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Post by Omni on Dec 18, 2014 13:38:27 GMT -5
Soon the kelpie turned into what appeared to be its true form; a horse made entirely out of water. It seemed to be part of the lake, as it bubbled with the kelpie's rage. Sieg disrupted a funnel of water that was coming right toward the Stallion knight, and the half-dwarf soon found himself soaked. As he backed out of the kelpie's range, Orrin was starting to wish he'd brought the salt lick with him after all. Then he could just pitch it into the lake and cut off the kelpie's power supply. He supposed he had his salt pouch. Still, it was small, and the pouch was water-resistant. But if it was his best shot... Taking a chance, he untied the pouch, opened the top, swung it by the strings and flung it toward the lake. However, the pouch was quickly spotted by the kelpie, which slapped it away with another tendril. The salt pouch seemed to disrupt the portion of the tendril that hit it, but it didn't come near Orrin's true target. The half-dwarf cursed under his breath. With the salt gone he had one less thing to defend himself with. He didn't think his voulge would be effective against such massive spouts, nor that his crossbow would harm something made of water. ...Except it wasn't entirely made of water. It's form was starting to look more gelatinous than liquid. A thought came to Orrin. It seemed it had to be solid to walk on the land. He wasn't entirely sure if that was the case, but either way... "Draw it away from the water!" the half-dwarf shouted to Sieg. "Get it too far from the lake!" The Stallion knight then looked back at the kelpie, shouting a taunt at it again. "What are ya afraid of, ya overgrown faucet!" Orrin tries tossing his salt pouch into the lake, but the kelpie knocks it away. He notices the kelpie seems to make itself solid to be able to walk further from the lake, and calls to Sieg to draw it away from the water and cut it from it's power source.
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Post by Shinko on Dec 19, 2014 21:56:30 GMT -5
Sieg realized Orrin was right, but he wasn't sure how to act on the half-dwarf's advice. The kelpie didn't seem to want to leave the lake bed, and kept pulling water along with it as it moved further up the shore. Orrin's idea to throw the salt had been a good one, but unfortunately now that salt was sitting in a useless clump in the grass. Thinking of the salt made Sieg think of the woocifixes they'd both gotten in Destrier. He remembered how Stephen had told them to bless water they only had to dip the woocifix in it and say a certain prayer... the half-elf really wished now they'd done as Orrin originally suggested and learned that prayer, though he still wasn't certain it would work for two knights who weren't ordained by the Woo, or if it would be possible to bless an entire like even if they were. To his surprise, however, the kelpie finally seemed to decide to come after them. With a trumpeting neigh, it charged out of the lake towards the two knights, it's form solidifying into a corporeal horse once more as it's hooves left the water. Sieg pulled on Freya's reigns, guiding her out of the path of the charging kelpie so that it ran past them. "It's out, this is our best shot!" Sieg called to Orrin. Before he could say anything else, however, he felt something thin and cold slice his cheek and hissed in pain. What the- Then he saw it. Though the kelpie was out of range to control the lake water, the ground all around the lake was swampy and moist. It was pulling water out of the ground below them- not a lot, but enough to make tiny needles of moisture, which it was flinging at the two knights. "It's going to take more than mosquito bites to stop us!" Sieg snapped at the kelpie, kicking Freya towards it. The monster bared it's teeth, swinging around and flailing with it's rear hooves, but quick as a cat the elven horse dodged around and Sieg brought his sword down hard at the kelpie's neck. It hit, and the monster horse screeched in pain as the blade bit into it's flesh- not deep enough to be fatal, but certainly enough to hurt. Sieg yanked his sword, trying to pull it out of the kelpie to dart away for another blow, but it wouldn't come out. He yanked again, but it was stuck fast in the kelpie's back. Glancing down, he realized that the bloody flesh of the keplie seemed to be melting around the blade, creating a gummed up trap of gelatinous skin that was holding tight to Sieg's sword. Turning towards the knight with hate in it's eyes, the kelpie whirled, yanking Sieg's sword out of his hands. Before Freya could pull him away, the kelpie bit down hard on Sieg's arm, and despite his armor and gambeson he clenched his teeth in pain from the pressure of that bite. The kelpie finally charges out of the water, attacking the knights with the limited moisture it can get out of the ground and it's own hooves and teeth. Sieg tries to hack off it's head, but he kelpie reveals another trick in it's arsenal- it's ability to manipulate it's own form and turn into water is limited so far from the lake, but it can still ooze it's body enough to basically make weapons that hit it stick, stuck between tight traps of flesh. It bites Sieg- and now the ball is in Orrin's court.
