Private Tales Accosted in Falwood!

[MrTophat]

The river babbled as small azure fish swam gently about the clear waters that ran through this patch of densely grown forest, a forest that was covered with heavy moss on almost every surface and blanketed in an almost reverent amount of quiet. Roots of trees dipped into waters that sparkled from the piercing sunlight which trickled through the heavy canopy, and a solitary kingfisher could be seen perched upon a branch high above the water. It looked down at the fish with expert eye and poise, and as it did, another pair of eyes watched the bird as it went about it's business. The eyes blinked a few times and some spectacles were gingerly placed higher upon the nose to observe what was to come.

“Now there's something you don't see all the time, no sir,” Bubkiss whispered to himself without thought or fear that he might scare off the bird in question. He peered from the distance through his glasses and held his breath in his throat as the bird ruffled it's feathers. Beautiful plumage, such elegant movements, thought Bubkiss. He watched on as the kingfisher made it's move. It hovered about itself for a moment before becoming very still...and then it revealed the reason for it's name. An elegant dive with expert timing and grace into the water, it rose back up with a speed that Bubkiss struggled to keep up with, and now clasped within the kingfisher's thin beak as it stood back upon the branch was one of the azure fish, freshly caught.

Bubkiss smiled and gave a loud hum of satisfaction almost as if he had just accomplished catching the fish himself. In a way he had caught something. Bubkiss had never managed to see a kingfisher hunt before. But now his eyes had fed upon the scene and his brain did work industriously. It was something to reference as his imagination took hold. Already Bubkiss was thinking of how to incorporate what he had just seen into a diorama. Bubkiss smiled to himself at the thought of creating an illusion with kingfishers all diving to earn their own dazzling meal, but soon stopped himself from such pleasures.

“Now come now Bubkiss, this is all well and good but this isn't why we stopped. We have to work out where on earth we are. I've been wandering around for hours and I don't recognise any of this place,” Bubkiss said woefully to himself. He took off his purple tophat and scratched his head as he was often want to do when he was befuddled. He wrinkled up his nose and said, “Right.”

What proceeded was a grand discarding of the numerous satchels and bags that Bubkiss had about his person. He littered them in a small semi-circle about himself and then got upon his hands and knees to rummage through them.

“I must have picked up something from Master Murk to help me out in this. A ruby of true sight, no, that won't help, um, now this, this, I...can't remember what that does right now,” Bubkiss wittered to himself, his only reply was more water from the river near him making pleasant sounds as the gnome worked. His hands were busy sorting through the trinkets and items of power he had picked up from his master so many months ago when he had first had to make his own way in the world. Bubkiss tucked away some of the items he had tossed out and began on another bag.

This continued for a few minutes before the gnome was found himself. Three human figures had made their way to the gnome with a silence that was granted to them by both their skill in being surreptitious and enchanted boots that made them as silent as vampires as they stalked the land. Three figures clad in black sharing the same sinister purpose in the overwhelming quiet of the forest. They surrounded the illusionist as if they were creatures of the night and lurked for heavy moments before the leader made his presence known with a deceptively soft voice.

“We've finally found you little one,” a deep voice sounded from behind Bubkiss. A strange metal sound was made as Bubkiss looked up, his eyes wide as his knees propelled him backwards.

“You startled me!” Bubkiss began and looked up at the three. His eyes went to the swords and daggers that were about their belts, and then up at the one who had just spoken's face. It was concealed with a neckerchief which was in keeping with the black attire. They all had the same. The leader had piercing blue eyes and a scar about his nose and auburn hair. The three looked down at him and Bubkiss could tell his was smiling somehow from underneath the neckerchief. Bubkiss gripped his cane tightly to his person and his brown eyes darted from one to the other.

“We want you to come with us if you would be so kind little one,” the leader said and gave a look to the man on his right. At once the fellow, a blonde haired man with a scar about his forehead leaned down and tried to snap something on Bubkiss' hands. Bubkiss recoiled just in time and narrowly avoided being imprisoned in shackles.

