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The
Quest
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Chapter 7: A New Face
Chatham looks at the creature of the wind as nervously as he does the hidden creature not sure what to make of it.
Nova is nearly on the other side of the clearing still backing away quickly leaving the others behind.
Lars says to Simoneous, "That is one source of evil for certain. I know not what that thing is and I have no wish to find out!"
When the whirlwind stops before him, Lars calls out, "Welcome, brother! I greet thee in the name of almighty Arilus. Cover our retreat, stay between us and that thing in the woods, raise an obscuring dust cloud: this is my charge to thee!"
The creature does not seem to change in any way shape or form, but Lars seems to act as if he heard an acceptance from the creature.
Lars then continues to back across the clearing, calling out to Crovic, "Crovic! You had better join us or you will be cut off. We should stay together."
Crovic, however, has other ideas. He draws an arrow and aims for the eye of the beast. The arrow flies into the forest and the eye disappears. If there were any cries of pain they were lost in the sound of the whirlwind. Crovic launches three more arrows in the area where he first saw the creature.
Then he draws his sword and charges "Die beast of hell! The devil from which spawned you will think of you as a waste when I am finished with your hide!"
Crovic vanishes into the woods as the whirlwind moves to intercept.
Crovic crashes into the underbrush and looks around for signs of the creature. He cannot see the creature, but he can see signs of where it has been. He also spots all four of his arrows, unbroken and without blood. He knows he has not hit the creature a moment later something wraps itself around his neck and tosses him against the tree. “You wish to die so badly?” He hears.
Crovic energy drains from him as he feels an unnatural fear come over him nearly paralyzing him. “Perhaps later.” He hears as something loud comes closer. He finds himself tossed bodily away and braces himself for the impact.
The hit doesn’t come as he suspects as he is suddenly buoyed about in the whirling, painfully loud cone of wind that lifts him up and spins him around until he is ready to lose his breakfast.
He is tossed again through the air where he lands heavily facing the woods. He sees the wall of wind screaming fiercely as it rips up the tall grasses and clods of dirt drawing them into it and turning itself into a swirling dark mass. The whirlwind slowly retreats staying within a certain distance of Lars.
***************
Lars cries out in dismay, "Ahhh, Crovic!"
As Crovic lies stunned, he finds himself being lifted off the ground by strong arms. Lars grabs Crovic between his shoulders and pulls him away. As he does he calls out to Nova, "Hey! Nova! Don't get too far ahead. There may be more like that thing!"
Oddly enough despite the screaming wind Nova hears Lars clearly. Nova stops just on the edge of the forest and looks to inside before slowly backing away.
Crovic finally spits out, "That THING can speak. It has power I have not faced with my sword before. It used words to control me in a way. Arrows I fear will be the only use of attack I can through at the... whatever it is!" He tries to struggle and free himself but finds himself still sluggish and Lars has little trouble holding on to him.
Lars notes that the creature does not move from its spot as they catch up with Nova. In fact the creatures moves away out of the range of Lars ability to sense it.
Cautiously the group enters the woods on the far side of the clearing. They don’t get far when they hear something crashing through the bushes on their right.
Lars looks but does not sense anything.
A moment later a man in a dark cloak crashes through the underbrush. His shirt ripped by a claw, with a light flow of blood welling up through the cuts in it. The hood obscures his face.
He stumbles toward them falling to one knee about three paces away. He breathes heavily, “Beware... He... It... Something... is here... killed... many... you must flee...”
***************
Chatham watches the man warily occasionally looking to either side as if expecting an ambush at any moment. “We figured that out, so how come you’re still alive eh?”
In response the man collapses on to his back, “Must... flee... quick...” He lies on his back breathing heavily.
Lars sets Crovic down and faces the new arrival.
Free from the priests hold Crovic springs partially to life, "Flee? I do not know the meaning of such a filthy word! I will not run from the likes of that! Death comes before retreat!"
He takes out an arrow and defiantly lets it fly back in the direction they came from. The arrow imbeds itself into a tree long before it reaches even the edge of the clearing where the whirling creature of wind stands.
Nova spots something and a glint appears in his eye, “Oh dear, he is injured perhaps we should help him.” The young man moves in closer.
Lars says, "Calm down, man! Take a breath! Now, what is this threat? And show your face, if you please. These woods are to dangerous for such hasty entrances..."
The man seems a bit exhausted and his mouth moves, but nothing comes out. He makes a few half-hearted attempts to move his hood.
Nova leans over him and checks the scratches, “Not too deep, he isn’t any danger of dying, but they could get infected. Now lets see who you are.”
He lifts up the hood and stares at the face. For a moment their eyes lock and Nova quickly and roughly lowers the hood while standing up, but he isn’t fast enough as the stranger gets his second wind, shouting, “YOU!” He sits up fast and reaches out and clamps both hands around Nova’s neck.
Nova pulls away quickly, but the stranger seems to have an iron grip on him and is dragged up as well.
“Get off!” Nova starts pounding the stranger in the face.
And even though he is getting hit hard to the point where it looks like he might lose consciousness the stranger refuses to let go.
His hood falls away revealing a human in his early to mid twenties with black hair and fair skin. “Give it back...”
***************
Simonneous tries to pull the stranger away from Nova "Stop it before you hurt yourself more. We will get to the bottom of this."
Lars watches the fight, but he makes no move to put himself in the middle. He shakes his head bemusedly. "So, Nova, is this the 'old man' that sold you the map? Alright, now, break it up you two!"
Crovic breathes out deeply in a depressed manner at the array of trouble, which he cannot hit. He then turns to his companions to see what in hell is such a distraction as to not charge at the battle taking place and spots the two combatants.
Lars turns his back with a sigh and looks back toward the clearing, muttering, "Huge, evil nasties about, and they have to start a fistfight. Sometimes, I don't know why I bother..."
Crovic runs over and grabs Nova and between him and Simoneous they separate the two. "Right now this is not as important as what is happening over there. We will deal with what ever the problem is later."
He holds Nova by the back of the shirt making sure he does not run.
Once the two are apart, Simoneous looks over at Nova "Now what exactly did you take?"
Predictably, Nova denies having even seen the man before. A response that invokes the strangers’ anger once more and he lunges toward Nova almost pulling Simoneous off his feet, but it seems Simoneous has a little more strength than the stranger and holds him back.
Simoneous shoots back, "Don't give me that. You don't become the target of such anger from a stranger. I will ask again. What did you take?"
Nova looks hurt as he rubs his sore neck, “Come on guys! How could you take his side out of all this? I’m the one that went to his aid and got attacked! Jeez after all of this time you guys don’t trust me? You believe the first delirious idiot we come across, plus we got a monster out there this is no time to be fighting amongst ourselves.”
The stranger says, “The rest of you can get out while you can. Nova, eh, so that’s what you’re calling yourself. You aren’t going anywhere until you give back my fathers map you stole from me.”
-7-