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Post by Omni on Dec 20, 2014 18:22:52 GMT -5
As the kelpie charged, Orrin two rode out of the way. He largely ignored the water needles, trying to think of how to approach the creature. He hadn't been thinking for long when Sieg stabbed at the kelpie's neck, and it bit him in return. Hard.Immediately, the half-dwarf decided to close the distance and make a strike at the kelpie. Holding his voulge, he swung to hack at the kelpie, aiming to sever its hamstrings - if it had any. The kelpie screamed in pain, its horselike screech mixed with the sound of crashing waves, and it reflexively let go of the half-elf. It flailed briefly and quickly bolted, the injured leg apparently not slowing it down. As Orrin still hand a firm grip on his voulge the sudden strain pulled at his upper-right shoulder, and a heard a loud "POP!" Orrin clenched his teeth reflexively, eyes wide with pain as the voulge slipped from his grip. Once the kelpie had cleared some distance, it's form rippled and the voulge dropped to the ground. It set its sights back on the knights, snorting, stamping, and drawing more water out of the ground. "K-keep it distracted for a bit!" Orrin called. He tried to get Freddie moving so he would be a difficult target as he reached his good upper-hand into his saddlebags. Orrin attacks the kelpie. It lets go of Sieg, but also bolts a short distance. Orrin's voulge is stuck in its flesh, and as it runs, the strain is too much for one of his shoulders. It gets ready to attack again, and Orrin tells Sieg to distract it as he tries to fish something out of his saddlebag.
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Post by Shinko on Dec 20, 2014 19:53:00 GMT -5
Freya immediately flung herself away from the kelpie once Sieg's arm was freed, but as she spun herself to bring him around again, the half-elf saw Orrin's shoulder wrench from it's socket and heard a sickening pop as it was dislodged. The unmasked pain on Orrin's face left no doubt as to what had happened, and Sieg barked an order to his horse in Elvish. She darted forwards, and as the kelpie danced away with Orrin's voulge and Sieg's sword the mare interposed herself between the half-dwarf and the monster, snorting and pawing at the muddy earth. "K-keep it distracted for a bit!" Orrin called, his voice tight with pain. Sieg glanced around and saw that Orrin was trying to fish something out of Freddie's saddle-bags. "On it!" he said. " Freya, get him!" The mare tossed her head, giving voice to a challenging neigh, and then charged towards the kelpie. Here was where the difference between a common saddle horse and a trained warhorse made all the difference in the world for a knight. For most horses, their instinct was to run from danger, often taking a hapless rider along with them. But a warhorse was as good on its own as a full squadron of knights, because it was a dozen times stronger than a person and would attack with all the ferocity of an angry wolf. After seeing the way the kelpie had stolen his sword and Orrin's voulge the half-elf didn't dare try to use his mace or dagger against the monster- but with Freya's help he hopefully wouldn't need to. The kelpie saw them coming, and sent a thin lasso of water at them, but Sieg yanked out his dagger and sliced it away. Before it could reform, Freya bowled into the kelpie, barging it from the side and making it stumble. She was off again before it could try and trap her, circling and kicking in a way that would have terrified anyone who knew anything about horses. Sieg held tight to her saddle horn as she neared the kelpie again, flailing at it with her front hooves. It instinctively rose to meet her, and though it was bigger than the elven horse she was faster. As the two of them started to settle onto all fours again, Freya lashed out with her teeth and, quick as a snake, clamped down hard on the kelpie's ear. It squealed in pain as she yanked it's head back, kicking her with one of it's front hooves so that she was forced to let go and dart away again- though not before she lashed out with her back hooves, kicking it right where Sieg's sword was still lodged and making it screech. The kelpie seemed to decide that it's current prey wasn't worth the trouble. Shrugging Sieg's sword out of it's neck, it darted back towards Lake Moran. Seeing what it was up to, Sieg cried out, " Cut him off girl, cut him off!" With every ounce of the speed that elvenbred horses were renowned for, Freya sprinted towards the lake to do just that. Sieg shoved his fingers into the pouch of salt he had at his belt, and as Freya darted in the kelpie's path he flung a fistful of the stuff directly at it's face. The kelpie screamed in pain, recoiling from the knight and pawing at it's face and eyes. "Sieg!" Orrin shouted, catching the half-elf's attention. He glanced around and saw Freddie dart past him, Orrin bellowing, "Catch!" as he tossed something in Sieg's direction. The Nid'aigle knight instinctively reached out the free hand that wasn't holding his dagger to recieve whatever it was, and found a thin length of three chords tied together at one end, and weighed down by three balls at the other landing in his arms. Orrin's bolas- but why? A second later he saw Orrin pulling out his crossbow- a bolt already loaded- and he understood. Though he wasn't entirely familiar with the use of the