Completed [The Bronze Woods] A Trip to the Woods (Aren)

[Orin Fenix]

Orin Fenix Food Equals Love The headlong plunge through the woods was probably one of the most terrifying experiences in Orin’s life. He didn’t dare look back to see if the yukmen were gaining on him, knowing it would reduce his speed. Every second counted and he might freeze up if he saw the monsters chasing him. Also, he needed to keep his focus ahead to avoid running into a branch, tree, or root. In fact, Orin was using every trick in his book to try and confuse pursuit. He was running headlong at trees and dodging only at the last moment. His hopes that the yukmen would run into the trees or he would lose them proved false. Soon enough Orin breezed past where he had left Aren. At this point he was panting for breath and his vision was going a bit grey around the edges. He didn’t slow however, not even at the sounds behind him or the scent of charred flesh that inexplicably arose. However, Aren’s shouted warning changed that. Orin’s mind froze, panicking. And he almost stumbled to a stop. Fortunately, his body either had a better sense of self-preservation or was simply responding to the command in Aren’s voice. His earlier practice of dashing at trees was about to pay off. Orin hadn’t been paying much attention to the dimensions or height of the yukmen behind him, so he had no idea what head or neck height would be. He only knew that it was significantly shorter than Orin himself was. So, the best chance he would have of surviving this ideal would be to aim for one of the vital organs in its chest. Orin spun, knife still in hand and jumped aside. He thrust forward and the yukmen, propelled by its momentum, impaled itself. The shock travelled up in a wave of pain all the way up to his shoulder. Orin used his left hand to push the yukmen as much as possible, continuing its forward motion. The creature crashed headfirst into the tree but Orin, offbalance, stumbled and fell. The snow took cushioned his fall somewhat, but Orin still felt his back hit with a surprisingly large amount of force. Afraid that the enemy was still alive, Orin darted backwards awkwardly, still on the ground his hands and feet sinking into the snow. He noted absently the cold and wet soaking into his clothes. Orin was too focused on his singular opponent to even notice whether Aren had dealt with the other two yukmen. The yukman Orin had attacked thrashed weakly but seemed unable to get up. Scrambling to his feet Orin risked a glance around the clearing. The other two were down, one headless and one smoking. Orin idly wondered how that would happy. He felt funny, dizzy and breathless. He felt alternatively like laughing and crying. All thoughts of the potential horde waiting for them had fled his mind as his adrenalin crashed. Swaying slightly on his feet, all Orin wanted to do was sit in the snow. True dark was falling and Orin knew objectively that danger lurked but he couldn’t seem to make himself care. Orin didn’t recognize that he was going into shock. Stumbling to a fallen branch, Orin picked it up in left hand. His right arm and shoulder were throbbing with pain and Orin didn’t think he’d necessarily be able to handle the weight. Advancing cautiously to the downed yukman, Orin began viciously beating it with his branch. He wasn’t doing much damage but it was helping to burn off excess energy. Orin barely felt the stitch in his side from his earlier sprint or that he was gulping in air like a drowning fish. Eventually, whether it was from its cracked skull, Orin’s knife in its chest or the beating from the branch, the yukman stopped moving. Not wanting to take any chances, Orin pulled his knife out, slightly shocked at the effort it took. The blade had been embedded deeply. Hand shaking, and knife gripped awkwardly in his less dominant hand, Orin slit the monster’s throat. Hopefully they weren’t like chickens that would run around headless sometimes for as long as a chime before they realized they were dead. Turning to Aren, Orin panted out faintly, with just a hint of hysteria, ”I told you I knew these woods!”

[Aren]

Aren finally caught up to Orin, his chest heaving up and down with the effort of sprinting as fast as he could in an attempt to close the distance between him and his charge. He had witnessed the young man's offensive measures, but he couldn't be sure if they had been successful from so far back. As he approached, it became clearer and clearer, however, that there was no need to worry. Luckily, while Yukmen were vicious little beasts, they weren't particularly smart or difficult to dispatch. Even for a cook. Giving the nearby Yukman on the ground a glance, Aren had to admit the creature looked thoroughly killed, which would have been impressive, if it hadn't taken so much effort on Orin's part. Still, he did well for someone which the Akalak suspected to have little or no experience in a real combat situation. At least, he did well physically. The experienced veteran could tell that the young man was not entirely free from the psychological effects of a life threatening situation. There was no better evidence of this than his initial "plan". Sometimes panic manifested in a desire to flee in the face of the enemy, but sometimes it was also an irrational desire to charge at them with reckless abandon. Even now, Aren could tell that Orin's mind wasn't entirely collected. "That you did." The Akalak smiled, forced to admit this fact, "But the way you used that knife was certainly..." Re-strapping his scythe across his back in a matter of moments, the mercenary extended a hand outwards, gesturing at Orin's knife, "...may I?" He needed to inspect the blade first hand, in order to know if it was more suited to thrusting or slashing. "If you're going to be an active participant in our survival, I'd be more comfortable if you had some idea of how to use that without rattling every bone in your body." The mercenary stated, honestly worried as to what would happen to his employer if he got into another fight, "I'm no knife expert, despite what this thing might lead you to think," The Akalak's other hand brushed by the Lakan sheathed at his waist, "but I do have enough experience facing them to know a thing or two. We don't have much time, so I'll be quick." Seros was not nearly as forgiving as Aren of Orin's course of action, "We should leave him in these woods to rot if he thinks his plans are so much better than ours." He growled, though he knew his brother was not about to do that, even after what had just transpired; the darker Other was merely venting his frustrations.

