private The Fall of Andalasia ~Book 1~

[Scribblegroove 565]

Flinch

 

Flinch watched as everyone seemed to express their dedication to let themselves be buried alive by a random stranger. He couldn't exactly argue with them. Why would they try to run anyway? It's not like their chances of survival were different one way or another. They were broken, bruised and beaten. Perhaps he could heal one or two of them and get out in time, but that would leave all others to die here.

 

@@RunsWithSquirlz, 

"Fine then, you go bury yourselves. If you die it wont be my fault that's for sure. I can heal many wounds but ignorance is a disease I have yet to find a cure for... That and the Toaden-throat infection. 'T makes you burp like a frog! Or a toad? I can't seem to remember..."

 

As he contemplated this very important theorem, he noticed the dragon that was surely being hurt by the predicament he was currently in. The poor thing couldn't do a thing.

 

@@Torrent505, 

"Are you certain that holding the dragon like that is totally nescesary. Of what I had seen of him earlier he was mostly tame, and I can't stand to see a creature in pain like that..."

 

@, 

He listened as Adrass exclaimed his final concerns and then suddendly turned around and ran off. Quickly the doctor recovered and began to run in the same direction. "Indeed, please don't stab us in the back and twist the blade. That would be quite unpleasureable to me and my companion over here!" He shouted behind him as he ran after the witch hunter.

 

Not even mentioning the poor souls beneath the ground... oh well, at leas they wont stay in the ground forever. Souls ascend to heaven right? Hmm, interesting.

 

He had almost trailed off into his own thoughts again when he realised that Adrass had built up quite some speed and seemed to persist that velocity. Flinch didn't have a bad physique, but he wasn't a trained soldier. How was he supposed to keep up to that deathmarch!?

 

Then he remembered it. The vials of Faelnirv in his bag. That would set his veins on fire and make him run like never before! He was running out of supplies quickly now. He barely had any alchemical potions left, even though he had prepared quite a lot before he set off for travel.

 

"Oh, Which Hunter! Please, hold on for a moment!" He said inbetween gasps. "I might have something that could help us both." He managed to wince out as he stumbled over the forest ground desperately trying to keep up with the hunter.

Edited July 16, 2014 by Scribblegroove

[RunsWithSquirlz 274]

Crows burst from the trees in a flurry of black feathers not far from the buried party. The Iron Maiden and a smaller, more trained sect of her personal army trudged forward; slaves in tow behind them. She felt the slightest tinge of magick nearby; soon enough she marched into the muddy clearing.

 

Two of her men raised their swords to Grave, another turning their bow unto Finn.

 

After quietly scanning the area she turned towards the old man "What are you doing here?". Her voice came through muffled but strong with a hint of violence.

 

"Where did you get that dragon?" She raised a gauntlet to Finn.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Adrass.

 

@@Scribblegroove,

 

Slowing to a jog, then to a brisk walk, Adrass turned his head in the direction of the voice addressing him. The doctor - as if hiding wasn't going to be hard enough without a Witch at his back!

 

Hiding from a Witch, with a Witch... what had his life come to? Not for the first time either... he was a terrible hunter. Without a doubt, this was the lowest point in his life - there was no redemption from such an act of traitorous cowardice!

 

"You're not dead." The hunter nodded slightly, at the woefully lucky surgeon, unable to think of anything else sufficiently neutral to comment on in acknowledgement. "You know, if she senses your taint and follows us, I'm holding you personally responsible."

 

Truthfully, the doctor was proving to be more of an asset than the rest - he had stood and fought rather than flee the battle like the others, and was following the hunter now...

 

Adrass grunted - masking a sigh as he slowed a little more, deciding to at least hear the Witch out, allowing his senses to flare back into life as his focus on denying the world around him faded. His eyes focused again and settled on the figure beside him.

 

"What is it?"

[Torrent505 370]

Serafinno growled, raising and lowering his scales as he strained against the ever increasing amount of dirt holding him. This metal woman was the one that he had seen kill the jester. If he was going to die for being a wild dragon that hurt people then so be it as long as he could kill this woman. But the dirt stopped him from moving and covered his mouth again.

