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Toxic Venom -> RE: (DF) Burned (8/28/2011 0:04:27)
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Adalia sat with her feet hanging over the side of the bed, watching a blonde warrior pace about the room. “Can we please do something?” she looked at him through her dark red hair. He just shook his head slowly in reply.
“I told you already. I need to wai...“
“I know, I know...” she cut him off, glaring at a spot on the floor between her feet.
Adalia had been staying with Ophilious in a small room at the Mess Hall in Oaklore Keep for years. Although living at the Keep had its benefits and fun, most of her days were spent reading books in her room or picking berries in the forest. Ever since the attacks on Falconreach, Ophilious had insisted they move back to Oaklore Keep, his home, until it was safe to return. She had now called the Keep her home for the last five years.
The red head looked around and caught eye of her cheap metal daggers. “Can I go hunt at least?” Ophilious looked at her and nodded slightly.
“Fine, just be back soon...” Adalia was up and out the door with her daggers, barley giving him time to finish. “... Please.”
Adalia half jumped down the flight of stairs into the main area of the Mess Hall where knights from all over Lore had come to have a meal and pint of ale. Adalia greeted Sir Loin, the hall’s cook and owner as she fled out the door. She jogged along the stone wall that guarded the Keep until she got to the entrance, or in her case, exit. Captain Rolith stood just inside the Keep, watching the guards up on the wall bicker. Rolith had never said a word to Adalia, ever. In fact, she didn’t think he even knew of her existence, not that it mattered to her.
She left the Keep and headed south into the forest. There was a small path, but it was pretty overgrown. Adalia made her away through the trees, her long braid catching twice on a few branches. Once she untangled herself, she got out to the edge of a cliff. A smile crept over her lips as she looked out over all of Lore, or at least what seemed like it. After what could have been hours, Adalia remembered that Ophilious had asked her to be back soon and that he probably wouldn’t appreciate her being gone so long.
Ophilious was only older than Adalia by a couple years, but he treated her like his little sister. They had known each other since they were small children and went everywhere together. Adalia had been orphaned at a very young age and was raised by a villager in Falconreach. After a short while of living there, Ophilious had shown up with his father from the Keep to help around Falconreach with bandits. Of course, young Ophilious wasn’t allowed to accompany his father on his mission, so he stayed with Adalia and her adopted mother. They would play games of Hide and Seek inside on the cold days, and Adalia’s favourite game, Hunt-the-Imaginary-Box-Stealing-Sneevil on the warmer days outside. Try to find the sneevil before it steals your box, both of which were imaginary.
Adalia turned and started to push her way back into the thick bushes when the wind started to pick up. She sighed and looked at the sky. A shadow suddenly loomed over her, and it wasn’t a cloud covering the sun. She spun around and stumbled back against the bushes as she looked into the eyes of a massive dragon. He made a low rumbling noise and stuck his nose out. Adalia, convinced that she was about to become dragon chow, squeezed her eyes closed and put her arms up to her face. She could feel the dragon’s hot breath on her bare forearms and whimpered softly. After an agonizing few seconds, Adalia peeked out at the dragon just as he lowered his head to the ground. This chin made a light, ‘thump’ as it contacted the overgrown weeds and grass. Utterly confused, Adalia lowered her arms and stared at it. All her life she had dreamed of dragons. She loved them, but this was a little too close for comfort.
Often times Sir Baumbard, a Dragon Rider from DragonsGrasp, visited Oaklore Keep to help with their ever growing undead problem. Adalia would watch from the Keep walls as Sir Baumbard and his mighty dragon, Glumbert, flew up and dropped bombs on the undead. He always told her that one day he would take her up, though to this day she had never been in the clouds on Glumbert’s back. She did however see to his dragon’s needs when he came to the Keep. Sir Baumbard was always more than willing to let her polish his scales or cool him down on a hot day with buckets of cold water.
“Hiyas!” a little red moglin’s head popped up from behind the dragon’s horns. Adalia jumped slightly in surprise. “The path is clear Priestess!” the moglin jumped off the dragon’s head, carrying with him a stick with a leaf tied to the end. Next a woman clad in a lavish white and gold robe, stepped off the dragon’s head. She was carrying with her a black and gold ornate box with a dragon head carved on the front.
The red dragon lifted his mighty head and shook himself off, stretching his wings. Adalia suddenly got a feeling for how big he was. The cliff was about the height of Oaklore Keep, if not bigger, and the dragon would be standing on the ground below the cliff.
“Pardon us friend, we are just passing through.” A few while curls fell around her porcelain cheeks from under her hood. Adalia wiped some dirt from her cheek, suddenly feeling extremely self conscious in front of this woman. Adalia stepped out of their way with a slight bow of her head as they continued into Oaklore Forest.
