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Post by Ashe on Mar 2, 2021 16:15:57 GMT -6
This Fae was not exactly who Ashe had expected to run into at the quest board today. Normally, the quests are posted, and rarely do the quest givers hang around waiting. But this Fae seemed desperate, yet there was something shady about him. It was more like child-set-house-on-fire-and-doesn't-know-how-to-fix-it, than a random occurance. But, a quest was a quest. Ashe took the picture offered to him, pocketing it because he knew he would need it. Botony wasn't his best forte, so to speak. "You don't want me to get rid of these dangerous plants?" Ashe couldn't help but ask, a little shocked if he was honest. Normally it was 'vanquish the evil' in quests, but this was just 'steal a flower so I can fix my problem'. Just another sign that the Fae had caused this. Who was Ashe to judge? He'd get paid either way. "I'll see what I can do," Ashe said, returning to his steed. Maverick had waited quietly for the human while they talked, and now he perked his ears, green robotic eyes flashing. "Successful?" he asked. Maverick: + 0 1/5 Ashe: +0 1/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP 1
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Post by Ashe on Mar 5, 2021 2:17:45 GMT -6
"Yep, we have a quest! I'll fill you in on the way." Ashe swung up on his Equillion. Maverick was extra gaunt and boney, even for a Tainted Equillion. He was perfectly normal, simply designed to look like a walking skeleton. Because why not, in this place? Ashe had a special thickened pad that he used under the saddle, mainly for the sake of Maverick's back. He was a tall Equillion, descendant of a draft sized beast, and Ashe had the same recurring thought each time he had to haul himself up on his back.
I should have taught him to bow for me to get on.
Sometimes, these thoughts were heard and acknowledged by the Equillion himself. Ashe often forgot he had a ribbon of telepathy that opened the link to their thoughts. This time, Maverick either didn't hear it or didn't acknowledge it, and Ashe managed to get himself situated in the saddle with little hassle. With his knees, he nudged Maverick in the right direction and urged him to walk, all with body language rather than words.
Maverick: + 0 2/5 Ashe: +0 2/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 5, 2021 2:38:27 GMT -6
"So this Fae has some sort of precious flower in a garden, and there are some dangerous plants protecting it. I assume he means plants that are alive, because who cares if a poisonous flower is in your way, what's that going to do..."
Maverick listened to Ashe describing the quest he had signed them both up for, and gave a slight nod of his head, understanding the task set before them. "I could toast anything that comes into our path," He said, his tone indicative of a shrug of indifference. He was confident in his strength, in his power. He had Ashe to guide with experience, and he had everything else. Plants? He could handle it.
Ashe gave the equillion a pat on the shoulder, agreeing wholeheartedly with him. He was thinking this was going to be rather simple; bring a firebreathing Equillion to a plant fight and that solves all of your problems! As they walked on, he pulled out the photo he'd been handed and studied it.
Maverick: + 0 3/5 Ashe: +0 3/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 5, 2021 2:50:52 GMT -6
"This is what the plant we are looking to rescue looks like. Please don't roast it."
Instead of showing the equillion the picture, like one would a human, Ashe focused really hard on the image and kept it in his mind. Then he thought really hard, showing every detail of the image in his mind's eye, and he sent that thought to Maverick. This was how they had communicated for years. Maverick, before he had his collar of speech or charm of brilliance, was just a basic Equillion, and before his robotic eyes - he had been a blind basic Equillion. So to show him the world, Ashe had thought in images and feelings, and Maverick had thrived under that sort of guidance.
"I see it," Maverick said, meaning he'd received the message and now had it in a memory. He described it back to Ashe, and the man was satisfied. It was a decent enough description so it looked like their link was working just fine after all this time.
Maverick: + 0 4/5 Ashe: +0 4/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 5, 2021 3:21:57 GMT -6
Ashe rode Maverick, giving steady directions, all the way to the garden that had been described to him. Once there, he had Maverick maneuver to the gate, unlatched it, and urged Maverick in. Maverick side-passed to shut the gate behind him and Ashe latched it. This was a little harder to do with Mav's wings furled alongside his body but Ashe managed. And then they were in the garden! Ashe glanced around, seeing what looked like a grassy field immediately inside. Cautiously, they walked into the clearing, looking around.
"Everything seems normal so far," Ashe commented. "To be honest, I thought there were going to be rabid whiptail vinesnatchers everywhere running amuck." But there was nothing. Just birds tweeting in the trees, wind blowing through the grass and leaves. Sunshine beating down on them. But - the sun was kind of low in the sky, so if they didn't hurry with this, Ashe might be stuck doing this in the dark. And Maverick's black flame didn't offer light, either.
