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Post by ShadowMask on Sept 4, 2007 18:25:05 GMT -5
ShadowMask glanced back at the men who had now decided to join them. Four men...any more than that she would have left already. The least she wanted was for so many men to remember her, that only made things problematic. Though the men were not part of the deal and would leave her with no problems if they somehow did not make it back. ShadowMask grinned slightly as she past a cave. She knew the beast was in there, and also that it knew she was out here. It was a smart creature, what ever it was. 'Smart enough to mind my anger.'
Nearing the bottom ShadowMask glanced on at the trees ahead. The forest was thick with green and could easily cause an normal person to get lost...but ShadowMask was anything but normal. Casually she glanced back to see if any had fallen yet. She was making it very obvious she had come down many times before.
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Lord Commander De Montford
Men
Lord Commander of the Royal Guard[M:5600]
Because your heart is open. You hold nothing back
Posts: 157
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Post by Lord Commander De Montford on Sept 5, 2007 3:54:44 GMT -5
Arthur followed nimbly and jumped off the ledge after ShadowMask, landing in the dense underfooting of dead leaves and roots. He looked over at ShadowMask, proud of his easy descent. "You see, humans can be capable of agility and balance as well."
But his words found hollow ears as one of his men behind him stumbled at the last moment and fell the remaining two feet to the ground, groaning to himself. The Lord Commander paused a moment, and then sighed to himself. "Dammit."
He turned around and roughly helped the soldier up, "Try to keep your footing next time Corporal." The other men made it down easily enough. "Ok ShadowMask, where is he? de Montford looked around the area but he couldn't make out the silver of the knights armour anywhere in the deep greens and browns...
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Post by ShadowMask on Sept 5, 2007 22:48:30 GMT -5
ShadowMask could not help but smirk at the fallen solider. "Maybe a lucky few lord commander." She said with slight exaggeration on his title and a suppressed laugh. She waved a hand for him to follow before stepping onto a fallen log and walking as if she were on solid ground...though this might have just to be to embarrass the knight who fell even farther.
Before long ShadowMask was jumping off the log with silent feet and looking back at Arthur. "You see? I have led you to your solider." She nodded to a crudely made camp with a fire and a very small shelter made from things surrounding. By the boots sitting in the dirt outside of the shelter, and the fire freshly started, the man was no doubt inside. She gave a sly smile with her blond hair waving in the growing breeze as it came from the loose bun she had put it in that morning. "And to think you did not believe me..."
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Lord Commander De Montford
Men
Lord Commander of the Royal Guard[M:5600]
Because your heart is open. You hold nothing back
Posts: 157
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Post by Lord Commander De Montford on Sept 7, 2007 5:59:24 GMT -5
"I believed you," Arthur defended himself. "I just thought you were being slightly less helpful than you could have been in light of the situation..." he thought a bit, "Ok, maybe a lot less, but the point still stands," he joked, the soldiers appearance had lifted his mood considerably.
He walked over to the hut and shook the roof a little, "Ilyn! Get up soldier!" Arthur called into the small makeshift hut. It was then that the Lord Commander looked around the forest, listening intently. "Where is this beast ShadowMask?" He looked down a corridor of trees. "I don't see it anywhere."
He looked down at the fire and saw it crackling brightly. "Corporal, get some water and put out this thing."
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Post by ShadowMask on Sept 7, 2007 15:15:32 GMT -5
ShadowMask smirked at his first comment. Yes she could have been more helpfull, allot more at that, but there was no fun to be had in being kind. Watching the Commander look around she rolled her eyes and her smile became a little wider. "I said it was smart. Would you like to attack your prey in the open where their is a chance of us getting away? Or would you hide in a cave on the rocky passage, waiting for your prey to come up?" She did not actually intend for the question to be answered and continued explaining. "It waits so that it can fight its prey along the ledge, that way if you fall it will get an easy meal. In any case..." She let out a sigh. "I do get bored quiet easily while waiting for a fight, so care to hurry? Else I might consider leaving you here..."
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Lord Commander De Montford
Men
Lord Commander of the Royal Guard[M:5600]
Because your heart is open. You hold nothing back
Posts: 157
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Post by Lord Commander De Montford on Sept 8, 2007 19:24:22 GMT -5
The soldier stumbled out of his makeshift residence, large bags under his bloodshot eyes, and you could certainly tell that he hadn't bathed in days. He was already wearing light travelling armour and a pitted sword was hanging at his belt. Most of his other supplies he had probably lost. What a pathetic soldier, The Lord Commander thought briefly at first sight.
