| Welcome to Imythess, the border between dreams and reality. We hope you enjoy your visit. Imythess is a creative writing board where you narrate the story of a character in the medieval land of Imythess, on the planet Chaon. Each topic is an opportunity for your character to interact with the world and its peoples by cooperatively writing pieces of a story with other members, one post at a time. We call this role-playing, because you assume the identity of your character as if it were your own. In order to play, you must register an account for each character you would like to write about, and begin their tale by filling out their basic profile information: Race (human, elf, demon, etc.), class (warrior, mage, etc.), physical appearance, and any other personal details you would like to describe. You are also encouraged to come up with some background history information for what your character's life has been like up to the point at which their story in Imythess begins. There is no approval process or application required to join, so long as you follow the rules then you are free to write whatever character details you choose. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Create a character now! If you're already a member, you can log into your account below: |
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
| Perils of the Sands; for Tandorus | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: Sat Aug 6, 2011 3:37 am (324 Views) | |
| Ausir | Sat Aug 6, 2011 3:37 am Post #1 |
 
|
"Dammit." Ausir's arm was wounded, his left elbow a bloody mess. Before him lay the corpse of some sort of vile creature, its many legs gnarled and twisted by convulsions. Its yellowish eyes were still open, but the glow that had once emanated from them was no more. It had a brownish exoskeleton, and its golden carapace was covered in tiny spines. Its antennae, bashed and bruised, and its harp, cruel mandables still twitched. This creature had tried to make a meal of Ausir, and he had not appreciated it. He was terribly unproficient in hand-to-hand combat, and finding himself face to face with a beast of the desert without Amehait at his side had nearly cost him his life. Why had his magic run dry? He wiped the blood off of his sceptre, smearing a black, oozy line in the sand. The creature's skull had been easily caved in by the staff, thankfully, and it had gone down far more easily than the wizard had expected. There was the issue of the wound on his arm, however, which seemed to refuse to slow its blood flow. It might have been poisoned, too. The claws on the ends of the insect's six legs could have any number of bizarre glands. He clutched his wound carefully. In time, his companion would surely return. |
 |
 
|
| Tandorus | Sat Aug 6, 2011 3:59 am Post #2 |
|
Tand wandered the desert, the hood on his new pink cloak up, he looked up to see a man wielding a scepter and bleeding from his arm. He called out, "Heya! Stay there fer a minute, I'm here ta' help!" He ran towards the man, looking down at the beast, "Ya killed one of those things huh... had ta' kill a few of them myself while I was wanderin' here, buggers got a nasty bite... yer lucky this is a young'un, it can only eat yer magical energy, ya' killed it fast enough so you should feel it slowly ebbin' back to ya." He had killed a dozen of them, they had drained his magic until he killed them all, they fed off magic and flesh... a scary thought for mages. He looked at the wound, it was pretty deep, he raised his hand to it, "Healing Winds, help this wanderer." A small wind began to pick up, swirling around the wound, slowly closing it, he focused the spell and continued it, draining more energy from his magical energy. He watched the wound close up, it still looked raw but at least it was no longer bleeding. He saw something though... shifting sands, he whipped out his black bow, taking an arrow, glowing like a small ball of light, and firing it into the sands, a shriek emanating from the sands, another young thing falling dead. Tand chuckled, "See, jus' gotta nail'em before they can get outta their hidin' place. Gotta stay sharp in tha' desert... oh, I'm Tandorus, you can call me Tand, who are you anyway?" He smiled as his arrow reappeared back in his quiver, a recent purchase but a good enchantment. |
|
|
|
| Ausir | Sat Aug 6, 2011 4:17 am Post #3 |
|
