Private Tales End of the Line

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim's reaction wasn't quite as fast as the other two, in fact he was almost listless about the whole affair.

Being the furthest from the Harpy meant he had time, and time was ever the most important thing when it came to fighting. The sword in his hand turned once, then twice as he kicked up his leg and quickly slid from the saddle of his horse. The beast didn't flee thankfully, but Kasim knew it wouldn't go anywhere near their feathered foe.

It was best to approach this thing on foot. "Kill it quick!"

The Jester shouted, his footsteps beginning to carry him towards the Harpy. He didn't run, knowing that it would only draw the creatures attention. Instead he pulled one of the small stone discs he had used earlier from his pack, watching the sell-sword square off.

He needed an opportunity, a right moment where the Harpy wouldn't be able to cut the soldier to ribbons with her talons.

"It's sisters will come if it calls." Kasim had never seen a harpy, but he told stories of them often. They were vicious things, and tended to swarm.

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

The harpy gave another shriek, its wings beating while it slashed at Kjaran. He stumbled back, avoiding getting his face raked open. Its cries almost had a paralyzing effect, making his blood run cold with each screech. "I'm bloody trying!" he roared back at the jester, swearing as the harpy dodged another blow. It was preternaturally fast.

He went on the attack but the beast seemed to dodge nearly everything. He was rewarded with a glancing blow but it just seemed to enrage it even more. He was struck a blow to the arm, the mail saving him but the force of it nearly numbing the limb. It hit with more force than those slender arms seemed capable of.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

The harpy saw the massive elk charging towards her just before the impact. A shrill, horrific screech shrieked from the harpy's avian face, and she darted backwards to avoid the collision.

Erodin swung his enormous head in a sweeping arc, scoring a glancing blow on the harpy's wing with his antlers. As the elk barreled through the melee, his rider leapt from the saddle and swung her own blade towards the briefly stunned creature's back. There hadn't been enough time to grab her shield from the saddle, so Aviana was left on the ground with only her short sword.

Enraged, the harpy lashed out with her clawed feet, slashing her talons towards the half-elf's chest. Aviana was able to raise her arm to ward off most of the attack, but one of the creature's claws pierced through the leather bracer on her forearm, slicing into the soft flesh underneath.

Aviana gasped in pain, wrenching her arm free, before she threw the elbow on her sword arm into the harpy's face to give herself enough space to briefly disengage. She could feel the blood welling up from the gash on her arm, not having to look down to know that there were drops of crimson dripping from her hand.

The harpy was left in between the mercenary and Aviana -- injured herself, blood dripping down her back.

 

[Kasim Areth]

”CLOSE YOUR EYES! Kasim yelled loud enough so both of them would be able to hear the command.

Both of them had seen the reaction of the stone discs before, and he hoped they would at least guess what was coming next. The harpy of course didn't have the same luxury, at least he hoped not. From everything he knew of them they weren't overly intelligent creatures, though could puzzle out certain things if pressed hard enough.

Either way it didn't seem to matter much anymore.

Without waiting for either of his companions to respond Kasim pulled the stone discs back and then slung it forward. The rune etched upon it would burn for a second, and then explode in a bright flash of light, blinding whomever looked at it for at least a few seconds.

Long enough to kill the damned mutated bird.

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

Kjaran kept his own distance, desperate not to be trampled by the elk. The beast came barrelling in with the half-elf still atop, bashing its head at the harpy. She slashed at it but the beast attacked in turn, a cry coming from its victim.

The jester's yell made his head snap around but instinct made him obey the command. His eyes burnt even with his eyelids screwed shut. He opened them, blinking away tears. The harpy's shrieks were more desperate now, still aloft but blinded by the flash. Kjaran didn't question the magic, he just began hacking down at the stunned monster.

The first blow drew blood, the second smashed a wing. He hacked down once, twice, three times more, not stopping until it was a twitching mess on the road. Breathing heavily, he leaned on his sword, removing his helmet. "They are bloody hard to kill" he managed to pant.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana stood back as the mercenary dealt the killing blows to the harpy once she'd been blinded. It was a bloody mess in the middle of the road, the dark crimson staining the dusty ground.

