infamous scorching weapons and sunk deep into the snow. Using her shape-shifting to blend in with the snow. She sneaked to the man and put her hand over his mouth,although to him and other spectators it would just look like a bunch of snow reaching up and covering the man's mouth,and stabbed him in the neck. Even if he can scream,let alone speak,it would come out as a raspy cough or gag. She stabbed the guy in the back and left the dagger there. She sneaked back into the snow and laid there,waiting for her next target,through the entire thing,her face was expressionless but her breath was quivering.

Kalak8538

As the snow itself seemed to rise up from the earth, the raider's beast fled from his grazing spot nearby. It bolted over the frozen earth, escaping the fate of its unfortunate master.

The spooked animal did not go unnoticed. Some other riders noticed the elk, and were somewhat alerted by its lack of a rider. Before taking any drastic measures however, they decided to investigate themselves. One raider rode with rope into the tundra after the frightened animal, while the other two drew their bows and rode for the source. It took some time, but they eventually found what they were looking for. The corpse of one of their own, laying slain in the snow. What had actually happened was still a mystery.

One raider dismounted and approached his fallen comrade. The other knocked an arrow and scanned his surroundings, ready to fire upon any dangerous man or beast that he did not recognize. The first raider inspected the body before him. He found the dagger that had been left behind and removed it. He spoke some words to his partner in their native tongue, and looked closer at the blood-soaked knife in his hands.

Terra

Terra looked at the clueless raiders. They really can't see her,even though a huge mound of snow should seem a bit more obvious. She looked behind her and found at least 1000 raiders maybe less. She had to sneak through the snow extremely carefully. A couple raiders looked  at her a couple times with a confused look on their face but she played it off. When she was finally starting to see the center of the village,her illusion started to fade. Well this was bad. She immediately crawled over behind the one of the remnants of the burned houses and prayed to the gods that she has not angered that no one finds her.

Kalak8538

Before too long, news of the killing had spread amongst the ranks of the Tanurak. Many of them believed the assailant had already fled, since the murder happened outside the settlement. Still, the barbarians patrolled on elkback, bows or riding spears at the ready in case they found something.

In the town square, the stolen goods and treasures were hastily deposited into so many saddlebags. The news from outside warranted caution from the leader's guard. They were vigilant now, watching all around for any sign of disturbance. Even more closely monitored were prisoners, who were liable to flee or resist if given the opportunity. They would be collected once the resources were packed away.

Despite the number of Tanurak that were actively searching for her, it was a less careful warrior that noticed the girl. He had not been on patrol and was on foot. He was simply searching for any loot that had not been discovered yet. Instead of reporting the sight of an loose individual, he drew an axe and slowly moved closer. This was not an aggressive approach, nor was it meant to be stealthy. Instead, he moved cautiously, speaking in his native tongue in an attempt to coax the woman out of hiding.

Closer and closer he came to her position, making himself known. As of this moment, his comrades had not seen this. However, it would not be long before a patrol came by and noticed this...

Terra

Terra hands began to tremble as the man came closer. Her breath quivered,not from the cold,but from the fear of being discovered. She looked at the man dead in the eyes,trying to figure out hid motive. He tried to coax her out of hiding,but she couldn't understand him at all. "English stupid,do you speak it?" Terra said,putting a hint of harshness in her voice. The man came at her slowly,trying to get her out of her hiding spot. She waited a little bit,before deciding to just end the guy. She crawled over to him slowly,trying to make it seem like she was giving up. When she was close to him,she brought the dagger she was holding up to his throat and covered his mouth with his hand. She brought the weapon closer to his throat and pressed it up against his neck,burning him a little bit. Now,should she spare him,or get it over with. Terra got an idea.

Terra adjusted the clothes on her. They were many sizes too big for her,but she just have to go with it. She scratched a message on a plank with her dagger and left it in the snow beside the body of another raider. She took the raider's axe and walked along with it,blending in with the other raiders,and closer to her goal of helping the hostages. 

Kalak8538

The raider grunted in pain as the hot metal burned his flesh. This woman had him, but seemed almost hesitant to take his life. Not at all as pensive as the girl was, he lifted his axe into the air behind her back. Before it could fall however, he had been ended. The cold metal dropped from the man's lifeless hand and clattered on the ground below, not to be wielded again until the girl picked it up.

As she made her way through the desolated hamlet, the men of the Tanurak did not seem to notice that a female was walking amongst their ranks. Then again, they were more worried about finding the "intruder". Another unconcealed corpse had only just been discovered, this time within the settlement's limits. Although the news had not yet spread to the center, the commander had already packed the supplies. With beasts tied together and saddlebags on their backs, the train of elk was ready to depart.

At the end of this column were the captives. They were lined up themselves, tied to one another as well as the elk ahead of them. Some tried to resist, but the beasts were powerful. They easily powered forward against the tugging of the weak humans. As the commander rode the lead animal, his guards left their posts around him to mount their own beasts. They got in defensive formation, and took the first few steps towards the exit.

