Fantasy RPG Forum - Standing Trials

16 Vhalar 716

The cool air brushed against what little skin she had exposed, mostly her face and neck. The tip of her nose was rose-colored, and she squinted at the brisk wind that blew. She was used to the Hotlands, and this cool weather did nothing to improve her spirits. At her side was her longsword, and across her back her bow. Her quiver jostled with every movement, and the sound of the wooden-shafted arrows clanking together soothed her. Each step brought her closer to her job, to excitement... To Death Nell.

Her cloak was drawn close over her black-and-red leather armor, but it did little to abate the chill in her bones. She hated the cold, and she knew that the sooner she killed the damn beasts, the sooner she'd be back in the tavern, warming herself with fire and whisky. She grimaced against the chill and marched on, clearing her mind of such intrusions.

The farmstead in question, owned by one Phillius Gribben, was a half-trial's walk from the city gates. She considered riding Brigid, her horse, but instead chose to keep the horse out of danger. If the wolves slipped by her, they could kill her horse, and she'd be severely upset by the loss of the animal. Not that she cared much about the horse itself. It was necessary to her. Sure, she felt something for it, but not enough to cry herself to sleep.

Her boots crunched over the dirt and stone as she drew to the door. The lantern in the window was lit, and she knew they were sitting to supper. She could smell seared meat, likely pork, and buttered potatoes. The thought made her mouth water, but she wasn't there to eat. She could do that later. With a gloved hand, she knocked hard on the door. She was sure she startled the older couple, because she heard clanging of tableware, as if they'd dropped it in their surprise. Wooden chair legs on wooden floors, and the door swung open.

Farmer Gribben and his wife stood, plainly dressed and haggard-looking. Phil, as he liked to be called by his friends, wore a few trials' stubble and deep purple bags under his eyes, and his wife Tessa looked no better. Her hair, usually lustrous honey blonde, was graying and frazzled. Nell, who looked radiant next to the two, frowned at them.

"Ya here fer the job?" Phil's voice, deep and heavy, sounded exhausted and defeated. Nell's curt nod was all he got, and he invited her in. As he heated a kettle for tea, Tessa told her about the issue in detail.

"It started in Saun... See, we've been raisin' sheep an' cattle for food an' milk, an' the wolves're drawn to'em. An' they come 'bout thrice a week. Slaughter an' eat 'em. Stupid wolves, thems for us to eat." Her voice cracked, and Nell frowned. She didn't say anything to comfort the woman, didn't say anything at all. Instead, she let Phil wrap his sinewy arm around her shoulder, a piece of fried pork hanging from his mouth.

"Look, all's we're needin' is them wolves dead. We don't care hows, just as long as they don't eat our sheeps. Been spendin' more nels tryin' ta keep them alive than they're worth." Farmer Gribben sat down, staring hard at Nell and her weaponry. He noticed the colors of her armor, but if he recognized them, he said nothing. Instead, he offered Nell a wooden plate with pork on it.

"Not hungry. Price is forty-five gold nels, agreed?" Her crystal blue eyes watched every movement of the farmer and his wife. They nodded eagerly, and Nell wasted no more time. She stood quickly, causing the two hosts to nearly topple over themselves in terror. "Show me the carnage."

Nell could smell the metallic scent of blood in the air before they ever reached the pens, so she knew that the damage was severe. She could hear bleating and moos, weak or dejected, she couldn't tell. When they opened the pens, the remaining animals were cowering in corners, afraid that whatever took their friends would come back for them. If Nell had anything to say about it, they'd never return. Their grim totems would be placed by the pens to remind other predators that this land is not safe, gory scarecrows nailed to trees.

And that was all it took. Nell was no longer the woman... She was the spirit of battle. Death Nell, they called her. Farmer Gribben and Tessa were speaking to her, but she was no longer listening. She crouched and approached the dark red splotch on the ground, still wet from the sheer amount of blood that was spilled. Little ribbons of torn flesh clung to the bloody mud, and she ran a finger over them and sniffed it. The scent of urine was mixed in as well, and she knew the wolves were marking their territory. That's why the cattle and sheep hunkered in a corner. They knew that this was no longer their home.

And so she looked around, searching for paw prints out. She was no tracker, but there seemed to be enough for her to follow. And without a word to the farmer or his wife, she was out into the growing light. She stayed crouched, following the paw prints the best she could.

The forest was a little less than half a trial's walk, and by the time she reached it, the suns were blazing. The canopy offered slight reprieve, but Nell didn't care. She didn't even notice the change. Instead, she was pure instinct. She sniffed the air, hoping to catch the scent of the wolves, trying to place the den. She walked slowly, deliberately, eyes peeled for any structure that could house the wolves.