Moments later, Erodin came cantering up, snorting and tossing his head as he came to a stuttering halt. He was breathing heavily, his sides heaving and nostrils flaring wide.

The half-elf approached the beast, pulling a cloth from the saddle to clean her sword with, before she sheathed the blade. Her forearm was aching, and she could feel her pulse throbbing against the confines of the bracer as the wound swelled. Once she'd put the sword away, she was able to untie the strings on the bracer to pull it free. The fabric of her tunic was ripped, revealing the jagged wound underneath. It was only a few inches long and roughly a quarter of an inch wide, running along the top of her forearm. Painful, to be sure, but not life threatening.

She turned and reached for another cloth to wrap around her arm to staunch the blood flow. "Are you alright?" She asked Kjaran, then looked to Kasim. "You okay?" She called over him, raising her voice slightly so that he could hear her.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim walked up to the other two while still holding his blade. His gaze fell on the twitching Harpy, watching as it wandered into the last of it's death throes. A frown touched his lips and he stabbed his blade into the ground.

Ignoring his two companions for a second he reached into his pack and grabbed a small vial from it. Without much ceremony he leaned down and gathered some of the creatures blood. He had no idea what Harpy Blood would do for Rune Magic, but they were magical beasts and generally speaking any magical beasts blood was useful in some way. He would figure it out given enough time, would just have to do some experimenting.

”We should get going.” Kasim said, standing up and pulling his sword from the ground.

The blade flipped within his grip and then slipped back into the sheath on his back. The Sell-sword seemed mostly alright, as did Aviana. He had done none of the fighting, but that was fine. Kasim didn't need glory, nor did he want it.

”She'll have sisters.” Kasim explained. ”They'll be looking. We can treat your wounds a few miles from here.”

If they made it.

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

Kjaran raised a hand in answer, taking a breath before he responded, "I'll be fine girl, don't worry" he assured her. His eyes widened to see the cut but it spoke volumes that she'd stopped to ask after her companions even while tending to her own wound. "Are you sure you are though?"

The jester spoke truth. Kjaran still groaned at the prospect of going back on horseback though. "Agreed" he grunted, moving to mount his horse. "The sooner we leave this accursed forest the better."

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Pulling herself up into the saddle was painful, but manageable. Once she was seated, she grabbed the reins and spun sound the elk around, digging her heels into his sides. There was no sense to be standing around waiting for a second ambush by more of those creatures. The elk tossed his head in response, bolting down the road at a break neck pace.

Aviana knew that the horses would struggle to keep up, but she wanted to put as much space between them and the harpies, if there were more of them.

She closed her eyes and tried to suppress the shudder that passed over her figure, the scent of blood still filling her nostrils and making her sick to her stomach. The memory of her escape from Sheketh was still too vivid, too painful. It wasn't just the harpies that she was trying to put behind her.

Since arriving on the mainland, she'd done her best to keep that impassive mask in place -- to keep those raw emotions of sorrow, terror, and a visceral hatred at bay; but despite her efforts, cracks were starting to show in that facade. She knew that she needed to rein herself in and regain control before she lost herself.

The elk carried his rider with ease at this pace, barely even aware of the weight of her. If she allowed it, the charger would continue until his legs gave out from underneath him. That thought allowed her to regain some control. The guard captain would have been most displeased if she ran his beloved mount into the ground.

"Shh. Ease up, Erodin." She murmured, squeezing her thighs tightly to slow the beast without having to pull on the reins. When she looked over her shoulder, she realized just how far behind she'd left Kasim and Kjaran.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Though he didn't particularly like the man's presence Kasim wasnt an entirely heartless being. Without prompt or letting the sell-sword argue the Jester helped him up and onto the horse. He knew at this point that leaving the man behind was little more than cruelty, plus if more of the harpies fell on them he and the girl would need all the help they could get. Kasim had the runes, but he was still far from a warrior or soldier. Against those things that was what they needed.

Watching Aviana stampede off Kasim wandered back to his own animal.

”Come on.” He urged the mercenary as Aviana's elk rushed far out ahead of them. A curse ran through his mind as he saw how far ahead she'd gotten. If any of the Harpies were nearby they would go for her. She was alone, isolated, and in their eyes very likely easy prey.

Without another word Kasim urged his horse into a gallop.

