Fable - Ask For Whom the Bells Troll

[Liadrin]

Location: Aberresai Savannah, on the banks of the Cairou River.

It had been some time since she had departed from her family, perhaps a week at this point since she had passed judgement upon her father. Liadrin's stomach growled softly from hunger, having been on her second day without food, and frankly this whole routine was growing rather old. With her parents, at least she never had to be concerned about starving, then again, at least she was finally allowed to have a say in her actions for once. It wouldn't matter anyways once she cashed in this flyer she had stumbled upon from the last village, though she had to fumble through her bag to retrieve the object, giving it a cursory glance over.


Looking at the strange parchment in her hands, the Kavosh woman was a bit perplexed as to what she was being asked to do truthfully. She strode a mere seven feet from the waters, the green-yellow grass harmless brushing against the legs of her pants, as the warrior was more occupied with reading her instructions. The flyer she held requested the heads of Savannah Trolls, which was all well and good, save Liadrin hadn't a clue what a Savannah Troll looked like. She had to assume it would look akin to a normal troll, but perhaps more Savannah-like, so maybe with a dash of yellow? The soft crunch of tall bladed grass halted underfoot, as she came to a stop, scowling as she slowly rolled up the parchment, her ears picking up a new sound near by; the splashing of water, and a sudden stillness that settled about the her. Something was most certainly amiss. Her right hand settled on the grip of the blade, her feet digging into the sun baked mud, eyes and muscles straining as she felt tension hang in the air for a moment; then it finally snapped. A reptilian creature lunged at her from the waters, driving snout first, it's toothy maw agap, it's aim true and seeking to clamp onto the woman' leg, perhaps hoping to make a quick meal out of her. If it had selected a more unsuspecting quarry, then perhaps, but today was not this creatures day. Liadrin leapt back, her sword hand freeing the blade from it's scabbard, her free hand conjuring a minor binding spell, as the scaly beast missed her by mere inches. Her blade stuck the fresh air, and it's hearkening saw Liadrin drive it blade frsrt through the top of the creature's snout. Her spell was released, the magic snapping to, as Liadrin's blade pinned the creature's maw shut, the magic ensuring it would no longer open, as the woman could now see the size of the creature she was combating. It had four legs, a pale scaly hide, and must have been at least 2.3 meters in length. One thing was made very clear to her as she sized up her mark; if she killed it, it would certain keep her feed for some time.

The beast was rendered inert, it's body unable to free itself from neither magic, nor blade, but Liadrin wasn't ignorant of it's suffering. Prying the now bloodied blade from the beast, the next strike was meant to kill. The blade hacked cleanly into the neck of the beast, beheading it with a single strike, and leaving Liadrin with a rather large body to dispose of. Taking in a breath, the Kavosh woman halted, her eyes looking for yet another threat, but finding nothing coming forth to challenge her. The grumbling of her stomach suddenly took precedent, as she sheathed her blade, moving to drag the beast away from the waterfront. Seizing it by it's front two legs, she found the ground now slick and the mud just was irritating from the blood spilled from her kill, not to mention the beast itself was seemingly immovable; no amount of effort from the warrior seemed capable of moving it. After several failed attempts, a winded warrior stepped back, panting and irritable as all hell, she used the one tool she knew could move the creature; her magic. Reaching out, she seized the beast, and began to drag it away, it's massive body now being lifted a few millimeters in the air, as even with her skill in magic, Liadrin found the creature to be immensely heavy. Now with something to cook, the next part of her mission was set upon her; trying to find some wood for a fire.

Valdram

 

[Valdram]

"Do you see her!? She's taking our prey!" The tallest of the fifteen spat out. If it weren't for the thick layer of mud covering his pale yellow form, Valdram would've sworn that the other orc was shaking, barely able to contain his anger. "Calm down Xanuk." Valdram said, purposely keeping his voice low. He hoped that the other Orc understood him. The dialect of the Yellowfang tribe wasn't that different from theirs, but some words remained incomprehensible grunts. "We'll make quick work of her at sundown." A plan the Orcs unanimously agreed upon.

If one asked him whether crossing the Allirian strait had been a smart decision, he wouldn't be able to give them an answer. New lands meant new opportunities, but also new threats. He hadn't believed his luck when the tribe had passed Oban without any fuss or casualties. That was a good thing - they came here to bolster their numbers, not to have their numbers dwindle even further. While he had disagreed with the chieftain at first, he was beginning to see what wealth could be obtained in these lands.

Until they encountered another tribe. The Yellowfangs; a nomadic clan who had made the savannah their home. The meeting between the two tribes had been tense at first, for they didn't know what to expect from each other. But after breaching the language barrier and an exchange of stories, the two tribes were quick to set up camp and feast together.

In the morning, the Orcs set out to hunt together. Ten Orcs of the Yellowfang tribe, and five of his tribe, including himself. But instead of animal tracks, they had found something far more interesting. Booted footprints.

With the expertise of the Yellowfang hunters the Orcs had swiftly found their prey. After concealing their green and pale yellow forms with mud from the riverbanks, the camouflaged hunters had gone on to stalk the young woman.

"It's odd." Valdram glanced at the Orc who spoke up. He was covered in mud, dirt, and grass, but his voice was unmistakable. It was his younger brother, Valgar. Half a feet smaller than him, but far more ferocious than he could ever hope to be. "For a human to venture out alone… And a woman no less." Valgar met his glance. "Do you think it's a trap?" Valdram thought for a second. "Undoubtedly. And we will spring it."

Liadrin

 

[Liadrin]

The weight of the beast seemed to subtly grow in mass as time ticked on, pushing the strain that Liadrin felt, though she could see her objective in sight; a nice and plump tree from which she could extract wood. She let her casting hand drop, the magic holding the creature suspended faltered, the lifeless body hitting the ground with a 'thud'. Drawing her bloodied blade, Liadrin strode towards the tree, examining the bark and health of the plant, then finding the nearest tree limb she could hack off. The trees here were different than those of her home, they were white, smooth, and seemed to twist and curl in rather unusual shapes, many of the branches turning knotted and tangled as they stretched themselves to the heavens.

Regardless, the simple branches gave way to her blade, as with four strong chops, she severed a thick branch from the plant, the limb smacking into the ground, as the warrior began to divide it into pieces for a lumber pile. All the while however, she felt as if a pair of eyes were upon her, a sense of foreboding sweeping over her as several moments passed, causing her to pause her wood collecting several times, as she searched for an unseen foe. Finding nothing, she decided to cease her cultivation, taking several of the newly cut branches she threw them down, before setting up a fire pit. Her time under her father's cruel training methods had thankfully prepared her for outdoor survival, but it didn't make the task any less irritating to work at. Still weary of how open and exposed she was in this strange land, Liadrin set to work on the task ahead, mind still trying to get a grip on her current situation.

Valdram