 

The old man grinned at her and fiddled with his glasses taking them off to clean them before putting back on. "I'm a hunter, quite skilled if I am to sound my own horn. I was out here after my quarry." He tapped the coffin, "He's a Fire Mage who likes fire a bit too much, became an arsonist. Capital is offering a nice little bounty for him, so he was trying to flee the country. Would have made it too if I hadn't been tracking him."

 

He shifted his spindly legs, crossing them as he leaned forward toward the mercenary group, "As for the dragon, I'm sorry but he's my catch now. I saw him knock your people over the cliff or whatever pitiful act of hunting that was up there and I offer my condolences for their death, but clearly you didn't have the skill to catch him. Hunting wild dragons is dangerous work especially killers like him." He gestured at Finn and the dirt tightened making the dragon whimper, "He was searching the river probably to kill anyone the fall didn't, must've thought I was one of your group and attacked me. So he's rightfully me catch now." He stood looking around at the group with a confidence and fearlessness that warned he would accept nothing less. None of the mercenaries could ever have know that the crayfish holes along the riverside were fake to allow the princess's party air and to hear the conversation above.

[Scribblegroove 565]

Flinch

 

@

 

Flinch sighed thankfully as Adrass slowed his pace. He caught up with him and recovered his breath a little. He took a moment to think about what he should say not to make this paranoid Witch hunter distrust him even more.

 

"Now first things first, I am not a mage. I know you don't like the buggers, but there's a distinct difference between those who conjure magic and those who use it. I'm an alchemist.." He took a moment to recover his breath yet again and threw his cap off his head to get some more air. He knew Adrass has a tough stomache, so he knew he wouldn't mind seeing his misformed face. He didn't look as him as he was focussing on the ground trying not to trip over anything.

 

"That means, no inner reserve of magic. She won't sense me." He said quickly, before getting to the point. "Now secondly, I have this alchemical brew in my bag. It's my last one, I've got nothing else up my sleeve now. It is a special kind of brandy that has been infused with a few of the most powerful herbs and alchemical agents, along with a touch of my own fire enchantment. It's quite an ingenious concoction to be honest. I came up with it a few-" 

 

Stopping himself from trailing off and taking the time to recover his breathing yet again, he continued. "If we drink it, we'll run faster. Simple as that. However, our bodies will burn our inner fuel far faster, so we'll have to eat soon after using it..."

 

He didn't make any attempts to slow down. He wasn't exactly certain Adrass would agree to drinking his experimental potion, so forcing him to stand still for nothing would be a little stupid in this situation. He tried to keep his breath under control so he could keep running for as long as possible.

[RunsWithSquirlz 274]

She gazed across at the moonlight bouncing off the surface of the water. There were. No bodies to be seen. "Search further down the river." she commanded. A handful of soldiers broke off from the rest, starting their search down the bank.

 

Metal. She could feel it. The Iron Maiden raised her hand across the water and mud before her, tugging random things out of the water. In one hand she held the chains to Zaddions tome; in the other she held Whispers amulet. With a clawed thumb she popped the latch of the delicate necklace to peer inside.

 

A portrait of the King and Queen of Andalasia smiled back at her from one side, the other being a childish drawing of Serrafinno. The Maiden threw the chains down into the mud; coiling the necklace into her palm.

 

"I don't hunt dragons. Fools and children hunt dragons but that one is mine. It killed my men and my target; it needs punishment."

 

Dresden had felt the tug of the shards embedded within him. Luckily, he had been wedged securely under Tulla. Whisper prayed silently for their safety, especially for Finn.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Adrass.

 

@@Scribblegroove,

 

Glaring for a moment as he same to a stop, Adrass raised a hand to push away any poison that the witchdoctor might try to force on him, before pausing. Even if it didn't destroy his body, who was to say that it wasn't about to sear his mind and burn away his soul? What benefit was there that could possibly outweigh the cost of such a risk - it was absurd.

 

'The Witch.'

 

Of course.

