::As if in answer to the young man's question, the strange creature bared its long, needle-like teeth as a long wet tongue licked across its lips hungrily as it stared at the two of you.
It pulls itself out of the hole in the ground to stand about 3 to 4 feet tall despite its naturally hunched form. Its skin seemed to be thick and rough, especially along its head, back and forearms where boney growths gave the appearance of armor.
With little hesitation, it runs straight at where you stand together, claws splayed wide on either hand.
Under your feet, the rolling tremors continue occasionally. Were this the modern world it would feel much like standing on the street as a subway car passed below...::
Silent as a shadow on padded feet...
Ferin [M:10:50:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?board=cs&action=display&thread=855]The shadows conceal many secrets.[0:Out Cold][1:Present]
A creature of unknown origin had invaded what he wholly considered to be 'his' glade. Unfortunately, it also seemed to be obscenely hungry and carnivorous.
A third joy added to the first thought.
His temporary companion seemed to be afflicted with a slight limp. So she could probably be used as bait if nothing else. She didn't seem to be at all imposing and capable of fighting, so that was perhaps all that she would be able to do... Run, trip, and get eaten. At least that would give Ferin a window of opportunity, so he thought. Or, maybe she could actually be useful. Mages were commonplace, and most were rather sickly looking in his experience. The stave could be more than just support for that limp.
"Don't get eaten. Might actually want to bother you again after we get out of this."
Aegil [M:53:440:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?board=cs&action=display&thread=853]Everything Casts A Shadow...[0:In a rare occurance I am unavailable][1:As usual I am available]
Aegil rolled her eyes. "I am more then capable. Do not be so quick to judge on appearance." She suddenly straightened, all traces of frailty dispersing as she backed. She turned and ducked low behind a tree for a moments protection. Hidden from view she drew her magic close, drawing on her essance in preperation. The shadows at her feet trembled eagerly and began to shift towards her open palm, slowly guiding it up her staff and towards the tip before sweeping out in a curve to drag out the shadows into a scyth blade.
Revenge is a knife you point to your own heart It's a poisoned dish you wind up eating yourself...
Ferin [M:10:50:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?board=cs&action=display&thread=855]The shadows conceal many secrets.[0:Out Cold][1:Present]
With her initiation, he did the same. He was agile enough to move away from the troll's ravenous approach, but chose not to enter cover. He had been right in his assumption that Aegil wasn't entirely useless, so that eliminated the Plan B of using her as a meat shield. So, plan A it was... Lead this thing around until he could discover it's weakness. He back pedaled mostly, assuring that the troll wouldn't be able to cut him off by diagonal movement or sudden lunges by keeping a moderate distance away.
The only option that he could think of was to go for it's one obvious weak spot... And that was it's eyes. But attacking it while it was in motion would be foolhardy.
If the troll had chosen instead to attack Aegil, Ferin would have mused these tactics while at a standstill.
::With Aegil dodging behind a tree and leaving Ferin to muse about his situation, the thing had only one target to go after...
The young assassin...
As it got close to the greyhaired adventurer, it lept to the air and curled in upon itself until it was a rolling armored ball as it hits Ferin square in the chest, knocking him flat on his back with much force.
The thing had bounced off the leather chestplate when it struck and was currently uncurling itself near the prone man and creeping closer as drool ran from the corners of its mouth in anticipation.::
Silent as a shadow on padded feet...
Ferin [M:10:50:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?board=cs&action=display&thread=855]The shadows conceal many secrets.[0:Out Cold][1:Present]
Ferin hadn't been conscious... he had slipped up and allowed his focus to shift to the future instead of remaining on the present. And now, that would possibly cost him dearly. Afterall, who would have assumed that something could quite literally be a living boulder? Ferin mobilized at the last second, trying to leap to the side in an unfortunately too slow manner... His casual stance would not allow for his usual flashy action, and thus pain was imminent. He grit his teeth as the troll's stone form slammed into his armor, suppressing a cry as he heard the telltale sound of a cracked rib... in tandem.
Two cracked ribs, and it could have been worse had he not worn his armor as he had initially intended.
His tactic immediately changed... His daggers each boasted a blade length of ten inches, easily longer than the trolls menacing fangs. A risky idea, but without risk, the profit may be diminished... Besides, if he were to die, it wasn't likely he would be missed. That was what the incident had given him.
Anonymity to the point of near complete non-existence.
Ferin's right hand, presumably unseen by the troll, closed about the hilt of one of his daggers. His goal was indeed a fool's errand, but this thing only had one other weakness. And this one was, at the present time, more easily accessible. It was his hope that the creature would open it's mouth before it tore him apart.
Aegil [M:53:440:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?board=cs&action=display&thread=853]Everything Casts A Shadow...[0:In a rare occurance I am unavailable][1:As usual I am available]
Aegil swore under her breath. Her moment of preperation had been costly. She crept towards the beaat from behind, using this distraction to her advantage. She crouched low and made a sweeping motion, adding the scyth blade of shadows to the pool at her feet. When in doubt go for the underbelly, as she liked to say.
She pushed the shadows into the trolls own and raised her hand, doing her best to form a simple spike to rise from underneath.
The effort made her tremble and sink to her knees as dizzyness and nausia washed over her, but she forced herself to remain as focused as possible on her surroundings.
Revenge is a knife you point to your own heart It's a poisoned dish you wind up eating yourself...
::The thing creeps ever so close, and as it leans its head over Ferin it opens its mouth to let its tongue loll out as if it could taste the tender flesh already.