A single glance was tossed back towards the sell-sword, Kasim hoping he'd be able to keep up the rigorous pace.

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

Kjaran knew when to swallow his pride so he had no complaints about being helped by the other horseman. There was no time for words, only flight. Aviana had already spurred her steed forward, the large beast accelerating on with a frightening pace. It didn't matter that it was larger than either of the horses, it was ploughing on ahead.

He leaned forward while the horse spurred on, trying to catch Kasim's. He just prayed while he held on for dear life, every second he stayed on was a victory.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Both Kjaran and Kasim had mounted up and were racing to catch up to her.

That was as much as she saw before something slammed into her from the side, knocking her off of the elk who had still been running at a decent clip. An ear piercing shriek howled over her as she toppled to the ground, loud enough to momentarily deafen the half-elf.

The second impact, colliding with the ground on her back, was enough to drive the breath from her lungs. She scrambled backwards in the dirt, narrowly avoiding the creature's vicious talons as it swiped at her unarmored belly. Aviana watched as the creature opened its mouth once more to screech in frustration, but she couldn't hear the horrendous shriek this time.

She realized that the fabric of her shirt was torn at the shoulder from the harpy dragging her off the saddle, another injury that she couldn't feel just yet from the adrenaline that was now coursing through her veins. The second realization that dawned on her was that she was unarmed, and had no way to defend herself from the monster -- her sword was strapped into the saddle on Erodin, who was only just now starting to spin about. How long could she hold out without a proper weapon or a shield?

The harpy hovered over her, lashing out with its wicked talons from above. The powerful wings beating down to both keep the harpy airborne, while also keeping Aviana pinned down. Her ears were ringing now, but she couldn't see the men or Erodin past the harpy's wings and claws.

 

[Kasim Areth]

”Ah fuck.” It was really all that Kasim could think to say when the Harpy pulled out of the woods and headed straight for Aviana.

He'd known this would happen, known that their luck wouldn't hold. One Harpy attack was bad enough, but two? Not to mention that if the other sisters heard they would likely have a third or even a fourth of the damned things on their hand. The flock of the beasts would be able to tear them apart, particularly given the fact that he had no armor to wear. Not even a leather cuirass. Cursing to himself yet again he pushed his Mount forward.

The horse trampled across the road, but didn't even take a second step before Aviana found herself thrown to the ground.

Kasim let out another string of curses, seeing his companion dismounted, unarmed, and completely out of any sort of luck. His eyes closed for a second and he took in a deep breath. ”Desperate times, desperate measures.”

The words came as the dagger on the small of his back flicked into his hand, the blade quickly slashing up his arm. Half a heartbeat later his index drew over the wound, carrying crimson red onto the flesh of his horse. In eight quick lines Kasim drew a rune, the symbol burning a bright green as it burst into life. Half a second later the steed below Kasim bellowed, rushing forward at nearly twice the speed it had before.

Kasim himself drew the blade from his back, pulling himself out of his Stirrups and onto the saddle.

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

The dice roll came up in Kjaran and Kasim's favour. The harpy went for the rider furthest ahead, barrelling into Aviana with a force comparable to Erodin. Kjaran and Kasim were too far back to do more than just watch in horror.

The jester recovered first. Kjaran didn't know what happened. One moment his horse was slowly catching up on him, the next the other steed was steaming ahead at an impossible pace. Even at the gallop Kjaran found his horse falling further and further behind. He just clung on grimly, hoping he'd arrive before it got too late.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

One of the harpy's blows found purchase, and the talons raked across the curve of Aviana's jaw, just barely missing her vulnerable throat. This time, the pain did register as her head was snapped to the side from the force of the hit. She cried out sharply, covering her head and neck with her arms to shield herself from another strike.

When the harpy came in for another volley, wings buffeting the half stunned woman, Aviana lashed out with her legs -- the only part of her that offered any protection was her heavy riding boots. The creature's claws scratched and skittered over the thick surface, but couldn't pierce through the hide and fur on her lower legs and feet. It kept the creature from being able to attack her vitals, but her thighs were still only protected by the flimsy trousers that she wore. Those the harpy's sharp talons easily ripped through, sinking into the soft flesh underneath.