"Soldiers, draw your swords, and beware of an over-sized wolf when we head back up the ledge," The the four with him drew their swords with only a slight frown of confusion and fear, but the fifth hesitated. "Sir?"
"We came all this way to find you son, draw your sword and we still may get you out of here," and he did. De Montford drew his own sword, and held his shield ready beside him. Every part of his armour, cloak and shield was coated in dragonhide, which almost gave him the feeling of invulnerability, but long ago he had promised himself he would never think that again.
"Lead the way ShadowMask. We're right behind you."
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Post by ShadowMask on Sept 8, 2007 20:17:26 GMT -5
ShadowMask smiled and turned back the way they had came. As an expert in the woods she nearly walked in the same her footprints without so much as a thought. Her hand made its way to her sword, but it was not fear that led it there it was excitement. ShadowMask thought that the only fun moments were the dangerous ones. Before long ShdowMask could see the cave again and she glanced back at the men. "Ready to fight?" She asked with a wide smile and at the sound of her voice a wolf two heads bigger than a average man stepped out, and grew taller yet as it growled and the spikes rose up to the air. The many teeth all tripped with saliva and its eyes were colored with red.
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Lord Commander De Montford
Men
Lord Commander of the Royal Guard[M:5600]
Because your heart is open. You hold nothing back
Posts: 157
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Post by Lord Commander De Montford on Sept 9, 2007 5:33:04 GMT -5
Arthur looked up at it and for the briefest of seconds felt a fear towards the creature, but he swallowed it almost as quickly as it had risen. The soldiers around him took a step back down the ledge, their swords quivering in their hands a little, and one of them held a spear in his hands and it wavered in the air a little.
"Steady men," he said roughly to the soldiers as the wolf rose higher and growled in a deep, resounding throat. The red eyes fixed entirely upon him and he could feel them drilling through his dragon-scale armour. He looked over to the elf, expecting her to make the first move considering based on her self-proclamation. He raised his shield towards the wolf and readied his sword to lunge if he had to...
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Post by ShadowMask on Sept 9, 2007 14:53:21 GMT -5
ShadowMask looked at the creature with only amusement sparkling in her eyes. This creatures spikes acted much like dragon scales and deflected blows from blades and other weapons, but just like the dragon it had weak spots. Places where the spikes did not cover fully. That and it was very valuable to all types of magic. For a long moment ShadowMask considered letting the men fight, just for a little while, but she had said she would help...even if it was not as much fun on her part. With a sigh ShadowMask took out four round juggling stones and tossed them into the air then caught them again. They were simply round stones that anyone could find along the ground but the second time they jumped from her hands the stones exploded into flames. Now as she juggled, obviously not even being able to feel the flames, she waited for the right moment. Each flame that licked the stone was part of her magic and waited for her to command. ShadowMask smiled as she waited for the creature to attack the Commander.
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Lord Commander De Montford
Men
Lord Commander of the Royal Guard[M:5600]
Because your heart is open. You hold nothing back
Posts: 157
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Post by Lord Commander De Montford on Sept 10, 2007 6:16:17 GMT -5
The wolf lunged towards Arthur and he held his shield out in front of him, the men behind him bracing his back. The wolf leapt up and slammed into the dragon-hide shield with astonishing force, and would have sent him flying if not for the strength of five men behind him.
"Attack it now! Strike!'
The man with the spear lunged forward and sliced the wolf along it haunches slightly, cutting the fur and skin open. The wolf turned and grabbed the spear in its teeth and snapped it like a toothpick, at the same instant Arthur lunged out with his longsword and slashed across the wolf's neck. It's hide was incredibly thick and the spines weren't helping his attack at all. The sword barely left a scrath on the damned thing.
He pushed forward with his shield, but he just couldn't overpower the beast. "Power!"
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Post by ShadowMask on Sept 10, 2007 15:58:57 GMT -5
ShadowMask was just about to move positions when she saw the opening she needed. Her slender hand tossed one of the flaming juggling stones to the air wear it became the shape of a snarling dragon and lunged down at the creature. It impacted in a spot where the spikes had missed and the magic of the fire blew off more of the spikes that were there. The wolf like head snarled as it recoiled in pain. "There is your opening commander, reach it if you can." ShadowMask challenged with a smile, not seeming to even care as the creature turned to face her. The creature hesitated when seeing the flames still juggling in her hand. Three more stones...that was all she had now.
((Sorry, I think school stole my muse...))
