Hazardous Times Part IX (fresh blood - not literally, please! - welcome)

[Legolas]

OOC: Thanks... I have my moments
IC: Legolas

The silence broken by her words, some of reality seeps back into his head. He looks down at her, suddenly feeling awkward as if it suggested he believed himself to be better than her. He shifts his position a little, hugging her with his left arm, afraid to let go.
At least partially satisfied with his new height, he opens his mouth to speak, the hint of a smile playing around his lips.

"Sorsha, if I didn't before, after today I have no doubts. As for me... I.."

When he realises he can't get much further than the "I", he stops trying to say he feels the same, and brings his right hand up to caress her cheek instead.
It leaves a smear of mud, and he hastily withdraws his hand, fearing to do more damage.
The elf looks away in embarassment for a moment, yet at the same time he can't help but smile. He is wet, muddy and out in the woods with no pack, no food and the afternoon beginning to fade away, and he feels happier than he has in a long, long time.

[mistral4543]

Sorsha

"Then..." ~ The mudstain seems to burn her cheek as she lowers her head slightly ~ Happy, happy heart! He... well, I suppose he must mean that he feels the same way... ~ Almost bursting with unbearable joy, she wonders if her lips will tear from the wide insane smile upon her lips ~ "... then, you'll... you'll let me follow you, won't you?" ~ Languor in her eyes ~ "I won't let you out of my sight... from now on."

Realising the audacity of her words, she flushes in horrid shame and lapses into a long silence. The fear of rejection equally powerful as the force of love.

[Legolas]

Legolas

"F.. follow me?"

The ranger blinks in surprise.

"I'd.. love to have you with me, but I can't let you follow me. It's not.. right. We can travel together.. go wherever we like, or are needed, but I won't cage you,"
Even if that's what I planned on just this morning.

He squeezes her hand softly, in an attempt to take away the pained look crossing her face.

"That's not how we'll travel. If anything, I should follow you. Your blood makes you the rightful queen here, whereas I'm but a humble ranger. I should be following you. Will you let me?"

"But I'd prefer we travel as friends."

It had been a silly notion in the first place, he realises. Should her course be decided solely by the blood of a father she never knew? He'd have been king of an empty forest if he had simply followed into his father's footsteps. Even though he did know his father, he would likely have done a bad job of it. It would be little different for 'Elena'

[mistral4543]

Sorsha

There was no way to restrain the reflex twitching of her facial muscles ~ Friends... ~ A slap could hardly have dealt more colour to her face, which alternated between red and white before settling back to a paler hue than usual ~ I might have known... ~ The rest of his words drifted in and out of her ears, she found the world spinning at an incredible speed and gasped, swaying momentarily on her feet.

Yet she could not lose that tiny shred of pride left within her ~ I must not crumble! ~ Digging deep into her reserves, she took another few seconds to regain her composure somewhat though her voice still shook a little as she finally replied.

"O...of course... we shall travel as... friends." ~ After all, that was better than to part...

[Galadria]

OOC>> Remember, she is Protected from Evil. IC>>
ELIZA(As she hands Blandamour another lance, she feels a will opposed to her own, trying to dominate her. Memory floods back to her, ss she remembered another aspect of Hell - that the demons there do not rut or rape their human captives, they use tortures far worse than the mere abuse of the body, and that leave far worse scars. She calls upon her new-found experience in resisting creatures of the lower Plains. Her will forms a steel shield, and the demon's mental onslaught leaves her unscathed. She focusses on Blandamour, who is looking at her with concern) "Do not worry, my dear Lord. Go forth back to the battle, for I shall be here when you return."

[ 05-25-2002, 12:42 AM: Message edited by: Galadria ]

[mistral4543]

OOC>>> Still up, Galadria? Let me know if you've any definite plans for Isaura and your paladin so I don't spoil them [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Cerek the Barbaric]

Addison put his back against the wall on the far side of the building from the demon. His heart was pounding so hard that he felt sure it would burst out of his chest at any moment. His breathing was hard and ragged.

He had NEVER been so SCARED in his life. The sight of Baz'guuls open maw dripping acidic poison as it plunged for his chest had actually caused his heart to skip a beat. He had planned to lead the demon into an ambush, but his actions after falling over were not his own. His body had acted without conscious thought as it desparately tried to escape the horror before it.

"To hell with the other spell....and to HELL with this demon." Addison wanted nothing more to do with it. It took all of his mental strength to keep his legs from leading him out of town and back home at a dead run.

"Besides," Addison said to himself, "surely the army and my other companions are capable of beating that monstrosity without my aid."

