Fantasy A Fresh Start (Closed)

[June Verles]

Passing through the river and brunting the force of the current was easier than expected. And as soon as he arrived at the steps of the slightly stronger current Erik stopped to analyze his current situation. The poor bird was barely keeping the hungry mutts at bay, not considering the fact that between him and the bank there were another group of dogs. Fortunately for Erik, the dogs on the bank seemed more anxious than angry so he takes out another one of the 5 balls he carried throwing it on the bank. Hoping for the dogs to be preoccupied with the item he uses the downstream current to reach the lower part of the bank and he would walk calmly without giving off any type of emotion to the back of the turkey opposite the dogs.

 

[Ubertide]

With the serpent gone, the animals that had fled into the safety of the forest would anxiously make their way back to the lake. Once they were certain it was safe again, they'd relax and resume what they were doing before the peace was disturbed. The smell of cooking fish would make the family of wolves somewhat curious as they turned their gaze towards him and sniffed out the delicious smell, but they were far too apprehensive to approach.
L llamatime

"You don't? Well I suppose that explains why you were so eager to run into that place earlier." The raven croaked with some amusement before pausing as it took in something else she said, "Others, you say?" The raven tilted its head side to side as it considered that. "How interesting! I wonder what kind of game is afoot?" It pondered to itself for a moment before it announced rather abruptly, "I am going to call you 'Snippet' from now on." The bird sounded absolutely resolute in this statement and likely wouldn't be swayed otherwise!
matzi8qr

The golem would be right where Lothar left it, just standing there in the same exact position. It would stand still for a moment as the man spewed all his questions before slowly turning its head to face him as it slowly rumbled its response, "The...estate...belongs....to the....Master....just...as...these...lands...do." It paused again, its eyes flickering a brief moment before it continued, "I know...little...of...the...mistress. We did...not...interact...much. Lady...Estelle is...the master's...personal...magi. She...made me...as...I am. I...have not...seen...any of...them...for...a...long time now." Guardian stood still again, perhaps thinking upon that last statement it just made before it finally answered the final question, "There was...a...war declared...upon us...by...by....by...." It paused again, standing upright as if realizing something, "I...do not...recall."
Heyitsjiwon

Seeing him throw something the dogs cringed away at first, but when it broke on the bank their ears perked and they all immediately congregated on that spot, sniffing and pawing at the ground as they tried to figure out what the delicious something was! They'd be thoroughly distracted as some of them started digging, thinking that maybe the treat was buried below! Meanwhile back on the battlefront, the turkey was quickly losing steam and was attempting to escape when Erik arrived behind them. Seeing this unknown being the dogs would stop and pin their ears back, teeth bared with tails tucked as they looked at him. They weren't angry, more like threatened and hungry. The more severely injured and younger ones would slowly scoot to the back of the group, all keeping their eyes on the turkey and the man before them.
June Verles

 

[llamatime]

Giovanni
After finishing his meal Giovanni got his stuff ready and prepared himself for his next destination. But before he could move on he noticed the family of beasts staring at him. He would be cautious at first but then he remembered that he hadn't eaten all the fish. Suddenly he felt a new emotion, he wasn't sure what to call it but he didn't really care. He then took the remaining fish and threw it towards the beasts. "Help yourselves." he said as he continued to the ruined estate right above his current location. He wasn't sure why he did that and he wasn't sure how he felt about it either. But he wouldn't let curiosity stop him on his quest for survival.

 

[matzi8qr]

"Snippet"

"Snippet?!" the girl said in mild disgust, looking up to the raven. "Snippet... That doesn't really sound right for a name... you know...?" she said. "You can at least call me by... like... an actual name... Something like 'Ivy' or 'Violet'" For some reason, when saying these names, something clicked in "Snippet's" mind, something like a fragmented memory. Something about those names meant something to her, but she couldn't decide what.

