This choice: Stow the pendant somewhere safer. • Go Back...Chapter #7Stow the pendant somewhere safer. by: Unknown Your teacher trained you extensively in fighting against opponents with wings -- well, perhaps it's more apt to say that your teacher ran you through the scenario on more than one occasion. Practical experience was hard to come by as none of your training partners could fly.
If the unseen winged creature is smart and means you harm, you understand you're at a serious disadvantage; it could strike out at you without retaliation unless you got a hold of it or damaged its wings, which meant it could play things safe and weaken you slowly over the course of hours at little risk to itself.
Holding a light makes you a visible target. If you could fly, you would stay well out of the range of a potential opponent's light, only entering to strike, minimizing its usefulness.
You stow your pendant in a small pouch and secure it to a belt loop at your waist. As long as you get enough time for your eyes to adjust, you'll be better off. That, and if the pendant is as powerful as you believe it to be, you don't want to risk having a faster opponent nabbing it and running off.
You hear the wing beats grow steadily louder as the monster gets closer. You try to follow the sound with your eyes, but you have not yet adjusted to the darkness. You can barely even make out the outline of your steel rod held inches in front of you.
There is a final stroke of the creature's wings directly above you, and then you here the whisper of tree leaves off to your right. All but blind in the darkness, you whirl to face the sound of the movement and prepare to beat back any attack from that direction.
You strain your eyes against the dark for any sign of motion.
For a moment there is nothing, and then you feel a breath of the wind on your back. You turn much too slowly to react, and hundreds of pounds of weight in free fall crash into your gut. Despite moving with the attack, the blow sends you sprawling, and forces the air from your lungs in a sudden, wheezing, gasp. (HP-5)
As you fall, time seems to slow as your training takes over. Your mind begins sizing up your opponent:
You watch the monster, with impossible dexterity, spring off of your gut to hover inches above the ground, beating broad, leathery wings against the air. Each stroke carries the monster a few feet into the air before he falls and needs to repeat the process to stay aloft. It's hard to see much in the dark, but he looks to be about your height, with a similar build. The key difference is his wingspan, which is about three of your body laid out end to end in length. Even in the dark, blending into the night, they're an imposing sight. You realize you won't be able to stop your momentum in the air and get your feet back under you.
You hit the ground hard and gracelessly. (HP-1) Reflexively, you gasp for air to fill your lungs. In spite of your face covering, the faint aroma of foot odor registers in your mind in time to the beating of the creature's wings. (MP-1)
You scowl and readjust your face mask to make sure it will stay in place during the fight to come.
The monster beats his wings again. (MP-1) "I see. Clever you. " The monster hisses out his amusement at your mask. The inhuman sound, somewhere between a tiger's growl and the whisper of the wind causes you to shiver and makes your heart race. The monster's praise, much to your dismay, makes pride well up within you. (MP-1)
Another beat of his wings bathes you in the aroma of his feet. (MP-1) You groan in disgust.
"It seems that clever cloth of yours isn't a perfect solution. How much does it actually help, I wonder." The winged monster muses playfully. He's clearly enjoying himself.
You're unsure why he hasn't pounced to finish the job while you were stunned from his attack, but you seize the opportunity gratefully. You reluctantly fill your lungs with monster's scent in order to catch your breath. You refuse to show weakness and stifle a gag in response to the stench of his unwashed foot musk. (MP-1) You stand up to face him, weapon readied.
"We don't have to fight. I followed you for a long time -- I could use a warm, soft perch to sink my claws into.
I'd love to rest my weary wings." He punctuates the word wings with another downward stroke of the leathery appendages, and another wave of his scent. (MP-1) A condescending grin spreads across the winged creature's face. He raises his feet, extending them towards your face and splays his toes. As your eyes adjust to the dark, you see for the first time that his whole body is covered in short, silky, fur -- it looks black in the dark, but you can't be sure.
The feet he's showing off would be nearly human if not for the broader soles and opposable thumb joint at his heel. Each of his digits ends in a long claw that you'll have to watch out for. "Your face would fit perfectly in my grasp," he says, closing his foot into a fist to illustrate his point, and beating his wings to stay aloft. As if his words need to be heard and validated, you look deeply at his broad soles as his wings buffet your body with tainted air. (MP-1) You realize, much to your horror, that he's right, his strange, prehensile feet could hold your head flush against the source of his unapologetic odor. (MP-1)
"Come closer." The simple command comes out wild, predatory, and demanding. The same shiver of fear that assaulted you when he first spoke again has its way with your heart and sets it to racing. Some deep part of your brain reflexively causes you to move to obey, but your mind catches yourself mid-step. (MP-1)
Still mid-step, your mind is racing through options. You're fairly certain you cannot outrun this creature, and with the way his voice seems to bypass your thoughts, you do not want a drawn out fight. Perhaps you can use his command to your advantage and play along to get close. Maybe you can run, hide or fight off his attacks long enough to make it to Iron Haven. It's not far from here now, but you also might make it to the gate only to have no one manning it in the night. Perhaps you could negotiate, he seems intelligent, and if he's followed you for as long as he said, maybe he has a goal you could help him with in exchange for his departure, though it's difficult to treat with someone who is already playing with your mind.
You don't know what the right answer is, but you're certain you've suffered his gross feet and sorcerous words long enough .
Current Status:
HP: 24/30
MP: 82/100. (5 can be regained from restful sleep. )
Gold: 0
Inventory/Equipment:
Steel Rod
Makeshift Face Mask
Traveler's Clothes
Traveler's Boots
Glowing Pendant - - Grants 50 MP if your MP would hit 0.  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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