After she searched for two more breaks, she found it. The dusk was coming on steadily, and she knew that the wolves were likely rousing themselves. But she knew in her heart that this was the den. She climbed a tree effortlessly, taking the bow off her back and nocking an arrow. And there she sat, watching as the wolves emerged from the den. One, two... Three... Four... And the alpha, a larger black wolf with bristling fur and a bloodstained snout. And the wolves knew she was there, she could tell. They paced around the trees, sniffing the air, trying to pinpoint Nell's location.

And the smile grew on her face, a hollow mask of teeth. She drew the arrow back, and let it fly. A yelp answered her smile, and the wolves below her dashed around, frantically searching for their assailant. The one she hit passed into her view again, and she could see the arrow embedded between its shoulder blades. Her smiled remained.

The wolf she hit grew sluggish, and eventually fell at the base of the tree she was standing. The others came around, sniffing and yelping. The alpha pushed through them and lapped at the shaft of the arrow, licking the blood from around it. As the one wolf expired, the others raised their heads and howled. The sound raised the flesh on Nell's arms, but she didn't feel the fear in her breast. And then, the alpha found her.

Yellow and blue eyes met, locking onto each other in a death stare. Nell couldn't tell who began to snarl first, but she and the alpha growled and snarled at each other. The other wolves were alerted, and joined their leader in growling and barking at Nell. She returned the intimidation with a scream of rage, her voice echoing off the trees. The wolves scattered below her, coming back seconds later to circle the base of her tree. The howled and growled and yelped, but she didn't move. They were intelligent creatures, they knew she couldn't remain up there... But they didn't seem to understand her advantage.

Another arrow found bowstring, and she drew back. The arrow whistled through the air and landed in the dirt with a soft thud. Nell clenched her jaw and drew another arrow. The wolves were alert now, and they moved erratically below her, making them difficult targets. Nell drew in a breath, holding it as she led the nearest wolf's movement. One. Two. Release. She exhaled and let the arrow fly, and it splintered in the wolf's eye socket, shattering into a million wooden daggers of misery. The wolf was down before it could register the pain, however.

Three.. Three more remained, one of which was the Alpha. Nell watched as he grabbed the recently fallen wolf by the scruff of the neck, dragging it away from Nell, likely because he expected the predator to eat the carcass. That brought another smile to Nell's face, though this was a sadistic mask. The predators became the prey. There was a sense of justice in that, one that Nell would reflect on when her emotional range grew past "murder" and "rage".

Another arrow slid from the quiver, and hugged the bowstring. The wolves were adapting below her, though. They heard the groan of the string as she pulled it back, and scattered around the tree. On instinct, she shot the arrow and it passed directly through one of the wolves' torso. The creature screamed and tumbled ass over head, crashing into a tree. It mewled and called for its alpha, but it was left. The pitiful sounds it made as it died were music to Death Nell's ears.

Two. The loss of another of its pack seemed to send the other wolf into a frenzy. It snapped at the tree that Nell was up, and growled ferociously. Had she been capable, Nell would have respected the fury the wolf felt. The alpha was still nowhere to be found, but the other wolf was nearly as ferocious as the both of them. She drew another arrow and tilted her head, watching as the wolf clambered to get up the tree. Could she respect it, she would have. Instead, she shot it in the throat, turning the growls into gurgling gasps of air.

One.

Below her, the forest was suddenly silent. The wolf below her drowned in its own blood, and lay still at the base of the tree. All that remained was the Alpha, but she knew that it was far too intelligent to come to her as the others had. It didn't become the leader of the pack by being rash. She slipped her bow over her back and found the same handholds she'd used to climb up the tree. Slowly, she lowered herself to the ground, looking around her to make sure she was not going to be ambushed.

As her soft leather boots landed on the ground, she could feel the eyes on her. Death Nell knew she was being hunted. She could feel the eyes of the Alpha following her as she struck out around the trees, longsword in hand and shield on the other. She had her knees bent, ready to move any way she had to in order to prevent being attacked from the side or behind. Her head swiveled on her neck as she looked for the wolf, and she walked like that. She did not feel the fear that was surely building inside her. Adrenaline was what she felt, and it was making her anxious. She wanted the wolf to attack. She was ready.

And that was why it wasn't attacking, she was sure. It was waiting for her to make a mistake, to let her guard down. She sighed slightly, assuming it could hear her. Nell knew that animals weren't as intelligent as humans, but Death Nell disagreed. She was an animal, a primal hunter, and she was perhaps more intelligent than those she'd served with in Korsalir. The sigh carried lightly on the wind, and she knew the Alpha heard it. And then she unleashed her ploy.

