Quest Loot Runners #3 The Wind and the Willow

[Richard Henry the Eighth]

ISLAND 3: PANDARANN/WILLOW

"Hero....." Richard chuckled moving Myrcella Bochanan next to him. "Well that's the first time somebody has called me that." The common phrase Richard had heard was his nickname: The Bard Knight. It was coined by his sisters because although Richard is a Knight, he still preferred to sing and tell tall tales. Oh what a story that he will tell everyone if they survive.

The Temple still seemed far away, they were only halfway off this cliff. Even after they survive this trek, there's still a long ways to go before Richard and Mrycella reaches the temple. At least the hard part would've been done or at least Richard hoped so. Gazing at the path ahead, Richard noticed that the narrow pathway was mostly destroyed. It left a crater on the wall that looked climbable "Well our path has been destroyed," Richard lamented. "We're going to have to climb across."

Staring at Mycella, Richard frowned. "I'm going to need you to hold on to me piggyback style," he said. "Like I told you a few moments ago, don't look down."

 

[Myrcella Bochanan]

ISLAND 3: PANDARANN/WILLOW

Myrcella kept a hand on Richard Henry the Eighth , as though just doing so would keep her glued to the path.

As he eyed what was left of it, so did she. However the very idea of climbing onto him and holding on while he tried to support both their weights wasn't something that she was eager for. But what else could she do? Jump??

".....Okay....I won't look...." And that was the truth of it. She pushed her back against the cliff face, using it for support as she got to her foot. Then Myrcella shut her eyes as she got herself onto Richard's back. "I hope this works..." And please don't fall. Pretty please don't fall...

 

[Richard Henry the Eighth]

ISLAND 3: PANDARANN/WILLOW

Myrcella Bochanan felt heavy for whatever reason, maybe it's because she's putting most of her weight on to Richard's back compared when he carried her bridal style where it was easier to distribute the weight around. In any case there was no time to groan over that, Richard need to climb, heart racing Richard reached for a hole that looked climbable and began to up.

"This is easy," Richard muttered to himself looking up seeing pebbles hitting his right eye. "Ow!" The Bard Knight hissed, his eye burning up. Richard could hardly see through it now because it was full of tears. So much for optimism. The other half of the cliff was on top and Richard was straight for it. He can feel blood coming from his palms, but he kept moving.

 

[Belduhr Brighthand]

Island 1 Plague Ghouls

The dwarf did not jump when the knife shot through the air, barely missing him. He was rather large even for being so short he reasoned. On the other hand, when Raigryn came up top and dispatched the ghoul that Fife had struck. The call for the bridge was made, and Belduhr made sure to keep his pace up as he swung once more when a ghoul skittered out to catch him attempting the bridge.

It made a strange squeal as he sent it tumbling over the railing to plummet to the water below. Least he hoped it fell all the way down. The little devils could likely scramble up the sides of the structure, and he wasn't waiting to see it return as he ran across the bridge, only to stop a moment and wait for Fife to get ahead of him.

Raigryn Vayd Fife​

 

[Rizzo Bouchard]

ISLAND 3: WILLOW​

Sometimes.

In an hour of great need.

A hero answered the call...

...

That's RIGHT! Rizzo could be that hero! Yup! Just like all those that grandma and grandpa Bouchard used to tell her about. Just like all the ones she herself had read about, had heard of. Erm-hrm! Somebody needed to do it! And that Willow wasn't going to steal--ahem--acquire itself.

All that stuff, and, you know, despite her best efforts, Tol was still taking a big ol' nap-nap.

So! A hero! Answering the call! And that was her! Adventure called!

And she heroically tip-toed up into the tower after that first team that had long since gone inside. She tip-toed through that first room. Wow! Look there! Now that was a dead panda. Did it smell like smoke and burnt stuff in here? Ew, there was blood on the ground too. As she was passed by the dead panda-man, she was suddenly seized by a humongous sneeze. She tucked her face into the crook of her right arm, and such was the force of her sneeze that her left arm went flying out straight. Wow!