Maverick: + 1 0/5 Ashe: +0 5/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 5, 2021 3:32:59 GMT -6
"Guess they are further in," Maverick said, looking ahead toward the thicker part of the garden. What started as smaller bushes and trees got thicker and bigger, surely that's where all the goodies were located. Ashe shifted his weight forward, indicating his eagerness to get going, and Maverick walked on. The pair of them were on alert, even checking the skies for - what, flying plants? Half way across the clearing, Ashe started relaxing, figuring that at the very least, the clearing was safe enough for them. Maverick sensed Ashe relax and he, too, relaxed, his head hanging low and just strolling. He didn't sense an eagerness from Ashe that would indicate 'rush ahead and get this over with!' so he enjoyed the walk, saving his strength for a possible battle later.
The pair walked in comfortable silence. Nothing to note around them, nothing to question amongst themselves. But the peace would not last forever, and before they knew it, they reached the tree line. Beyond it... who knew what was there.
Maverick: + 1 1/5 Ashe: +0 6/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 5, 2021 3:46:13 GMT -6
They breached the trees and found that there was a trail, just a simple worn dirt path between the bushes. Maverick stopped to sniff at it, seeing if he could smell anything that had passed by through here recently. He smelled stench of something humanoid, but not quite, mixed with an earthy scent. He assumed this was the smell of the Fae, a people much more connected to the earth than Ashe's race was. Maverick, while smart, didn't know that much about the other races of two legged masters. He knew only what Ashe had told him, and in this case, Ashe had told him it was the Fae's garden.
But Maverick would one day easily surpass Ashe's knowledge.
Satisfied with his inquiry, Maverick moved on into the bushes, down the path, toward the trees. He found they weren't as tightly packed as he had first believed, and there was plenty of room to move between them. They weren't boring trees, either.
Maverick: + 1 2/5 Ashe: +0 7/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 5, 2021 16:53:45 GMT -6
They were either in bloom, wafting scents this way and that, both attractive and not, or they were fruit trees - berries and apples hanging from branches. And strawberry bushes. Scents and tempting fruit everywhere. Maverick, of course, wasn't tempted by the sweets. He was mostly on a carnivorous diet - hearts and livers were his treats, not apples and carrots. But he might occasionally devour a pineapple, if Ashe cut it up for him. And there were no pineapple here. But above all else, something told him not to eat anything in a Fae's garden. He wasn't sure what that instinct meant. It kept him from getting too adventurous, though. It also kept him from eating out of boredom, because still nothing was happening.
Ashe wasn't tempted by the delicious looking fruit, either. But his reasoning was more along the lines of being too busy to care much about the plants growing around him, unless they had fangs and were moving to attack him. He was focused on the task at hand, and the hairs standing up on his arms said they were getting close.
Maverick: + 1 3/5 Ashe: +0 8/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 8, 2021 7:12:14 GMT -6
It crept on them slowly, inching its way in like a damp chill coming through the cracks in the floor. Maverick sensed it too; Ashe could tell by the sudden stillness of his ears, frozen in an alert state. Ashe felt the hairs on his arms start to rise. It was the feeling of being watched, and not just someone casually looking at you. This was more of an intent-filled gaze. Almost like that of a predator, Ashe mused to himself. Silently, he reached out to his Equillion through their ribbon.
Do you see anything? He asked, glancing around. He wasn't sure if this was a human watching him, or some creature. If it was a human, it might be best to not let them know he knew they were being watched... But it was most likely a creature, given their location and why they were here in this location in the first place. So he allowed himself to glance around at will.
Maverick: + 1 4/5 Ashe: +0 9/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 8, 2021 7:21:37 GMT -6
'I do not see anything threatening,' the stallion reported back. He remained still - his head facing forward as they walked, rather than jerking all over the place like Ashe was sure he'd be doing - and didn't even move his ears. That must take a lot of willpower, Ashe thought, to hold so still when you didn't even know what you were holding still from. He was still checking the trees, checking the bushes. Nothing amiss seemed to be moving. No flash of eyes, no obvious scattering of leaves or snapping of twigs. But he felt like there were more eyes on them now, if that was even possible to discern from the original feeling. There was definitely something out there!
'Who knows, maybe it's friendly mussimander coming to greet us. We are newcomers, guests, in this garden, after all.'