 

He had gone against almost everything he knew, but that wasn't going to change who he was - and it didn't help him seek vengeance on the butcher that had carved her way through a small army to hound him and his charge. The bitch in the plate armour, who had shrugged off impalement as if it were nothing...

 

Hand still hovering between him and the doctor, Adrass closed his eyes for a second before reaching out and open ending his hand - palm upwards to take whatever might be offered. If all he had now was killing that monstrosity, he wasn't going to turn away help - not in liquid form at any rate. So long as he lived long enough to remove its head, he would be content.

 

Besides, he had accepted death earlier in the night and somehow cheated it - the void would claim him when it wanted.

 

"Names Adrass." He said reluctantly. "I don't care why or how you use it, magic is evil - a disease of nature itself that needs to be cleansed. That said... I've more important things to do than persecute a healer."

 

Shaking his head, he felt his left hand resting over the single silver knife that hung by his side.

 

"I'm going to kill that monster... if you're not going to get in my way then we'll get along just fine. Give me the stuff."

[Flying Ace 142]

Dresden bit his lip until it started bleeding a little, he could feel the shards pulling against him and he had to do everything he could from making a sound his fingers dug into the mud further as the iron maiden mentioned Finn killing her men. 'You deserved it,' Dresden thought closing his eyes as the shards continued to move.

[Torrent505 370]

Serafinno's body temperature was steadily rising, the mud and clay the old man was holding him with was starting to bake, and the drool from straining against it was coming out as steam or boiling drops. His vision was becoming hazy again but was completely focused on the metal woman. She was talking about the people he had killed but he no longer cared, she was evil and her people were evil; he finally got over his guilt and decided it was right that he had killed them and if that made him an evil dragon so be it, but he wouldn't accept punishment from an evil person, that wasn't justice!

 

Grave took of his top hat and scratched his head, "so you weren't hunting this dragon to begin with? It killed the target you were after?..." He gave them a cruel smile, "That sounds like it's your fault and you're looking for someone to blame. Good hunters don't screw up like that. You want to punish it than you better have gold and silver to pay; I know businesses that will pay dearly for a alive dragon his size. Some nobles consider Dragon's meat a delicacy and their organs a rarity. That's not even mentioning his breeding, he looks to be fire and air, lightweight and fire proof armor, his scales are each worth more than their weight in gold."

 

He strutted over to stare Serafinno in the face, the dragon's eyes needed to refocus on the old man and were still full of rage, it was like standing in front of a blacksmiths furnace. "You say he should be yours but I could care less for your petty vengeance, I am a man of business miss. He was my catch." He turned back to her and held out an open bony hand, "But depending on what you're willing to pay, I'm certain I can indulge you're revenge... Otherwise you'll just have to accept that his punishment will come in the capital at their payments." Grave's grin was cold and devoid of sympathy for the dragon.

[RunsWithSquirlz 274]

Something struck The Maiden as she placed her hand on a sword "There was a bastard beast as well. A chimera. Even with your old eyesight, it's something quite hard to miss."

 

The Maiden stepped closer to Grave and Serrafinno, looking down at the bounty hunter she withdrew her sword. The fine tip barely brushed against the thin aged skin on his throat "Why don't I just kill you and then take the dragon?"

 

Whisper didnt believe in her. Finn would have never attacked humans. Never. Tulla laid her hand on Dresdens chest, keeping him firmly against the wall. She had had some hunch that the shards would come back to bite at him.

 

If The Maiden went after Tugg, Tulla would forsake her safety for the life of her pet.

[Torrent505 370]

Grave reached up slowly and gently put two fingers on the flat part of the sword to softly push it away from his neck. His voice betrayed nothing, "Missy I am Eighty-three years old, I don't die easy..." He stared into the goddess helms dark empty eyes. "You think with your armor and surrounding goons that I don't know who you are? I am NOT BLIND OR DAFT. I know how strong you are missy and what you could do to me, if the dragon had been your quarry and you pressed the issue maybe I would have relented or charged less. BUT he's not. You said he killed your target which means YOU'RE here for a body and if you so much as TOUCH me again my dying act will be to roll and rile all the muck and silt all along this river so hard you'll NEVER find a body." His sneer was wicked gash of smile only fitting of a man who'd cheated death enough time to mock it. "You can't afford that can you?"

