Fable - Ask Till the Cows Come Home

[Leander Urahil]

[art cred]

Leander could feel a growing heat behind him. He could hear that chirping getting louder and closer. And worse, it seemed that these creatures were attracted to the light that Aelita had given off. From their burnt strange beaks came flames that roared with a furious hunger.

Was it magic? It had to be.

Leander felt a sort of gratitude that the proctor that was joining them was Proctor Palahniuk, a notable ice mage who could freeze anything, within reason. Didn’t ice beat fire? Water did, at least, and Leander knew a few elemental college magic spells that could hopefully scare away these creatures.

“Odessa!” Leander pulled his claymore free. He looked around, this space wasn’t open enough. He could accidentally wack off the child’s head if he wasn’t careful. Speaking of the child, “drop the stupid chicken! If you have to run you’ll need to keep your arms free so you can use your arms to run faster.” He poorly explained to Mariana before his attention went back to his sister.

“They do something with fire.” That was all the information he had. He knew nothing else about these creatures.

Proctor Palahniuk and Lothar reached the group.

“Mariana, come here.” The proctor said, gesturing her over. He held up a dagger. “We don’t want you to get hurt, do we? Did you know your brother actually developed this rune when he was your age? It’ll keep your armor from absorbing too much heat. Ah, if only Dreadlord Alistair was here, he was a smart lad.” Proctor Palahniuk mumbled to himself, beginning to carve into Mariana’s armor a set of runes.

Leander ignored the proctor for now, sticking beside his sister.

“You and I will handle this side,” Leander said, pointing to the part of the street he had entered from. “There’s a lot of them, chances of us getting surrounded are high. They might have a pack-mentality. Keep the kid in the middle.” Where these creatures like wolves who would pick off the weakest link or surround them until they could get in a opening. Or rather they were such an amalgamation of animals and creatures that these creatures could have shared ancestors with every creature on Arethil.

Aelita Odessa Urahil Mariana Lothar

 

[Aelita]

“Don’t worry, your brother’s his own worst enemy for that,” was Aelita’s immediate reply to Odessa’s request.

Aelita looked toward the oncoming hoard of creatures. So, her eyes did not catch the fact that Mariana conjured a chicken with her own magic. Once she heard clucking, Aelita looked over to see Mariana holding up a chicken.

“Thanks,” Aelita said as she took the chicken by the neck while Leander screamed to drop it.

Just as Lothar and Palahniuk managed to catch up, Aelita took a few steps away. While the Proctor started ranting as he applied a rune to Mariana’s armor, Aelita stabbed her spear-tipped staff into the soft earth.

Looking up toward the hoard of creatures, Aelita drew a regular knife from her belt. She waited a few seconds.

Then as her smile dissolved into a frown, she sliced the head off the chicken. Blood came out. She threw the knife down – its blade stuck into the dirt. Crimson tendrils arced out from the chicken’s stump and to Aelita’s fingertips. A type of blood magic.

Palahniuk, being a Proctor, would know what Aelita was doing and what she would do next.

Extending her hands, Aelita let the chicken fall to the ground. She stretched out her fingertips. And said,

“Refract.”

BLZZZZZZZZZZT

A beam of light shot forth from Aelita toward the mass of beasts. It lasted for only half a second as Aelita swept it across the pack. Were these like wolves, a good number, but not all, of them would have had the chunks of flesh that touched the beam vaporized and their remaining bodies thrown aside.

An attempt to thin their numbers as Aelita told Odessa.

But immediately after the beam of light dissipated, Aelita fell to a knee with labored breathing.

“Oh... hah. I guess that chicken was very sick,” Aelita guessed with an awkward smile.

“You... might not get a shield... for a bit...” she warned Odessa as she reached into one of her belt's pouches.

 

[Odessa Urahil]

As Odessa nudged the wonky chicken away from her armor, the sound of Leander shouting grabbed her attention. Weird. She was sure he was running towards Aelita. If he was coming for her, things were bad.

“Fire. Yeah. Okay. And?” She was confused. “What do you want me to do about that? Aelita wants to shield them and you want…?”

