Mal'Kembi
Human
Only slightly insane
Posts: 4
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Post by Mal'Kembi on Nov 5, 2006 13:18:29 GMT -5
Mal’Kembi smiled to himself as he applied the finishing touches of the red paste he was using to paint demonic symbols on his body. If he was going to continue terrifying the villagers at Lerai, he would have to fit the part, after all, as a being summoned from the depths of Hell to unleash his frightening power across the land. Though Mal’Kembi has never really hurt any of the villagers, they dread his monthly visits more than anything else. He enjoys them more than anything else.
After tying a few charms to his arms and grabbing his staff, Mal’Kembi headed out from his hill-side hut. In a few minutes, the fun would begin.
Mal’Kembi kept a steady pace and a straight face as he approached the Lerai, eagerly anticipating the first villager sighting. At last, he spotted one - a small girl happily working in a garden, completely oblivious to his presence. With an involuntary grin, Mal’Kembi raised his staff in the air, shouted a bit of gibberish meant to seem demonic, then cast the first of many spells to come on this magnificent day. A black pillar of dark energy shot straight hundreds of feet upwards from just a few feet in front of the girl’s face, producing the expected results. She jumped back an incredible distance, then got to her feet and dashed away screaming. The girl’s parents soon emerged from the house to see what the trouble was, and after seeing Mal’Kembi waving his staff above his head, controlling a three-foot-wide pillar of dark energy, their reaction was similar to their daughter’s.
Mal’Kembi ventured further into the village to the center, where he was pleased to discover chaos already erupting. The word of his presence spread quickly in Lerai. As scores of various villagers frantically rushed around, attempting to make it to their homes, Mal’Kembi began more incantations. Soon, the air was filled with tendrils of the same dark energy, shooting about in a completely chaotic fashion. This was quite a risky maneuver, but Mal’Kembi felt he had enough control to keep them from touching anyone, for their touch was usually fatal to the average human.
Within a few minutes, Mal’Kembi stood alone in the center of the village. The villagers had fled to the relative safety of their homes, but there was still fun to be had. It was time to set some minor curses on their homes.
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Post by Non-Player Characters on Nov 5, 2006 14:31:21 GMT -5
The rattling of a cart coupled with the distinctive ringing sound of the half-breed horse signaled the arrival of Tormon and his guests. The blue horse pulled the cart to a halt in the community square, his sides lathered with sweat. Tormon pointed unneccessarily at the painted figure standing in the empty common. "There! That's him, that's the demon!" The normally calm man was obviously scared of the demonic man. Navren was clearly upset by the tendrils of black energy, and pawed the ground nervously. Tormon was shook by indecision. He should stay and try to help his fellow villagers, but what could he do against a minion of a dark god? The demon clearly possessed the power to level anyone who tried to fight him. He came every fortnight and terrorized the cursed village. How had Tormon forgotten that this was the night? The man was so evil, Tormon wished he could just....but no. Not even for this would he turn to violence. Then the demon would have won. For it was the demonic mission to turn the peaceful village to violence. Why else would he be here? One snaky tendril of black energy passed close to Tormon's face. They had dallied too long! He leaned forward to give Navren the command, but his friend had anticipated his command and surged forward into a gallop. Tormon rocked back in his seat, but caught hold of the railing and steadied himself. When Navren tried, he was one of the fastest horses in Varinos. The horse ran a good half-mile out of the town before stopping. They were safe, but what of Lerai? Tormon could not look Stranon in the eye. He knew a person touched by violence would never understand Tormon's situation.
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Stranon
Half-Human, Half-Demon
Professional Badass
Posts: 27
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Post by Stranon on Nov 5, 2006 15:25:45 GMT -5
Stranon was a bit worried about the situation in the village, but he wasn’t too concerned being that there were no dead bodies lying around in the village. Unless the ‘demon’ somehow made the bodies dissolve into nothing, Stranon didn’t think any harm was really being done. That served to make him furious as Tormon and Navren fled from the scence. The least they could have done was taken them to the healer’s house, even if they did think the ‘demon’ was attacking them with lethal intent.