(Accidental maximum disrespect dab)

Rizzo found the staircase leading up. And up. And up. And up. Ugh...she hated stairs. They tuckered her out quick. But! Everything was a-okay! She reached the top--

And ducked quickly back into the stairwell. Sssshhh! There they were! The two men of that first team! In this room at the top landing of the stairs! One of them opened a door, or a window, or something like that, because she heard the outside wind much more clearly now and felt a little shuddering breeze enter the room.

They had to be getting close! There was no way they weren't going to find the Willow now! And then she could ask them a question. An honest question! Hey, what color is the sky? Blue. Blue-who? What? Yoink! Thanks for the sword guys, awesome work, I'll bring it back, promise, byebyebyebyebye!

Rizzo peeked around the wall of the stairwell. Saw that it was just the robed man with the funny hat still in the room, and other going across the--aww, come on, another bridge? That wasn't fair!

Oh well. It'd be fine! There was enough sunshine in the day to go around! Everything was going to work out brilliantly. Wait and see!

Rizzo kept on peeking. Watching the robed man.

Flint Orival Theodric

 

[Kikwi]

Island 3: Pandarann/Willow
Smiling One

The door opened, and a massive Pandarann stared at the two of them. Its eyes were first drawn to Kikwi, and it seemed genuinely curious as to what it was they were looking at. Kikwi stood frozen, staring back with enormous amber eyes.

The Pandarann then looked at Willis, and upon seeing the much more threatening and very clearly armed intruder, let out a roar of surprise and anger. Without a second thought it swung a heavy paw at Willis' head.

Kikwi could see a second Pandarann in the room. It got up to assist its mate, but quickly fell back down howling with pain. It had stepped on the red centipede, and it held its foot in agony. Soon the toxin would make it difficult for them to move, perhaps even paralyzing them completely.

While sad that his ally had been crushed, Kikwi did feel some pride at being helpful. Or at least he would have, if he wasn't so very terrified.

 

[Orival Theodric]

Island 3: Pandarann/Willow

He listened to Flint speak intently and stepped back to let him take the lead. It was definitely better that Flint find what out what lay on the other side first as Orival couldn't handle another thrashing. He turned sharply towards the staircase in the instant Flints back was to him. Was that a sneeze? Not a small one either, a booming one. Someone was below them. And gaining speed fast. He couldn't hear the footsteps coming so it was possible that they were resting after the bridge but Orival knew that that wouldn't last forever.

The moment Flint stepped onto the bridge, Orival started to channel fire magic in his hands. He didn't want them followed in case they came across the Willow in these towers. Before he stepped to outside the door, he looked quickly over towards where Rizzo was hiding. He didn't see her but he still offered an eye that said he did. He placed his hand on the door frame and let loose his magic, creating a door of intense fire to replace the crooked wooden one. It held steadfast in the doorway as a wall and connected only to the stone of the temple.

The spell wouldn't last forever, but it would not allow them to be followed.

Flint Rizzo Bouchard

 

[Myrcella Bochanan]

ISLAND 3: PANDARANN/WILLOW

Myrcella held on tightly to Richard Henry the Eighth , though not too tight. She didn't want to risk strangling him. And still she didn't look down, instead looking up to where his hands would grasp.

And then one slipped, pulling bits of pebbles with it when fell into his face and into her hair as she turned her head away. "Please don't slip..." It was more of a plea or a prayer than anything else.

Onward and upward they went, slowly but surely. Myrcella spotted the blood, but she didn't mention it, already planning on binding his hands with bits of her skirt when they were safe.

"Almost there..."

