2018-03-27: Boar Chore
- Log: Boar Chore
- Cast: Riesenlied, Noeline, Grea Thelton
- Where: Pendrago Gates
- Date: 27th March 2018
- Summary: A caravan is attacked by a Hellionised boar. Riesenlied, Noeline and Grea are on the case!
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
The city of Pendrago enjoys a lot of business to and fro its large port. Merchants and travellers are a commonplace sight here, as are caravans that take the many denizens of Glenwood to and from the big city.
Our story today takes us just at the gates of the great city, as one such tarped caravan moves towards the drawbridge and into the city when a great rustle from the underbrush can be heard...
"E-eh?" gasps the caravan driver.
A massive, fur-coated beast /emerges/ out of the bush! It lets out a roar, menacing its tusks as it stomps angrily and paces onward towards the traveler's caravan. The horses agitatedly flail, paralysed in fear!
"P-protect the townsfolk!!" shout the guards at the gate as they start to lower the gates. Another shouts, "B-but what about the caravan??"
"W-we can't let a beast of that size enter Pendrago!"
The guards seem paralysed, which is when a white-hooded figure hurries out in the direction of the imperiled caravan. "W-wait! It's not safe!"
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
The figure in white is immediately pursued by a second, a study in contrasts in almost every way; wearing black armor instead of white robes, the young woman who apparently accompanies the first sweeps out like a knight after her priestess, hair trailing behind her as she tosses a look over her shoulder.
"--we can take care of this much! Make sure the gates are safe! That is your job, is it not?" she calls as she goes past, pairing the comment with a light grin that reaches her crimson eyes. Surely she can't be teasing at a dire time like this!
At least she's fast, catching up to and then pulling ahead of her partner; she rears for an instant and then lunges forward, her spear carving an arc in the air. As first attacks go she is evidently not-- exactly pressing any kind of advantage, so much as simply trying to corral the beast away from the caravan first and foremost. [WATCH] Sheriff Star has disconnected.
<Pose Tracker> Grea Thelton has posed.
Grea Thelton is standing on the wall over the gate, staring out over the plains, when the rustling and yells occurs. She blinks, takes a moment to take in the scene.
But it's not a complex situation, at least, not at first glance. She leaps down, landing by the guards, and shouts at them:
"Is there a catapult around here?"
Not getting an immediate coherent response, she smiles, shrugs, and rushes off in the direction of the white-hooded figure, until she's running alongside her, watching the coralling swipe of the black-armored one in front of them both. She glances over to the white-hooded figure beside her.
"I'm guessing you don't have some method of launching people into the air?" Her tone is conversational.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
The white-hooded figure lets out a slightly surprised noise, looking over towards Grea as she stops by the side of the caravan, making aims to defend it. "I--I might..."
Her hands -- one of which looks normal, the other ribbed in scales -- spread out as she creates a small platform of light in front of the martial artist. It moves gently in the air, as if beckoning her to climb aboard and it'll propel her up!
Meanwhile, the black-armored figure nicks the Boar with her spear, prompting an even more agitated thrashing and a squeal from the rather angered animal. It stomps down with one clove crashing down on the cobblestone, cracking rock where it lands! It looks ready to charge...!
"Watch out...! It seeks to ram us!" cries the hooded figure.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline isn't exactly a member of any knightly order, per se, so much as she just seems to like the aesthetic while on Lunar. Even then, most knights would probably have something to say about her armor, which trends rather strongly towards 'flattering' rather than 'practical'.
Not that it seems to slow her down, or make her any more effective; she positively dances around the angry stamping of the boar, avoiding a tusk thrust in her direction with an easy sort of grace. The motion lets her carve a thin line along the side of the rampaging creature, and then another along its opposite side as she pulls back to its front.
And then-- the girl's spear seems to flicker, twisting oddly in her hands for a confusing moment. When its shape resolves it is nothing like the weapon it was before, less a spear and more a slab of thick metal the height and width of the knight herself. Somehow, she handles it easily, turning to slam one end into the ground between the boar and the struggling caravan. "It may certainly /try/," she counters with a light smile, bracing her shoulder against it.
<Pose Tracker> Grea Thelton has posed.
Grea blinks, then smiles as she sees the platform of light materialize out of nothing.
"Nice! Teach me that trick sometime!"
As she speaks, she's already midair -- she hopped onto the platform of light without a moment of hesitation.
"If I can get there--" Her shout abruptly ends as she sees the spearwielder dance around the boar.
She smiles, watching the dance appreciatively. Suddenly, her eyes narrow, and the smile fades. She looks back down to the white-hooded one.
"I can't use that artillery technique, with the black knight moving so recklessly! Still, if you could toss me on top of that beast!?"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"A-artillery technique?!" the white-hooded one sounds a little alarmed... but does so regardless, as Noeline comes and stands by her side with her spear now formed into a more familiar greatsword that's set to brace against the ground. The hooded one flings her hands up gently, which sends Grea sprung up and into the air right above the beast for a birds' eye view!