[Orin Fenix]

Orin Fenix Food Equals Love Orin’s lungs were on fire, his shoulder ached, he felt like he had a knife jabbed into his side he was cramping so hard, and his vision was going a bit gray around the edges. In short, he was not feeling great. So, when Aren starting acting superior again, Orin snapped. ”And I should listen to you why? Last time I asked you a question you weren’t exactly honest with me, blue boy!”[b] Horrified at his outburst, Orin’s hands flew to cover his mouth. Of course, this sudden motion sent a jolt of pain to his shoulder and Orin grimaced. He wished that he could blame his poor behavior on his recent battle. The truth was, Orin figured he just didn’t like Aren very much. Still, this was no way to treat someone who had probably just saved Orin’s life. Hanging his head in shame, Orin tried to repair the rift he had probably just caused. [b]”I’m so so sorry that was totally uncalled for and I should be thanking you profusely for what you did. It’s just that, well, I’ve never fought before but that’s really no excuse.” Orin risked a glance at the taller man. ”I think we might have gotten off on the wrong foot, and again, I apologize. None of this is your fault I just seem to be having quite a rotten day here.” Extending his left hand with the knife, Orin smiled wearily. ”I’d appreciate any advice you could give me. Not that I plan on being in another fight, but I think today’s definitely proved that I can’t count on that to protect me.” As he waited for Aren to examine Orin’s weapon, Orin bent over with his hands on his thighs, still recovering from his sprint. It had been a while since he’d been in this much pain, although it certainly wasn’t the worst series of injuries he’d received. A wisp of smoke caught the corner of his eye. Orin finally noticed what had happened to the other two yukmen. One’s fate was quite clear, its head separated cleanly from its neck. Orin assumed that was the work of Aren’s scythe and his healthy respect for the blade. What had downed the other victim wasn’t anywhere near as clear. It looked charred and burned. Orin knew there hadn’t been any fire so he had no idea what Aren had done. Walking forward cautiously, Orin nudged the corpse with the toe of his boot. It was obviously dead. Suddenly remembering the strange transparent substance Aren had conjured from nothing, Orin turned, eyes wide. ”What did you do? I mean, how’d you kill it?”Orin was wide-eyed, partially from the continuing shock of the battle but partly from what Aren might be. Orin’s curiosity was piqued although he was almost afraid of the answer. He’d heard that there was real magic in the world but he’d never actually seen any in action. The fact that Aren might be a mage was both terrifying and exhilarating, and Orin shrank back a little, not sure he wanted an answer to his question. True dark had fallen and Orin didn’t know how he felt in the woods with someone who could literally kill him with a thought. Though Aren was benevolent, he suddenly had taken on the mantle of the unknown and incredibly dangerous. Though Aren could kill Orin with his scythe, at least Orin would see that coming. However, as Aren said, time was short and they definitely shouldn’t dawdle. Orin turned away, and began resolutely marching back toward the direction the yukmen had been in. His leg muscles protested further movement, but it wasn’t like Orin had a choice if he wanted to survive the night. That thought was certainly enough to let him ignore the pain. Orin assumed that Aren would follow. Or, if he had a different direction in mind, he would make his mind known. It wasn’t like the man was shy about giving orders.

[Aren]

Aren chuckled at Orin's outburst. He didn't take the reactions that Seros provoked personally, as people generally had no way of knowing that they had, for all intents and purposes, been talking to another person. As such, the Akalak waved his employer's apology off without a second thought, and took the proffered blade in his hands. It looked to be a common dagger, the kind you could find in practically any market, but it was of sturdy quality. "You have two. That's good. A weapon like this is easy to leave behind in the wrong place, as you saw." Aren stated, noting the second knife holstered safely at Orin's waist even as he examined the first. Whilst the cook rested, the Akalak eyed the dagger keenly, trying to remember how he had seen such weapons used. Mostly by way of stabbing, he recalled, but he also remembered a few sweeping motions here and there. In conclusion, Orin had probably been using it as well he could, given his obvious lack of familiarity with the instrument. In truth, the reason Aren had given for wanting to see the blade had been a complete fabrication. As his charge went off to inspect one of the dead Yukmen, mercenary tucked the young man's knife in the seam of his pants and followed after him, "Death by electrocution. I'm calling it..." The Reimancer pondered what could be a good name for his new spell. He'd practiced mixing elements before, and the spherical shape of this particular construct wasn't anything new to him, but the combination of the two was. "...Orin's Light." Aren said, amused by his impromptu choice, which didn't sound half-bad, as it turned out. "It's a type of magic called Reimancy." The scythe wielding mercenary stated as he eyed his young ward heading back in the direction they had originally been going. Taking long strides to catch up to the exhausted young cook, Aren eventually took up a position directly behind him. He absentmindedly wondered just how much his imminent burden weighed. Aren had been planning on carrying him, but there might also have to be some dragging involved, he promptly realized, as Syliras was still half a day away, at least. Oh well, don't panic next time, he thought. In a single quick motion, one of the Akalak's arms reached around and across Orin's neck whilst the other reached down to secure the hilt of his other weapon; it would be a simple enough thing to cut off the flow of blood to his brain, considering the size difference between the two, even with one arm. Aren doubted that his employer had the energy to resist too much, but a dagger could still be dangerous, which is why he had taken one of them, and now tried to neutralize the second. "It's going to be a pain in the ass to haul him all the way back to Syliras." Seros stated, like he was trying to suggest it wasn't worth the effort. "I know" Aren agreed, but his tone seemed to clearly convey the notion that that was exactly what they was going to do. He didn't want it to come to this, but he simply could not trust Orin not to run off on his own again.