Ausir was pleased to see Tandorus, though he was a little worried. He was unused to humans. They were rare in this part of the desert, especially so far from the Abbai river. Though he had assured the mage that he was going to help him, it was difficult to tell how to react to a stranger in a perilous land. He was tense, but he did not make any effort to defend himself as Tandorus approached him. "Ya killed one of those things, huh..? 'Had ta' kill a few of them myself while I was wanderin' here, buggers got a nasty bite... Yer lucky this is a young'un; it can only eat yer magical energy. Ya' killed it fast enough, so you should feel it slowly ebbin' back to ya," Tandorus said. The stranger spoke wierdly, and while Ausir understood common near fluently, his speech was very broken. He had never before heard someone speak like this. He comprehended the idea, though. The creature he had fought off fed off of magic, not that Ausir had much of it left in him. The curse of his city had taken it away from him, rotted it away along with his life-force. Still, it surely hindered the recovery process. Ausir flinched as Tandorus, still a complete stranger, brought his hand to the wound, starting to pull away before deciding to trust him. He felt a rush of cool air against his arm, and it began to itch and sting in areas, as if the skin was being pinched closed. He looked down, and it was. All that was left where his open wound had been was a long, jagged scar on the inside of his elbow and a mess of dried blood. He could have done that himself, years ago. The man pulled out his weapon, a slim black bow, and Ausir immediately lept backwards, wondering what kind of treachery was transpiring, but the weapon was never aimed at him. Instead, Tandorus fired a single, glowing shaft of light at a distant monster, another one of the insectoids, felling it with a single shot. "See, jus' gotta nail'em before they can get outta their hidin' place. Gotta stay sharp in tha' desert... Oh, I'm Tandorus. You can call me Tand. Who are you, anyway?" Ausir was perplexed by that bow though... Black arch, arrows of light. Could it be that this man, taking the form of a human, could be Akhor, the hero among Gods, to whom his mother had devoted her life? "My name is Ausir, oh wise one," he spoke his first words carefully, kneeling before the man who had saved him. Tand, an avatar of Akhor himself, chose to speak common, so Ausir would have to do the same. He would have to do so thoughtfully. |
|
|
|
| Tandorus | Sat Aug 6, 2011 4:34 am Post #4 |
|
Tand shrugged, "I'm not that wise, jus' lived a long life, ya can just call me Tand and I'll call ya Ausir." He looked around the area, still no sign of his target, he needed to find it, kill it, and then he could go on his way. The bugs though were a clue, they seemed to follow it and leech off the remains of whatever residual magical energy that made it. At least he was on the right track, he looked back to Ausir, "Have ya seen a giant sand worm around here... I've been huntin' it fer a while. I need to find it and kill it as soon as I can, it's a threat ta' all tha' people in Istan." He looked past Ausir, it was best to just keep on moving. He spoke once more to Ausir as he started to walk away, "Yer free ta' travel with me fer a while if ya don't mind huntin' down a giant sandworm dragon hybrid." The last few mercenaries he had asked that ran away scared, he doubted the man would want to travel with him, he was just a lone wanderer doing the impossible, just like old times. He looked up, he saw a bird swooping down, landing on his shoulder, it screeched out, "Nevermore! Nevermore!" Tand chuckled, his pet raven Nevermore was a worthwhile companion, it could repeat what he said and that was about it. |
|
|
|
| Ausir | Sat Aug 6, 2011 4:49 am Post #5 |
|
The presence of all these creatures was troubling. He had never seen insects quite like them here. Plenty of dangerous creatures lived in the desert, but he had never seen an accumilation of such deadly creatures attacking men for food. He felt he had to do something to clean them out. Alas, his familiar, Ahemait was still off scouting the region. Perhaps he had run into trouble himself? Ausir didn't quite understand. Tand treated Ausir as an equal, tand an incarnation of Akhorut's mightiest God, equal to tiny Ausir. Perplexity, offense, and honor welled together into a sort of bubbly concoction in his throught, and he swallowed hard before coughing a little bit to clear the rising bile. He merely stood and waited for any further explanation. "Have ya seen a giant sand worm around here..? I've been huntin' it fer a while. I need to find it and kill it as soon as I can. It's a threat ta' all tha' people in Istan," he said, suddenly seeming detatched, scouting the distance. He really was a hero, like Akhor, meaning to save the people of Istan. Ausir had never been there, but he knew the name. Istan was the largest city in the desert, but it was a city of men, primarily. It had been constructed by both humans and his own people, and now it was as multicultured as the great city Taras on the coast. Why was Tandorus chosing to help Istan? Why not the tor-zjindali, the people who needed him most, cursed and cast from their own city. Had Akhor truly forsaken his people? Tand's second question made Ausir light up with pride. He had been asked to help the great Tandorus hunt down a threat in the desert, and he would not turn down the offer. He nodded fervently. "I humbly accept your offer," Ausir said, bowing his head in respect and humility. He was standing now, in the sand only a couple feet away from Tand. "Nevermore! Nevermore!" Ausir heard a shriek and turned to see a bird land on Tandorus' shoulder, a jet black raven. The wizard smiled hopefully. It really was Akhor, after all. |