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

Lothar

He nodded at Guardian's slow explanations... although there wasn't much of an answer. It was better than nothing. Regardless, there was much to do. He replied "Okay Guardian, I'm going to continue to clean up the place a little, but also go out to the lake to get water and food." With that, Lothar turned to the barn and would look through the barn/stable as well. Assuming there was nothing interesting there as well, Lothar would go further south to the lake and river so that he could try to find some food and water.... that said.... he needed to find a bucket or something.... he had to carry everything after all.

 

[June Verles]

Erik was about to crack the skull of one of the mongrels with a solid strike of the spade but he stopped as he saw that the dogs were just hungry. He sighed holstering the spade along his sash and took out the final 3 pieces of the balls he had left. With a surprising lack of regret, he throws two of the balls in the pack and uses the final one to bait the turkey to follow him further north towards along what seemed to be a small spring-like divergence of the river.

Once at a relative distance he drops the ball leaving it at the turkey's will as he goes off to scavenge for nuts, berries and wild seeds to return and give to the turkey in an effort to make it acclimated with him.

 

[Ubertide]

The wolves would wait for a moment, watching him walk off before they quietly took the meal, letting the pups eat it first once they were sure he was a good distance away. As he headed up north towards the estate, things would be nice and peaceful once again. Perhaps luck was on his side once more.
L llamatime

"Well I think it's a fine name." The Raven scoffed indignantly, "Much better than naming you after some plant. You humans are so particular." The bird managed to mimic a snorting sound as it turned its beak up and away from the girl. "Good luck finding the Lady in Blue, little Snippet. She doesn't stay in one place for long." And with that the bird would leap up into the air and swoop off, its feathers glittering in the sunlight for almost everyone in the dome to see.
matzi8qr

"Very....well. I shall...remain here...and...guard...the...estate." The golem intoned simply as it just continued to stand there and do its duty. Inside the stable Lothar would find a lot of old, rusted tools. Some would be useful, like a shovel, another completely useless, like the pitchfork with a completely rotten handle that made it impossible to use for its intended purpose. There would be a metal bucket made from tin, however, that seemed to be in decent condition if a bit small. There wouldn't be any sign of horses or other animals save for the stalls in there and the various ratty saddles hanging around. Once equipped with this trusty water bucket, Lothar would be free to head south; unwittingly crossing paths with Giovanni who was headed right his way.
Heyitsjiwon

Some dogs would snap and snarl at his display of aggression, but would scuttle backwards as instead of attacking he threw something in their midst! Soon the dogs would all be focused on the spot and on each other, snarling and barking in hunger and confusion. The turkey would stumble up to its feet weakly, being just a few inches away from death's doorstep. It would follow the bait rather stupidly, true to its form, and would be led away safely down the smaller branch of the river. Left alone with the ball and too weak to stand anymore, the bird would sit down and just start pecking at it and tilting its head side to side like the idiot it truly was. As Erik found himself a nice blackberry bush, something gold and glittering would be flying high above his head.
June Verles

 

[llamatime]

Giovanni
He kept heading north to his location not looking back unless it was necessary. When he reached the estate his first instinct was to inspect the stable. At first there seemed to be nothing of interest, but then he noticed a man with a falchion in it's sheath. Giovanni then took time to think about this new situation he was put in. A newcomer, well my odds of survival would increase if I had a partner. And he might be useful for me. So after formulating his plan he finally spoke up. "Excuse me, but do you happen to know where we are and what's going on?" He asked while noting the man's sword.

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

Lothar

Lothar's right eye brow rose when he bumped into someone as he walked through the woods to the south of the estate. However... he was wary. He put his hand casually on the pommel of his falchion to "rest" it as the stranger approached. "Hail Stranger, I unfortunately do not as I woke up just momentarily to the north on a tall hill. It appears we both do not know where we are." He then pointed south and said "I am currently heading south to gather some water and hopefully find some food."

