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Skulking in the Fjords [OPEN]

Started by ScoutDoggo, August 15, 2017, 11:06:47 PM

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ScoutDoggo

Raggenrökk was a myth. An old wives' tale, to scare young Hyoite children into behaving, lest the firebeast burn you alive like it did the old wizard that used to live in the tundra, hundreds of years ago. There was nothing really there to melt tracks in the snow..

So what was making those tracks? They were too big, too refined to be anything from an animal, and wearing a set of metal armor capable of making those tracks was a death sentence in this cold weather.

It was Raggenrökk, although nobody would ever dare say it. It was a wordless sentence that floated around the homes of nearby villages every time children would run back, terrified of the three-pronged indents in the ice. But it existed. Raggenrökk existed and that was a terrible curse everybody had to realize they lived with.

Raggenrökk stalked through the icy valleys, its steps moving with expert dexterity and precision.. At least, it had to be made by an expert from the way each step was uniform; left, right, left, right.. Not to mention the trashed wooden sleds, pieces of it ripped off, ash replacing it a few steps later. There was only one thing that could burn something so quickly in such cold weather.

The old wives' tale of the anvil golem, Raggenrökk.

Lucy_Vicotoria

His ears went back as he smelt something unnatural as the icy gale whipped through his silver fur. It was the first scent he'd caught for days. Not the scent he'd been searching for and definitely not the scent of an edible mammal. The dire wolf's breath smoked in the frigid air.

On a whim he decided to follow it, whatever it was. He ran for hours, occasionally stopping to gauge his direction. He could go for days without food or rest in his canine form. His mind would begin to transform along with his appearance. He became less conscious of his human thoughts and emotions and more focussed on the task at hand.

He lost track of time as he followed the scent, he paused as he could make out a strange and terrible clanking sound. He sensed something dangerous was afoot so now approached with caution.

He came across the ashes and remnants of what once appeared to be a sled. Pieces of it strewn about cluttering the tundra. He sniffed at it curiously.

Again he heard the clanking . Closer this time. He noticed the strange indents in the snow. He titled his head in confusion.

He continued on despite the feeling he was in danger. Over the next hill he spotted it. A humongous  mechanical thing, like nothing he had ever seen before. Tikaani looked on in horror as he remembered the stories of Raggenrokk.


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ScoutDoggo

It wasn't used to seeing any life in the frozen wastes. Any life that dared tread out here was snuffed out in a matter of days.

But it eventually heard the sound of footsteps other than its own. Soft footsteps pressing down on the cracking snow. It was far away, distant, but the desolation of the world was usually so quiet you could hear a pin drop. It turned around, looking at the figure in the distant. It was blurry, as most far away things were, but it wasn't human, it knew that.

Raggenrökk gripped its hand. It was seeing things. It was a pile of snow, maybe. A rock? It probably couldn't be seen by anyone, but it was shaking in its own armor. As far as it knew, only Raggenrökk could survive in these wastes for this long.

If something else could..

Lucy_Vicotoria

He thought of howling to call the pack but even if any of them were in range, his howl would surely alert the thing. He remembered his father threaten his sisters once after their squabbling, that he would leave them out in the snow for the wandering Raggenrökk to burn them to a cinder.

He needed a closer look. Surely he could not believe the stories of a golem that still marched the snowy wastes long after it had destroyed its creator.

His large paws were surprisingly quiet on the snow as he approached. It almost looked human in shape, but did not move or smell at all like a human. He sensed something magical or otherworldly.

He stopped just over 20ft from the thing, his four legs poised and ready to dart off in the other direction. His blue eyes glowed as he watched it's every move.

He let out a small low bark. He wanted the thing to turn round so he could have a good look at it.


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ScoutDoggo

The bark caused the golem to freeze up, its armor tightening up like muscles siezing in fear. So something was here. It turned around, small licks of flame creeping out of the gaps in the armor, giving it a much more intimidating frame than the frightened construct intended.

Now that it was close enough, the wolf could hear its.. breathing? Its breathing was akin to air being blown into a hot furnace, heavy fwoosh -es and wind pushing through the vents scattered across its body.

Eventually, the whooshing sound formed into crude, rudimentary words.

"...Dog..." It spoke, in a rough, wheezy tone. "..Doggy...."

Lucy_Vicotoria

Tikaani whined submissively in reply as the flaming construct, which seemed so terrifying and inhuman seemed to be speaking to him in common tongue.

"Did that thing just call me doggy?"

It was strange. He was expecting it to attack and had been ready to dart away. He had been called many things but not doggy.

He made a few steps closer cautiously. There was a distinct smell of burning and he could almost feel the heat coming from the thing.

He looked at it again. It's strange anvil head and great metal body. He titled his head to the side. It looked almost human. Tikaani sensed the thing was nervous of him. He whined again and sat on the snow. Showing the thing he was not going to attack.


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ScoutDoggo

The anvil-head hesitated, pulling back slightly when it moved. As far as it knew, wolves in this part of the tundra were few and far between, so a wolf coming all the way out here.. Did it attract the wolf here?

It began whispering words in some ancient language. If it weren't dead silent otherwise, it probably wouldn't have been heard. Whatever it was saying was self-assuring, as the flame spitting out of its valves slowly died down, and its breathing became smoother, and less gravelly.

The golem fell onto its backside, and held out a hand, beckoning the wolf. It made snapping, crackling noises behind its head. It leaned back on its other hand, melting the snow underneath it.

Raggenrökk had no reason to be afraid of this dog, it was probably just a normal mutt that travelled too far out into the wastes. It'd lead it back to its pack, after a good round of petting.

Lucy_Vicotoria

Tikaani crept closer. The heat from the golem felt good he could not deny it, but looking at the melted snow behind it caused him concern.

"It couldn't hurt to go closer to get a little warm..." he thought

He now sat right near its feet but still keep his glowing eyes on it. It seemed to be speaking to itself in a language Tikaani did not understand.

He felt sheltered sat infront of the golem and the heat from it was comforting. He wanted to ask it what it was but being in wolf form made it difficult. He could not survive this far out in the tundra in human form and would not entertain the idea of transforming in front of the thing in any case.

He let out a low friendly howl as he sat at the things feet and sniffed at them inquisitively. The 200 pound dire wolf felt dwarfed by the thing.

"What are you..." he thought.


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ScoutDoggo

It wouldn't be noticed by the other, but the golem felt better when the other approached it. "Doggy.." It groaned, reaching out a hand to hover just above the wolf's head. It knows that putting its hand on the wolf directly would scald it, so this is as close as it can get.

Its heat emanated from its metal, functioning like an industrial heater, and spouts of flame would occasionally flick out from the gaps in its armor, possibly singing the wolf's fur.

"Good Doggy.." It seems to have taken a liking to the wolf. It'd probably hug him if it were possible.

Lucy_Vicotoria

The wolf sighed audibly. He sat for a while enjoying the warmth. This was appealing to his human side. He was resilient to the cold due to his thick silver fur but he still felt it it's chill. He curled up next to the thing quite comfortably. In his thoughts though he knew the hour was getting later and this was the only thing he'd found on this tracking expedition.

After a short rest he knew it was time to leave. The days were dragging on. It had been weeks since he'd even caught the vague  scent of either of his sisters.

He yawned and stretched wearily. He wagged his tail at the golem in thanks before he began to trot off. He seemed to remember there was a cave nearby.


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