“Now wait just a minute! Hold on what's the big idea! Stop this! What have I ever done to you?” Bubkiss declared and backed up with a scarper that didn't get him very far.

The three stepped forward over the possessions that were strewn about. One looked to the other and said, “Boss wanted him in one piece, right?”

The kingfisher flew away as a dagger was drawn viciously and a gag was produced.

Bubkiss' eyes widened and he at once summoned a spark of magical power from his cane to provide him energy for his desperate plea. A shout that would traverse both air and the arcane winds, a shout that would go some distance and ring in the ears of anyone around. The orb glowed faintly as his spell did fly out from him and powered his voicebox to deliver a booming shout out from him.

“Help help I'm being kidnapped! Please, anyone, help me!”

The shout resounded from the gnome and the three reach for their ears to block out the intensity and volume of the desperate plea for assistance that was ejected from someone so small. The illusionist was still trying to back up and get upon his feet to try and escape the three but was soon halted by the leader regaining his senses in a vicious surge of motion who grabbed the gnome tightly by the shoulder. The second thrust once more with the shackles upon the gnome's legs.

Snap.

The leader shoved Bubkiss down to the ground with a cruel shove. With the shackles now binding him, Bubkiss tripped over himself and fell face first. His cane went flying off a few feet in front of him, the orb at the top of it losing what luster it had summoned to make the shout.

“Help me!” Bubkiss shouted again, but this time, his voice was robbed of the magical power he had so recently commanded. And then, a gag upon his face was wrapped around as Bubkiss struggled against the three.

“The boss wants your skills at his disposal. We tried to get you on board but you weren't having any part of it. Now you're going to do this the hard way. Your fault buddy,” the leader said.

Another set of shackles was within the hand of one of the kidnappers, and Bubkiss searched desperately within his waistcoat for something, anything, that would help him in this moment of desperation.

Bubkiss prayed that someone had heard him, that his magic had delivered his message, that someone would care about the fate of one gnome in this overwhelming forest.

Omesandoral

 

[Omesandoral]

(OOC: apologies for the delayed reply I've had a lot of IRL stuff to deal with and insufficient executive functioning skills to do it quickly, but alas here it is)

A Kingfisher flew low over the river, gliding through the air with a silent grace before perching itself upon the branch of a tree which reached over the gently flowing waters below. Regarding the flowing waters with silent intensity, it was not aware of the figure above it, hidden among the treetops, similarly regarding it.

Humanoid in shape, the figure was clad in a long green cloak, the colour of which shimmered and moved like the leaves upon the trees so as to make them discernible only to the most astute of observers. After a moment of studying the kingfisher, seemingly enthralled by its majesty, it turned to face the water.

Moving slowly and deliberately, Omesandoral drew back the hood of his cloak, the shadow it cast parting to reveal his elvish features. Producing a finely hewn bow from within his cloak and an arrow from its quiver, he carefully readied his shot. A shoal of azure fish swam lazily below, apparently unaware of the danger from above. Selecting one of the shoal as his quarry, Omesandoral gently pulled back the string of his bow, the sounds of the forest falling away as he did so. On the branch below, the Kingfisher hovered gently as it too prepared to strike. A second passed, where to Omesandoral it seemed all began to run in half speed.

Then the strike.

Both the Kingfisher and the arrow whistled down toward the water, piercing the water with a splash less impact. The fish attempted to scatter, however for one it proved futile as the agile avain plucked it from the river and back into its domain among the trees. The arrow, on the other hand, having been deflected by its impact in the water, went wide and buried itself in the mud on the river bed.