[Orin Fenix]

Orin Fenix Food Equals Love ”I know that it’s good to have an extra, why do you think I bought two in the first place…” Orin muttered under his breath. He wasn’t expecting an answer but Aren’s continuing slightly patronizing tone wasn’t doing much to settle Orin’s rattled nerves. Orin felt movement around his pants and glanced behind him. Orin was startled to find Aren so close behind him. Orin scowled, and tried to crane his neck to see what was going on. Since his neck didn’t twist that far, Orin placed his hand in the small of his back. Feeling the hilt of his dagger there, Orin let his arm fall back to his side. He was too weary to move it back to its proper place. Orin’s eyes widened as Aren readily admitted to being a Reimancer. Orin didn’t really have a clue as to what that entailed. Based on what had happened to that yukman, it obviously was powerful and explosive. Orin decided he should stop antagonizing Aren. It would probably be good for his health. Orin’s eyebrows rose when Aren jokingly mentioned he’d name his technique after Orin. However, his pledge to stay on Aren’s good side held and Orin kept his mouth firmly shut. He simply marched forward, putting one foot in front of the other, making tracks in the snow. He hoped yukmen weren’t smart enough to track. When Aren’s arm suddenly snaked around his neck, Orin did nothing for a moment. Aren’s other arm firmly clamped down on his dagger’s hilt. Orin didn’t realize what was happening until the arm tightened around his neck tightened, cutting off his air. Feeling a deep sense of betrayal, Orin beat uselessly at Aren’s arm. When that proved ineffective, Orin tried to stick his hands under the arm, but couldn’t manage to get the leverage. As his vision went black and Orin fell into unconsciousness, Orin’s last thought was I hope he’s still not planning to get paid!

[Sayana]

Your Grades Have Arrived Orin Skills: Skill EXP Socialization +3 Observation +5 Land Navigation +1 Intimidation +1 Rhetoric +3 Stealth +1 Tactics +2 Endurance +3 Running +2 Planning +1 Brawling +1 Weapon: Dagger +1 Negotiation +1 Lores: Tactics: If I panic I die Tactics: Creating a distraction Yukmen travel in packs Making sure a Yukman is dead Aren: Akalak reimancer capable of burning flesh Betrayed by Aren, a hired mercenary Comments : Great thread, it was a very enjoyable read. The uneasy and almost unfriendly relationship between Orin and Aren certainly made things interesting and added extra dynamics to the plot. I also liked how even though Orin displayed dagger skills that were almost competent, you made up for it by the physical and mental shock of the battle afterwards. EDIT: Sorry for the expenses mix-up. I noticed that you added the cost of hiring Aren as a mercenary. So that's great that you've already got that covered. One last thing. Where did the original two Yukmen go? After Orin ran to the three in one direction, he ran pretty hard in the opposite direction (towards the original two) and I’m surprised they didn’t at least hear something. Aren Skills: Skill EXP Socialization +3 Rhetoric +4 Humor +1 Detection +4 Persuasion +3 Teaching +2 Tactics +3 Reimancy +2 Stealth +1 Planning +2 Weapon: Scythe +1 Running +2 Leadership +1 Observation +2 Unarmed Combat +1 Subterfuge +1 Lores: Yukmen travel in packs Tactics: Adapting to a new plan Reimancy: Orin's Light Subduing a comrade out of necessity Orin: Impulsive Cook Orin: Disobeys and nearly gets us killed Comments : Great thread and quite a fun read. I liked how Aren attempted to persuade Orin to keep from panicking and keep his cool, yet Aren had to be flexible to Orin’s wild plans anyways. And franky I thought it was amusing that he ended up just choking Orin at the end so he wouldn’t have to put up with another crazy maneuver. I just have one question. What happened to the first two Yukmen? I would have thought Orin would have run into them or at least alerted them with the noise. Don't forget to edit/delete your grade request in the grade request thread. However, make sure to keep the link so that the DS can review graded threads with ease. If you have any questions or concerns about your grade please feel free to send me a message. Enjoy.