 

[June Verles]

Admittedly it was rather hard finding bushes with fruits with the low visibility paired from the trees blocking the sunlight, he was thinking if he was shitty enough to give up and just eat the turkey but before he committed he managed to find a well-lit bush of berries. He rushes to it rubbing his hand against the air as if he had another one looking at a fine meal. He collected fistful and proceeded to gorge it, and after being satisfied with the taste he proceeded to cut a large part of the bush.

What followed was him going back to the turkey and throwing the bush with berries in front of it, after a moment of satisfaction watching the turkey eat which brung a smile to his face he sighed. He still had to address the light which he simply decided to ignore so far.

"Please don't be some angel coming for retribution or something like that" as he stared up.

 

[matzi8qr]

Snippet

"Good luck finding the Lady in Blue. She doesn't stay in one place for long," the raven said, flying off. "Thanks," Snippet said into the air. Without anyone talking to her anymore, she remembered her thirst, so went to take a drink from the water. Snippet cupped her hands and took a sip of the cool water, feeling it travel down and soothe her parched throat. She drank another hand-cup of water and looked in the lake, watching the fish swim around. Food was going to become an issue at some point, and Snippet was already feeling the twinge of hunger in her stomach. Concluding that she should probably do something about it, she got up, dusted the sand off of her, and made her way over to investigate some cacti. She would make some sort of spear for fish, but Snippet didn't plan on traveling back to the forest without any sort of food.

 

[Killigrew]

Blanchefleur
Hu--
"shh-shhh-shh!"
The woman woke with a start. Scattered glances tried to name the sound, but all they gleaned were the blades of grass that rose gently against the breeze. As her teeth relaxed, she gasped, staring down at the cold metal pot cradled in her arms.
"Was that..." her own voice was foreign. "Where is..."
An absence fell over her heart like dusk over day. Tears rolled quietly down her cheeks as she traced the pot's uneven surface. She wished it were something... other, but she could not say what it was she wished, because she did not know the name of the thing that haunted her... not even as it wrung her heart with sorrow.
"Oh..." She rose to her feet, sighing. "Oh, what shall I do?"
A net covered the pot like swaddling clothes, the leather make simple and functional. She caressed the pot with a low melancholic lament, and raised her ears against the trees.
A yearning pulled her into them, made her direction speed towards their branches. She expected something just beyond the path she followed into them. She had to go. She had to hurry. She was needed.

 

[Ubertide]

By now it was mid to late morning, steadily encroaching on early afternoon and the landscape was becoming more and more active as the native fauna just went about their daily lives. A cool breeze would blow through the pine forest as Giovanni and Lothar became acquainted, and as the latest one to awaken rushed off eastward towards the rocky foothills at the base of the eastern mountain range.

The nearest cactus would have two tumble blooms sitting at its base and would look a bit parched, strangely enough! The bigger of the two flowers would be bright yellow in color, while the other was a brilliant shade of orange. At the center of their petals they would have a large swollen 'button' of pale pollen and the leaves on the underside of the flowers would be pretty large themselves. Perhaps something could be done with these?
matzi8qr

Easily distracted from trying to devour the inedible object, the turkey would just start ravenously plucking away at the berries. It didn't seem to care in the slightest if there were brambles attached! It also didn't seem to care that it was still on death's doorstep. Meanwhile, the glittering light would slowly start to spiral downwards until the form of the Golden Raven had landed on the sturdiest looking branch of a nearby tree. "Well aren't you an interesting character! Perhaps you'll be more friendly than the other one." It croaked playfully as it tilted its head to the side, glancing Erik over before turning its attention to the other bird that, despite it being large for its kind, was easily dwarfed by the shining corvid. "Fattening it up during its last moments of life, eh?"
June Verles

 

[llamatime]

Giovanni
He knew that food and water is important, but he knew about the wildlife that thrived within this area. He wasn't sure if this newcomer should just rush into the lake without thinking, after all if he were to perish than Giovanni would have less of a chance to escape. So he rushed ahead of this newcomer. "Wait! I've seen what lies in that lake. the only reason I got food in the first place was because it was generous. Not to mention how aggressive some of these creatures can be. So here's my proposal, I'll accompany you so we can safely get our food and water, and you let me travel with you so we can both survive." Giovanni made sure to keep an eye on this person as the falchion he was carrying would make him a threat.

