|
Post by Ashe on May 1, 2020 18:34:48 GMT -6
Ashe had just been minding his own business, intending to take a quest during some downtime. He was with his faithful, if grumpy, Equillion today. Dracula had carried him to the city, but once there, Ashe had slid off so he could go about the stuff that he needed to do. The pair were walking side by side toward the quest board, when an older lady launched herself, loudly, at Ashe, as she seemed to be doing to everyone in the vicinity. Ashe felt a spark of annoyance at having someone invade his space, but then he realized she must just be desperate... Then he recognized her briefly, when she spoke of a Nyssa. He remembered a quest he went on before to defend gardens against some rampaging tree. He'd chased it off, he thought for good. Maybe this time it needed to be taken care of... permanently. "Calm down," Ashe told the woman, trying to sound soothing. "I'll go chase it off again. Did it last time, too, so that should be easy enough. Back in a flash." He hopped up onto Dracula and the pair took off. Dracula: 0 1/5 Ashe: 0 1/20 Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4MP
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on May 31, 2020 15:03:56 GMT -6
The ride to the Gardens was rather uneventful. Dracula shifted easily into a steady canter, at Ashe's command, and he followed the man's guiding knees toward their destination. The Gardens weren't a place Dracula frequented, though it wasn't a new concept to him, so Ashe had to lead. There were times Ashe had to ease him into a trot, to go through more populated areas, and that was easily done with a shift of his weight backward, using his butt to add pressure and signal. They worked as one and soon arrived at the Gardens. Now, just because they were here, didn't mean the hard part was done. They still had to find the right garden... then find the Nyssa itself inside. They stood together, both still for the moment, contemplating the task at hand.
[So this is a...tree?] Dracula's voice echoed in Ashe's head, sounding like he was skeptical but also hesitant. He'd picked up on the woman's upset nature, and possibly a tension coming from Ashe. Ashe gave a short nod, and send an affirmative through their link. [Well, let's do this.] And Dracula started forward, entering the beautiful foresty plot of land set aside for people to make their gardens in. His flames flickered, reacting to the situation.
Dracula: 0 2/5 Ashe: 0 2/20 Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4MP Post 2
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on May 31, 2020 15:19:21 GMT -6
[You know, we might not have to fight] Ashe told him. He stayed mounted, for ease (and perhaps laziness) as they walked into the near darkness. Plenty of gardens were abandoned and left to grow like crazy, creating jungles instead of pretty, pruned gardens. Ashe sort of liked the wildness of it all, and he kept part of his own plot wild for such adventurous purposes. Ashe glanced occasionally at the plaques saying who owned what, making his way to the correct number. He’d been here before, and could probably have found the place on his own even without looking at each marker, but this was more relaxed. He wasn’t in a super hurry, the Nyssa wasn’t going anywhere fast. It was a tree, after all, and it might even be sleeping, soaking up some sun like it was the last time he’d been here.
[What do you mean, won’t have to fight?] Dracula returned, bringing Ashe back and away from his thoughts. His voice held a perplexed tone; it was apparent he was expecting to fight, and thought that that was the whole point of his presence here. And now Ashe was telling him that they might not even need his flames to burn the woody body of a walking tree?
Dracula: 0 3/5 Ashe: 0 3/20 Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4MP Post 3
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on May 31, 2020 15:41:28 GMT -6
Well, last time, we snuck in and I stole the thing back, and it ended up just leaving rather peacefully.
That sounds completely boring and anticlimactic he grumbled, shaking his head, causing his flames to ripple along his neck and his spine. I prefer to fight.
Oh, you think you can take on a Nyssa, do you? Ashe teased him, touching his neck with a hand. It’s alright if you can’t, I’ll still love you…. Just a little less.
Dracula snarled and bucked, nearly sending Ashe over his head. The man clamped his thighs down and threw his body weight backward, almost feeling like he was laying flat on Drac’s back, as he rode out the buck. Dracula’s legs came back to the ground and he bounced into a fast trot, to try to punish Ashe further. But the man was too good of a rider to be thrown, and soon they were back to walking at a calm pace.