bolas, he knew the basic principle and he also knew that Orrin couldn't throw them and aim and fire his crossbow at the same time. Even if he normally would have been able to, the arm that was dangling uselessly at his side precluded him doing so now. He only hoped that his notorious inability to use projectile weapons didn't rear it's head now. He lifted the bolas above his head as the kelpie seemed to regain control of itself. It glared at him with undisguised loathing, and gathering as much water as it could muster, it charged towards him. " Come on, hit the mark..." he muttered in Elvish. Sieg swung the bolas once around his head to give them some momentum, and then let them fly- at the same moment the kelpie shot whatever it had been forming the water into at Sieg. The half-elf felt a surge of joy as the bolas hit the kelpie's legs, and it went down- and then a surge of panic as the water hit him full in the face, creating a mask over his nose and mouth and trying once again to drown him. He tried to pry the water off, but his fingers slid right through it even as it slid into his airway. Short control of Orrin taken with Omni's permission. Sieg does his best to do as Orrin asked and distract the kelpie, taking advantage of Freya's extensive training as a warhorse and general bad attitude to have her attack the monster so Sieg doesn't lose any more of his weapons. The kelpie decides that this prey is too much trouble to be worth it and tries to bolt back for the lake, but Freya's superior speed allows Sieg to outrun the kelpie and cut it off with some salt. Orrin tosses Sieg his bolas and readies his crossbow. The kelpie makes one final desperate charge at Sieg to drown him so that it can escape to the lake, while Sieg throws the bolas and trips it.
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Post by Omni on Dec 22, 2014 16:46:25 GMT -5
The half-dwarf knew that time was of the essence with this plan. So he made sure his crossbow was already loaded before tossing his bolas to Sieg. Unfortunately, the arm that was injured was his best arm, which would make handling the crossbow more difficult. Thankfully, the kelpie fell to the ground as the bolas tripped it up, meaning he wouldn't have to worry so much about holding his weapon high. Unfortunately, it also had a hold of Sieg, and was attempting to drown him again. While Orrin knew that he couldn't delay, he also knew that he couldn't be hasty. He had to make this shot count... He might not be able to afford the time to load another bolt. He trained his crossbow on the kelpie's forehead, taking a split-second to check his aim before squeezing the trigger. The bolt punctured the kelpie's skull - or whatever it had in place of one - and it instantly lost control of the water around it. The creature slumped over, hit the ground, and slowly began to lose its form, more water pooling on the ground as if it was melting before their eyes. The Stallion knight let out a sigh of relief, beginning to breathe deeply as he tried to calm himself down. He was reasonably sure it was dead, or at least crippled enough that it couldn't hurt anyone for awhile. Now he could turn his attention to other things, and the first thing he did was ride over to his fellow knight, who was presently coughing up water. "Are ya okay?" he asked, reaching for the half-elf's shoulder. Orrin shoots the kelpie in the head and it starts to melt. Orrin then goes to check on Sieg.
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Post by Shinko on Dec 23, 2014 0:41:14 GMT -5
Sieg coughed and gagged, the fluid pouring out of his nose and mouth hurting so much he might have believed it was acid rather than just water. "I... I think I'll live," he rasped when finally he could breath again. Another fit of coughing came over him, and he spat more of the water. "If it had just been covering my face I would have been alright, I can hold my breath underwater for a pretty long time, but it was shoving water into my lungs, it was horrible." He pulled one of his kerchiefs out, and while it was a little damp from all the splashing he'd endured at least it was still sufficient for him to wipe his face with. The half-elf glanced at Orrin with concern. "What about you? That arm looks dislocated at the very least. Are we really sure the kelpie's out of commission and not just playing dead to make us leave?" Sieg glanced over to the dissolving shape of the kelpie, which had melted away enough that his sword fell free. Somewhat to his irritation, he saw that the blade had not endured it's misadventure well, and at some point during the battle had acquired a long crack along part of it's length. Possibly when Freya kicked the kelpie where the sword was burried in it's neck. He'd probably have to have it replaced, a crack that nasty would be difficult to repair without losing the strength and integrity of the blade. Better the sword than mine or Orrin's lives, he thought. He would definitely have to double-check to ensure the wretched water horse was really dead, but first Sieg wanted to be sure Orrin wasn't hurt worse than he thought. Sieg is fine, if half-drowned, and asks how Orrin is, noting his shoulder looks to be in bad shape. Sieg also realizes his sword took some damage during the fight that probably can't be fixed, which means he'll have to have it replaced next time they come across a smith who can forge swords.