 

[matzi8qr]

Snippet

Snippet put her shirt over her nose as she examined the massive flowers at the base of the cactus, quite intrigued on how something with such large leaves survives in a desert, and especially why the cactus was the drier looking one of the plants. Curious, Snippet examined further down the plant, thinking that the leaves could probably make a fine rope. Snippet found the base of the big flower, and became even more curious that the roots were so close to the cactus. "Is someone taking your water, Mr. Cactus?" Snippet said, taking hold of the base of the smaller, orange flower and attempting to uproot it. She really was curious to see how something built like this survived in the barren desert.

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

Lothar

Lothar paused for a moment. It appeared that there was some sort of monster or creature at the lake. It was probably a better idea to walk to the south east to the stream instead of the lake itself. "Travel? I don't intend to travel much. Just set up camp and get the basics set for now. I don't know how long you've been here, but I have a bad feeling that we're going to be here for a while. I've set up camp in a ruined estate to the north... well... kinda. I'm more of a guest there. There's a ... stone soldier who is guarding the ruins. I managed to get on his good side, so he's letting me stay. But, if you're looking to travel around, then I'm not that interested. Feel free to visit... and try to be nice to the Guardian if you do come. Otherwise... he might not be so peaceful." With that said, Lothar continued to walk towards the south east now so that he could get water from the stream rather than the lake... and hopefully he would find some food along the way.

 

[June Verles]

Erik squinted as he stared at the large golden raven who was planning to start a conversation. He sighed and rubbed his bald head for a second before staring back at the raven with the same unimpressed expression. "So a golden raven huh? I am not the best with subtle imagery are you meant to represent greed or something..." he said as he proceeded to rub his beard staring even more intently at the bird. "Oh where are my manners, I am Erik at your pleasure and whoever this is doesn't matter as it will probably die."

He sighed and sat down next to the oblivious turkey feasting on the berries beginning to rub its head; "Guess it wasn't meant to be huh? Oh well if he dies I'll just give it back to the mutts. Anyways enough about my day how has yours been?" He said as he continued to pet the turkey.

 

[Killigrew]

Blanchefleur
The bark pressed roughly into her back as she leaned up against a tree for rest. As her panting quieted, she turned her eyes to the pot she still cradled in her arms. It had grown heavier as she went, turning her strength to numbness, but she did not want to let go.
"But I had better..." she murmered, but her hands could not be moved.
Tired eyes scanned the foothills ahead, to which the path had led. She felt the fear rising in her again, entirely disagreeing with what she saw. The direction and purpose that drove her had all dried up when first she caught sight of the rolling waves of rock. Now she had no reason to move.

 

[Ubertide]

The girl would have a hell of a time uprooting the thing at first as it seemed to be holding on to the ground with a vice grip, but after some persistent tugging it would finally come up with long, thick roots that seemed to of taken some cacti roots up with it! Upon being uprooted the plant would immediately and instinctively curl up into a ball right in her hands, its roots also curling upwards around its leaves.
matzi8qr

As Lothar neared the stream, perhaps he would be relieved to see that there was some form of food around here; blackberry brambles which hung close to the bank of the stream. There wouldn't be anything else of note besides the fact that the stream had clear waters and a very rocky bed and that a couple of deer were on the other side of it staring at him cautiously.
Heyitsjiwon