She jumped to the side as Aeilta shot a beam of light towards the beasts, grabbing at Leander’s hand. Good fucking god. At least announce things LOUDLY before you do them. She thought to herself (and Leander) before she let go. If it hadn’t been apparent to the group before, Odessa was quite skittish.

Unlike her twin, Odessa didn’t immediately pull out a weapon. Instead, she kneeled down with Aelita and rested her arm over the girl’s shoulders. “Save it for Leander. He’s the one who needs it.” She whispered to the girl before using her body to push herself back up.

“Leander, don’t hit the kid with your magic. Don’t wanna roast the poor kid because you nullify her runes.” She snorted, finally grabbing the blade from her side. Odessa was a last resort. She couldn’t clear the creatures nearly as efficiently as Leander and Aelita (and Lothar?), but she would be prepared to defend herself if, or rather when, they got too close.

 

[Mariana]

Mariana pushed herself to her feet with great effort and waddled the short distance to the proctor. The rune scratching on the armor made her wince. A look to Leander as she nodded along even though she wasn’t really listening.

Shortly after Aelita did her most awesomest amazingest thing Mariana had EVER seen the chicken guts poofed into a spray of orange chalk mist. Any ‘blood’ she’d smeared would also transform into that fine bright orange powder.

She backed back up to her chalk art on the rock and began drawing something else that would be ready when they needed it. All this talk about being roasted. The ground shook as she creatures reached the outskirts of the town and began to fill the streets, headed right toward them. The ones that hadn't already gotten vaporized by Aelta's magic.

Mariana looked up, through the other's legs in front of her.

"I don't want to be here anymore."

 

[Lothar]

Lothar slowly came to a running stop as they reached the group of students. His gait halting just as he stepped up besides Aelita. He still clutched the sword in his hand tightly, but almost immediately turned around to face the charging creatures.

As always, Leander tried to take charge.

Speaking over the Proctor and giving orders to his sister. He briefly glanced towards Odessa, but shifted his focus almost immediately towards the approaching creatures. His own magic wasn't much good here, and neither were the two he had stolen.

If he used them in full view of the others there would be question, but that didn't mean he couldn't still be useful.

Opening his mouth to say something, Lothar found his voice drowned out as suddenly a bright beam of light shot forth from Aelita. It burst through the air and cut a swath into the creatures, a roaring echo of pain escaping from the charging heard as some it's charred fellows fell down.

Lothar's eyebrows rose, glancing down at Aelita. "Good job."

He said, and then looked back towards the rushing monsters.

A pulse ran through his left eye, echoing for just a brief moment before his vision suddenly sharpened. He saw the creatures still, but more clearly now. Every vein in their body, every muscle beneath their skin, every little gap and vulnerability.

Lothar saw it then, a weakness just below their chest in their ribs. A gap that would allow a sword to slide right through. He spun the blade in his hand and readied himself, knowing it was a fools errand to charge out alone.

 

[Leander Urahil]

The telepathy was always a strange thing between them, and only though actual skin-to-skin touch. Perhaps because not only they were twins, but magical twins. Leander looked at Odessa, hardly impressed with Aelita’s laser canon of light if she was going to be down for the count.

“And that’s why you should all just listen to me,” he mumbled, partially to himself but partially to Odessa as well. Look, no shield, so what was the point of following after Aelita?

Sure, she had gotten rid of a few of those chirping creatures, but there were still many that were still rushing towards them.

“Get ready to fight!” Leander was going to keep to his plan that he had told Odessa. Hopefully she had learn her lesson from not listening to him and would join him in cutting down more of those creatures numbers.

Proctor Palahniuk patted Mariana on the back, perhaps jostling her too much in her armor.