“Damn!” Omesandoral exclaimed, frustration contorting his young features. Belonging to an ancient order of elite warriors, known as the Rangers, who were entrusted long ago with the security of the forest, Omesandoral bore the weight of this heavy legacy upon his shoulders. His earliest memories were of his parents telling him the stories of the heroes of old; single rangers who had seen off hordes of invaders using nothing more than cunning and superior tactical skills; Rangers who slay wayward demonic creatures who would deign to reduce Falwood to ashes. No doubt these stories were embellished by his parents to better enrapture the young elfs attention, and yet despite this, his fascination with the Rangers only grew as he got older and the stories became more real.

As soon as Omesandoral had reached the age of attainment, he had signed up to the order and for the next fifty years he was intensely trained to prepare him for his life as a Ranger. Now he stood, on the brink of gaining what he had sought for as long as he could remember.

‘I just need to get this damn shot’ he thought to himself while reading another shot.

Quieting his thoughts and focusing on only the river below, Omesandoral sought out his next target and pulled back his bow. After a brief pause, where he lined up the shot but before he could strike, a piercingly loud voice rained down upon him, sending his shot wide and making him momentarily lose his balance. Righting himself against one of the branches, he stopped to listen to the voice. Emanating from seemingly nowhere, he could tell by the texture the voice was magically amplified, and he could further tell by its volume, that whoever it was, was close.

"Help help, I'm being kidnapped! Please anyone help me!"

Hesitating for a moment to be sure of the direction the voice had came, and pulling up his hood, he made his way to its source. Running through the treetops with grace and speed, now any astute observer would perceive only a strong gust of wind seemingly disappearing as soon it had passed by.

Once he had made it to his destination, Omesandoral looked down to see the three cloaked figures looming over a shackled figure.

In that moment the righteous teachings of the Rangers filled Omesandorals head, with his youthful naivety foregoing any plan of attack. Readying his bow he dropped down from the trees and landed with an almost silent thud and bought his arrows to bear upon the interlopers.

"Release him at once!" He barked.

MrTophat

 

[MrTophat]

All three of the bandits had their back to Omesandoral as he made his declaration. Heavy black cloaks guarded their backs from the cold, but they would not do much against an arrow for certain. They each froze in place, one with a pair of shackles dangerously close to Bubkiss' arms. Bubkiss kicked with both imprisoned feet so that he slid a fraction away, his movements kicking up small clouds of moss as he did so.

“Or what,” the leader said, and looked with his eyes to his right, to a bandit who already had his eyes closed and a whisper of magic upon his lips.

“You'll shoot?” the bandit leader said, and with that, the spell upon the lips of one of the bandits triggered. Shimmering blue light eminated from each of the bandits as a shielding spell wrapped itself around each one in turn, and with sinister timing, they turned to regard Omesandoral.

Bubkiss looked at each party in turn and adopted an expression of determination as he put his shackled hands to work. With the gag upon his face, he could not work a great deal of his magics. Yet, there was something new on display, something the gnome was able to command.

The gnome looked upon the shimmering blue of the shield spells that wrapped themselves around the bandits, and as they turned to face the newcomer, he willed his own arcane influence over the spell with but a thought.

The bandit's shields flashed about their faces, blinding them as Bubkiss did enhance the brightness of the spell wrapped around them. A basic and fundamental illusionary art was dimming, shading, and in this case, brightening the spell's affect, and Bubkiss willed it so to blind his kidnappers.

Despite Bubkiss' mouth still being gagged, he let out a muffled, “Hah!”, his remark still discernable through cloth.

“What the-”
“Damn that gnome!”
“Move!”

All three spoke at once, and reactively went to their weapons in their blindness, their gloved hands reaching the hilt as they each realised that they might be shot with deadly precision by this elven Samaritan. Yet, they knew that the shield, while more intense in light, would offer some protection against the incoming arrow. The spell would only provide one single guarding moment against the incoming archery, and then break under the impact. And against a sword, it would do little, for the spell was designed to protect against missiles, not weapons designed to cut and thrust. Would Omesandoral know the nature of the spell and react accordingly in these moments of confusion that Bubkiss had afforded his saviour?