A poor defenseless ithecal is attacked by a couple haggen-fohl in the wilderness! (also in the right forum)
With the escalation of hostilities between Etzos and Rhakros, a series of small walled towns is being established as a network of early warnings and defenses against Rhakros' reprisals. Only the very bravest and most formidable of characters should risk themselves on the Witches' Wilds frontier.
It was with an uncomfortable dread that Atashi set off into that cold ZI'da morning.He'd left behind the city of westguard and was now headed for the city of Etzos. The air was bitterly cold beyond the walls and formed thick, white clouds that trailed off out of sight with each exhale of his deep lungs. A thick blanket of old ice and snow lay over the land he walked onward, and indeed he walked. If it hadn't been for his impressive stature, he might have had to put a little more effort into his stride. It was journeys like this one that had him contemplate whether or not his height was a blessing or a curse. On one claw, traversing difficult terrain was easier more often than not, on the other, he had to sleep in the stable with horses and livestock if anyone at all let him.
And going off what he'd already seen of the Etzori Hospitality, it didn't seem that many would take kindly to him or any other Outlander. So, what had drawn an Ithecal out to the middle of central Idalos in the middle of the cold cycle? It was the disdain for immortals that all Etzori seemed to share. Despite the kindness of the people in Rynmere, he found their worship of false gods uncomfortable and had to leave before long, leaving his anvil and black hand's cloak behind. Here, he would find no kindness but would at least be surrounded by like-minded people. And sure enough, with time, the people would come to see his skill in the forge and accept him as their superior. And not long after, he'll join their military And all the plainskins will behold his might... Or so the proud ithecal thought to himself as he entered a forest, void of leaves.
Atashi stood tall enough to have to duck under a few low-hanging branches here and there; another fault in his stature for the tally. He was clad in black leathers and well crafted chain mail. His feet, more akin to talons, were wrapped in thick leather and cotton just past the start of his claws, so that he could grip the ground easier on the ice. On his back, he carried a massive shield of impressive quality, easily as big as some human's doors, if not bigger. The main body of the shield appeared to be made of brass but was deceptively far stronger and bared a single green gem-like decoration at it's core. The body was designed with enough grooves and ridges to damage or dull any blade that struck it as well as break the momentum of the attacker; or so the smith that crafted it had boasted. Beneath his shield was his bag, filled with all his belongings and supplies for the road ahead. At his hip, his trusty hammer swayed with each step; a standard quality lump of metal attached to a pole, fit to be wielded with a single hand by the ithecal.
His green, slitted eyes peer from beneath his wool-lined hood, watching the wilderness for any signs of movement that might relay an ambush, or a hungry wild animal.
Last edited by Atashi on Tue Jan 22, 2019 8:33 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 549
With the cool, crisp morning air stinging the nose, it would be easier to pick up on harsher scents, especially that of a campfire struggling to stay alight. Nestled some ways into the forest was a rather beat up looking wagon with a tent set near it, the sturdy horse tethered to a tree close by. If one were to approach more closely, they'd see a long stick being manipulated from the opening of the tent to prod and stir the fire in hopes of keeping it alive. A silly sight, perhaps, but given the frost of morning it could be rather reasonably difficult for one to leave the comfortable warmth of their bedroll.
Thaddeus hated the colder seasons no matter where he ended up. Bundled up under a few layers of heavy leathers lined with fur and a heavy winter cloak. Still, the pale Ithecal refused to go into any city or town unless desperate, finding any form of company within more uncomfortable than the chill outside. Carefully reaching over he drop another snapped branch onto the pile, trying to warm himself before going on the hunt for whatever he may find this trial. Akin to an annoyed feline his tail twitch and flick against sides of the tent slightly behind him. Tugging his cloak tighter to his form all but enveloping his features in fur before pulling the blanket he kept atop that. In his mind he play over and over again the last direction he'd been given, to head east from Westguard and cross the river to Etzos. In truth, he could barely remember why he was headed there anymore beyond it simply being the last path he had been on. The prospect of a slightly warmer place to hold up during the cold season, however, was becoming gradually more appealing as well.
A pause, the near deafening silence of the snow laden landscape was far too loud in his ears, broken only by a distant sound-- footfalls? No, why would anyone be out in the woods on a day like.... right. Regardless, he poke his head from the tent to look, tugging the hood of his cloak up so that only his maw could be seen-- if even, against the equally white landscape.