 

[Smiling One]

Island 3: Pandarann/Willow

A large Bear like creature stood in front of Willis and Kikwi it was covered in black and white fur and armed with nothing more than its long, sharp claws. Drool began to drip down from the Bear's pointed yellow teeth as it began to raise its large paw preparing to swipe Willis. "Ah shit-" Willis managed to duck and darted back.

"So these are the Pandaarans!" Willis shouted holding out his Cutlass in front of him. There was no information regarding the Pandaaran other than rumors. They were intelligent and capable of an unknown form of magic. Thane Jackdaw a fellow Monster Hunter and friend of Willis said that the best way to prove to a Pandaaran that you mean no harm is perform a ritual called "the dab". Willis learned the technique but wasn't sure that he would use it.

"Well now I am," He thought as another Pandarann rushed over to assist. Before it could do anything however, it stomped on Kiki's Posiebrae no doubt its poison seeped through the creature's skin. If there was one thing that Posiebrae can do efferently was to have its poison penetrate through even the toughest of skins. The Posebrae was after all named by the Grandmasters as a top ten deadly Insect in Arethril.

However much to Willis' surprise the Pandaaran remained standing. Impossible it should be convulsing on the ground by now. A smirk formed on its black lip as it opened its paw, a bright yellow sphere formed above it:

愚蠢的局外人

Willis clenched his teeth, "No choice now!" the young man turned to Kikwi. "I don't anything about these creatures but a friend of mine showed me a ritual to prove that we are not hostile!"

The Pandaaran held the small magical sphere up high in preparation to attack. It was now or never, Willis sheathed his Cutlass, angled his arm, placed his head on to it the opposite arm held out straight. "Here goes nothing," Willis muttered beginning the ritual.

 

[Richard Henry the Eighth]

ISLAND 3: PANDARANN/WILLOW

Richard's hands was covered in blood due to the sharp wall but he didn't care. He had Myrcella Bochanan to look out for, she needed him and Richard cannot afford to have her hurt or worse killed. They were almost to the other side of this perilous mountain. "You think I would?" Richard whispered in response to Myrcella saying not to slip. "My love for you fuels me to keep going!"

He never believed in the power of love that was portrayed in the stories, but Richard's extra energy was no doubt coming from his newfound love with Mrycella. He wondered though if it will sustain once they were home if they get home. At long last they reached the other end of the cliff, Richard was careful to gently palce Mrycella down as he looked at his bloodied hands.

"Oh dear," he said shrugging it off. "No matter, we're halfway to the Temple now.

 

[Myrcella Bochanan]

ISLAND 3: PANDARANN/WILLOW

Myrcella hung onto Richard Henry the Eighth as he navigated the cliff. She kissed the back of his neck as he made the promise to her to not slip and have them fall.

That little effort of hers seemed to work, for they were soon across the path. Her brows furrowed with concern as she saw his bloodied hands. "Can you fix them? Like how you did with my legs?" How long had it been since she was dragged by the Rock Troll? Her legs and bottom were cut and bruised, yet a song from Richard seemed to have healed them up. It was of course a special song. But she wasn't sure of he could perform such a magical feat to himself.

 

[Richard Henry the Eighth]

ISLAND 3: PANDARANN/WILLOW

Richard caught his breath while Myrcella Bochanan asked if he could heal his bloody hands. While it was possible for a Bard to do so, it was a high level spell and Richard was just a mere novice when it came to Bard Magic. "No I cannot," Richard lamented. "It's beyond my expertise assumiung I even had it."

Slowing getting up Richard looked at the Temple. "Well the hard part is done," he said. "Now all we need to do is to walk up to temple. Hopefully we won't run into opposition."

 

[Fife]

Her magic mentor succinctly solved the problem of a ghoul she was ill equipped to save Belduhr from, and her letters mentor quickly did as Raigryn said. Keeping between the pair, she had her knife at the ready but didn't have need of it; they were far more capable in melee than she was.

