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Post by Quakerlol on Feb 27, 2012 20:49:45 GMT -6
You descend from your first gate into your land. The air crackles with ozone, and you can see a bolt of frozen lightning several feet away. When you look away, its image remains, burned green into your retinas. You blink to dispel the phantom and look around. You don't know how close you are to your hive and its castle. You can see a couple more ruins nearby, but it mostly looks like woods around you. You stand in a clearing with the bolt in its center. There are many fallen logs, all radiating out like spokes in a wheel from the lightning, as if it had struck them down when it landed. However, they're moldy, as if they've been this way for a while. Ugh. You make a mental note not to step on the ground at all. Luckily, you're still hovering in your winged sandals, which are wonderful by the way.
You rotate slowly in the air. Nothing but dark, ominous woods for as far as the eye can see. If you didn't know better, you'd say that this was some sort of evil Enchanted Forest, but that would be stupid. It is just a bunch of trees and it is no scarier than the forest at home. Absolutely not. It is not full of horrible monsters and strange rustling noises. No. Certainly not OH GOD WHAT. No. Calm down. You are royalty and you will comport yourself as such, with the greatest dignity that you can musterSWEET TROLL JESUS. No! Stop it! You are going to stop jumping at every little noise that you hear. You are going to take deep breaths. This is not a scary forest. This is a regular forest that happens to be weirdly lit because of the lightning, and the shadows are not moving. That would be preposterous. Besides, you've taken on bigger things here. You have single-handedly defeated (well, mostly) imps, ogres, and a basilisk. You have clouded FLARP campaigns with the greatest subtlety and have driven lesser trolls to the brink of despair. You are better than some little diaperstub-pooping wriggler sobbing for their lusus because they imagined a bump in the night. You are royalty. You are better than this. You areOH GOD THERE IT WAS AGAIN WHAT IS THAT.
You take a deep breath and get your knives out of your specibus. Their weight in your hand comforts you, as it always does. The rustling comes again, this time directly behind you. You slowly turn around, not making any sudden movements. There is nothing, but the bushes are moving and rustling. What could that possibly be?
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Post by Radiodragon on Mar 25, 2012 14:58:24 GMT -6
==> Investigate bushes
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Post by Quakerlol on Mar 25, 2012 18:35:59 GMT -6
==> Investigate bushes
You hold your knives at the ready and breathe steadily as a face emerges from the bushes. A face of sorts, you suppose. It's long and elongated, with a pitted snout and tiny, almost vestigial eyes. It moves back and forth, not seeming to see you. Then it continues through the bush and you see that the head is attached to a long undulating body. It looks like a sort of snake, swimming through the air. You think it's an eel, of sorts, although one in such a bright yellow is certainly odd. The fact that it's swimming through the air rather than the sea is also somewhat out of the ordinary. Then again, this is a game that's sent monsters with reflexes faster than lightning after you. You're going to have to start expecting the unexpected. The eel crackles slightly, like static electricity, and disappears between some trees.
You keep your knives out, but drop ypur guard slightly. It's likely that there will be more monsters here in your land, but the coast seems to be clear for now. That means plenty of time for exploration. Or you could troll someone. Or you could go fight things. It's quite liberating, not having a specific goal. Really, the possibilities now that you've arrived in your land are positively endless. Where should you start?
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Post by Shipfish on Mar 26, 2012 10:54:26 GMT -6
==> Float around and look for things to get grist from.
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Post by Radiodragon on Mar 28, 2012 6:39:20 GMT -6
==> Out of curiosity toss an imp into one of those frozen lightning bolts.
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Post by Quakerlol on Apr 6, 2012 9:46:23 GMT -6
==> Float around and look for things to get grist from.
You suppose you might as well. You set your shoes to hovering and meander around the clearing. No random encounters here. Disappointing. You glance warily at the forest. It's dark and scary, and you don't want to face it alone, but until Aruale gets through her gate you're the only troll on this Empressforsaken planet. Time to get over your preposterous qualms and go kill some things.
==> Go into the spooky woods
Yes, you're getting to that! You're just preparing. Yes. Checking all your equipment. Knives optimal, shoes tight, hair flawless. Everything is fine. No reason not to go into the spooky woods.
.....................
==> What are you waiting for? Get going!
.....................................................
==> Oh for Pete's sake.
....
==> Admit it, you're scared.
OKAY, FINE. Yes, yes, you're scared of the woods. Always have been. You have never liked the idea that those huge wooden land-pillars hide enormous monsters or tiny snakes or SOMETHING that you can't see because the stupid trees are in the way. Besides, you can't walk two feet without stepping on some dumb branch or leaf and being loud enough to alert every animal for miles of your presence. Swimming is so much easier! You've never had this problem in kelp forests. It's just the fact that they're on land and horrible and ugh. Aruale always teased you about this, since she practically grew up in the forest. She could always move through the forest like a freaking ghost leopor. Stupid lousy goddamn landdwellers.