Meanwhile, the beast's eyes begin to burn with a violent energy, with a faint trace of purple that may be recognisable to anyone who has the Resonance...
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
With a snort, the knight glances upwards for a brief moment. "The name is 'Noeline', thank you very much," she laughs. "And I absolutely guarantee that I'm tougher than I look. Don't worry about us, so long as that lot get inside the gates, hm?" she offers, with the briefest of glances to the woman in white at her side--
--but her attention swings back to the boar as it gathers its power, her expression sobering as she furrows her brow and re-sets her position. "... honestly, to live like this... it's going from one set of problems to another, don't you think?" she muses aloud, and her smirk doesn't have any humour in it. "Still, I've faced down worse than you this week alone."
<Pose Tracker> Grea Thelton has posed.
"Not the right situation for it!"
Grea looks down at the scene below her, observing the situation the boar's in, and looks back to the black knight.
"Hi, Noeline! Grea Thelton, pleased to meet you!"
She twists her body around midair, altering her trajectory, and starts to fire beams of pure white light as she falls -- one aimed at one eye from her position in the air, one probably aimed at the other eye but missing the boar entirely, then, as she's falling past the beast's head, another one inside it's ear. Nothing that's going to destroy a boar of it's size, but if she can partially disable it's senses, or at least get it focused on her, perhaps...?
She lands on the ground, her head raised as she stares up at the Malevolence-filled creature, but her words are still aimed at someone else.
"Dancing is forbidden, incidentally!"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Grea leaps up into the air, and the hooded figure watches as beams of pure-white light rain from the skies. The first strikes the Boar in the eye, causing it to wail and hiss in pain as it stumbles onto one knee, and then the third one that lands blasts it inside its ear and agitatedly causes it to convulse.
It's wounded, but it isn't entirely spent yet -- with a loud and tumultuous roar, it charges for the black knight and her hooded companion--
"Please, be at ease..."
The speech comes calmly, yet with a sense of awe behind it. The Boar's charge slows down as it crosses the distance between the two... until it pauses and-- flinches, coming to a stop mere inches before it hits Noeline's sword.
The hooded figure steps nervously in front of it... reaching for its furred cheek for a moment. "You were scared, weren't you? You don't know what's overcome you..."
There's a furrowed growl and a snarl from the Boar, which twists in pain. "I'm sorry... I can't help you with your problem..." she speaks, in a pained voice.
The Boar pauses, before it looks towards the caravan... and then hurriedly ambles off in the direction it came, before it can take any further damage.
The hooded figure yelps as the boar turns, its strong gait pushing her aside -- and in the process slacking the hood off.
The figure has long pale-blonde hair... and strikingly has two horns to each side of her head, deep brown and possessing a gnarled, scaled appearance not unlike wood. Similarly coloured scales cover one side of her cheek and neck, like a strange and unpleasant-looking growth that's covering her.
She... looks surprisingly similar to the Althenan Guard's wanted, the 'Deceiver'. Worth 600,000 silver.
"... I hope everyone's okay," speaks the woman as she looks to the caravan, where the travelers are starting to make their way to the city while the going is good.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"A pleasure, but it is /dodging/!" huffs the armored young woman, so quickly you'd think she'd prepared the response ahead of time. She does not sound terrifically put out, so much as quietly amused. "Surely a couple of pirouettes are allowed if it's a choice between that and being gored!"
However fast her response, though, her reactions are faster; she braces again as the malevolent boar lunges for her, holding her ground as it approaches... and then thankfully slows to a stop, inches away from impact. Even then Noeline waits, still placed between the creature and the caravan - and only straightens up once the animal has turned around to lumber back towards the nearby plains.
"... at the very least, the people are safe," she reminds her companion. "Even if the caravan breaks down, it's simply a matter of hanging around to allow them to ferry everything back inside the walls, I suppose."
<Pose Tracker> Grea Thelton has posed.
Grea is already running up alongside the boar to -- and then she hears Riesenlied's words, and stops in her tracks. She sees the beast stop, and then... turn away?
"Wow! You can rebuke beasts tainted by evil, that's amazing! A good choice, too, when it's so near people who could be hurt."
She walks closer, and stares openly at Riesenlied's face. Her smile fades, replaced with puzzlement.
"...Have we met before? You look very familiar, but...."
She finally rips her eyes away from Riese, and looks back over to Noeline. She walks right up to her, and stares into her eyes. Smiles gently.
"It's true Althena wouldn't want you to die. Please, however, train to dodge without dancing. I know it's hard to alter your fighting style like that, it took me some time to do it, and I still fall back on old reflexes once in a blue moon. But: Althena has forbidden it." She blinks, then raises a finger.