The bird scoffed and fluffed its feathers up in indignation, "Why I never! Just because I talk and my feathers are of an unnatural hue does not mean I am some sort of personified specter sent to haunt you!" It would be hard to tell if the bird was legitimately upset or was just messing with him. Whatever the case, it quickly dropped the issue and dramatically bowed its head at the introduction. "Golden Raven at your service! We beasts are not so particular about names....Well truthfully, I doubt anything has a name in the human sense around these parts." It mused to itself at that for a moment before glancing to the bird, "I'd keep it for yourself if I were you, those mutts can fend for themselves. They often come into this forest to do so. Quite fond of the rats here you see." It spoke with sly amusement with a secretive twinkle in its eye before answering the question, "Well my morning's been fairly interesting so far! Two humans in one day, and apparently according to the last one there's more of you! I must say, seeing humans after so long is going to flip this place on its head." The bird cackled gleefully. While this conversation was taking place the ravenous turkey who was just completely ignoring Erik and seemingly unaware of its situation would start to look a bit...sleepy. Its time would soon come.
June Verles

As she took a moment to rest, she would indeed see the rolling hills of rock and mountain across the river bank and at first glance that would be all she could see, but if she stared long enough she could swear she saw figures roaming the hills; humanoid ones. Some with what appeared to be weapons and some just wandering around restlessly. None of them would seem to even take notice of her. The river ahead would be a rather shallow stretch, so crossing it would be simple enough, but besides those mysterious figures there didn't seem to be much of anything out there.
Killigrew

 

[llamatime]

Giovanni
He took a moment to think about his situation. This newcomer seemed determined to survive yet he didn't seem cautious. Giovanni on the other hand thought that knowing his surroundings would be most helpful. He decided to follow the newcomer until they reached the stream, when they did Giovanni would follow the stream to the east of the dome. He saw several things in that direction, rocky mountains, some kind of fortress, but the thing that he was most interested in was that treehouse looking thing far up. It looked like a suitable shelter plus there might be something of use in there. He then rushed to join Lothar. "Well survival is important, but I'm currently set on learning about our new surroundings. So I'm following the stream too, not for resources but to explore this new environment. If we ever meet again I'll tell you what I've found." He proceeded to take a few berries before turning back to the newcomer. "By the way, you can call me Giovanni. What should I call you?" When he learned this person's name he would start his trek east.

 

[matzi8qr]

Snippet

Snippet finally got the flower out of the ground, and she watched it curl up in a cute little ball. She made a little sound, feeling bad for the big flower. Then she noticed how a piece of the cactus was stuck to the roots of the flower, and no longer felt bad. "Get your own water, you jerk," she said to the flower. Snippet wondered if any part of this flower was edible. Maybe if she cooked up the roots, ate a little, see if she died later, she can find out if they're poisonous. Thinking this though, Snippet remembered that some plants are poisonous, and dropped the flowers to look at her arms. Seeing how she wasn't getting any rash, she bent down to pick up the flower, which just blew away in a gust of wind. "Hey, get back here!" she yelled, running after the flower blowing away like a tumbleweed. She caught up with it and grabbed it -- "wait, a flower, moving like a tumbleweed? I'll call you guys Tumbleblooms!" Snippet said, picking up the tumblebloom once more. She msde her way back over to the cactus and uprooted the other tumblebloom before heading back to her spot at the lake. She sat down at the lake bed and put her burning feet in the water. Then, she pulled all the leaves off of the tumbleblooms, stabbed the flowers into the ground so they didn't blow away like napkins outside without a paperweight, and got to work twisting the leaves together into a moderately long rope.

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

Lothar

I'm Lothar, see you around and don't get yourself killed.... I'll try to do the same." With that, Lothar proceeded to collect some berries and fill whatever pockets and pouches he may have. Hell, he even used some of his precious bucket space, but the rest of it was filled with water from the river. He took a seat by the river and began to wash himself a bit with the fresh water. He sat in silence and just tried to calm himself down... things had been a sudden whirl and he didn't have time to sit and think until now, which he started to appreciate. He turned to look at the deer who were staring back at him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few berries and began eating them. He casually threw some over to the deer. He had more than enough... and honestly... there was no way he could reasonably hunt those deers down right now. So, might as well try to make some nature friends or something, but really this was Lothar trying to decompress a bit and ground himself. He planned to enjoy the silence a bit longer before heading back to the estate with his berries and water.