Of course I can take a Nyssa Dracula grumbled, trying to recover his pride. He snorted flames and set a nearby bush on fire.
Dracula: 0 4/5 Ashe: 0 4/20 Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4MP Post 4
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on May 31, 2020 15:49:06 GMT -6
Dracula versus a bush, Dracula wins! Ashe announced with a smirk, feeling rather satisfied with his teasing. Dracula snorted and raised his flames to show his annoyance. The flames, normally staying down near Ashe’s crotch and thighs, flared up to reach his shoulders. Since Dracula did, deep down somewhere, love Ashe, he didn’t burn the human. But the flames reaching so high would definitely get his point across. Ashe noted it, but ignored it. The world was pretty, when viewed through fiery destruction like this.
They reached the garden in question and Ashe leaned over from his mounted position to open the gate. Then they walked in, and Ashe shut it behind them. This garden was much better kept than some of the others, and it seemed pristine, quiet, calm. Peaceful.
I don’t see anything amiss, Dracula commented, looking around. He snorted, then sniffed around, as if he could smell one tree differently from another. And for all Ashe knew, he could, strange as that sounded to a human’s silly nose.
Dracula: 1 0/5 Ashe: 0 5/20 Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4MP Post 5
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on May 31, 2020 15:54:57 GMT -6
If anything, we’re looking for nyssa footprints, or trampled bonsai plants.. Ashe informed him, leaning over the stallion’s shoulder to gaze at the ground. So far, so good, what he could see of it. Some plants covered the pathway, but they would have been broken down themselves if a large foot came trampling through. Oh, and be careful yourself, Drac. We don’t want to add to the damage already caused.
Dracula snorted again, and Ashe felt the eyeroll even if he couldn’t see it. Us stepping on stuff to defend the garden would be a worthy cause, would it not? Minor damage from my hooves, to prevent an entire tree destroying things on purpose…
And, don’t set anything else on fire, Ashe added, speaking as if Dracula hadn’t just tried to make a point. He didn’t think he had to tell him that, but when the two were together, they couldn’t help but antagonize each other. Like siblings, rather than pet and master.
Dracula: 1 1/5 Ashe: 0 6/20 Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4MP Post 6
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on May 31, 2020 16:02:53 GMT -6
It was a while before they found their first footprint. Ashe was starting to worry he’d gotten the number wrong and they were trespassing instead on someone’s garden that didn’t even have a Nyssa problem. Or, at best, had a peaceful Nyssa that was more careful and didn’t trample things. Which got him wondering; he hoped this was actually the same Nyssa and not someone else’s peaceful Nyssa that just got mistaken. He didn’t like the idea of attacking something that didn’t deserve it, though he was eager to use force if needed to get the Nyssa that DID deserve it, out.
That was when he spotted something. It was barely noticeable, just some broken plants. A few busted leaves, a broken stem, and then a deep depression in the soft soil underneath. Drac, look! Like this. This is a Nyssa track. This is what we’ve been looking for!
The stallion turned his head around to look, standing still so he didn’t step on the track mark himself.
Dracula: 1 2/5 Ashe: 0 7/20 Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4MP Post 7
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on May 31, 2020 16:15:09 GMT -6
So that’s what we’re looking for…. Dracula murmured, staring at the spot Ashe was indicating. What exactly is that, that we’re looking for? Just a crater in the ground? He did not recognize it as a Nyssa track. He didn’t know enough about Nyssa to recognize a tree’s footprint, and he was already so skeptical about this entire mission… Ashe wasn’t surprised he was going to be a little more difficult than that.
Trust me, that’s the shape of a Nyssa foot, and the depth of the impression on the ground shows that it’s a large Nyssa. Let’s see… Ashe leaned more, trying to see which direction the beast was going. He couldn’t see from his current vantage point where there might be another footprint, so he slid off the Equillion and got to looking more close up. He searched the ground, looking first for more broken vegetation. It shouldn’t be too far, or too hard, to spot! Not for something like this,
Dracula: 1 3/5 Ashe: 0 8/20 - continued to the next Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4MP Post 8
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 31, 2020 22:12:56 GMT -6
No sign of the nyssa yet, alas!
[Posts 1-5, no success yet.]
|
|