As soon as they came to the bridge, Fife slipped past Belduhr to do what she was capable of. The first hurried steps cleared the planks for those behind her. Fife's eyes were fixed on the boards beneath her as she tried to make room on the bridge behind her.

She got about five steps in before she felt the one under her foot buckling. Moving to step on the one beyond, it gave in as well.

She had the span of a heartbeat to gather the Aspect beneath her. Avarice wasn't her best one, but it formed a solid disc of green that took her weight for the instant she needed to grab the rope rail and steady herself enough to get a foot on the next plank.

And just in time. She felt as much as saw the Avarice shield shatter. Looking back at it, her eyes were wide and her heart racing. The green chips of magic fell away toward the churning water below.

She didn't need more encouragement to move on. She was so ready to be off of this bridge.

// Raigryn Vayd // Belduhr Brighthand //​

 

[Myrcella Bochanan]

ISLAND 3: PANDARANN/WILLOW

Myrcella wasn't so sure of how magic worked. Richard Henry the Eighth had some, but perhaps he wasn't trained dnough. She wasn't even sure of where he learned it from. Was his Father able to perform magic as well?

She looked to her tattered dress and started to pick out some of the thinner pieces. "You can bind your hands with these at least. Just a couple of pieces should do." If anything it'd help him to make use of his hands again once they were protected. And surely Richard had a dagger on him to use to cut some of the fabric into suitable pieces.

 

[Richard Henry the Eighth]

ISLAND 3: PANDARANN/WILLOW

Richard raised an eyebrow when Myrcella Bochanan offered to tear off more of her ripped up dress in order to bind his wounds. While it was tempting to cover up his injuries, Richard wasn't sure that Myrcella would appreciate her dress being more ripped up. She spent a good amount of time lamenting the state of her dress already. Richard didn't want to contribute to her misery, besides one more rip and tear and she'll be reduced to her breeches!

"I'm going to be okay Myrcella," Richard smiled. "One more rip from your dress and you'll be reduced to your top and breeches! I can't let a lady do that now can I?"

The Bard Knight then leaned and gave Myrcella a kiss on the cheek. "But it was thoughtful of you," he said. "Thank you."

Sighing Richard looked at the Temple ahead. "Are you ready to go?" He asked. "We're in the home stretch now who knows what's waiting for us on the other side."

 

[Myrcella Bochanan]

ISLAND 3: PANDARANN/WILLOW

Well Myrcella tried to be helpful. There wasn't much that she could do besides be there for conversation. And maybe words of support. Richard Henry the Eighth was right though; she did mind the state of her dress. Never had she worn anything so tattered and ugly where once it was beautiful and fashionable. But once she was home, she was sure to get into something more presentable.

She smiled as he kissed her cheek, raising her arms for him to lift her. "I'm ready, my love. Lead the way." Myrcella chewed the inside of her cheek as she called him her love. She watched him for his reaction. No doubt he'd appreciate the sentiment, or so she hoped.

 

[Richard Henry the Eighth]

ISLAND 3: PANDARANN/WILLOW

Richard quickly wiped his hands clean of blood first before carrying Myrcella Bochanan in a bridal carry. The last thing he wanted was to make Myrcella's dress even more dirtier than before. Gods know how Myrcella's mother would react if she saw the blood on her dress. The Bard Knight actually raised an eyebrow bemused that Myrcella called him her "love" he never though that Myrcella would call him that but here they are.

"My love?" Richard said giving Myrcella a quick kiss on the lips. "I like when you call me that, scratch that I love it when you call me that." It took a while but the two were finally off the Mountain with only a stone bridge in front of them leading to the temple. "Well at least I can carry you across," he said.

 

[Myrcella Bochanan]

ISLAND 3: PANDARANN/WILLOW

Myrcella's dress was already dirty, even with splotches of her own blood. But every attempt at cleanliness helps.

She smiled at the kiss, leaning into Richard Henry the Eighth as he began to carry her through the mountain pass. The air was colder here and so Myrcella was glad for Richard's bodyheat. She wondered if he felt cold anywhere too.