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Lord Commander De Montford
Men
Lord Commander of the Royal Guard[M:5600]
Because your heart is open. You hold nothing back
Posts: 157
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Post by Lord Commander De Montford on Sept 14, 2007 6:07:24 GMT -5
Arthur took his chance and thrust his sword up into the beast's hide. The blade dug in deep, as the skin beneath all those armoured spines was not tough at all really, and a strong sword and a sharp blade could easily pierce through it. "Attack now!" The spines were burnt off and horribly charred, the beast must be in great pain now.
A sword and a spear whistled over the Lord Commanders head to attack the beast, slashing and thrusting at it as quickly as the men could fathom. "Forward!" Arthur shouted, and the men slowly started shuffling forward upwards along the treachurous track, their front tipped with steel and their bodies shielded by wood and dragonscale. ShadowMask was above them on the pass, with the beast between them, and at the moment they were pushing the beast towards her, but Arthur hoped that she could defend herself or at the very least be able to jump away if any harm threathened her...
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Post by ShadowMask on Sept 14, 2007 16:30:29 GMT -5
The "wolf" was backing away from the men towards her as it howled in pain but ShadowMask stood without even appearing phased by the idea. It was true, ShadowMask was not invisible, but fear was not something that she let stay. Her calm eyes looked at the creature through the flames of the juggling stones as they spun round and round in the air. The men seemed like they were doing fine. None of them looked injured quite yet. Suddenly the creature whipped around to face ShadowMask. Seeing that it had a better chance defeating one than five. It raised a large paw and before ShadowMask could react with the stones the claws hid her and she slammed hard into the stone wall. Her skin would protect her from the claws, but they could not help protect from damage done under the skin. ShadowMask uttered a low curse as she got back to her feet, shaking with the pain of a broken ankle, and before the creature could react again ShadowMask had brought her bow out with a speed worthy of an elf. As flames of anger burned inside her, so did on the arrow she knocked. Her hand released and the arrow hit the target, embedding itself in the shoulder and causing the wolf too pull back towards the others. It was almost dead now. Gitting her teeth shadowmask knocked another arrow. She would let the men finish the creature off, but she would not let it make a fool of her again.
((Sorry, I had to do this quick because I am leaving for the weekend but I hope you can understand it.))
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Lord Commander De Montford
Men
Lord Commander of the Royal Guard[M:5600]
Because your heart is open. You hold nothing back
Posts: 157
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Post by Lord Commander De Montford on Sept 15, 2007 4:45:50 GMT -5
ooc: Yeah thats fine
Arthur and his men continued pushing forward, their swords and spears brandished in front of them, raking across the hind quarters of the massive hound as it attacked ShadowMask. The Lord Commander briefly saw the elf slam against the wall and fall to the ground and the wolf looming over her but just as he thought she might have been hit badly she was up again and firing at the wolf.
Then he was surprised to see the wolf backing back towards the men. "Form a shield-line! Throw this beast to the rocks!" Arthur called to his men behind him and they leant forward, locking their shields beside one another forming a curve which blocked off the path and sloped to the edge. Arthur jumped forward and crouched low as the beast stumbled over the top of him, and right at the last moment he pushed up with his legs and his sword found flesh under the belly of the wolf. Hot blood spilled onto his helm but he ignored it, and pushed the wolf back with his shield, flipping the wold from underneath back towards his men.
The bulk of the hound hit the shields and was pushed around to the edge. In one brief moment of sheer terror it tried to cling onto one of the soldier's shields and it slipped from his grasp, and then there was nothing left for it to hold onto, and it plummetter to the forest floor far below.
Arthur was still kneeling where he had attacked the creature and heard the thud of its body smashing on the ground with a slight cringe. It took him a moment to get his breath back and he wiped the blood off his sword and helm. "Is everyone alright? he asked to his soldiers and to ShadowMask. "Is anyone wounded?"
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Post by ShadowMask on Sept 17, 2007 8:14:38 GMT -5
ShdowMask took a step toward the edge of the cliff and some very nasty swore words came to her lips but she swiftly covered them with a smile before they could surface. Glancing at the wolf now laying at the bottom of the cliff she smiled a bit wider then turned back to the men(hiding her pain as she did so). "I am embarrassed to say but you proved me wrong commander. I thought for certain at least one of your men would die." She said, ignoring his question. ShadowMask could not lie but that did not mean she could not avoid questions.
Her ankle hurt more than she liked, but she figured it was nothing that could not be healed if you found the right herbs. She put her bow away, still smiling over her pain. "So commander, I trust this is your only man that needs saving?" She asked, partly joking.
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