Only, it wasn't the sound of stepping feet that the Ithecal might have been accustomed to, no. There were a few other pairs of 'footfalls' that accompanied the first pair. It was the sound of massive blades cutting through snow in quick succession, chipping ice as they went. All of a sudden, the Ithecal's horse broke out into an uproar of panic as it too came to realize what was dawning on them. While Thaddeus might not have seen anything at the first glance beyond the walls of his tent, he would soon see rise of an enormous insectile limb rising over a nearby slope, followed by a few more limbs and finally, the complete body of an enormous spider; a monster from the plains to the west.
The horse immediately rears, pulling hard on the rope that bound it to the tree as it whinnys in sheer terror. The beast had been drawn by the scent of burning, beyond obvious in the frozen morning of that Zi'da day. The beast was slow, clumsy. it's enormous size made it difficult to navigate the trees of the etzori woodland; he had a chance.
Not far off, Atashi stops at the sound of those same footfalls and draws his shield and hammer in a heartbeat, searching the frozen slopes for the source. His nostrils flare as he takes in the nearby scents, happening upon the smell of burning wood. A nearby camp? A forest fire was unlikely given how damp everything would be in these conditions. He holds for a moment or two longer, almost completely still as he listens and smells. His nerves betraying him, his claws idly tap the ice, ready to break into a sprint at the first sign of danger. His clawed hand grips the handle of his tower shield tight while he waits.
Thaddeus all but flung himself from the tent when the horse began to panic, knocking the poles with his head and half collapsing it. He had not even a moment to curse as his deep blue eyes set upon the nightmare approaching. Flinging the blanket over the back of the wagon he rush to the horse, kicking up snow over the fire in the process. Tugging the slipknot free as he try to calm the beast, constantly glancing over his shoulder. How long did he have... He pull the beast toward the cart, haphazardly attaching the straps to pull and likely using a bit more muscle than he should to try keeping him under control. His eyes dart to the monster as he fidget with straps, cursing under his breath before finally getting them fastened. He did not hesitate as he grab the lead, jerking the horse's head to rush away from the arachnid. Wouldn't it figure... of all things a giant spider would come after him on such a cold morning.
While he knew he'd have trouble keeping up with the horse if it bolted, he did his best to grip tight the lead, all he had to do was be faster than that... thing. If he was lucky, his tent and bedroll would be all that he would lose this morning. His eyes dart about the treeline, wary of every bank as he move away from camp. Was that creature alone? Was anyone else out here? He ignore the bitter sting of cold as best he could, he would mourn the loss of his makeshift home later, for now, all he wanted was to escape with his life. Perhaps such a lumbering beast would not give chase..?
The creature's shadow loomed just over the cart as he began running. He'd hear the thud of it's leg just behind him as he bolted, moving far faster than the giant arachnid. The creature, despite it's slow, clumsy form, followed after the Ithecal. This was likely the closest it had come to a meal in sometime and wasn't about to let its dinner escape. If Thaddeus looked over his shoulder, he'd see the beast weaving through the tree, brushing aside twigs and small branches as it moved through the lower canopy. Perhaps it wasn't strong enough to simply knock over the trees in its way? The sound of its twisting, shifting carapace close behind was perhaps the only sign to Thaddeus that it hadn't yet given up the chase.
The sound of a whinny a nearby rickety card being pulled with haste caught Atashi's attention as he hold there. He lowered his stance a little and lifted his shield enough to cover the important areas. His deep green eyes scan his surroundings still as he search for the source, slowly working through a list of possibilities in his head. Was that the sound of bandits rushing to circle him? Maybe someone was in trouble and their horse and cart had left them behind? Whatever it was, he couldn't hold still much longer, his tail was starting to freeze. The ithecal turned and began walking onward carefully, dragging his thick hided tail across the snow and ice while holding his shield at the ready.
Finally, he saw it. A rather large Thiussum female with a horse, running from... Some unseen assailant? His claws grip the ice hard before pulling his full weight forward in a charge. His thick tail rips up the ice and snow with its thick scales. There, at the corner of his eye, the Haggen-Fohl showed itself. At the speed it was moving, it could almost blend in with the trees, easily missed at high speeds. The female ahead of him seemed ill equipped for the fight, almost nomadic in the way they dressed themselves. They also looked to lack a weapon. Atashi bared his teeth and dug deep, moving his legs as fast as he could. "Hold!" he bellowed as he skidded to intercept the spider.