“Trust me, I also don’t want to be here. Did I tell you that last time there was a giant flesh monster here? And the worst part was I was with Castomir and Ebersol. Those two idiots were more focused on playing around then getting the job done. Kept ogling one another so much that they both got injured over stupid little mistakes. I had to step in for dumb and dumber, and if you’re curious, dumber is Ebersol. Let me tell you, Mariana, if your brother was here, none of this would be happening.” Proctor Palahniuk blathered on. “But Dreadlord Krixus is too good for this shit-hole. And I love Vel Anir, do not get that confused, but Arnim? Arnim? The cow-capital of Liadin? What’s worse, everyone suddenly can’t say their ‘ings’ or is just twanging away at words with no shame. I hate coming out to the sticks. Did you know cows have multiple stomachs and they’re constantly passing gas? That’s why it smells like shit over here all the time. Now, mix that with chicken shit and pig shit and horse shit and dog shit and cat shit…”

Aelita Odessa Urahil Mariana Lothar

 

[Aelita]

“Right,” Aelita said in between pants to Odessa.

Then, an “Oof,” escaped her lips as Odessa pushed off of Aelita.

“Thanks,” Aelita said to Lothar just as he told her “good job.”

Aelita’s hand then emerged from her pouch. In her clutches was an opaque bottle without a label. She popped the lid off and downed the contents in an instant.

“Bleh... whew...” she sighed. Her breath smelled of turpentine.

The bottle empty, Aelita tossed it to the side and grabbed her staff. She used it to brace herself and get back up on her feet.

Once standing, Aelita picked up the staff once again. Her eyes glanced over the party of Anirians – even Leander. Though, she did give a longer look toward Palahniuk as he ranted about the smell of villages.

Then looking back toward the mass of chirping creatures, Aelita’s staff began to glow.

“Let’s do this.”

 

[Odessa Urahil]

Odessa noticed the brief glance from Lothar, but paid him little mind. She would never treat him cruelly like her twin, but she did honestly consider him insignificant. He was just there. Kind of like a mushroom. Existing alongside everyone else for whatever reason. Her eyes were drawn back to Leander as she let go of him, the ever present scowl looking more intense at his response.

POP

A certain sound piqued her curiosity and she turned to see Aelita sipping something. Fucks sake. They were already vastly outnumbered. “Is now really the best time to drink?” She questioned the blonde as she hastily rose.

The eye roll made it clear that Odessa was not pleased with any of this. These bumbling idiots.

“Come on, little one.” She turned towards Mariana as Proctor Palahniuk went on yet another tangent and knelt down to help her up. His current spiel did not appear to ease the child’s nerves, so Odessa chose to just speak over him. “Nothing is going to hurt you. Come on. Get yourself something to fight with and get up. Just stick by me, okay?” She helped her up and pulled her along beside herself- just behind the rest of the group.

“Lets make your brother proud, okay?”

 

[Mariana]

Mariana picked up the empty body Aelita had just slurped from and sniffed it, bringing it up to her mouth to swipe her tongue across the opening.

Bleck.

Like Aelita, she discarded it on the ground. That was a funny kind of juice to bring on a mission. Proctor P's hand on her shoulder made her promptly plop back down in her weighted armor. She was trying to finish her drawing and he kept ruining it talking about Crastomirror and Eversaw. And talking about poop. She'd never heard an adult talk so much about it...

"Thanks," she whispered to Odessa, trying not to show how much she was beginning to look up to the other girl. Okay yeah she was pretty-cool-whatever-okay-everything-is-fine.

Older sister please?

Mustering a brave nod to the older girl, she continued on her drawing and with a swipe of her hand it pulled free from the rocks' surface. Picking up one of the objects, she lobbed the contents at the closest snarlling and fiery beast. It was something she'd seen one of the traveling jesters bring to the annual chef's competition in Vel Lameus.

Essentially a water balloon.

 

[Lothar]

Lothar moved to step a bit closer to the others, shifting the sword in his hand as the charging creatures continued.

His breath slowed, and he tried to remind himself of some of the lessons he'd been taught at the Academy. Lothar might not have been the most powerful Initiate, but he'd always paid attention. His fingers grew tighter as the sound of charging hooves became almost insurmountable.

By the time the creatures drew near he couldn't even hear the Proctor anymore.

His words drowned out by the constant beat of hooves.

Lothar's eye continued to pulse, his vision still enhanced by his stolen magic. Time itself seemed to slow as the beasts approached, the one at the head of the charge thundering forward faster and faster. He focused specifically on that one, letting his weight shift back and forth between his feet.