“God dammit” Stranon shouted once they came to a stop. “My friend here is dying, and all you can do it run away!? Get back there now! To the healer! It will be safe enough!” Stranon’s anger was exploding now. “And all you people shun violence, but just think! If you were smart enough to protect yourselves, you wouldn’t have to deal with that demon!” Stranon was too angry to say anything else at this point. If Tormon didn’t start heading back to the village, Stranon was ready to at least attempt to get Kyri to the healer.
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Post by Non-Player Characters on Nov 5, 2006 20:57:06 GMT -5
Tormon blanched visibly during Stranon's tirade and jumped out of the cart to put distance between them. Shouting in anger was a tell-tale sign of violence...but some of what he said almost made sense. It didn't help that Tormon occasionally had the same violent thoughts himself when the demon visited. But Stranon didn't know the situation! Stranon was an outsider. A stranger. A non-Varin, a barbarian. "You don' understand! I can't...I jus' can't....we can't fight. Don't ya see! If I do what ye say an' go back there an' raise a hand against the demon, I may save me village but I won' be accepted back into Lerai. Touched by violence, I'd have t' leave! I can't....I can't save them. No one can stop him without violence, and no one wants to leave Lerai! Can't you see? Can't you see?" He collapsed to the ground, tears running down his face. He wanted so badly to protected his village, his family, his friends, but he wanted to return even more. The demon never killed. He kept repeating that. The demon never killed. Leaving the village was a form of death, for he would never see his friends and family again. That hurt him more than anything. In his heart he wanted to fight, but his head told him that violence was wrong. The demon would leave soon, right? He couldn't stay forever. Even demons ran out of energy. Right? But would the woman last that long? Did she have that long left in her?
"...can't. I...can't." His tears mixed with the soil below him and his hands grasped uselessly at the ground. He pounded out his frustration on the ground, wishing that it could rise up and attack the demon in his stead. It wasn't fair! What other trial did the gods need to put him through that he could prove his commitment to nonviolence?
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Stranon
Half-Human, Half-Demon
Professional Badass
Posts: 27
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Post by Stranon on Nov 5, 2006 22:25:52 GMT -5
Stranon said nothing as Tormon went to the ground, crying. This man was pitiful - a complete coward, as was the entire village, as far as he was concerned. In Stranon’s mind, the views Tormon had just described were those of pure idiocy. He couldn’t do anything about that, though, so he’d have to get to the healder himself.
After a deep breath, Stranon pushed himself out of the cart, hopped to the other side, pulled Kyri out, and slumped her over his shoulder. At that, he began hopping back towards the village, using his bad leg only as a means of balance. He was fairly confident his strength could hold up for the relatively small distance they had traveled from Lerai.
As Stranon made his way back to the village and it came ever closer, his endurance was about at its end. The only rest he had gotten after the fright was lying in the cart, and losing a substantial amount of blood from his wounds was quite draining. He felt on the verge of collapse, but pushed onwards.
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Mal'Kembi
Human
Only slightly insane
Posts: 4
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Post by Mal'Kembi on Nov 5, 2006 23:04:44 GMT -5
Mal'Kembi, satisfied with his work, pulled his staff down and let the black energy die away. He had placed a few curses on a couple of random houses, ranging from a conjured demonic eye that would stay on the front door for a while, to a demonic voice that would sound off occasionally. They would have plenty to worry about until next month, when he would return to have another afternoon of fun.
Mal’Kembi made his way out of the small village, and headed out back to his hut. Perhaps he would run into that strange horse with the cart that he had briefly noticed before it fled. He had thought there were people on it to, but wasn’t sure. Catching them alone in the open would be a huge bonus to this already wonderful day.