Ferin's hand wraps about the hilt of his dagger as he begins to bring it up for what he hopes to be the killing blow. But the chance never comes as a font of red ichor erupts from the things mouth and all over the prone assassin. The thing dies in great pain and agony, the screams almost earsplitting but thankfully brief as the shadowy spikes rip up through the soft flesh beneath the thing. Lifting it off its feet as they fail to puncture the harder top shell.::
Aegil [M:53:440:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?board=cs&action=display&thread=853]Everything Casts A Shadow...[0:In a rare occurance I am unavailable][1:As usual I am available]
Aegil quickly released the spikes, her hands slapping into the soft earth trembling in effort to support herself. A wracking cough litters the ground before her in soft specks. Spots dance before her eyes and she presses her forehead to the cool earth in an effort to clear the harsh warmth rising to her brow. Her head pounds heavy to the same rythm as her racing heart.
Gasping like a fish from water she waits until her vision steadies before risking a glance at the bloodied assassin, wordlessly inquiring over his condition by replacing her voice with a nod and several jerky guestures in his general direction. The magical effort had left her quite winded considering she had been training quite fiercly not to long ago.
Revenge is a knife you point to your own heart It's a poisoned dish you wind up eating yourself...
Ferin [M:10:50:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?board=cs&action=display&thread=855]The shadows conceal many secrets.[0:Out Cold][1:Present]
Very suddenly, he was assailed not by the sting of fangs in his outstretched arm. Rather, the wet moisture of crimson liquid and internal organs spewing out from the creature's impaled body. As it fell, his arm remained outstretched with his dagger in hand... Clearly, he was in no immediate danger.
Save for the fact he was now a sitting duck.
In response to Aegil's gesture, he merely spoke a simple summary. "Two ribs. Cracked, or broken. Not sure." His voice held the note of a rasp, validating his claims as to what and where the injurys lay.
Aegil [M:53:440:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?board=cs&action=display&thread=853]Everything Casts A Shadow...[0:In a rare occurance I am unavailable][1:As usual I am available]
Aegil chuckled softly, a sound she did not normally emit. "Be thankful for.. the pain..." she wheezed as she sat back on her haunches. "It reminds.. you that.. your alive..." For a brief moment she almost smiled, but it quickly dissolved. "Ive never seen anything... like it... Were lucky..." She did her best to stand, leaning on her staff for support. "Looking a tad... squished there... need a hand?" A small smirk crossed her lips. To think moments ago she had been fearing this man.
Revenge is a knife you point to your own heart It's a poisoned dish you wind up eating yourself...
Ferin [M:10:50:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?board=cs&action=display&thread=855]The shadows conceal many secrets.[0:Out Cold][1:Present]
Grimaced as he returned his blade to it's appropriate place on his right hip sheathe. "Luck... Had nothing to do with it. I would've killed it if not for... Whatever that was." His faith in his claim was assured in the fact his voice actually held the timbre of emotional response. Not the blad emptiness that he almost always portrayed.
He let out a sharp hiss as he attempted to get himself up, glowering toward Aegil with clear apathy."I suppose I wouldn't argue a little help... Better to get out of here before more of those things show up to ruin our days."
Not too far away, Zhara slept peacefully on a branch of a tree. The voices of the duo nearby caused her to stir a little. Being quite a heavy sleeper, the girl didn't find the noise too disturbing. However, when the ground started to shake, Zhara was slowly and irratably woken from her slumber.
The sound of the fighting slowly broke through the drowsiness. Struggling to wake herself up, Zhara stumbled through the forest following the noise. As she neared the site of the fighting, the earsplitting scream of the troll drove whatever sleepy spell from Zhara eyes and brain.
Zhara started to run towards the noise, but before she could get anywhere far she tripped on something and fell. She found herself staring at someone's boot. She looked up and put on her biggest and friendliest grin half fearing who or what she might find.
"Hi!"
Love a lot; hate a little; laugh a lot more.
Aegil [M:53:440:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?board=cs&action=display&thread=853]Everything Casts A Shadow...[0:In a rare occurance I am unavailable][1:As usual I am available]
Aegil rolled her eyes faintly. "Welcome to Wistvale. You find more crazies here then anywhere else in the land." Her thoughts drifted back as she stood, remembering all too clearly the man from the L.E.G. and the elves... a shuddered tensed across her form. "Far too many indeed." She took a step closer and chuckled at the image of this man rather buried beneath the hunk of beast and heavily drenched in unmentionable disgust. Even Aegil with her distaste for bathing found the whole scene unsettling.
Just as her palms graces the hardened shell , a noise caused her to jump back and tense for a fight, but the clumsy approach of a fellow human allowed her a slight breath of relief. Aegils expression faded to its usual cold demeanor as she watch the woman fall at Ferins feet (seeing as Aegil did not wear boots.). Hardly a threat but always worth the caution, Aegil was perfectly comfortable remaining silent and unnoticed like a fellow shadow amongst the glade.
Revenge is a knife you point to your own heart It's a poisoned dish you wind up eating yourself...
Ferin [M:10:50:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?board=cs&action=display&thread=855]The shadows conceal many secrets.[0:Out Cold][1:Present]
Upon the sudden appearance of Zhara, he reacted rather poorly. The shock that jolted through his body due to the transferrance of motion from his lower body, to his chest, to his current 'friend'... Well, it wasn't too pleasant on his cracked, or even broken ribs. It was such a sharp awakening infact that he displayed something completely uncharacteristic...
"Damnit! Where in the Hell are all these 'visitors' coming from?! Did I get drunk and send out a damn invitation?"