His claws dug into the ice and gripped hard while he raised his shield to the monster's frontal attack, catching it's pincers with the thick plate of steel and stopping its attempted bite. Curiously, the creature wasn't all that strong or heavy. Atashi could almost push back against it with his shield... Almost. He looked over his shoulder to glance at the other Ithecal, then at the beast's legs. They were made of three segments, between each was a softer, more flexible flesh. "Go for the legs!" he calls.
In that moment Thaddeus had two, very brief realizations; the first, that there was another Ithecal-- and by the size, another Thissum, bigger than himself. Second; this one was potentially unstable, off in the head, or generally just plain crazy. Rather than seeing this monster and running for safety-- this fancy barn-door toting Ithecal ran TOWARD the beast! Further-- he wanted to fight it! Knowing full well the weight of the cart would keep his horse from rushing too far off he reluctantly let go the lead, turning on his heel to join the other. It would be one thing had it been any other who had rushed to the 'rescue', but no, it was one of his own kind. Quite frankly, he'd be damned if he let himself owe his life to someone with half a brain.
His claws dug deep as he lower his body more, withdrawing from his belt a simple dagger that- even at a glance, one could tell was rarely if ever used. He could only faintly beg forgiveness for what he was about to do before he was alongside the other-- rather, rushing to strike the beasts exposed joints. His slash was sloppy, hasty, barely aimed proper, likely from the rush of adrenaline and realization that he was, in fact, running face first at a giant spider-- to attack it. He would have time to regret that later, for now he was aiming to take the things leg off if he could, slashing across the lowest exposed joint-- not a perfect hit, but he intended to make it bleed for coming after him.
His eye dart to the side, keeping sure that his 'savior' was keeping the beast's attention, knowing full well the moment it felt the sting of metal it'd turn on him next. His claws crack into the ground as he kick off again, turning sharply to put a tree between himself and the beasts fangs, and in doing so, slung the full weight of his tail right for where he'd struck the leg. Weaving between the trees to strike at its legs seemed a sound strategy in his mind-- as long as the other Thissum kept a mind to lure its attention or strike in turn when the creature change its target.
While he held his shield overhead, doing his best to annoy the monster, he hadn't anticipated that the female he was protecting might end up just leaving him to fight it alone. If she'd been a member of any other species, he'd have expected it. Thankfully, he found that he could always rely on the stubborn pride of his own species as the white-scaled female rushed to join the fray to his relief.
Above him, the beast hissed and gnawed at his shield, the movement of it's fuzzy fangs and chitin mandibles doing their best to wrestle the plate shield from his grip. His whole body tensed as he held the position, engaging his back and leg muscles to support his upward fight. If not for his stature, this might have been an impossible feat with how much room the beast would have to lean it's weight into him. But, being the tall, proud Ithecal he was, he stood a fighting chance. His tail thrashed against the ground behind him, setting as a counterweight, which too helped him keep his shield propped against the monster's jaws.
He managed a glance at the white-scaled ithecal, only to see them struggling with a pocket knife to slash through the creature's chitin joints. And while she did make some progress with repeated slashes, it wasn't enough. Atashi would be long finished before they cut through even one leg. He'd have asked her to use her jaws like any other member of her species, but she might have been a reformed, lady-like lizard. To ask her to user her mouth on such a ghastly foe would have been indecent. In mild panic and desperation, the Ithecal dropped his hammer with a hefty thud and devoted all his strength to keeping the creature busy. Just when he was running out of ideas, the other Thiussum managed to draw a shriek of pain from the monstrosity, as well as it's attention. "Watch out!" Atashi bellowed as the creature's heavy maw lifts from his shield and turns its attention to the other ithecal.
The beast, wounded and enraged limps on its weakened, half-sawn leg as it turns, baring it's fangs at the one who had inflicted such harm. It surges forward just as Atashi brings the bottom edge of his shield, which drew into a point toward the center, down on the arachnid's leg joint with both hands. The raw weight of his door-like shield, coupled with his strength was enough to sever the limb with a tear and smash against the ground roughly with the remaining force. The beast shrieked, reeled and toppled, temporarily out of balance with it's missing appendage. It's head was within reach.
"The eyes! Go for the eyes!" Atashi orders as he brings the blade-like edge of his shield down on another limb, severing another. The monster writhed, pressing into its parallel appendages in an effort to turn back toward Atashi.
A shield for a weapon. That had to be a first in Thaddeus' book. So many legs-- and this sonofa-- well, this man had managed to do more damage with something made to defend than he had with an actual blade. He'd feel sheepish if his life weren't on the line. For an aspiring warrior, he really had grown too soft beyond the confines of his tribe, it seemed. Perhaps this Ithecal could help him be a little less useless. His attention snap to the brawler when another command was barked out. Eyes?