A large dragonfly caught Mal’Kembi’s attention and he tried for a few minutes to catch it, but to no avail. After finally giving up, he looked up, and not twenty yards off, was what seemed to be an injured man carrying a woman, either dead or unconscious, or perhaps extremely lazy, towards the village. He was tempted to torment the two, but he had a hard time bringing himself to, being that they were in poor shape. He thought about it a bit longer before deciding that this was in fact the last chance at fun he would have for a whole month, so he took advantage of the opportunity. Not feeling at all creative today, Mal’Kembi summoned some more of the streaking black tendrils of energy, and sent them towards the man. Surprisingly, he didn’t seem too concerned. Instead, the man crouched down, picked up a rock, and hurled it at him. The rock was right on target, and Mal’Kembi was forced to duck, lest he be plugged in the head. Unfortunately, in doing so, he lost full control of the tendrils of energy, and one shot straight into the man’s chest. He was flung backwards a good ten feet, and the woman on his shoulder hit the ground hard as well. Mal’Kembi, scared that he had killed both of them, ran up to the man and knelt down next to him. Much to his surprise, the man was still alive, conscious even. Mal’Kembi backed up a bit incase the man pulled off another of those one-legged stand-ups and attacked. He obviously wasn’t human, because a shot to the chest like that would have killed a human.
“You okay?” Mal’Kembi asked, prodding the man’s leg a bit with his staff.
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Post by Non-Player Characters on Nov 7, 2006 1:19:24 GMT -5
[whisper=Stranon,Mal'Kembi,Non-Player Characters]I blame any spelling/grammar mistakes on the fact that it's 1:20 in the morning and I'm roleplaying. So ha. And this is a whisper! Theoretically, only Stranon and Malkembi should be able to read it.[/whisper]
Tormon beat the ground in frustration, angry at himself for being so useless and at Fate for providing a test he could not pass. I am not being selfish! I have a family...friends...a community to consider. How can I leave them? He wiped his face with a dirty hand, smearing mud onto his face. But if I never protect them in the first place.. He thought of Stranon, the stranger he'd just met. The man seemed so confident, so sure of right and wrong. He was in pain, yet he risked all to give his friend a chance at life. Tormon had the means for faster travel and he wasn't wounded. Yet he refused to help a man in need.
Perhaps by being so absolutely banned, violence had come to roost in Lerai in a more insidious manner. Truly, violence had become an unseen force in the village. Stranon was right; if they tried to defend themselves against the demon they just might win. Right now, the demon always had the upper hand. He was on the offensive. No game could be won keeping to defense. By excluding all who showed the least sign of violence, was the village instead giving violence a stronger hold?
Tormon didn't like the way his thoughts were taking him. Violence was evil; violence hurt others. He blamed his mer-half for his restless thoughts. Perhaps the stranger's barbarian thoughts brought out the worst in him. He was a star citizen of Lerai, recognized for his commitment to peace and nonviolence. And yet...
And yet his thoughts kept sliding back to the scene with that awful demon sending out his tendrils of black energy throughout the village. He felt anger rise in his chest, and for once he did not try to quench it. He let the pressure build, filling his body with his fury. It wasn't fair. Why?! He realized now that he hated the demon, hated the fact that he couldn't protect his kin. His breath came in short hisses as he panted, sweat and tears mingling on his flushed face. Hate! He let it move through his body, marveling at the rush of feeling. At last, when he felt he could take no more, he let all of his rage out in one long yell. Navren back up uncertainly, but recognized his friend's need to release this emotion.
Tormon knelt on the ground, momentarily exhausted. In the end, he knew what he had to do. It was his life for another's, but at the end he would still be alive. That woman needed help. If it cost him his home....it was worth it. He realized that he had reached this conclusion long ago in his heart. It had just taken a long time for his head to catch up. One life for another's. Perhaps he would be judged well in the afterlife... He unhitched Navren's cart and jumped on the horse's back. Navren bolted up the trail, Tormon holding on tightly to his mane. One life for another's...
He signaled for Navren to stop when he saw the tell-tale tendrils of black demon energy. He was too late! No! He leapt off Navren's back and ran up the path in time to see Stranon hit in the chest by that evil energy. Tormon rocked back as if hit himself. The demon never killed! What if he had changed his policy? What if...the village...Tormon could not complete the thought. That wave of unfamiliar yet strangely welcome anger came back. His vision shifted slightly to red and he began to shake. The demon was making sure his victim was dead, prodding him like an animal. Tormon gave an incoherant shout of anger and charged the demon without thinking. His feet took him on a direct path to the evil being. Before his head had a chance to catch up he jumped at the demon. In mid-air he began to wonder about the sense of this suicidal action....