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Post by Omni on Dec 23, 2014 16:35:25 GMT -5
When Sieg began to speak again, the half-dwarf gave him a firm pat on the pack, careful to avoid his spinal area. It was partly to try and help the water out, but largely for comfort - for both of them. "What about you?" the half-elf asked. "That arm looks dislocated at the very least. Are we really sure the kelpie's out of commission and not just playing dead to make us leave?""Oh... Just a minute." Orrin turned his attention to his injured arm. It didn't seem broken, but Sieg was definitely right about the dislocation. He wasn't exactly looking forward to working on himself... but considering the circumstances, he couldn't really be picky. Using his three other hands, he took the injured arm, trying to get a feel for what he needed to know despite the pain. Bracing himself, he guided the arm back into its shoulder, hearing a "Pop!" as the bone slipped back into place. Orrin clenched his teeth for a moment as he gently let the injured arm go. He would have to tie it up back at the cart. For now, there was the matter of Sieg's other question. "Try saltin' it," he said, gesturing with a left arm. "That should keep it from comin' back." Orrin resets his dislocated shoulder, then suggests Sieg apply salt to the remains of the kelpie to make sure it's dead.
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Post by Shinko on Dec 24, 2014 8:41:30 GMT -5
Sieg winced in sympathy as Orrin set his own arm. He'd done it a lot more smoothly than the half-elf could- he really was good at that business of treating bone injuries. But it was obvious that it had still hurt a lot, and they were a pretty good ways out into the middle of nowhere. It was unlikely they'd find anyone with painkillers in the immediate area. "A good plan," Sieg said, nudging Freya over to the puddle of gelatinous water that was all that remained of the kelpie. He hoped they could actually convince people it was dead- this was the second time that a foe had been defeated leaving little or no physical evidence behind. Dismissing the thought, Sieg reached into the pouch of salt at his belt- it was running a little low at this point- and began sprinkling it liberally over the puddle. The water seemed to steam a little where the salt touched it, but other than that there was no visible reaction. Sieg sighed with relief. "I think we're good," he called to Orrin. A slight twinge of pain in his arm reminded him that he too had an injury to check. he glanced at the metal bracer on his forearm, one of the few pieces of metal he wore with his leather armor There were very slight indentations in it from the kelpie's teeth. He pulled off his glove and the bracer, then pulled up the sleeve of the gambeson. There was a bruise- not as bad a one as there would have been if the kelpie hadn't been forced to bite through metal and thick padded cloth, but enough to hurt and be annoying. Dismissing it, since it was hardly an injury worth crying about, he dismounted from Freya's saddle and picked up Orrin's boalas, tossing them over Freya's rum, then he retrieved his damaged sword. "Going to have to replace this," he remarked critically. Wiping it off with the kerchief still in his hand, he sheathed it, then glanced around until he spotted Orrin's voulge on the ground a short ways off. It was in much better shape, and he picked it up and glanced around at his friend. "Want me to hang on to this until we get back to the cart? Less for you to try and manage with that arm." He looked up at the sky and added, "If we can, I think we should try to find a village or town nearby. This is pretty remote but if the kelpie was killing enough people for rumors to spread there has to be some sort of civilization out here. And we could both use some rest." He laughed suddenly, adding, "You know, I'm actually a little relieved. This was a lot more straightforward than the mess in Haflinger. And now we're up two victories- not bad for having been at this about... what's it been, three weeks or so?" Sieg salts the kelpie and picks up the dropped weapons, then suggests they look for a village to rest in for a while.
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Post by Omni on Dec 30, 2014 19:54:46 GMT -5
"Want me to hang on to this until we get back to the cart?" Sieg said, holding Orrin's voulge. "Less for you to try and manage with that arm."The half-dwarf took a second to consider how well he could handle the voulge while trying to keep his injured arm still. "Eh... sure. Might be better." Sieg then said something about finding a village and getting some rest, mentioning having achieved two victories in about three weeks. "Sounds about right," Orrin replied. "Haven't been keepin' good track, myself... And findin' a place to stay sounds alright to me. Just please don't ask me to climb anythin' to find it." He involuntarily gave a small shiver. "Might wanna change into some dry clothes, too." Orrin agrees to looking for a place to stay, and suggests changing into something drier.
