Weirmonken by Moonlight { LOG}
The woods of Weirmonken are cold, dark, and showing the effects of the shadow storm that pummeled it. A heavy cloak upon her shoulders, Rae is watching her breath fog as a Weir is freed from beneath a fallen tree.
Julian steps up beside Rae and crosses his arms over his chest. He still looks soggy, his cloak still wet. He's also dirty, though, suggesting that he's been helping. "How fare things?" he asks.
Rae has had the benefit of a change of clothes since the last rain, so only snow dots her cloak. "Better than expected," she murmurs, glancing to Julian only briefly. "Interestingly, at least."
"Expound," Julian says as he looks over things.
Rae remarks, wry, "Well, I'm still alive. Unless you were asking about the second part. The second part involves some new, not yet explored, creatures."
Julian grunts lightly. "I was."
"Oh," is all that Rae offers to that. She seems unphased by the grunt, and takes a few steps away. "There's something that doesn't feel right, that I can't put my finger on."
Julian turns his head to watch Rae. "What does it feel like?"
Rae shakes her head. "Can't describe it," she says. "Just not right." She gestures, perhaps for him to follow along, and moves towards the west--towards where the Silverspire once stood, miles away.
Julian unfolds his arms and moves with her. He considers her in silence for a few moments. "Should we find someone to look at you?" he asks.
Rae rolls her eyes. "I'm not sick. I'd know if I was just sick." She has a stalking stride, low ad slinky. To the left, there is the sound of breaking branches and heavy footsteps upon snow.
Julian looks to the left and his hand goes to that hunting knife without drawing it. "One of yours?" he asks.
Rae considers for a moment, and lets out a soft, quiet howl. The rumble that's given in return is not lupine. Stating the obvious, Rae mutters, "Err. Nope. Yours?"
Julian shakes his head. "No." He lets go of the hunting knife and draws the sword. A roll of his right shoulder pushes his cloak farther back.
"Well, fuck," Rae says, not sounding happy at all. The sound continues, and then strengthens. Many footfalls, huffs of breath, as the Weir and Julian are starting to be circled. Catching a glimpse of something, she offers, "Could be Stalkers."
"Stalkers?" Julian asks as he tilts his ear toward the sounds. He gives the blade he holds a few twirls to loosen his arm.
"Just another monster," Rae says, reassuringly. This doesn't stop her from quickening her step. "Hunt in packs." There's a glimpse of a large, large creature, with an impressive mane. "Probably think you're a decent dinner."
"And here I am in a crunchy candy shell," Julian says as he moves to stay with Rae. "How do we kill them?"
Rae shrugs, "Same way you kill anything, really. With a fatal wound."
Rae also reaches into her bag, and pulls out a pair of lobster shell crackers. They're waved at Julian.
Julian grunts. "Really?" he asks sarcastically. "What, exactly, is a fatal wound to these things?"
Rae remarks, "They have no special resistance to anything. They're just monsters. Think of them as any other animal you would bring down."
Julian nods once, "Excellent." He brandishes his blade again. "Shall we?"
Rae gestures, grandly, "After you."
A pair of amber eyes glow from the darkness, and a low snarl is given. It's not quite right. There is something wrong to the sound of the creature as it coils, to pounce.
Julian sets his feet and takes a ready stance, his blade held aloft. "Come and get it," he taunts the thing.
The creature that launches out of the shadows is not a Stalker, but clearly a Manticore. A very, very large manticore. The scorpion tail is poised for a strike, and the thing growls dangerously at Julian.
Julian watches the thing as it stands, poised to strike. When he's decided on his course he launches forward, his blade brandished at the things throat. Surely, though, he's paying attention to that tail.
The manticore launches its own attack, the tip of its deadly tail scratching against Julian's armor, like nails along a chalkboard. The Prince's blade strikes true, however. But it is not flesh that gives. It chips, and peels away, like a fragile shell. Inside glimmers, silver and crystalline, and geared.
Rae, meanwhile, is starting to face one of the other Manticores, her throwing blades drawn, ready to strike.
That chipping causes Julian to blink but his movements do not slow. "Fuck!" he hells, his stoicism broken. "These are creatures of Order!" He whirls to try and slice off the tip of that manticore's tail.
"Oh, of course!," Rae says, as one of her daggers goes flying past the head of one of them, into a tree. "I'd been having *far* too pleasant a day." The jewel peeks out from her cloak, and it seems to drive the creature facing her into a frenzy. One that Rae is having difficulty keeping ahead of.
Julian spares a glance toward Rae, perhaps with concern, and then launches an attack against his foe. His blade swings violently. It seems he's taking the route of 'bash it to pieces."
Bashing it to pieces seems to be a good tactic. It may even work on the other manticore that is attempting to attack Julian from behind.
Rae, however, is not having such luck. She's managed to score a few glancing blows, but the manticore is doing a number on her with claws and fangs. One swipe breaks the chain, and the jewel tumbles to the snow, only to be grasped by greedy manticore jaws. "NO!," cries out Rae, launching for it, her hand reaching into a mouth of deadly teeth.
Julian somehow manages to get the head off the Manticore he's been fighting and without a beat turns to start in on the next. The Prince moves quickly and efficiently as his blade strikes and strikes again. For a second time he manages to get the head off the thing before turning toward Rae. "Rae!" he calls.
Little gears and mechanisms are sprinkled here and there, glimmering against the snow. It sets off the blood upon it nicely, and provides an excellent backdrop for Rae's scream as her hand is nearly bit off, as the manticore's tail pierces her back.
Julian launches forward again. While the thing is distracted with Rae he gets to work hacking at the thing's neck. Gears fly, metal chips and then, after several swings, the thing begins to twitch for a moment before it slumps into the slow with the sound of gears slowing down.
Rae's only remark to it all is an eloquent, "Ow." Her hand is freed, and she has a deathgrip on the Jewel. Even as she falls to the ground and passes out, hitting the snow with a solid THUNK.
Julian sheaths his sword even as he kicks the automation. He bends down to scoop Rae into his arms after wrapping the chain for the jewel around her wrist to secure it. Then with confident steps and strong arms Julian carries her back to the camp.