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Mal'Kembi
Human
Only slightly insane
Posts: 4
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Post by Mal'Kembi on Nov 7, 2006 23:30:40 GMT -5
The fierce shout from Tormon brought all of Mal'Kembi's attention on the suddenly aggressive man. He turned just as Tormon's soaring body collided with him, resulting in both crashing forcefully to the ground. Mal'Kembi grunted with effort as he heaved the assailant away, giving him time and space to raise his staff in a combat position. This bastard was going to get impaled. Why would the man attack when he was simply trying to see if the one who got jolted by the energy was alive? Mal'Kembi let out a shout of his own and charged the man, spinning his bladed staff in impressive patterns, eager to tear the violent man apart.
Before any flesh was rended, though, Mal'Kembi regained his senses and stopped. Perhaps the man had simply seen the black tendril shoot into the unintended victim and assumed hostile intent. That would make sense, after all, and be a probable cause for his unexpected attack. That and the fact that Mal'Kembi had been tormenting the entire village for months. No, this man had every right to be angry. Mal didn't want to hurt anyone else, either. Without saying a word, he took off towards his hut at a sprint.
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Stranon
Half-Human, Half-Demon
Professional Badass
Posts: 27
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Post by Stranon on Nov 7, 2006 23:55:40 GMT -5
Stranon clutched his chest in excruciating pain. His vision was blurred to the point where objects a few feet in front of him were completely unrecognizable. He could vaguely feel something poking his leg, but most of his body was numb. A strange muffled voice followed, but got louder and more frantic. Soon, everything was quiet again, though, and Stranon slowly faded away into unconsciousness.
Kyri coughed a few times and awoke to find her face in the dirt and her body in awkwardly contorted position on the ground. She knew nothing of what was going on, or where she was, and an intense pain stemmed from her ankle, thought not as powerful as the pain in her side. It felt as if her insides had collapsed on themselves, and breathing was frighteningly difficult. She flopped over to face upwards, hoping that being in a more comfortable position would ease some of the pain and clear her mind to help her remember. Her efforts were futile, though, and she still only dimly remembered being in a storm at sea.
After convincing herself to at least attempt to do something, Kyri opened her eyes only to find Stranon lying not five feet away, looking shockingly dead. He was cut up, bruised, completely still, and his clothes were shredded and battered for the most part. After taking a brief look at herself, she realized she was in much the same condition. But no, Stranon couldn’t be dead. It was impossible. Unable to look at his body anymore, she turned her head away. As she looked up, she gasped as she saw a man standing nearby - the one who must have been the cause of this. She frantically struggled to get to her feet, but the pain was too much in her ankle, and she fell back to the ground, breathing heavily. Perhaps he would have mercy.
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Post by Non-Player Characters on Nov 9, 2006 17:25:37 GMT -5
Tormon had never felt more terrified in his life as he crashed into the demon. Terror and fear were new emotions for him. He wasn't a violent man; he wasn't even brave! What was he doing, attacking a man to save a stranger? The right thing. He tried to deny it, but he knew that there was something good and right about this. He knew, in that moment, that he was choosing to leave Lerai. Lerai was safe and peaceful, but was it all worth it? Were his many years of commitment to peace worth more than this one moment of self-sacrifice through violence?
His thoughts could not save him from his present terror, however. He suddenly found himself airborne again, heaved away by the demon's supernatural strength. He landed heavily on the ground, the impact driving the breath out of his body. Dust entered his lungs as he gasped for breath, and he coughed heavily as he fought to stand up. He had just regained his footing when the demon flashed his deadly staff. Tormon almost collapsed to the ground again out of panic. He nearly lost control of his bowel movements when the demon charged at him, weapon spinning. It took all of Tormon's strength just to stand. His stomach wanted to heave, his knees wanted to collapse, and his mind just wanted to be anywhere but there. Right as he was on the verge of losing consciousness the demon stopped.