Calm down, Lerena. What would Aruale say if she saw you acting like a dumb little wriggler over this? She would say that you were being stupid, and could probably take out anything in the forest. There's nothing to be afraid of. Nothing at all.
........
Maybe you'll just stay here.
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Post by Shipfish on Apr 17, 2012 19:09:56 GMT -6
==> Fly OVER the trees to get somewhere.
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Post by Quakerlol on Apr 20, 2012 16:14:12 GMT -6
==> Fly OVER the trees to get somewhere. Okay. Okay, that sounds like a sensible course of action. You send your sandals flying upward, propelling you gladly away from the towering trees. Maybe you'll find another clearing from above. The wind whistles past your facial fins as you ascend, clearing your mind somewhat of the fear that had been threatening to suffocate you. Oh goodness, your wrist device seems to be beeping at you. Who could that be? You slow your rise and open up Trollian on your holographic display. It's Aruale! Wonderful. Talking to her should make you feel better. herobound.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=aruale&action=display&thread=70&page=2You close the conversation and sigh, a smile curling your lips. She always did have a hero complex a mile wide. Not that you mind, really. You take a moment to reminisce in the many games of 'Heiress and Knight' that you played as children. You would always get captured and she would have to battle through many invisible foes to rescue you from the impenetrable enemy fortress of the big rock out behind her hive. That, of course, was long before she decided that the hemospectrum was inherently oppressive or whatever new slogan she was slinging this week. It certainly was simpler then. That is certainly enough unproductive reminiscence for one night. She should enter your land through a gate similar to the one through which you entered it. There's a bright purple pinprick of light quite a bit off. You decide to head for that. You're still a ways away from the gate when it spits out a clanking, smoke-spewing contraption the likes of which you have never seen. It features a dangerously wobbly helicopter blade above a sparking mechanical mess of a backpack, which (now that the smoke has cleared) you can see is attached to what you believe to be Aruale. You grin and fly closer. She notices you once you're fairly close and waves, wrestling with the contraption to pull it into a hover. "HEY!" she shouts over the noise of the contraption, waving. You wave in return, and motion to her to indicate that you should probably land. She nods and flips her heels up, falling into a steep dive. Show-off. You laugh and follow, flying around her in a tight loop and matching her speed to dive with her. You see her grin under the ridiculous goggles she's wearing, and you race down to the nearest clearing. |
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Post by Shipfish on Apr 29, 2012 19:42:46 GMT -6
==> Dude, Aruale, your arm is bleeding like crazy. Do something before you spill your rusty blood all over your clothes.
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Post by Quakerlol on Apr 30, 2012 16:38:38 GMT -6
They landed, still laughing from their flight, in the middle of another clearing, carefully skirting around the lightning bolt frozen in its center. Aruale crunched a fallen branch under her foot as she set down, discarding her copterpack and goggles. The soot from her planet's air had ingrained itself in her face, marking it like an inverse raccoonbeast where the goggles hadn't been. Lerena alighted gently on a fallen log, lifting her arms out for balance. The two trolls grinned at each other.
==> Dude, Aruale, your arm is bleeding like crazy.
Aruale's grin suddenly turned into a wince, and she sat down, clutching her arm. Rusty blood was seeping through her torn sleeve and around her fingers. "owww. fu(k," she said, groaning now that the adrenaline rush of flight had worn off. Lerena rushed over, the wings on her shoes flapping with agitation. She raised a hand and a bolt of lightning streaked out of her modus, leaving a first-aid kit on the ground where it struck. She fumbled it open and rummaged around inside.
"What happened?" she asked, concern in her voice.
Aruale's mouth screwed into an expression of distaste. "had to prove myse)f for my querst by fighting this bigarss monster. i got it, but it s)arshed me up before i did. no big dea)."
Lerena rolled her eyes. "It iz definitely a big deal! It could have hit an artery, and you could be bleeding to death right now. Why didn't you take care of thiz before you came to zee me?" She pulled a long swathe of sterile bandage out of the kit and pulled Aruale's sleeve up, wrapping the bandage around the wound.
"i'm fine, i'm fine. jeez." Aruale allowed herself to be fussed over until the bandage was fastened, then batted Lerena away. "thanks."
"Not a problem." Lerena smiled at her, and got an annoyed grin in return. She sat back on her heels and looked over Aruale, checking for other injuries. "What in the world are you wearing?" She pointed at Aruale's chest. "Iz that a Troll Che Guevara zhirt?"
Aruale looked down. "uh. yeah?" She folded her arms. "it he)ps with my stats."
"Uh-huh." Lerena raised an eyebrow. "And the rezt of the outfit?"
"that he)ps with my stats too," Aruale replied, a defensive tone creeping into her voice. "(harisma. it's important." She pointed at Lerena in reply. "we)) what the he)) irs that on your head?"
Lerena reached up to touch the scouter, having forgotten that it was there. "That? That iz my zenzible handz-free computing zolution."
