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@CounterfeitFish This is also an open thread so feel free to jump in for some fun!
The savage squeals were an equally raw force as was the charge of the massive, dire boar that tore through the brush. It was the only warning before the beast attacked- but this time the place was more prepared. Coin spoke volumes and Gemla, the half orc and sword for hire, wasn't one to turn down a chance to leave her little town to do something a little more purposeful with her life. Truth be told, she was growing antsy in the small town she resided, and some even said she 'out grew' the lifestyle. Her mother always said she was wayward, like her father, with an adventurer's spirit- always itching for the next big thing.
But Gemla didn't think much of it when asked- a dire pig, of all things, wasn't exactly something that sounded remarkably terrifying. But it seemed to be causing quite a lot of havok at one particular little road stop spot called
The Open Road.Not much else resided along the way, a few houses tucked back into the woods and a farm way off by the hills,- so it was a choice location for those traveling down the way. The road was frequented- perhaps not incredibly busy, but it was a popular throughway when passing through the southern heart of the kingdom of Adela.
But she knew she had come to the right place when she had only just stepped out of the thick wood and the beastly roar of a boar shook the very ground. It was a bit unnerving, if she were to be honest. Boars were something she had hunted many a times, but one of incredible size... this would be a first. And judging by the call of the animal, it sounded
big.There was a watch tower, which upon hearing the cry of the wild beast, the man (who had been sleeping at his post) shot up suddenly and was clanging a large bell wildly while calling down to the few people on the streets.
"The beast is nigh!"
Gemla had hoped to be well rested before dealing with the local pest, but she supposed it was better to deal with a problem sooner rather than later. But her legs ached from the long walk and she was rolling her shoulders as she pulled out her sword and wooden shield, then cracked her neck. She then rapped her sword to her shield and called up to the look out.
"Which way does it come!?"
"Eh? The beast comes
here! Through the field and-"
She didn't get a chance to hear all the rest of what he said, because turns out the beast was charging fast, it's enormous form plowing through the fields and nearly exploded out onto the road at a ferocious speed. And the beast was
dire alright, it was nearly twice Gemla's size! Her jaw fell open at the sight of the thing, not having been wholly prepared for a building sized pig to be charging down the street.
"Oh by the Gods..." if her green skin could pale, it certainly was, as Gemla had to leap out of the way or the beast would have trampled her flat! She tumbled to a crouch and swore, eyeing the beast as it bucked at a nearby wagon that was recently abandoned. And it sent the damn thing clean into the sky.
"This is not happening.."
She thought she'd have some easy pocket change to deal with a dire pig that was maybe the size of a horse at best. This thing was nearly like an elephant! But then she heard a woman's scream and grit her teeth. Great, someone was in danger. Well, it the time to act was now, and she shook off her stunnedness and drew up her blade again and charged towards the backside of the beast while it went on it's tantrum to smashing the wagon to bits. She let out a war cry and savagely raked her blade across it's flank, not slowing down once in her run, and spilling open a huge, hot wound that leaked fresh, raw blood, much of which coated her blade as she turned through her halt and prepared herself for another run with her blade. She had the element of surprise, and had to use the pig's confusion to her advantage as it had at least been distracted before her first strike struck true- but as Gemla began her second charge, the beast spotted her and began to charge as well.
"Oh shit."
The half-orc dove out of the way just in time to avoid being trampled to death by the boar's hooves. She was so close to it now she could truly feel it's girth as it's hooves pounded the earth as it raced on by, it's body foul smelling as any other pig's might be, but perhaps amplified due to it's sheer mass, and Gemla had to turn away for a moment to throw off her upset from the smell.
The beast was surprisingly fast. It had missed her and knew it, and was trampling about in a rage before turning around and starting up a charge, and began to race towards the half-orc again.
Shit. What had she gotten herself into? What was one woman to do against one giant beast? She had to think fast, or she'd because a splattered corpse, not unlike the wagon that was in pieces.
..The wagon. She eyed the pile of rubble and turned, grunted with some effort as she hefted up the wheel, and drew it back like a discus before launching the thing good and hard at the beast's head. Hey- she would have used her bow and arrow if she thought it would do anything, but the wheel was a great deal heavier, and it struck true on the beast's face and it let out a squeal of pain. The beast was shaking it's head and pawing at it's eye. Good- it seemed she may have injured it's eye. That injury would favor her side of the battle for sure.
Well, if the wheel worked, might as well use the other one. She used one booted foot to kick the debris off the other wheel, and hefted it up. It still had some of the axel stuck to it, but she wasn't going to waste time cleaning the damn thing up to make it a better discus. All she had to do was throw the damn thing and...
this time when it launched, the pig bucked it's head, knocking the wheel high up into the air and at such an angle that...
Gemla's eyes went wide. The damn wheel was just sent launching into the nearby thatch rooved inn! It smashed to pieces against the front entry sign and knocked it from it's hinges, sending both clattering and smashing into wooden pieces upon the ground. It seemed The Open Road was now a Broken Road.. or sign, for that matter. Gemla grit her teeth. So much for brute strength tactics to use the broken wagon wheels as a weapon. Looks like she was back to sword and shield. So while the damn thing was still shaking off the second wheeled attack, she gave an angered charge, screaming as she lifted her sword and charged it's way.
But then, the dire boar recovered much more quickly than she'd have liked, and it turned on her with those beady eyes and gave a roar, tusks pointed low as it too, began a squealing charge. Gemla had too much momentum to outright stop her own charge, and she wasn't expecting the pig to be so swift. The damn thing was HUGE. How could it possibly move so fast!?
And before she knew it, the pig's head smashed clean into her, and threw her upwards- and much like the second wheel that crashed into the building-
So did Gemla. Except instead of shattering into a million pieces of wood, the much heftier woman smashed clean
through the thatch of the roof and disappeared to the chaos within.