And the demon ran away.
Tormon fainted.
Navren's head snapped up as the demonic man ran past the grassy knoll on which the horse grazed. Tormon! The half-horse quickly inserted himself into the cart harness and took off at a run. Moments later he arrived at the battle site to find three bodies sprawled on the ground. Movement! The female was alive, at least. He was relieved to see that the other two were breathing as well. Especially Tormon.
If I had lost you, too... He guided the cart over to the female and released himself from the harness. If she could get in the cart...But first he had to check on his lifelong friend. Tormon was breathing, but unconscious. Navren nudged him slightly with his muzzle, attempting to wake the man. Tormon groaned slightly and his eyes fluttered. Another nudge...
Tormon sat up quickly and hit his head on Navren's. Navren backed up slightly, giving the man more room. Tormon grimaced and placed a hand to his head. "Sorry..." Suddenly, he remembered why he was on the ground. "Oh Gods..." He caught sight of Stranon and Kyri. "Oh!" He approached the strangers, fearing the worst. But he was alive, and the woman...
Tormon rushed to her side. "You're awake! Are ye alright? Sorry, stupid question. Can I help?"
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Stranon
Half-Human, Half-Demon
Professional Badass
Posts: 27
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Post by Stranon on Nov 10, 2006 23:36:11 GMT -5
Kyri curled up in a protective position as the man rushed towards her, well-aware that she would likely be killed by him. To her surprise, though, instead of feeling a sudden jolt of pain from steel or a spell, the man simply asked her if she was okay and if she needed help. Also, in the way he exclaimed that she was indeed awake, it seemed as if he had been monitoring her condition for some time. “Please…” She coughed a bit and realized that speaking would even be a challenge in her current condition. “Please…help us…” she said, making a weak gesture towards Stranon. “Is there…a village nearby?” By her judgment, both she and Stranon needed a healer in the worst of ways. If Stranon was still alive, that was. The terrible thought struck her again. She attempted to strike it from her mind, but found only limited success. The fear that he was dead began to send her into a panic. “Get him to a healer!” she suddenly blurted out, staring up at the man with widened eyes.
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Post by Non-Player Characters on Nov 11, 2006 19:52:37 GMT -5
"It's gonna be alright, lady. There's....a village... not far from 'ere." Tormon glanced back down the path to Lerai Village. Ah, Lerai. I'm gonna miss ye terribly... After making sure the woman was not going to do anything rash in her panic he went to inspect Stranon. The man was in bad shape, but it wasn't as bad as Tormon had originally expected. He placed a finger on the man's neck and felt a faint but regular pulse. Good. But could they move him? He looked closer at the wound. It was ghastly, but it seemed to be restricted to the front half of his chest. Tormon decided to risk moving him; the need for speed was greater than the need for absolute care. Navren had kindly positioned the cart as close as possible to the prone man. Tormon reached up and let down the tail gate of the cart. This would be the tricky part. He carefully slid his arms beneath Stranon and braced his legs. He might be stocky, but life in a small village had helped him develop muscles. "Urrrgh!" One mighty push, and Stranon was in the cart. Tormon looked at the large man's body suspiciously. Either he had strength he didn't know he possessed, or Navren had somehow extended the cart's buoancy enchantment to cover them. Time to wonder about that later... "Ma'am? Can ye stand, if I help you? I don't want t' leave you alone out 'ere with th' demon about. If ye can't stand, would ye mind it if I lifted you?"
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Stranon
Half-Human, Half-Demon
Professional Badass
Posts: 27
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Post by Stranon on Nov 11, 2006 23:10:58 GMT -5
Kyri, not eager to give the effort to stand again, simply shook her head. "No...that'd be fine...just hurry...please." Now that things had slowed down a bit for her, the pain began to take full effect. SHe had never experienced a tremendous amount of pain before, and had a very small tolerence. Fighting against the pain, though, she struggled into a position that would be easier for Tormon to lift her up.