Her attention was moved to the stony bridge however, and right away she recalled a similar bridge theyfound in a dwarven cave. "Do you think that there are trolls here?" Myrcella had had enough about trolls.

 

[Richard Henry the Eighth]

ISLAND 3: PANDARANN/WILLOW

The air was chilly and Richard was shivering a bit while he carried Myrcella Bochanan but when he looked down and saw the girl smiling and feeling comfortable against his body, it was worth it. As they approached the bridge, Richard looked down. The way below was just more clouds it was pretty much impossible for a Troll to emerge from under a bridge and demand a toll. Unless of course they found a way to fly now.

"We're still in a Mountain," Richard explained. "Unless there's a Sky Troll I never heard of, I'd say it's unlkely that we're going to encounter one.:

The Bard Knight carefully stepped on the stone bridge cautiously looking both ways incase any monster would try to attack them. "Well at least this is easier than the bridge way back!" he smiled. "Besides, we're almost to that sword."

 

[Myrcella Bochanan]

ISLAND 3: PANDARANN/WILLOW

Myrcella was glad that Richard Henry the Eighth seemed happy at least. And she was even more glad to hear that there'd npt be any trolls to bother them. Still, she found herself keeping an eye out.

She held onto him all the more anyways as they began to cross, listening for any sign that the old bridge might not hold their weight at any given point. "Do you think that the sword is just sitting there, waiting to be taken? Or is there some kind of challenge to it?"

 

[Richard Henry the Eighth]

ISLAND 3: PANDARANN/WILLOW

Richard continued to cross the bridge as Myrcella Bochanan held on to him tightly. At least the bridge was more stable than the other. "Well of course," he thought. "It was made out of stone so it was built to last." Obviously since this place was possibly thousands of years old, it was vulnerable to collapse however oddly Richard felt great about his chances.

"With a Sword like that?" Richard mused. "Prepare for anything, guardians, riddles, traps you name it. I've been in situations like that before." The Bard Knight recalled his travels in the Dwarven ruins, not a pleasant trip.

 

[Myrcella Bochanan]

ISLAND 3: PANDARANN/WILLOW

Built to last? Oh she certainly hoped so! Especialy when they were on their way back. The rope bridge would be somehing else entirely, but she was certain that she could manage to shuffle again.

Guardians, riddles and traps. That didn't sound all that good. Myrcella tried to imagine which of those they'd face here, yet it was hard for her to choose. It could be all of them. "Is that all to see if we're worthy?" Richard Henry the Eighth was worthy. She believed that.

 

[Richard Henry the Eighth]

ISLAND 3: PANDARANN/WILLOW

Richard frowned when Myrcella Bochanan asked the question regarding worthiness, it was a common thing in stories but in Richard never encountered something like that while he adventured. "I guess," Richard shrugged while they were crossing the bridge. "But who knows what will happen?"

 

[Myrcella Bochanan]

ISLAND 3: PANDARANN/WILLOW

Myrcella didn't know either. But then again she was far less experienced in this than Richard Henry the Eighth was. Her life had been sheltered, whereas he got to go off on adventures. There was a reason why her skin was so soft and carried no scars.

"Let's just hope that no one beat us to it. And where do we take it when we find it?"

 

[Richard Henry the Eighth]

ISLAND 3: PANDARANN/WILLOW

Richard could hear the stone bridge cracking a bit he was hoping it was nothing but given what he and Myrcella Bochanan have been through it was unlikely. "The wizard didn't even say," Richard said still carrying Mrycella as a gust of strong wind nearly caused him stumble. "I'm not sure what will happen if anyone else sees us. Best I'll take you to a hiding place while I handle them."

Thankfully they were lucky that no one else tried to attack them. Richard couldn't bare to see how would Myrcella would react especially with her injured ankle.