|
|
|
| Tandorus | Sat Aug 6, 2011 5:11 am Post #6 |
|
Tand smirked, his new traveling companion was exceptionally polite, he hadn't met anyone like that for a long time... must have been several centuries ago when he met people like that... no, it couldn't be. He looked at Ausir, "Are you a... Tor-Zjindali? I haven't met your people in a long time. How are your people... I would like to see them again." He remembered the time he had saved the people, his bow skill had saved their lives, that was centuries ago though... maybe he should meet up with them again, they had treated him well enough when he was there. Nevermore turned his head and squawked, "I'm tha' black bowman! Tha' black bowman! Squawk!" Tand waved his finger in front of the bird's face, speaking to it, "Now now Nevermore... it's not nice ta' tell little lies like that. Sometimes it's best ta' not mimic what fools say." Nevermore squawked once again, screeching out it's name as they walked. Tand chuckled, stroking the bird's head, he would need to teach it to not scream out his secrets... or he should just not talk to his bird when he got bored. He turned to Ausir, hoping he didn't suspect anything, he hated it when people made a big deal over his past exploits... especially ones from eight hundred years ago. Edited by Tandorus, Sat Aug 6, 2011 5:28 am.
|
|
|
|
| Ausir | Sat Aug 6, 2011 5:43 am Post #7 |
|
"Are you a... Tor-Zjindali? I haven't met your people in a long time. How are your people... I would like to see them again." Tandorus asked, and Ausir immediately tensed up. Was that what had brought the curse upon them? Was it because Akhor's avatar had stopped visiting his people? His heart felt heavy, hurt and confused. Perhaps he was jumping to conclusions. "I was once one of the tor-zjindali," Ausir said, sadness in his voice. His head was hung once more, and he stared at the deathly pallor that dominated his fingers, black veins visible where he had once had blue ones. "My people are not so well, however," he said, his red eyes still low, seeming very faint, no longer glowing as they usually did. "It is a sad story, but the city of Akhorut has fallen under a terrible curse, its inhabitants transformed. I and my brothers have become qul-zjindali, cursed white star elves. The city of Akhorut no longer stands, in its place, Serakhaten, the breeding place of terrible evil." For a time, he spoke no words. He seemed lost in his head, as if he had changed. The proud Ausir seemed suddenly so very sad. "I'm surprised you had not heard of it." Suddenly, the raven erupted with an outburst. "I'm tha' black bowman! Tha' black bowman! Squawk!" it screamed into the sky, and Ausir perked up again. Had his pointed ears heard what he thought they had? Perhaps, if he helps this man, who had to be an avatar of Akhor, he would return to his people and heal their city. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps... "Tand...orus," Ausir started off awkwardly. "Do you know why this happened to my people?" |
|
|
|
| Tandorus | Sat Aug 6, 2011 6:04 am Post #8 |
|
Tand stroked his chin, so things had changed in the last few hundred years, "Sorry... I dunno how it could happen, I'm not tha' kind of guy who would know about it though... I've been gone from tha' desert fer years, I just recently got back. I'm a... well I'm not exactly as I look, I guess I was gone when all this stuff happened... I'm kinda over eight hundred years old. Though ya probably figured out I'm older then I look, though ya probably figured that out since I didn't know about tha' cursed city... it must happened in tha' last seven hundred years then... right?" He scratched the back of his head as he walked, he had let out to much information about himself, he should have checked up on some of the tribes, stupid stupid mistake. He turned back to his ally, "I just gotta ask that ya don't tell anyone about me, I like ta' have my freedom ta' move around... I'm not tha' kinda guy that wants people ta' worship tha' ground I walk on or follow my every move, I'm just ol' Tand, archer, wanderer, and a friend ta' birds." He stroked Nevermore once more, the bird flapping it's wings and flying high into the sky, squawking loudly as it circled. Tand immediately got on his guard, taking out his bow and getting his arrow ready, pulling back on the string, something was out there... but where. |