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Post by Non-Player Characters on Nov 12, 2006 1:13:48 GMT -5
As soon as the woman started to rise Tormon hurried to her side. Carefully, he lifted her up and carried her to the cart. Stranon filled the back seat, so he gingerly placed her on the front bench. She could lean against the seat - hopefully she could remain sitting until they reached Lerai. Tormon then ran across to the other side and vaulted into the cart with the ease of many years' practice. Navren was off as soon as he felt the shift in weight. Tormon glanced back at Stranon, hoping the man would make it. His concern for the stranger was strange, but in the end he knew that if Stranon died it would be on his hands.
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In only a few minutes they reached the fringes of Lerai. Activity had picked up in the village; once the demon left, the villagers knew it was safe to leave their homes. The cursed homes were evacuated and arrangements were being made between families for temporary housing. A few people turned to wave at Tormon, but he avoided their eyes and worked a straight path to the healer's. He had a job to do, and he would see it done; then he would leave. Perhaps he could find work on a ship somewhere. The sea was always an option. He had family there.
"Tormon? Oh! What happened?!" The village healer, Valena, bounded out of her cottage. Even though Tormon was seated in the cart, they were almost at eye level. Valena was a centaur, half-human, half-equine. "Oh, this doesn't look good. Thank the gods you brought him so quickly!" She cast a clouded look at Tormon, for her house was close enough to the path that she had seen when they first passed through. But injured people took precedence, and these two were definately in need of her services. She reached in and lifted Stranon out of the cart, barely straining. Tormon stared in appreciation; it was easy to forget how strong she was! "Stop gawking and get the woman!" A curt tail-flick in his direction brought him to his senses. "Ah, yes....I hope ye don't mind the presumption, ma'am." Tormon climbed out of the cart and lifted Stranon's partner out. "Valena's th' best healer in these parts. She'll see ta it that yer all healed up." ------- Valena's 'cottage' was easier to compare to a cluttered stable than a human house. In reality, it had at one point been the village inn's stable. When Valena had been accepted into the village, the stable had been given to her as a gift. She immediately redecorated and had most of the partitions taken out. Now it was quite homely, and its size allowed a good portion to be remade into an infirmary for injured and ill people who needed to stay overnight. Carefully, Valena placed Stranon on one of the beds. Tormon took the hint and placed the woman on another. "Now, young man." Valena turned to face him. "I know you must be concerned with the welfare of your new friends..," and the look she gave him made him flush in embarrassment. She knew! She knew he had fled the scene with an injured person in the cart. He couldn't bear to meet her eyes. "But you'll have to wait outside. I must inspect them...alone." And with that she turned back to her patients. Tormon glanced one last time at the strangers and sighed. He knew the way out.
As the door swung closed Valena started setting out various bags of herbs on her high bench. The man's wound would be tricky. But it could be fixed. It was just a matter of convincing living skin to regrow and the dead skin and bad matter to leave. "So, young elf. Where are you from?"
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Stranon
Half-Human, Half-Demon
Professional Badass
Posts: 27
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Post by Stranon on Nov 12, 2006 13:18:25 GMT -5
Kyri turned and gave Tormon a quick “Thank you!” before turning back to Valena. She had seen a number of strange things in her life, but this particular creature was not one of them. A half-horse, half-human. Fortunately the human half was on top - the other way around may have proven for a very uncomfortable situation. Regardless, Valena seemed very kind and her help at the moment was vital. “I…I come from the South Forest…I’m not sure how we got here, though….I think we may have been caught in a storm out in sea, but my memory of it is unclear.” Kyri paused a moment and collected a few painful memories of her village and how it had been completely destroyed. “My whole village was burned down by a band of mages…All of my clansmen died…I would be dead too were it not for Stranon.” The elf thought for a minute about what had happened in the last day. “Two times over, actually. He probably saved me during whatever happened for us to end up here, too. He’ll be okay, won’t he?” Kyri didn’t want to sound rude by suddenly changing the subject, but the involuntary question burst out. “You can help him?”
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