Terra

Terra turned to see the Tanurak leaving the village. "Not yet," Terra mumbled. She can't let them leave yet. She got an idea. She dropped her gold on the ground and covers them with snow,exposing them a little bit before walking over to the leader. There was only one problem. The language. Terra stood in front of the man and said in her own language,demonic. She told him where the gold is and waited for his answer.

Kalak8538

The commander did not immediately know what to make of this sight. An unfamiliar woman that had not come come out with them, wearing the clothing of a Tanurak, and speaking in a harsh and disturbing language. As she came closer, the man drew the axe from his side and took some steps back. He raised a hand in he air and shouted a command in his native tongue.

All around the woman, the raiders knocked their bows. Dozens and dozens of arrowheads were aimed directly at her from both foot and elkback, trained on her movement. The archers paused, awaiting any sign to loose. The prisoners instinctually got as low as their ropes allowed, hoping not to be hit by any stay projectiles.

"Vhat iz zhis? You beink kind of vitch?! Who beink killd for zhat clozhink?" the commander called out in his heavily accented version of the common tongue. His empty hand was still raised high in the air. Should it fall, arrows would fly from every direction.

Terra

"I don't mean any harm." Terra slowly bends down on her knees. "I just wanted to tell you that you missed some gold back there. I got these clothes from a trader. He must have got them from your people." She chuckled slowly,trying to seem friendly. "I'm on your side sir. I can show you where to go for the gold. I just want to help." Terra focused her magic around herself,sort of as a fail safe just in case her convincing fails. "I only want to help you,not hurt you."

Kalak8538

After moments of tense silence, the raider leader simply laughed a mocking chortle.

"Help us? I zhink not..." he replied, seemingly unconvinced by the woman.

His raised hand waved from side to side, cancelling the volley before it could fly. Still, the raiders remained cautious of the intruder. Some moved their beasts around to more advantageous positions, effectively surrounding the target. Their commander took some confident steps forward, continuing the monologue.

"Traderz here beink too good for Tanurak clozhink. Zhey buyink gold... Zhey buyink silver..."

He paused, giving a slow nod to some of his warriors. Two of them responded, silently exchanging their bows for ropes as they sat on the backs of their animals.

"Zhey buyink slavez..."

With that, the two raiders rode forward with their looped ropes. They threw for the woman, aiming for the neck in an attempt to restrain her. Bows drew back again, once again anticipating an order to loose.

Terra

"You little bastards." The rope clung tightly to her neck,the other around her waist with her trying to move. "I only wanted to help you. Since being passive doesn't work,time to be aggressive." Terra closed her eyes for a little bit before opening them abruptly. A eyes seemed to shine a second as the ground around her exploded into flames. When the flames disappeared she was gone. All that was left was ash falling slowly to the ground. A small chuckle could be heard,before a raider fell over on the ground. "Time for your true nightmare."

Kalak8538

(Sorry for the long wait. Busy week...)

Arrows whistled through the air at the first sign of resistance. They burned away as they entered the fire, adding only to the ash on the ground. With that, the woman had disappeared into smoke.

The alarmed commander called out a word in his language, then repeated it as he ran for his mount. It was the Tanurak word for "Witch".

Those who were on foot hurriedly did the same, seeking the better mobility and imposing size of the beasts to heighten their chances of combating this threat. Those who were already mounted scanned around nervously, ready at a moment's notice to fire on a target once it presented itself. The telltale sound of a body hitting the floor was the only clue needed to know the enemy was still around.

Mounting the great elk, the commander barked orders to his subordinates. They were distressed, sounding more like a retreat order than a fight order. The ropes tied to the elk were rapidly cut as the chaos ensued. Now, the frantic and panicked captives were free from the barbaric raiders, restrained only by each other.

Elk galloped for the edge of the settlement on the orders of their masters. Nearly one hundred men were now in full rout, seeking exodus from the ruins to meet up with the rest waiting outside. Each one not hesitant to shoot at anything they saw as dangerous.

Terra

Terra giggled. One of the few exceptions when she shows emotions is when she is alone and when she is messing around with people. She didn't even go that far. She was literally behind some remains of a building. Now time for some real fun.

Terra walked slowly through the snow and help her hand up. She made a huge fireball and fired it at some raiders. She ran towards the leader. She made a spear and threw it at the great elk. She jumped into the air and behind the man. She grabbed his neck and held on to it with an iron grip. "Now do you see why you don't mess with me? Now do you see why you don't anger the demon?"
Terra threw him on the ground. She stepped on him. "You coward. Leaving at the first sign of trouble. Not even trying to fight. So what do you want to do. Run like a coward? Or are you going to live up to your reputation and fight me? I'll at least let you get a couple hits in before I completely obliterate you."

Kalak8538

The man under the demon's foot only chuckled at her words.

"No... Not Runnink. Re- groopink."

A sly grin spread on his face, his eyes flared with determination. The hand at his side moved slowly and subtly under his back, so that the one who held it would not see. His look and his words served further as a distraction.

"Tanurak... proud. Beink back, to kill vitch and vuns she protekts!"

As if on que, two galloping elk riders fired arrows at the woman in passing. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the commander drew the knife he had hidden behind him by its antler bone handle. He quickly swung it, to drive the sharpened metal into the leg that pinned him to the earth.

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