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Post by Shinko on Dec 30, 2014 21:48:28 GMT -5
((Collabed with Omni)) It took a bit of searching, but the two knights did eventually find a small village a few miles away from Lake Moran. It was a tiny place- too small to even have it’s own inn, since such a thing wouldn’t be profitable in a remote village- but when they explained who they were, and that they’d killed the kelpie that was terrorizing the lake, one of the local shepherds graciously offered to let the knights stay in his barn. While Sieg helped Orrin to change out of his wet clothes- it was difficult enough for the four armed man to manage shirts without an arm in a sling- villagers occasionally poked their heads into the barn with offerings for the knights. A loaf of bread here, a wedge of cheese there, small things but nonetheless tremendously appreciated by the weary knights. As the sun was setting, one boy in particular, who couldn’t have been older than twelve, offered them a small, crudely whittled wooden horse - something Orrin graciously accepted, complimenting the boy’s work. Sieg was surprised but moved by the gratitude from the villagers, and in spite of the lingering chill in his damp hair and the bruises on his arm, he felt rather proud of what they’d accomplished. They moved on from the village shortly, heading back south along the route they’d taken north. It was a little faster going, since they had a better idea of where they needed to go. They were only about a day’s ride from reaching Haflinger again, when a familiar noise came over their camp in the night. “Non, non, se il vous plaît! Papa, reviens, ne faites pas cela, vous ne pouvez pas! Il va vous tuer, se il vous plaît, vous ne pouvez pas!” Sieg thrashed in his bedroll, his voice thick and high with distress- he was having a nightmare yet again. The sound roused Orrin from his slumber, and he blinked with tiredness shortly before realizing what was happening, again. Shortly thereafter, he pulled himself out of his own sleeping bag - wincing a bit as his shoulder was jostled - and made his way over to his fellow knight. He bent down, reaching with one of his good arms, and gently shook the half-elf. “Sieg,” he called softly. “Wake up.” The half-elf winced at Orrin’s touch, moaning and whimpering a little, and his eyes fluttered open. His gaze was confused, and he looked up at the half-dwarf, muttering, “Qu'est-ce... Ce est chaud, chaud de tout, où…” “Yer safe, Sieg,” Orrin tried to reassure him. “There’s nothin’ here that’ll hurt ya. Yer in the mountains in Bern.” “Bern?” Sieg repeated, taking a few extra seconds to process the Kythian words. “I don’t, I…” Then it hit him all over again, and he buried his face in his hands, cursing in Elvish. “I hate this, I hate this, Woo above I hate this, why do I keep having to see this, just leave me be!” “Hey, easy…” Orrin said, putting a hand on Sieg’s shoulder. “And I don’t wanna leave ya to this alone.” “N-not you,” Sieg said, his voice hoarse. “This… ‘Pit cursed memory that haunts my sleep. It’s been thirteen years, I just want to go on with my life, but I can’t and nothing stops it. Am I… Am I just weak? Pathetic? Is that why I can’t move past this? I hate being like this, I,” he choked on a sob. “I hate hearing him scream, w-watching him die…” “Nah, I don’t think that’s it,” Orrin replied. “Somethin’ like that would be hard on anyone.” The half-elf clenched his teeth so hard that it hurt. “I… I just…” An involuntary whimper emerged from the back of his throat, and he couldn’t get another coherent word out. He clenched himself into a ball, trying to force it back like he always did, but… “Com’ere…” Orrin invited, gently trying to lift his fellow knight and pull him closer. Startled, Sieg didn’t resist the pull, letting Orrin draw him closer. “I’m s-sorry,” he hiccuped. “Nah, it’s okay,” the half-dwarf said, holding Sieg close with his good arms. “Right now, ya don’t have to be strong.” Orrin had said that once before, on the ride north- Sieg swallowed hard, torn between years of forcing himself to deal with the nightmares and their aftermath on his own and the desire to take the refuge that the half-dwarf was offering. His hesitation lingered for a full minute- then something in him cracked, and he went limp, sobbing into the half-dwarf’s uninjured shoulder. Orrin made no attempt to stop the half-elf, though his first instinct was to try to calm him. Instead, he pulled Sieg closer still, giving him a light squeeze. If Sieg had indeed been plagued by these nightmares for thirteen years… He knew it wouldn’t be enough, and he wished he could do more, but he thought it might be good to let the half-elf have this release. He allowed himself to share a bit of his friend’s pain, and also thought back to his own knight-master. He found himself leaning into Sieg a bit, his own eyes beginning to water. He figured they might be there some time, but he would give the half-elf as much time as he needed. Sieg and Orrin are greeted very warmly by the locals of the Lake Moran area, and after resting they make their way back south. On the road, Sieg is hit with another nightmare, and with this one he finally breaks down, overwhelmed by frustration and helplessness in the face of his grief and trauma. Orrin lets Sieg cry onto his shoulder, and for the first time Sieg actually trusts someone else enough to lean on them for support. There's still a long way to go, but the first steps are finally being made...
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