|
|
|
| Ausir | Sat Aug 6, 2011 6:22 am Post #9 |
|
Ausir had indeed known that Tand was older than he looked. To the desert elf, Tandorus was the figure of a God, and he simply nodded in response. His eyes were still dim, troubled, but the the man was sincere enough. "Yes," he stated very bluntedly at first. "Yes, I know you were older than you appear. I knew you were immortal the moment you drew your bow, wise Tandorus..." he trailed off for a moment before elaborating his response to the man's second question. "And yes, the fall of my beloved city happened very few years ago, though I could not say how many exactly. I stopped counting days after I fled," he said woefully. There was something vollitile in his noble voice, but there were no tears. Ausir had no tears. "I won't tell anyone of your secret, Tandorus. Though you may be among the Immortals, to me, you will be simply... ol' Tand. I too, am a friend to birds. I once rode a mighty eagle named Isotep. She was beautiful, you know," Ausir said. He was now making small talk with a God. This was some comfort to him. He felt safe around Tandorus. The man had spilled his guts, made himself vulnerable. How else was Ausir supposed to feel? Suddenly, Tand drew his bow and set an arrow on its string. Something was coming. Ausir too prepared for impact, holding his staff sternly in his hands. It was of little use in combat, but it was a comfort to him. Amehait, a streak of white-hot glass, came barreling towards him. The creature shrieked in alarm, and Ausir put his hand on Tand's shoulder. "She is a friend," he whispered urgently. The drake struck the sand with tremendous impact, creating a huge dust cloud. Ausir's vision was obscured, and all he could see was himself, Tandorus, and Amehait, her silhouette glowing in the distance. She was in her molten form, shimmering and rippling with heat. While this was her more powerful form, it meant that she was fleeing from something with terrible might, and something that wielded flames hot enough to melt sand into glass. The drake squawked again, a warning for her master, and Ausir saw a pair of red eyes glowing through the sand-cloud, followed by a trail of magma from its maw, spilling to the ground from high above Ausir's head. Whatever this monster was, it was no sand worm. Had it been sent to destroy them, or had Amehait simply disturbed it in her scouting? |
|
|
|
| Tandorus | Sat Aug 6, 2011 6:38 am Post #10 |
|
Tand smiled, it was the sand worm dragon... or sand dragon worm... whatever it was. He fired an arrow at it, watching the arrow turn into a ball of light, piercing through the veil of sand into it. It roared, rearing up out of the sand cloud, a monstrous dragon... though it had no arms or legs, it breathed flames from it's maw as it screeched, it's wings unfurling, showing massive sandy wings. Tand whistled, "It's a big'un eh? Show me what ya can do my friend, allow me to distract it for ya!" He rushed to the side, running around it while firing arrows, watching them sink into it's skin, only taking flesh wounds, using it's bulk to protect it's innards from his piercing arrows. Tand leaped the sweeping tail of the dragon worm, flames erupting from it's maw, Tand just barely out running the flames, his shots were still accurate, though he frowned, the wounds he created were healing up almost immediately... he could feel an odd wind stirring the air, the sand wrapping around the dragon, filling the wounds and healing it. He hooted and whooped, making himself a spectacle, the dragon worm following his every movements. He leveled another arrow, stopping in place for only a second, unleashing it into it's eye, a perfect shot. The dragon worm shrieked and breathed fire wildly, Tand taking off into a run, dodging the incoming flames. If Ausir was going to do something, he should do something now while it was raging and focusing on him. |
|
|
|
| Ausir | Sat Aug 6, 2011 7:07 am Post #11 |
|
While Ausir himself was worthless as a combattant against the monster, his spells being long disabled, only Amehait, devourer of flesh, would serve useful. Her slender body was like a rocket, and when she took off to attack, she soared around the massive dragon like a shooting star, her glowing, molten body moving far faster thant the dragon's eyes could keep up with. Ausir had to avoid the constant attacks of the beast from the ground. Fire and magma poured from the creatures mouth, scorching the sand and, in places, leaving balls of hot glass where sand had been. The tornado of sand whirled around the worm, healing the creature everywhere Tandorus shot it, and Ausir desperately hoped that it would not be solely up to Amehait to destroy it. She was powerful, but she was no match