Oh yes, by all means, send the one with next to no armor or a shield at the things face, you know, where its giant sharp fangs are. Never the less, he bolt from behind the cover of trees the moment the beast was brought low. Kicking off the ground enough to bring more of his weight down behind the dagger-- be it an eye or somewhere on it's head, the blade was going in something. His eyes kept jolting to the beasts fangs, a touch too close for comfort. Feeling the blade break through whatever was in its path he gave it a rough twist, snatching it edge-wise as to make a tear. His only desire was to get as far back away from the pointy bits as possible.
Of course Ithecal had to be a proud race, never to be outdone by one of their own and seen as cowardly for backing down in the face of danger. Sure, do-or-die had to be all but ingrained in their blood with stubbornness enough to make an ass seem like a submissive mewling cat. Why should life be easy for men who look like beasts? It was moments like this-- so very far and few between-- that he miss hunting simpler game, or simply wished he'd have swallowed that damn pride and gotten a room for the night instead....
The monster, even with all those eyes, was completely focused on trying to stand, to stop the Ithecal from severing the last of its legs. A basic, animal instinct: self preservation. If it somehow kept at least two of its legs on one side of its body, it could learn to walk all over again, live another day. If it lost the last two legs on the other side of its body, however, that would be the end for it. With this basic, primal, hard-wired instinct ruling its actions now, the white ithecal faded into the recess of its mind. All that mattered now was stopping the green one. So, when Thaddeus brought his knife down on its head, he cut through a good few eyes, almost completely blinding it on one side.
The monster shrieked and thrashed its head, stopping in its effort to turn just long enough for the exhausted green ithecal to catch up and sever another limb. The heavy thud of his shield heralded the deed. Thaddeus managed to jump back just in time to avoid the certain death that would have followed a bite of those terrible sword-like fangs. Even now, with all hope for surviving gone, the monster continued its struggle. Even as its strength waned and its consciousness began to falter, it pressed into the snow and tried to dragon its body in a futile effort to escape.
Panting a little, Atashi lifted his shield overhead and thrust the point deep into the creature's carapace, coaxing another shrill shriek from the monster, which barely had the strength to move now. Wiping his brow, Atashi took a step back and lowered his hood and chain coif. His eyes scan the ground briefly before walking over to his hammer and taking it into one hand. He eyed the female carefully as he approached the creature's side and gripped his shield, then swung his hammer full pelt for the top of the shield and drove the spaded end deeper into its dying body like a giant stake. Three more strike later and his shield breaks through the underside of the arachnid. Finally, it stops moving and falls limp against the ground.
Atashi takes a step back and looks to the white ithecal before dropping his hammer with a hefty thud. Painted in bug guts and panting from the exhaustion of the fight, he walks over with his head held high until he's stood just a foot in front of the smaller ithecal male and takes his hand into both of his while he looks up into both of his deep blue eyes. There he asks "Are you unharmed, m'lady?".
Thaddeus was visibly shaking slightly, be it from fear or the rush-- or just shivering in the cold. Gripping the dagger tight enough to make his already white knuckles whiter. He flinch slightly as the other male drop his hammer for the... Second? Third time? One would think someone who carries such a weapon would stop simply... Tossing it about so. Feeling slightly larger hands clasped about his free claws he snap his eyes to the green male-- wait..... did he just.
Waking up freezing one's tail off, sure, rough morning. Having a giant spider monster chase you down for breakfast? Great, got some cardio in and a head start on a terrible trial. To be called a woman though?! Sure he knew his longer snout gave him a more... androgynous look at best, but he had the mark of a warrior plain as day over that rough maw! Though... perhaps not all tribes followed the same tradition. In this moment- coming down off a high of adrenaline and the cold air gradually seeping back in, standing with the blood and gore of an arachnid on his warmest clothes, with a stranger- of his own kind- trying to flirt with him. About now he had three thoughts; the first- that he wished he could've slept longer without all this nonsense. The second- that he could outright pelt this man, if it were not for the fact that he had saved his life. And the third-- where did the horse end up...
While the thought of retaining his usual mute nature was highly appealing to avoid such an awkward moment of mistaken identity, it would likely, in his mind, be more awkward to have to endure whatever strange pick-up lines this man could think of, or worse. Stepping back awkwardly trying to free his hand of the mistaken 'sutor's', his maw part, and from it his rough, bass voice follow, "I didn't get hit by anything, if that's what you mean." Disregarding any damage to his pride as a male.
