Post by kyri on Apr 25, 2019 21:27:06 GMT 1
The world had gone mad, everywhere in the forests people were hunting for
Cassowary eggs, all because a rumour had done the rounds saying someone was
willing to pay for them, basicly it was a gold rush, the fever had caught
hold, dreams of glittering coins had driven them all crazy.
She knelt down by a patch a trampled toadstools, whoever had trodden on this
patch had done it huge favour spreading the spoors far and wide, soon there
would be plenty of fresh new growths but for now the harvest for her was
ruined, she stood up and started walking south a cassowary burst from the
undergrowth and launch itself at her, this was the worst of it these feather
clad furies attacking her at every turn, she put two darts into it before it
collided into her, a few more darts and with it last strength it kicked out
to rack at her with it talons, the blow was off and caught the front of the
blowpipe splitting it into pieces.
"£$"*&$"£*!" the leafborn curse escaped her before she stop it, she didn`t
actualy know fully what she had said but it was bad, she dropped the useless
splinters to the ground, her only weapon a small bone knife, for once glad
to be wearing the battered leather armour given to her long ago, and the
bone shield she had made herself, she sighed and continued carefully on to
the south.
After a little while she could hear faint sounds, someone was hunting eggs
near by, in the dense forest the direction and distance of the hunter were
not discernable, a faint fluttering was all the warning she had as the Giant
Mantis dropped on her, one of it blade like forelimbs gouged deep into her
thigh before she could block in with her shield, she brought the bone knife
round, bearly able to force it through the hard casing of its body, at such
close quarters and not being very proficent with the knife being more of a
gathering tool, the mantis was presenting more of a challenge than it would
normaly have done, every time she found an opening into which to thrust the
blade the creature would inflict a terrible wounds with it sharp front limbs
it continued thus for a long time.
She saw an opening and moved in thusting to the hilt and tearing back out,
not quick enough the creature slashed down though the leather through her
left shoulder and into her chest, it held her as it raised the other limb,
twisting forward bringing the knife in just below the bug eyed head and
pushed the blade along the chitin breastplate, something vital severed the
creature lurched backwards, its forelimb still inbeded, dragged her after.
She screamed in pain as it writhed in its death throws, the forelimb jerked
free, she rolled out of reach, muttering spell after spell attempting to stop
the blood before it ran out, she drained her mana but the blood oozed rather
than spurted, it gave her enough time to patch and bind, she had had worse
and managed to crawl away, at least this time she could stagger, her worry
was her lack of decent weapon or at least a weapon she was any good at using
she cleaned the small bone knife while waiting for her strength to recover.
After a long while her magical strength had recovered enough to cast another
healing spell, standing unsteadily staring south reconing that she had about
two miles to travel the worst she could face was another Mantis, with only a
small knife and no magic to call, it was not a fight she wanted to have but
she also knew the Giant Mantis was highly teritorial so it was unlikely that
another would be close by, her leg hurt but not as much as her chest, she
started the slow careful walk home.
Cassowary eggs, all because a rumour had done the rounds saying someone was
willing to pay for them, basicly it was a gold rush, the fever had caught
hold, dreams of glittering coins had driven them all crazy.
She knelt down by a patch a trampled toadstools, whoever had trodden on this
patch had done it huge favour spreading the spoors far and wide, soon there
would be plenty of fresh new growths but for now the harvest for her was
ruined, she stood up and started walking south a cassowary burst from the
undergrowth and launch itself at her, this was the worst of it these feather
clad furies attacking her at every turn, she put two darts into it before it
collided into her, a few more darts and with it last strength it kicked out
to rack at her with it talons, the blow was off and caught the front of the
blowpipe splitting it into pieces.
"£$"*&$"£*!" the leafborn curse escaped her before she stop it, she didn`t
actualy know fully what she had said but it was bad, she dropped the useless
splinters to the ground, her only weapon a small bone knife, for once glad
to be wearing the battered leather armour given to her long ago, and the
bone shield she had made herself, she sighed and continued carefully on to
the south.
After a little while she could hear faint sounds, someone was hunting eggs
near by, in the dense forest the direction and distance of the hunter were
not discernable, a faint fluttering was all the warning she had as the Giant
Mantis dropped on her, one of it blade like forelimbs gouged deep into her
thigh before she could block in with her shield, she brought the bone knife
round, bearly able to force it through the hard casing of its body, at such
close quarters and not being very proficent with the knife being more of a
gathering tool, the mantis was presenting more of a challenge than it would
normaly have done, every time she found an opening into which to thrust the
blade the creature would inflict a terrible wounds with it sharp front limbs
it continued thus for a long time.
She saw an opening and moved in thusting to the hilt and tearing back out,
not quick enough the creature slashed down though the leather through her
left shoulder and into her chest, it held her as it raised the other limb,
twisting forward bringing the knife in just below the bug eyed head and
pushed the blade along the chitin breastplate, something vital severed the
creature lurched backwards, its forelimb still inbeded, dragged her after.
She screamed in pain as it writhed in its death throws, the forelimb jerked
free, she rolled out of reach, muttering spell after spell attempting to stop
the blood before it ran out, she drained her mana but the blood oozed rather
than spurted, it gave her enough time to patch and bind, she had had worse
and managed to crawl away, at least this time she could stagger, her worry
was her lack of decent weapon or at least a weapon she was any good at using
she cleaned the small bone knife while waiting for her strength to recover.
After a long while her magical strength had recovered enough to cast another
healing spell, standing unsteadily staring south reconing that she had about
two miles to travel the worst she could face was another Mantis, with only a
small knife and no magic to call, it was not a fight she wanted to have but
she also knew the Giant Mantis was highly teritorial so it was unlikely that
another would be close by, her leg hurt but not as much as her chest, she
started the slow careful walk home.