for such a large creature. One of Tandorus' shining arrows flew into the monster's eye, and the dragon worm screamed in agony, hot magma and flame erupting from its demonic jaws. The blow had caused it pain, and half-blinded it, but it was far from a mortal wound. Tand's arrows could not slay the beast, but they could certainly distract it from Amehait, whose form was tiny against the silhouette of the sand worm. Ausir heard Amehait's screetch of offense as it flew towards the beast's throat, letting loose an inferno of white flames. The fire clung to the dragon worm's skin, spreading up its neck, burning through the creature's armored skin and exposing the vulnerable flesh beneath. "Tand, aim for the white fire! That's where it's weakest!" Ausir called informally to the marksman, forgetting about the high status of Tandorus in battle. His nature as an officer took over, and he continued to dodge flames and watch Amehait intently, as she now breathed white flames onto the monster's right flank. He may not have been a competent combattant, but he knew battle. He knew battle well. |
|
|
|
| Tandorus | Sat Aug 6, 2011 3:03 pm Post #12 |
|
Tand didn't miss a second, firing into the white fire, his arms and fingers moving faster then ever, firing arrow after arrow into it's side. He chuckled, he could see the arrows piercing deeper, the fire was weakening it's skin, he lined up his arrows, it seemed the worm was now much more interested in the little glass drake flying around it's head. He kept on firing into the white flames, the flames keeping the wounds from regenerating, he chuckled, it breathed fire and it was weak to fire... that could come in handy. Tand repeatedly fired into it's sides, recalling the arrows after a few shots, the thing had eight of them, sticking out of it's sides. There had to be a simpler way of killing this thing... it would take far to long like this, he looked to Ausir, "Hey! Ausir! You've been watchin' fer a while, any idea on it's weakness? Well besides that it doesn't like fire, which seems to stop it's regenerative properties." He would need Ausir's help on this one, he was to concentrated on the flames and placing his arrows, anything he could have to offer could be valuable. |
|
|
|
| Ausir | Sat Aug 6, 2011 5:56 pm Post #13 |
|
Ausir was at a loss. The arrows were effective, but only to a minor degree. To slay the beast would require a lot of time, and arrows. Tand's arrows seemed to return to him after he fired them, but of course, to return the arrows to his quiver would be to remove an arrow from the dragon. Amehait was incredibly effective, but only at removing the dragon's armored skin and breaking down its ability to regenerate. She didn't seem to be harming the worm directly. On top of this, the dragon was focusing its attacks on Amehait again, deeming it the more dangerous foe between the three intruders. It hurled red fire and liquid magma at the drake hatchling, but every time a splash of lava or a plume of flame struck Amehait, it only strengthened her molten form, allowing her to move more quickly. The primal worm, though ancient and intelligent, had not yet realized that only physical attacks would strike down the devourer. Finally, something came to the wizard. It was a long shot, but it was plausible. He whistled, calling Amehait back to him, and she immediately dropped her guard and zoomed back to her master, flying like a comet. She managed to stop smoothly next to her master, but the dragon worm's fire followed her. Ausir lept out of the way, feeling intense heat against his cold skin. Gesturing for Amehait's attention, he pointed at the monster's chest, where he guessed its heart might be. Amehait got the clue, and, flapping her mighty wings, she took off again, barreling towards the spot her master had indicated and drawing the worm's attention far away from Ausir once more. She exhaled her white hot flames once more, burning away its armor on its chest. "Tand, punch holes into the edges of that patch of flame with your arrows. They may not be able to reach the dragon's heart, but I know something that can," he called to his ally. Meanwhile, Amehait circled the beast's head, drawing its attention away from the little ones on the ground. |
|
|
|
| Tandorus | Sat Aug 6, 2011 6:19 pm Post #14 |
|