Adalia looked back at the dragon as he stared at her with hungry eyes. She took a small step away as he leaned in, pushing his nose against her chest. Her cool amulet suddenly became a soothing warm sensation against her breast bone. The Red dragon furrowed his brow and then grinned and got ready to take flight. “We will meet again in a few years young hero!” and before Adalia could say a word, the dragon took off into the sky. She turned quickly to follow the little red moglin and he Lady dressed in white. The bushes were pushed down where the moglin must have made a better path for the lady.
‘Next time I’m out here I’m going to cut down a better pathway...’ Adalia thought to herself as the trees and bushes bit and scratched at her arms and legs. Her thin clothing didn’t do much to stop them, and at this moment, she with she had armour like Ophilious to protect herself.
“Oh my, who placed this carpet in the middle of the forest?” it was the woman’s who spoke. Adalia didn’t remember seeing anything on her way over to the cliffs.
“Oh noes! That is not a carpet Priestess... it is a Gorrillaphant!” the little moglin’s voice was frantic as the beast’s growl shook the forest, followed by its ear shattering roar. Adalia got the funny image of the Priestess attempting to walk across the Gorrillaphant’s body. “I will protect you Priestess!” the little moglin shouted. His voice was followed by a loud ‘thwack’ and then the foot tall creature flew through the air and landed at Adalia’s feet.
For a moment, Adalia had the urge to punt the moglin back, but she bent down and helped him up. She handed him his stick and then drew her own rusty daggers. Just as she looked up, the Gorrillaphant was charging. Her arm automatically flew out and caught the charging beat in the foreleg as it went by. He was throwing his tusks around.
The beast was silver in colour with tusks as long as Adalia’s arm protruding from its jaw. It walked on all fours, but had extremely long forelegs, and wide shoulders. He moved by putting his weight on his front legs and swinging his back body and back legs forwards. Then he moved his arms back in front and repeated the process. Even though it seemed awkward, he was very agile and fast. His eyes were yellow with orange pupils and had sharp jagged teeth. Adalia had only fought one before, but Ophilious had been with her then and did most of the fighting.
As it came back around, the little red moglin took a fighting stance with his stick held out in front of him. Adalia readied her daggers and tried to catch the creature in the neck with the blades, but as he got closer, she realized she wasn’t in the right place for her attack. There was no time to adjust as his tusk slashed open her arm, and knocked away her left hand dagger. She dropped the dagger from her right hand as she clutched her arm. The red moglin had however, managed to climb upon the Gorrillaphant’s back and was smashing at his head, trying to hold on at the same time.
Adalia began to recover her daggers when the tiny creature flew from the beasts back and hit her square in the chest, effectively knocking the wind out of her. As the moglin rolled off her, she turned onto her side and tried to breathe, every breath being more painful than the last. She heard the faded sounds of the Gorrillaphant’s steps. Faded? No. She looked up to see the beast standing over her. Someone was yelling, but the sounds were all muffled. Stars dances in front of her eyes, barely letting her see a little red thing beating the silver lump of fur with nothing but a stick. Once the beast was stunned the moglin turned to her, talking in muffles.
“I... I... can’t...” she felt a tingling sensation in her chest. Her arm felt warm and suddenly the world came back to her, full of sound. Adalia clutched a dagger and shoved the moglin out of the way was the Gorrillaphant slammed it’s tucks down. The tusks imbedded themselves in the earth, narrowly missing Adalia’s sides. She lifted the dagger and drove it into the beast’s neck. After a moment of gurgling, the beast slumped to the side. Adalia pulled her dagger out before crawling from under the beast. She cleaned her daggers on the grass as the Priestess stepped forward.
“Thank you for saving me brave Rogue. May I know the name of my hero?” the Priestess smiled kindly towards her.
“But Priestess, you said her name was Adalia and she is the one who is destined to save the world!” the little moglin cut Adalia off before she could answer. Adalia blinked a couple times.
‘Save the world?’ she thought. “Um... What?” Adalia blinked again in confusion and looked from one to the other. The Priestess sighed.
“Oh Twilly...” she shook her head, “Alas, we are out of time. Good Rogue, I must ask a favour of thee. Would you please let Captain Rolith know that we are taking the shortcut?” Adalia nodded. “I’m certain we will cross paths again.”
“Especially since she is going to take that Black Dragon Box and...“ Twilly was cut off by another sigh from the Priestess.
“Twilly...” she sounded slightly disappointed as she turned and left down another path.
“Byes Adalia!” Twilly chimed and then ran off after the Priestess. Adalia stood for a moment and then ran off back to the Keep, wondering what exactly just happened.
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