Edited July 18, 2014 by Torrent505

[RunsWithSquirlz 274]

Old people. She detested old people. The Maiden alid the swors back into its sheath, trying her best not to just lob his head off.

 

"I have no use for dragon armor but I do have a use for you. Tell no one of our meeting and my presence. Mention not a word about the party that went over the falls. Do so, and I will grant you a bounty ten times as much as your hostage brings."

 

The necklace she would use as evidence if the body couldn't be found, she kept it in her pouch.

[Torrent505 370]

"Well if your hiring me I'll of course aim to please my lady, my name is Bernard Jory, though most people call me Grave." He took his top hat off to give her a bow then stuck out his other bony hand for them to shake on the deal. His voice took on a quiet tone but not so much to be suspicious just lowered, barely loud enough for those below to hear if they were straining their hardest, "Shake on it and you have my services, I won't speak a word. But I could do more, even assist your hunting party; my powers may find objects hidden in the Earth... How great would my reward be if I find the body of the one or ones you're looking for?"

[RunsWithSquirlz 274]

She grasped his hand firmly "Welcome. In my service you will be rewarded with what you desire.Protect me and gold shall tumble from your ragged pockets."

 

The Iron Maiden then leaned in "Find me the body of the princess...well...the possibilities are endless." Her tone eas deep, promising and not a tilt of a lie was portrayed. But it was ominious; casting a dark light on her words.

Edited July 19, 2014 by RunsWithSquirlz

[Scribblegroove 565]

Flinch

 

@

 

The doctor thankfully came to a stop the moment he realised Adrass was actually considering his offer. He bent over and put his hands on his knees to make sure he stabilised his breath. He saw the hunter doubt himself for a moment, or moreso doubt him and his offer, but eventually Adrass seemed to give in. Once he had recovered from trying to keep up with a trained warrior, he reached into his bag and took out a small metal bottle .

 

He ignored the hunter's statement on magic. It wasn't like he could convince him anyway. He held up the bottle and raised his eyebrows. "Lets get to it quickly then. This stuff is dangerous in large doses, so make sure you only take a swig every half hour or so. If you take more than that, your body is going to wear off quicker. You can take more if you want, but you'll have to face the consequences."

 

He raised the hand that held the end of the bottle to his mouth. "Now to prove that this stuff isn't poisoned." He said jovially, and he then held the bag above his mouth and poured in a mouthful of the wine-red liquid, making sure his mouth didn't touch the lid. He didn't let any of the precious liquid touch the ground and gracefully placed the botthe in the hunters hand. Then he swallowed.

 

The effect was immediate. He could feel adrenaline rushing through his veins. It was as if his lungs had three times the capacity they normally had. His muscles heated up, goosebumps started to form on his sking to optimalise the loss of warmth that his body was producing. The longer he waited the more powerful the feeling got. The concoction started to work on his digestive and neural system. He couldn't feel his muscles ache anymore. All he felt was the primal urge to move. To fight. To live.

 

"Right then, Adrass, lead the way!" He told the hunter, his voice a lot more powerful now. "You might want to let me have a look at those wounds of yours once we have created a considerable distance between the witch and us. They don't look like they will heal very quickly..." He would've said that they looked like they were stiched together by an amateur, which they were, but he didn't think Adrass would appreciate the critisism.

Edited July 20, 2014 by Scribblegroove

[Torrent505 370]

Grave licked his old papery lips and nodded his head, "I am not a poor man my lady, I want for very little but not even a fool refuses such an offer. However I'm not one to serve a single master for long, but I'll happily work on a per hunt basis."

 

He raised one hand floating his coffin into the air from the dirt inside it, the coffin had a pair of leather straps on it's bottom and he put his arms through them to wear the coffin like a backpack, the top of it was even taller than his top hat. Instead of weighing the old man down it seemed he used it power to lift him and make him even more spry on his feet. He walked over to the strange two wheeled frame. "I had no real reason to mention it before but I felt two creatures crawl from the mud and muck further down river, they're heading toward town. I can track them along the dirt but once they reach the lumbar yard and stone roads I will be much less useful. You have my services until we reach town, so I suggest we hurry to catch them."