She stumbled, dropping to a knee. She caught herself with her shield flat on the ground, and stayed there. She could hear the whisper of leaves as the wolf rushed across them, nearly silent. Nearly. It leaped behind her, and she spun and slammed her shield against its body, the force knocking them both back. The wolf landed on its side off to her right, and Nell landed on her back a few feet behind where she fell. She quickly scrambled to her feet, just in time to see the wolf circling her. The battle was begun.

Death Nell matched the wolf's growl. It snapped at her, tensing and untensing like it's going to pounce. She kept her shield up, sword over it. And they circled each other, yellow eyes and blue eyes locked again. The wolf let out a long howl, and Nell used it her advantage. She closed the gap, and the wolf tried to retreat. Nell caught it with a swipe of her shield, and the alpha slid on the ground away from her.

It was back on all fours and snarling at her, gnashing its teeth. It drove in, dodging left and right, trying to confused Nell. It didn't work. As it dove in, leaping in the center to try and trick her, she caught it on her shield. It was a heavy wolf, likely near a hundred pounds. The force drove her back and jarred her into a tree, causing her head to smack into it. She knew she was bleeding, and the rage only grew. The wolf stalked in, but Death Nell met it head-on. It snapped its maw at her, and she screamed at it, swinging her sword hard in a cross-slash. The wolf dropped back and dodged, but that didn't stop Nell. She rushed in, chopping. The wolf dodged again, swooping around behind her. As it rushed her, she spun and threw her shield at it, catching it in the chest as it lunged.

Shieldless, she grabbed Excrucio in both hands, using the extra power to try and kill the wolf. The shield throw stunned it, but not for long. It got back to its feet and snarled, rushing her. Knowing the shield was her best defense, it used its superior agility to dodge under the cut of the blade, knocking her to the ground. Excrucio flew from her hand, landing a few feet from her. She didn't have time to gauge the distance. The maw snapped dangerously close to her neck, and she knew the Alpha was winning.

She was pinned, but her arms were free. One hand deftly grabbed the wolf's head, palm over its eyes. They struggled, and she admired the power of the creature's neck. It was slowly working towards her throat, and the last kill of the night would be her. She struggled, remaining deadly calm despite the circumstances. A hand felt her side, grasping the leather-wrapped hilt of the dagger. With a mirthless smirk, she jammed the dagger into the Alpha's belly. The force of the neck immediately lessened, and she pushed and rolled the wolf over. She dragged the dagger up, sealing the wolf's fate. Warm blood filtered over her hands, and she stared into its eyes as the light left it. With a grin, she stood and shook herself off. Droplets of blood covered the leaves, and she reveled in the kill.

The next break saw her collecting her loosed arrows and putting the wolf carcasses in the river. All except the Alpha. That was hers, and she intended to make use of it. She carried it on her shoulders, the quickly-congealing blood staining the cloak she wrapped about herself. She didn't care, she was carrying its replacement. As she drew closer to the farmstead, the adrenaline was wearing off and she found herself exhausted. Still, she trudged.

The farmer and his wife were grateful, more joyous than she believed they could be. They offered her a room for the night, which she took, and her payment. The trek back to Rharne the next trial would be a long and arduous one with the wolf on her shoulders. She needed a good rest.

Knowledge:
Locations: Hotlands
Location: Stormlands
Detection: The smell of cooked pork
Detection: The smell of blood
Detection: The scent of urine
Detection: Howling
Hunting: Wolves
Hunting: The importance of being prepared
Tracking: Follow the blood trail
Tracking: Via scent
Stealth: Crouch out of sight
Stealth: Prone
Endurance: Try all options
Unarmed Combat, Wrestling: Overpower
Ranged Combat, Shortbow: Draw
Ranged Combat, Shortbow: Aim
Ranged Combat, Shortbow: Fire
Negotiation: Agree on terms before completing work
Tactics: Let the attacker come to you
Shield Combat: Striking with the edge
Shield Combat: Blocking against a leaping foe
Blades, Longsword: Cross-slash
Blades, Longsword: Two hand attack for more power
Blades, Dagger: Attack the soft parts (belly)

Loot: 45 gn for completing task successfully.
Injuries: Sore muscles for the next two days.
Fame: +1 (good deed).
Magic: These points cannot be used for magic.

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 0/5
Structure: 5/5

Comment: That centre align gotta go yo! Great story, Nell is a BAB! Love it. Rewarded quite a lot of knowledge but if there was something you were extra keen on, let me know. Great story, fast paced, no boring bits, set the tone well and stayed true to character throughout. You got a fan in me!