Then suddenly it was upon him.

Along with a dozen of it's other kin scattered behind it, the creature launched itself forward. It's huge form barrel rushing directly at Lothar. With a surprising, and entirely planned, swiftness the young man shifted. Plunging his blade directly into that weakspot he had earlier seen.

The creature let out a bellowing roar, and then suddenly a whimpering cry as Lothar ripped the blade free all in one smooth motion. The cow's heavy weight suddenly tumbling to the ground as it's kin went charging into the line of Dreadlord Initiates.

 

[Leander Urahil]

Leander ignored the happenings between Aelita and his sister and the young Krixus. Proctor Palahniuk was busy creating individual shields for each initiate, but it was taking time. The proctor understood that these beasts charging at them utilized fire, and so he also wanted to imbue some sort of fire protection on the initiates. Leander understood that this meant if he wanted to keep his shield protecting him, he couldn’t use his personal magic.

Even if he made it so it only affected him, if he got too close to Aelita or Odessa, then he’d make their magic null as well. He’d have to forgo it and rely on his skill until a opportunity could present itself. But that was assuming if these creatures utilized magic. He had no way of knowing until he ran through some tests.

Murmuring and muttering his incantations, Leander swung his sword in a wide arc.

“Wind scythe,” he murmured to no one in particular. From the arc of his sword, a strong press of wind blew out, slicing the approaching creatures in half. They bled crimson and chirped in pain. Leander swung his sword again, another slice of air obliterating the line of approaching monsters. From where Leander stood, facing the east, nothing would get past him. He’d make sure of it.

Hopefully the other three initiates could keep their sides in check.

Aelita Odessa Urahil Mariana Lothar

 

[Aelita]

Aelita shook her head – as if shuddering.

“Sure whiskey would taste better than that,” Aelita said after Odessa accused her of drinking in this situation.

Looking to Lothar, Aelita channeled her magic and swung her staff.

“Prism!” she screamed as yellow light shined behind Lothar. The subject in question would have initially seen a glow on the ground and creatures before him.

Those looking toward Lothar, or even Lothar himself, would have seen a half-dome of light hovering in the air. Gnawing on one side of the barrier was one of these chirping fire demons – blocked from getting an attack of opportunity on Lothar’s back.

And in return, giving Lothar time to do something.

Moving on, Aelita looked toward Leander. Swung her staff once more. And another golden aegis materialized as creatures attempted to flank him from the opposite side of his wind scythe.

The shields never lasted long – just enough to stop a flanking charge as Aelita bounced back and forth to support Leander and Lothar. Should Odessa enter the fray, she would do the same.

This would also help act as a stop-gap until Palaniuk could create his own fire resistant shields.

During all this, Aelita would keep herself in the rear. Her breath remained labored and heavy – and sweat was beginning to pour down her face.

 

[Mariana]

Mariana continued to draw and throw her satchels full of water at the beasts.

Pop. Pop. POP!

They grunted and stumbled as the water hit their burning skin then turned to chalked powder. One went down blind, crashing into one of the empty stores to their right, setting the building into a fiery blaze. All the while, she tried not to get distracted by all the other cool magic going on around her.

Light prisms. Swords and lots of GUTS. She would surely paint the best mural after all this. if she made it.

 

[Lothar]

Lothar fought with an intensity brought on only by a sense of shirking survival. The beasts seemed almost endless in their number, when one was cut down, another seemed to spring up almost in an instant.

He could feel his eye begin to strain painfully, blood vessels beginning to burst as he did his best to continue to track how the creatures muscles and flesh shifted. Fingers tightened around his sword, now slick with blood. The blade cut through another of the beasts chests, pulling free and sending it toppling down.

Another of the creatures came barrelling forward.

There wasn't enough time to move, not enough time to strike or-

It crashed against Aelita's shield, barrelling through the prism of light and shattering it into a thousand pieces. The thing seemed to startle back, confused at its own sudden stop.

Lothar took the opportunity and jumped forward. Throwing himself to the ground and beneath the monstrous bovine. His blade sweeping upward and cutting through the monsters sternum, slicing directly into the beasts heart and sending it falling to the side.