'I would sooner suspect a trap. Especially considering we are here because of certain dangerous plants. Perhaps they are not stationary, and are vicious instead.'
Maverick: + 2 0/5 Ashe: +0 10/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 8, 2021 7:28:09 GMT -6
It wasn't for another five minutes, perhaps four and a half, that they would see what it was that had been stalking them all this while. A creature - it had to be, it was moving! - darted through the bushes, leaves and a bulb shaped head all that was visible. In a flash, it was gone.
'We have company,' Ashe alerted Maverick. But he didn't need to, because the stallion was already locked on the movement like a radar. His flames rippled under and around Ashe, never burning him even in agitation, but still showing how the beast was feeling. And right now, he was holding himself back from charging ahead and torching it. Ashe felt the muscles beneath him tighten, tense. He, too, felt wired, coiled like a spring, ready to go.
'Easy... Who knows where it is now... If it wanted to attack, why hasn't it already?' Ashe mused, sharing his thoughts with his stallion. Maverick gave a soft snort to show he didn't like it, but he would still hold back. For now. But let one of those things move toward them...
Maverick: + 2 1/5 Ashe: +0 11/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 11, 2021 16:42:03 GMT -6
It had to be sizing them up. Or maybe it had alerted others and was waiting for backup to arrive before attacking. Either way, Ashe and Maverick had to be careful until they knew just what they were up against. Ashe's mind was filled with visions of large beasts with vines like tentacles, ready to strangle. But he thought 'dangerous plants' could also be something that was toxic, or poisonous, or fungal that let out spores... Come to think of it, why hadn't he brought masks to filter anything that might be in the air? Many kinds of spores from regular plants could cause trouble, let alone from these things.
Ashe adjusted their course by nudging Maverick's side with his legs, communicating in silence without much outward appearance of doing so. Maverick angled differently, without missing a beat or changing his pace. His ears were perked, but purposely relaxed, as he listened to the garden sounds around them.
Maverick: + 2 2/5 Ashe: +0 12/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 11, 2021 16:46:28 GMT -6
There was a snap of a twig to their left. It took everything Ashe had not to whip his head around at the sound, though he did slowly, casually, swing his gaze around. Maverick had held still himself; nerves of steel, that one! If they allowed the creature, or creatures, to think they were being stealthy enough that they were still sneaking up on them, it would be easier to draw them out and face them. Instead of sending them into hiding again by blowing their cover.
And since Ashe and Maverick knew, and were prepared, for something following them, they wouldn't actually be ambushed.
So far, the creatures were still staying hidden, but Ashe got the feeling it was closer. Closer. And drawing even clos-
'What was that?' Ashe thought suddenly. 'Up ahead!' He hadn't expected something to be in front of them! He had totally expected it to come from the sides or the rear, but the front?
Maverick: + 2 3/5 Ashe: +0 13/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 11, 2021 16:53:14 GMT -6
Ashe saw it. It was what appeared to be knee high, with... was that roots, for feet? It crawled around on four thick root looking legs, formed a bulbous body, and was topped with an array of flowers for heads. Ashe wasn't sure where its eyes were, but he saw the large mouth on the body. He imagined there would be fangs or something outrageous in there.
Maverick came to a halt when the creature made its presence known. His fire rippled, a sign that he was ready to unleash a breath of fire if that thing came any closer. It would be dumb, even for a plant, to approach a fire horse. Ashe didn't expect any more from a plant though. And of course, it delivered, and it scurried toward them. It was fast! Ashe was shocked at how quickly it covered the ground on those four roots, almost like it was gliding. It crossed the distance in seconds, causing Maverick to rear back.
Maverick: + 2 4/5 Ashe: +0 14/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 11, 2021 16:59:44 GMT -6
Maverick hadn't been expecting it to suddenly appear nose to nose with him! He reared back and let loose a blast of black flame. The tongues of fire lashed out, scorching everything in its path, including the flower beast. It shrieked and ran in the other direction, smoking but not actively burning. Maverick landed with a snort, looking after it. He had the urge to chase and pursue his prey, but Ashe held him back with a touch. He shook his head and stamped in frustration, but waited obediently. Ashe would know what to do in this situation better than he would out of plain experience.
The garden around them was pretty quiet now. Almost too quiet, like things that had made normal noises were now silenced, as if a predator was around that scared even the smaller animals. But for all of its weirdness, Ashe didn't think the plant monster was that bad, really. He frowned and waited, eyes scanning, no longer trying to hide his awareness.
Maverick: + 3 0/5 Ashe: +0 15/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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