 

He straddled the pedal-less bike before turning and looking at Finn, "The dragon will just slow us down." He gestured both his hands downwards and Serafinno sunk whimper into the ground until only his snout was showing, "I'll be back for it later. You coming or not?" With that Grave used his magick on the coffin to push him forward as well as moving the earth beneath his tires; he accelerated away at an astonishing rate.

 

Once he felt the Iron Maiden and her party had left to follow, he let some dirt fall to open the hole the party had hidden it as well as to reveal a message in the mud. 'I do not break my deals, they were not in the deal. Run and may we not meet again.'

[Shadow Dancer 111]

I took the opportunity to climb out of the hole and breath in the fresh air. I read the message and looked to see that the Iron maiden  was following Grave. "Well the coast is clear for us at least, the two that did not join us are not so lucky if I am reading the message he left us correctly."

[RunsWithSquirlz 274]

The princess scrambled from the hole, with a small gasp she ran to Finn. She clawed the arth away from him, sullying her nails and palms until she could pull him out "Are you alright Finn? Im so sorry... but we have to run now."

 

Tulla climbed out, heaving Helena with her "At least he led her in the opposite direction. If we follow this road, eell come to a small village at least. Or somewhere safe to rest. I dont have Tugg, so Helena I wont be able to carry you far."

 

"We have to hurry!" Whisper said tensely.

[Sekel 693]

@@RunsWithSquirlz

Helena coughed slightly as she was lead out of the hole by Tulla. "It's fine. *cough* Let's just head to the village. The Princess is right, there's a village nearby and they could have some shelter. We should just follow the road as quickly as we can." Helena told the group, echoing what the Princess said, somewhat.

[Shadow Dancer 111]

I nodded in agreement, "Well lets get going once the distraction is discovered the Iron Maiden will be on our respective asses again, and we will not be able to rest unless completely necessary" I say just stating what most are probably thinking in their heads, aloud. 

[Flying Ace 142]

Dresden got out of the hole with a grunt; his shoulders never felt this much in pain they felt like they were going to fall right off. "I can't believe that plan worked, the Iron Maidens not that bright is she?" Dresden laughed in relief, "Now we need to find Adrass and the doctor...if they haven't been caught."

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

@@RunsWithSquirlz, @@Dji, 

 

After climbing out of the whole, Robert spoke up. "I can carry Helena instead, if that makes things easier. I'm no stranger to walking long distances, nor to carrying a heavy load." He glanced at the thief and quickly added. "Not that you look that heavy or anything."

[Sekel 693]

@@Alex Kennedy, @@RunsWithSquirlz

Helena raised an eyebrow at the comment but let it slode for now. "I'm no stranger to walking long distances or carrying heavy loads either but I can't do anything because of that near-suicidal attempt we all did. If you can actually carry another human, then go for it. I don't really care." Helena told him, shrugging her shoulders. "Hey, Tulla? You'll be fine if the bard can actually carry me right?"

[RunsWithSquirlz 274]

"That'd be perfect. I dont think im in any condition to carry you, im starting to think I have a cracked rib or two" she said while stretching and groaning. Her side hurt in a burning sort of way, perhaps she was still in shock.

 

Whisper grabbed Finn and held him tightly, the last thing she wanted him to do was fly off again; especially with The Maiden near.

 

"The doctor and Adrass know what they're doing. Im sure they'll be fine. Now please lets hurry." She took off in a gfast gait down the dirt road.

[Sanctified Absence 126]

Zaddion was the last to collect himself from the dirt hole, fumbling against the sides and almost falling onto the dirt after finally leaving the gap behind. "I'm not in the best position to help anyone either. If the bard is the only one who can carry you then the choice should be obvious. We need to move as efficiently and quickly as possible."

 

Wiping a little mud from his hands and regaining his senses the Mage spotted his precious chains left in the mud. Dashing over and collecting the binding metal in the same pouch as its intended charge he struggled to his feet and made his way along their chosen path.