"Kasim!" She screamed, desperately kicking with her legs to drive the harpy back once more. Her own voice sounded muffled and distant, barely able to hear it over the ringing in her ears.

The harpy shrieked in frustration as Aviana kept it from delivering a killing blow. A massive clawed foot grabbed its prey by the ankle, and started to drag the woman towards the treeline.

No amount of kicking or thrashing on Aviana's part could shake the hold the creature had on her. "No, no. KASIM!"

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim Areth was no hero. He never had been nor had he ever really wanted to be. His brother had dreamed of it, becoming a soldier, a general, sitting at the head of an army and bringing freedom to all human settlements in Arethil. He had wanted songs to be sung about him, and he had wanted to be good and called hero by those around him.

It just wasnt the same for Kasim.

He'd wanted no part of a quiet life, true, but he most definitely didn't want to be a hero. Sacrificing yourself for others was stupid and idiotic. Only a fool ran head long into danger when they could run to safety instead. The young Jester had told that very same philosophy to dozens of Knights over the years. Most of them had argued, called him a coward, but his retort had always been to call them fools.

Yet here he was, doing something very foolish.

Standing upright in his saddle Kasim and his horse went barreling forward.

The sword in his hand spun once, twice, and then settled in his fingers. He tried to remember everything House Varik's master of the horse had taught him, tried to remember the forms and how to properly go about things, but the truth was that at this point he was already well out if the book. So as his horse drew closer and closer Kasim flexed, and then he jumped.

There was no fluidity or grace to how the Jester moved, in fact it was all he could do to keep himself from flailing. Yet his plan, stupid as it was, succeeded.

The harpy turned to face the charging horse, talons still hanging on to Aviana. Yet as the beast swiveled it was already too late. Its face contorted into a mixture of confusion, hatred, and then fear as Kasim's blade stabbed through its chest and all three figures went tumbling to the ground.

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

Kjaran could hear the shrieks from further back. Up ahead was a confused tangle of limbs, panicked steeds, and shouts. He spurred on his horse, swearing. Kasim had charged into the melee, crashing into the harpy, sending all three of them tumbling to the ground.

The cries grew louder, Kjaran struggling to bring his mount to a halt. He half fell, half jumped off the horse, struggling to draw his sword from the scabbard. The tangle of figures with the harpy shrieking and raking with claws, the two adventurers rolling and brawling with it, he was afraid to risk it with his blade. He'd double the chance of hitting one of them.

"Move!" he shouted, arms tense, waiting for his chance to strike. He hopped back a step as the harpy's claws lashed out.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

There had been a heart faltering moment when Aviana remembered her conversation with Kasim before they'd come across the bandits attacking Kjaran, and how the jester hadn't wanted to get involved. Would he leave her to her fate?

Before she could process what was happening, the harpy twisted about and she caught a glimpse of Kasim sailing through the air with a sword held over his head. His horse barreled past the fray. The blade sank deep into the harpy's chest as Kasim slammed into it, and all three toppled to the ground.

Aviana didn't move after the second impact into the dirt.

The harpy thrashed on the ground with Kasim, dying but still dangerous as its talons slashed through the air in a panic.

She recognized the threat, but the darkness encroaching at the edges of her vision made it so that her limbs felt as if they were made of lead. She realized that she was close to fainting.

Kjaran arrived to the melee moments later. Before losing consciousness, she had one last coherent thought -- Don't Miss.

 

[Kasim Areth]

His blade impaled the beast, he fell to the ground, Aviana followed, and then the sell-sword appeared.

For a brief flash of thought and sigh Kasim thought that the man was at his end goal, that his betrayal was now here. He thought for sure the man intended to kill him in this moment.

After a second however no sword came, no final blow was landed, and instead Kjaran's blade slashed through the Harpies leg and cleaved through it's flesh. A splash of red blood scattered over the Rune Mage's face, catching him off guard as he processed what was happening.

Only after a moment did he manage to scramble off the ground, using the sword still impaled through the dead Harpies chest to pull himself up. "Kiva fuck!"

Kasim cursed, trying to get his bearings.

"Help me." He told the Sell-sword. "We need to get off the road."

Hiding was the only option now.