"Ah! It's like turning away an evil beast -- the immediate danger is stopped, and perhaps it can at times be the right action, but if there's another way to deal with it, is preferable to know and utilize that means, rather than creating future danger for others." She nods firmly.
"Except, we don't know the nature or scale of the dangers caused by dancing, so we should avoid it as much as possible."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
There's a gently bashful look from Riesenlied as the boar runs off... and she looks towards Noeline and Grea as they banter with one another. "Ah... it just came so naturally--" she bites her lip. "I could sense its pain. It was only very recently tainted..." She glances off towards one direction, as if trying to focus her gaze further.
...Have we met before? You look very familiar, but...
Riesenlied starts for a moment, before tilting her head. "H-hmm... have we? I'm sorry, I don't believe so... my name is Riesenlied. Thank you, for coming to the travellers' aid."
Riesenlied listens as Grea lectures on the dangers of dancing... she's reminded of Jean for a moment. "I can't say I'm terribly graceful in my dodging either... maybe I'm safe...?"
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline - still with the rather oversize sword hooked on one shoulder - takes a mildly surprised step backwards when the Althenan priestess draws closer to her. Perhaps it's to her credit that she doesn't interrupt the woman who assisted them with the boar, listening the whole way through... though at the same time, the Hyadean can't really help the way in which the corners of her mouth perk up in quiet amusement.
She's yet to really pin down the various extents of Althenan worship, but even she's forced to admit that attracting the Guard's attention certainly could have gone rather worse. An amused glance to Riese as her partner outright gives her name; rather a lot worse, perhaps. "... I shall certainly take your words into consideration," she responds rather diplomatically, bowing her head with a light chuckle as she closes her eyes. "It was all a bit of a rush, however."
<Pose Tracker> Grea Thelton has posed.
"Nice to meet you, Riesenlied!"
Grea smiles at Noeline, placing complete trust in her vaguely noncommittal statement.
"Excellent!"
She looks between the two. "Both of you came out of the city, and look unwounded, so I assume you aren't in immediate need of anything? But please let me know if you are! I'm here to help!"
She turns her gaze on the caravan, seeking out further people who MIGHT NEED HELP -- then gasps slightly, and looks back to Riesenlied.
"Ah! Speaking of help... could you, actually, teach me how to make those light platforms, if you're willing? Also, how to talk to beasts like that, for that matter? Both of them seem like very useful abilities!"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied looks just a little bit flustered, perhaps a bit unused to Grea's enthusiasm and speed. "Oh... but, I'm not certain that I can. I would if I could, but..." She looks to Noeline and reaches for her hand gently.
She closes her eyes for a moment, letting several particles of light float freely around her in a comfortable little swirl. "It's something that seems to have awakened in me recently. I'm still trying to understand it myself, this blessing..."
She bows her head embarrassedly. "So I'm sorry, I don't think I could be a teacher to you... but, the way you manipulated light to strike that beast was impressive...! Is it a martial technique, or is it Althena's Blessing?"
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
With another of her quiet huffs, Noeline nods her head. "We had only just stepped into town ourselves when the shout went up, in fact," she points out with a rather wry smile. "In some respects, we are still getting used to the things to watch out for when travelling this region. Including, it seems, caravan attacks," she adds rather sarcastically, glancing to one side to watch as the now-rickety vehicle slowly trundles its way towards and through the gates.
She lifts her sword - and the blade seems to just slide away into nothingness, without even so much as a nice sparkle or visual effect. It's just there, and then-- it isn't, quite as much. And then Noeline's hand is in Riesenlied's as she offers a shoulder of support, in case the other woman is tired.
Where Riesenlied looks flustered, her partner just looks amused instead, watching the back and forth with a quiet hum. "A little of both, if I had to absolutely guess," she pipes up, never mind she's managing to take the middle road in a perfectly simple question. "At the very least, you're a lot more active than some of those who prefer to use the Blessing to fight."
<Pose Tracker> Grea Thelton has posed.
Grea watches the blade dissapear, and blinks a few times before putting it mostly out of her mind -- whatever marvelous weapon or technique that is isn't particularly relevant to her unarmed style, she assumes.
At the question of if it's a martial technique, or Althena's Blessing, she blinks, searches for words, then nods enthusiastically at Noeline's interpretation.
"That's exactly it! Like, it's like asking if a sword's power is just the blacksmith's skill, or the training of the sword's owner -- except in this case, there isn't another blacksmith's sword you could use instead, but...." She seems to lose her train of thought a little here, then shrugs, and smiles at Riesenlied.
"In any case, don't feel bad that you can't teach that to me! Some things can't be taught, after all, and some people aren't ready to teach, or ready to learn. But I think it's always good to question -- is this something I can learn? Is this something I can teach to people? At least, I think it is, because humans don't survive alone, but rather by working together!"