"we)) it makers you )ook ridi(u)ous." Aruale grinned, and Lerena burst out laughing at her sooty face, relieved that everything was normal once again.
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Post by Radiodragon on May 18, 2012 21:52:06 GMT -6
==>Ugh.... Enough of this sappy stuff, you have a quest to do. Get on with it.
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Post by Quakerlol on May 19, 2012 9:22:32 GMT -6
==>Ugh.... Enough of this sappy stuff, you have a quest to do. Get on with it.
Aruale and Lerena both suddenly felt a sense of urgency to get on with their tasks, as if a great voice in the sky was telling them to stop being such saps all the darn time. Rude.
Aruale wiped her non-bloody sleeve on her face, trying to get some of the soot off. "so," she asked, "what're we gonna do now?"
Lerena frowned. "Well, I zuppoze we zhould go try to find my quezt. That, or continue on through our gatez to meet up with everyone." She shrugged. I don't know," she said, suddenly smiling. "Rather freeing, izn't it, though, not having to follow a plan?"
Aruale rolled her eyes. "i guerss. )et's go try to find your querst, though." Lerena nodded and they stood up, walking away from the clearing.
As they entered the woods, Lerena's shoulders hunched up a bit. Aruale looked over. "hey. you okay?"
"Yez! I am perfectly fine!" Lerena snapped at her. She saw her friend raise both hands in a gesture of back off and sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Okay. Zo maybe I'm not fine. Zo what? It'z not like I can do anything about the fact that my land iz full of giant foreztz, and that I have to go through them to find thingz, and that there are probably huge monzterz hiding behind everything, and-" Aruale put a hand on Lerena's shoulder, and she stopped.
"you're babb)ing, dude. (a)m down. it's gonna be fine. i'm here now, remember?" She smiled and struck a heroic pose. Lerena laughed. "i')) prote(t you from the s(ary monsters, you big wrigg)er."
Lerena grinned and shoved Aruale into a tree. "Zhut up. Ztop being dumb and let'z go." Aruale shoved her back and ran ahead, Lerena shouting and following her. They raced each other through the trees, running into each other and pushing branches in the other's way, jumping over rocks and puddles of dark water. Soon enough they entered another clearing, laughing and stumbling over the stones strewn about. In the center there was a pillared ruin, columns lying strewn about everywhere. A single bolt of lightning was frozen midstrike in the middle of the ruin, and scorched marble was everywhere. The two trolls slowed down, looking at the ruin.
"so," Aruale said, "what now?"
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Post by Shipfish on May 20, 2012 18:14:28 GMT -6
==> See if there is more to the ruin than meets the eye. Keep a lookout for eels.
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Post by Quakerlol on Jun 4, 2012 9:31:17 GMT -6
==> See if there is more to the ruin than meets the eye.
"Well, we could go investigate, I zuppoze." Lerena pointed towards the ruin and started walking. "Didn't you get your quezt in zomething zimilar to thiz?"
Aruale nodded. "yeah, but it warsn't all ruined. mine had a(tua) creaturers in it to give me the querst. dunno if thirs')) do the same." She scratched her head and followed Lerena, picking her way through the ruins. "i mean, do you even have monsters around here? i haven't seen any-"
==> Keep a lookout for eels.
"AUGH what the he)) irs THAT?" Lerena looked back to see her friend, mace out, standing defensively against a hissing eel, crackling with electricity. The eel's skin was throwing off sparks instead of the gentle hum of static electricity she had seen earlier, and its lipless mouth seemed to be snarling at Aruale. Lerena got out her knives from her strife specibus with a crackle of ozone, and the eel's head turned. It made an expression of shock made more apparent to Lerena by the change of the pattern of the sparks it was giving off than any facial features. The eel turned itself away from Aruale and made an undulating motion in the air that seemed to be some sort of bow.
"Zzzzzzzzwelcome, hero." Lerena stepped back a bit in shock. "It can talk?"
Aruale looked at her oddly. "you fee)ing okay, )erena?"
Lerena looked back at her. "Yes, why?"
"it, uh. it didn't say anything. it jurst sort of (ra(k)ed at you."
Lerena frowned. "No, it definitely zaid-"
The eel cut her off with another burst of static. "Zzzzhe cannot underzztand. Zzzhe is not worthy. You are the Hero. You muzzzzzt follow." It abruptly turned away and jackknifed through the air towards the ruin.
Lerena shrugged at Aruale. "It zaid to follow it. I think I'm getting my quezt now." She looked at the eel, and then back at her friend. "Are you coming?"
Aruale glowered at the eel. "i think i')) jurst stay here. it didn't seem to )ike me too mu(h." She sat down on a toppled pillar and leaned back. "besiders, don't want to strain my arm or anything. i')) (hi)) here, maybe (he(k up on the others. you te)) me how it goes." Lerena nodded and followed the eel to the pile of marble.
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Post by Shipfish on Jun 13, 2012 6:40:51 GMT -6
Lerena: Follow that eel!
Aruale: Pester Kyanas. (after she gets her quest)
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