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

For a second, one long horrible one, Kjaran was certain he'd hacked at one of them. Harpies were a disturbing mixture of human and avian characteristics. He'd heard of siren like ones luring in prey but this was one was a full on hunter. The limb that had lashed out at him was uncomfortably human, the leg he'd hacked was a bird's.

The jester swore. He stood up using his sword as a crutch. "Thank the gods" he gasped. He nodded and sheathed his blade, reaching down to heft Aviana over his shoulder. "Aye I will, but the horses" he said, gesturing at their mounts. His eyes kept roving skyward. The half-elf was an easy carry, even with the weight of her mail.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

There was blood covering much of the half-elf's face from the wound on her jaw, but it was difficult to tell just where the injury was. Her arm was soaked through and large splotches of blood dripped from her fingertips. A soft groan came from the dazed woman as she was slung haphazardly over the mercenary's shoulder. There were long gashes down the lower length of her thighs, but it was difficult to see how bad the damage was.

Erodin had returned not long after Kjaran arrived. The great best stomped a cloven hoof and tossed his head, snorting sharply. The scent of blood in the air had the elk on edge.

Her eyes opened for a brief moment, but she struggled to focus on her surroundings and it didn't help that the world was upside down from her perspective.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"I got them." Kasim called out as he turned on his heel and ripped his sword from the dead harpy.

Without another word he stalked forward, fingers tightening on the hilt of his sword. In his head he already knew what he had to do, and he knew that he would come to regret it. The Harpy had screeched, there was no doubt in his mind that it's sisters had heard, and that left them with little choice.

His fingers tightened again and he grabbed the reigns of the elk, yanking the creature forward gently and pointing towards Aviana. The beast hesitated for a moment, and then seemed to trot along in a somewhat intelligent fashion. Then Kasim did the same with the Sell-swords mount.

The creature took more urging, but eventually it too trotted forward and off the road. Then came his own beast.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly to the horse. "You've served me well."

But in the end, he knew that they needed a distraction. The Harpies would come looking unless there was something to distract them. Two sisters dead meant they needed a great boon, and what was a freshly slain horse but the greatest boon to a beast that sought only flesh.

With regret in his heart Kasim did what he had to, rushing off the road and behind his companions a second later.

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

Kjaran didn't linger on the road. He moved in to the cover of the trees, ignoring the faint groans of pain from his charge. It showed the half elf was still alive at least. The great bulk of her elk followed them silently, though the beast was agitated by the smell of blood. His own horse trotted after it, following the bigger animal. He moved with grim determination, expecting at any moment to hear those piercing avian cries again.

Kasim came crashing through the trees behind him, his sword still bloody. "There's a lot of blood" Kjaran said, indicating Aviana. He had two simple methods with injured. Bandage them if they were bleeding, carry them back on their shields if they were dead. "How much further do we need to go on? I'm not sure how much of more this she can take".

 

[Aviana Sabel]

A branch slapped the woman in the face as Kjaran crashed through the forest, which briefly snapped her into a more alert state of mind. Someone was carrying her, but she wasn't sure who. Her head turned a little and she could see the blood dripping from her hand and chin. Strands of her normally silver hair were drenched a deep crimson, which mean that she either had busted her head open, or the blood was running up her face from the position she was being carried in.

Kasim came briefly into view with a grim expression on his face. Why was there so much blood?

In her mind, she could hear thunder rumbling in the distance. Screams echoing through the silence. The ocean waves pounding against the shoreline.

No... that wasn't right. There was no ocean here.

"I'm sorry..." She mumbled weakly, her voice cracking.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"Find a nook." He told the sell-sword as he caught up with him and Aviana, motioning to head deeper into the forest. "Something deep beneath the canop-"

It was at that rather serendipitous moment that Kasim spotted a large rock outcropping surrounded by half a dozen trees. The Jester frowned suddenly, almost stopping and then continuing on. It could be a trap, but right now it didn't particularly matter much at all.

Hopefully the Harpies took the bait and didn't look, but if they did they needed sky. "Under there."

Kasim said as he grabbed the reigns of the Elk and lead it across a small stream towards the outcropping, bringing the creature beneath the heavy boulder that seemed to stick out from the cliff. It was shelter of a sort, though with enough wind rain would make it beneath.

"Put her down there." Kasim said pointing, throwing down his bag and starting to dig through it.