 

[June Verles]

While the bird began responding, Erik not even phased by a talking golden raven, and a talkative one at that, instead sat his arse on the ground with a large umpf and hold his head while listening to the story. After the bird was finished he proceeded with a relatively bored tone "Well, I assume from your name that I will not be able to confuse with another unrelated golden raven? Great." As he turns his head for a second to stare at the last moments of the turkey his face somewhat saddens as his efforts only extended his short life.

"I haven't met any of these rats you have mentioned but I will give it back to them, at least to make them more friendly towards me. Afterall beasts aren't fond of names but fresh meat is another matter. Speaking of fresh meat." He pushes himself off the ground and walks up to the turkey, then without any hesitation ends it's suffering by a swift strike to the head of the beasts with his shovel. He takes a few feathers for later use and grabbing the carcass by the neck he proceeds to drag it back to hand it to the mutts.

"I am not quite in the mood for human interaction, but if you would like you can accompany me to Mutt's Vigil unless you need to go and if so farewell.".

 

[Ubertide]

The deer would be reasonably startled by the appearance of the two men and would hesitate to eat Lothar's offering at first until they finally just gave in to temptation and gently rubbed their faces up against each other as they muscled to eat more berries than the other one. Even the most gentle-seeming creatures here were quite competitive it seemed. As Giovanni followed the stream, he'd be brought to the smaller branch of the river and eventually this would lead him towards the Vigil and the main river itself, if he didn't happen to run into a certain woman along the way, that was.
Heyitsjiwon L llamatime

The roots would be quite thick and not so stringy, suitable for easily digging in and out of the desert sands if need be! The leaves would be surprisingly firm to the touch, having a texture similar to the smooth part of a cactus while being more flexible so as to allow easy transport. This would make them a bit hard to work but with enough effort and persistence she would eventually manage to figure out a system to get them soft enough to manipulate into rope fibers. As for the flowers that were pinned down by the knife, they'd start bleeding a faint amber sap which only made their pungent aroma that much worse.
matzi8qr

"Indeed! I am the only golden avian and the only raven around these parts! That said, there are crows around here. Thieving little sky rats try and take from my nest on a regular basis; quite delicious, though." There was a gleam of smug malice in its eyes for a moment before it cringed as the poor turkey was put out of its misery. "Speaking of delicious....." It hopped off the branch and swooped over to land by Erik, its head bobbing side to side for a moment before it quickly snagged a slice of turkey and swallowed it down like the greedy not-so-little sky rat it was! Satisfied it would quickly hop a few paces out of reach with an amused gleam in its eyes. "Mutt's Vigil mm? So you've already gone and started naming things as if they were yours! Typical of your kind, I suppose." It paused for a moment before turning its head awkwardly to the side, "I suppose I could afford to accompany you, just to see the reaction of those idiot mutts upon seeing humans again after so long! Well...living ones that is."
June Verles

 

[llamatime]

Giovanni
When he was sure that he was alone he started to formulate a plan. Unlike the first three people he met, Lothar seemed very confident and a good leader. But Giovanni felt that if he played his cards right, Lothar and maybe others that he meets along the way will be willing enough to "help" him escape from this place. He just needed to keep up this nice guy routine long enough until he felt confident enough to initiate his plan. For some reason when formulating this plan the phrase "Friendship is just a letter from sadness in disguise" kept ringing in his mind but he disregarded that as he continued on his way to the tree house-like structure. He decided to take a short detour to that fort when he noticed something peculiar, a woman with a pot seemingly resting against a tree. It seemed that others have indeed started to move out from that hill. He wanted to make sure if she was enough like Lothar that she would listen to him, but he really wanted to investigate the fort. So he decided that he would try to wake her up and see if she knew anything, and if she didn't answer then he would continue on his way to the fort. So he walked to where she was resting and finally attempted to wake her. "Excuse me, but do you happen to know where we are and why we're here?" He took a few steps back just in case she was more aggressive than he thought, he didn't know what kind of person she was so he felt it best to be cautious.
Killigrew