She looks back to Noeline. "Speaking of! If you need a little help training for defensive footwork without dancing, don't hesitate to ask!"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied doesn't exactly know if she quite follows... though perhaps it is true that it isn't just Althena's Blessing or the inner chi that Grea presents, but a harmonised combination of the two being greater than its component parts.
"... I want to believe it's something you can learn," Riesenlied expresses, though she doesn't sound certain. "For everyone to be able to communicate their feelings and emotions to each other... that would be a wonderful world indeed."
She nods and smiles a bit more brightly. "I agree with you, Miss Grea. It's by working together that we've been able to grow the wonderful cities and places within this Boundary, after all..."
She doesn't quite comment on footwork. She should keep up her physical therapy, but somehow, she thinks Grea would be a league beyond what she's capable of with how fragile her body is becoming...
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"Using yourself as a resonant focus, perhaps," Noeline offers in turn to Riesenlied, and alongside Grea's explanation. It kind of reminds her of some of the things she's done with Duras Drum's medium, channeling the power through her own metal. Not the best of ideas for a Metal Demon, but she's slowly learning more and more about herself as they come closer to what could charitably be called the Guardian's seat of power.
The Guard keeps going, though, and Noeline's eyebrows slowly raise; she snorts abruptly in amusement, and ever so lightly nudges her partner. "... I dare say we've found someone after your own heart - so don't sound too uncertain of yourself, hm?" she teases, but there's genuine confidence in Riese back there as well.
"Ah-- thank you for the offer, but I'm probably alright. I may not look it, but I'm a bit older and wiser than I tend to let on," says the young woman who looks all of about twenty years old. "Not to mention, if I absolutely need to, I can just set my feet and stand my ground, I suppose." For a moment, she considers asking after the ban - but they're still fresh on Lunar, and still missing a number of their allies. A glance at Riese suggests it would probably be best not to push her luck.
<Pose Tracker> Grea Thelton has posed.
"I think most can already communicate their feelings and emotions to each other... but not as well as they might, and not so well to beasts or those tainted with evil. Not like you can. So if you could figure out how to teach that form of direct heart to heart communication... something like that could stop wars!" Grea nods enthusiastically.
"I think it's well worth your time to figure that out, Riesenlied."
She looks over to Noeline, and frowns. She didn't get that 'resonant medium' talk at all, but-
"You have stronger armor than I do, but if all you have to fall back on is dancing and taking the hit... that's worrying, Noeline. You certainly don't have to train with me, but I do expect you to figure ways to take care of yourself -- besides dancing -- before seeking out combat. Remember: your life is also precious." Finger Management System ==== <FINGER> just fingered you!
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied looks towards Noeline, perhaps thinking the same thing. She can only hope that Noeline can overcome that burn that happens to her when she channels Duras Drum... having experienced it herself recently with Odoryuk.
"A-aah, true..." Riesenlied nods as she looks back towards Grea, with a faint smile. "Yes, I won't give up on it. I'll work hard and see if I can teach it along... and you'll be the first to know if I do discover how, Miss Grea."
She presses her hands to her chest as she says, "Should we come back into the city? Kaguya is waiting for us..." She looks towards Grea and bows her head. "Thank you so much for coming to our aid -- and those people as well..."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"--I simply meant that I can face things strength against strength if I have to," Noeline abruptly grouses, and huffs as she folds her arms, somehow still managing to remain clasped to Riesenlied's hand. "For that matter, why on earth am I the one getting the lecture? At least I had a weapon and armour on hand," she grumbles good-naturedly, purposefully making a show of glancing at Riesenlied as if to try to deflect Grea onto her.
... it's a bit of a dirty trick, but also liable to backfire, especially after the abilities Riese just showed off making her out to look rather like a priestess.
But, she relents, and lets out an amused sigh to her companion. "I suppose so, yes. I dare say we've earned a good dinner in front of a fire, at the very least."
<Pose Tracker> Grea Thelton has posed.
Grea blinks, and tilts her head a bit to one side at Noeline's deflection attempt. "People who dive into the front lines should be prepared for a different level of danger, is all. But you know your strength better than I."
She smiles at Noeline, then Riesenlied. "And just as much, thank you two! We're all in this together!" She ponders for a moment, then claps her hands together.
"If you don't have somewhere to stay already, I'm sure I can put you up at the local church!" If they're lucky, it might even have their portraits already, in the form of wanted posters!
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied shakes her head and bashfully says, "No, it's all right... our daughter Kaguya is waiting for us in town, I imagine she's going to protest our being late." 'O-our' daughter?! Well, Althena banned dancing and drinking but it's not like she banned girls kissing...
She bows her head again. "Dinner sounds good. Please be well, Miss Grea." She holds onto Noeline's hand as a manner of seeking support, and waves as she heads into town, pulling the hood up again...