Tand saw the drake move away from the worm... odd, what could it be up to. He saw it move towards Ausir then move away, back towards their foe. He heard his friend call out instructions, Tand nodded and went to work, firing arrows into the edges of the flames, plans running through Tand's head... he realized quickly what he was doing, a drake flying at high speeds aiming for the heart of the beast, he chuckled, smart move. He fired arrow after arrow as fast as he could, weakening the area he was told to, he chuckled, he was a fast shot, he had almost plugged twenty arrows into it before the glass drake got to it. He saw it punch through the weakened flesh, black blood dripping out of the new gaping hole, white flames erupting out of it, Tand smirked, it was over. He returned his arrows to his quiver and turned to look at Ausir, the small glass drake was already heading back towards him, the worm fell to the ground, unmoving. Tand smiled widely, his back to the worm. The worm's eyes moved, his entire body lurching forward, moving above Tand, a familiar red glow coming to it's mouth, it was going to burn the one who had weakened it so. Tand saw the large shadow, pointing his bow straight up and firing an arrow, the arrow hitting the lower jaw, carrying it up into the top of it's mouth. Tand quickly shot a second one to seal it, the flames and magma back firing, going through it's stomach and intestines, out of every orifice in it's body, it eyes dried up as it fell to the side, it's scales glowing red as it died. Tand walked to Ausir, simply smiling, "Good times huh Ausir? Now ya can say ya have helped kill tha' first dragon worm. We're lucky it wasn't natural, or else it's insides woulda been immune ta' flames. Good idea with tha' drake though, very smart move." He chuckled as Nevermore swooped back down, landing on his shoulder, squawking all the while. |
|
|
|
| Ausir | Sat Aug 6, 2011 7:04 pm Post #15 |
|
Tand caught on quickly, and he immediately began to go to work doing precisely what Ausir had suggested. He supposed the archer probably knew exactly what he was planning. Tandorus had years of experience with battle, and if he truly was an avatar of Akhor, he had an eye for battle like a hawk has an eye for prey. Amehait would serve her master faithfully. Obeying his desires, she plummeted into the dangerous creature, her powerful jaws gnashing, hot white fire spewing from her and onto the wound. She had circled several times from the top of its head, gaining momentum. She had become a white-hot canonball, firing herself directly at the dragon worm's weakened skin. With a horrifying sound of ripping, the drake hatchling droke through, a dog-sized flaming projective barreled through the monster's ribcage and struck its heart. The demon screamed in agony, its lifeforce depleting. Its roars with horrifyingly intelligent, like the death cries of a human being. White fire erupted from the hole in the creature's chest, and with it, Amehait the Devourer, her white-violet jaws, though almost invisible from where Ausir was standing, drenched in the blood and flesh of the sand worm. The monster seemed to have one last final breath in it, which it used in an attempt to destroy its second target, Tandorus. Its mouth bleeding buckets of black blood into the sand, its chest swelled, flames licking from the back of its throat. It was going to incinerate the marksman. Tand was too fast, however, and two arrows quickly pinned the monster's jaws shut. The destruction of the abomination was beautiful and terrible simultaneously. Fire seemed to erupt from its very skin. The hole in its heart became a furnace, and a jet of flames sprayed out of it, cauterizing the wound. It didn't matter. The dragon was dead. With a final shiver, the beast fell over, shaking the earth with its deafening crash. "Good times huh Ausir? Now ya can say ya have helped kill tha' first dragon worm. We're lucky it wasn't natural, or else it's insides woulda been immune ta' flames. Good idea with tha' drake though, very smart move," his ally said to him, approaching him with a smile. Ausir was proud, proud of Tand, proud of Amehait, and even proud of himself. He and an incarnation of Akhor himself had slain a beast terrible enough to haunt the desert as far away as Istan City. Ausir nodded and thanked Tandorus, before posing a question, "Do I have permission to loot the beast's corpse for reagents?" he asked. It may prove useful to study the magical beast. Perhaps he would be able to recover his lost powers. But when his eyes shifted back to the dragon's corpse, it seemed it was already being looted. A swarm of the insectoid monsters, the ones who fed on flesh and magical energy, were already devouring the monster. There were hundreds of them, and they were ravenous, and omenously silent. No doubt when they finished making a meal of the corpse they would come after Tandorus and Ausir if they did not depart quickly. "That dragon is truly unnatural isn't it? That's why those creatures follow it. They were waiting for it to die so they could feed off of it," Ausir mused allowed in amazement. |
|
|
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
|
|
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · Istan Desert · Next Topic » |
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
4:43 PM May 22