A loud cry forced him to peek around the corner towards the battle. He saw the paladins wilting and withering under the assault of the flame servants. Baz'guul was attempting to control that strange girl that had taken up with Sir Blandamour.

As he watched, Addison realized that his friends were sorely pressed. The demon was hurt, there could be no doubt of that. The back of his neck bore a large scorch mark where the lightning had hit him and there were two broken lances sticking out of his body. Still, he apparantly was able to draw whatever power he needed from his amulet. His wounds were grievous indeed, yet he seemed to still be full of strength. Very well, using magic directly against the beast hadn't worked very well. It was obvious he was quite resistent to magical energy.

Addison had expected as much, which was why he had memorized this particular spell. If the direct approach wouldn't work, then it was time to try an IN-direct approach.

Recalling the breathing exercises he had learned in the monastery, Addison slowed his racing heart and regulated his breathing. A familiar calmness flowed through him as he forced himself to relax and breathe normally.

Gathering his thoughts (along with the needed spell components), Addison searched for an appropriate target for his spell. He finally decided on a large wedge-shaped stone from among the rubble of one of the buildings. He chanted his arcane language and let the components slip through his hand. As they were consumed, Addison felt the Telekinesis spell take effect.

He reached out with his mind and "picked" the stone up. It was heavier than he expected, so it took a moment to adjust the mental energy needed to move it. He lifted it into the air and started spinning it in a slow circle. As he felt his mental grip tighten, he spun the stone faster and faster. He needed to do as much damage as possible, because he would only get one shot at Baz'guul. The Lightning Bolt was the most powerful spell he had memorized, but this would do almost as well. The longer he controlled the stone, the faster he could propel it.

He slowly walked back towards the battle. He got close enough to use his newly aquired "missile weapon" and went no further.

He kept his eyes on the demon as he continually increased the speed of the spinning stone....

OK. I'll give everybody one more shot at the demon before delivering the coup de grace'. After that, it will be time to end Baz'guuls threat once and for all.

[Legolas]

Ni Deng

With the elementals causing havok among the ranks of the paladins and fear evident on the face of the wizard, he knew he had little choice but to act. He patted the earth around the plant, put his gardening tools away, rose to his feet and smoothed his robes. Then he walked over to the daemon, staying just out of range.

"Nifty trinket you are having, I must say," he said in his haphazard old man's voice. "All that's missing is ring against bad breath for you to make it in the world."

The gardener closed his eyes a moment, and miniature blue lightining played across his eyelids. When he opened them, the whites were gone.

"CARRICK!"
The name boomed through the air, and he staggered back a little at the intensity of his own voice. He thought it would be better to lower it a little, just enough to make sure it carried through all the way to the center of the amulet. A rim of white returns to his eyes. His voice still has a rich quality to it, but it is mostly sharp.

"Carrick. After all these years you still haven't learned anything. You have focussed so much on going through the wall that you did not even see the door. If your spirit can't get out, I am ashamed to be human."

Ni Deng was about to tell him just where this door might be, when fangs sank into his left arm. He fought back a scream as he retreated several steps.
Knowing the poison would spread soon, he took out his lopping shears and, with a little effort, cut off his own arm. Again the blue lightning appeared, and the skin around the wound knit together.
The pain had brought him out of his concentration, and he slunk back out of the way. He hoped the spirit of the wizard would find a way to escape using brain rather than sheer force, before the daemon got them all. Knowing Cerrick, that was admittedly most unlikely. He'd wait until after the creature was sent back to the abyss.

[Legolas]

Legolas

The way she said it made him suspect something was wrong. It took him a moment longer to understand just what it was, and he felt like a fool for picking the wrong words. His face turned slighty red as he stammered an explanation.

"No! Ehr.. no, not like that.. That's not.. not what I meant."

He laughs nervously.

"Not friends like that. Special friends. Like you and me. I mean..."

His voice dies away when he starts to think he is beginning to look ever more foolish. He dares not look at her, fearing what she may think of him.

He wants to tell her he feels about her the same as she feels about him, but he is wary of making another mistake. He didn't know what she felt right now, and was not unlikely it wouldn't work out in his favour.
He feels helpless as he waits to see what effect his words will have.

[mistral4543]

Sorsha

How strange it was turning out... before, she'd have hesitated even to voice her own opinions. But now... ~ The the only one who could draw me out of my shell. ~ The urgency seemed to drive her crazy as she struggled to fight back the mocking doubts echoing in her ears ~ How do I know what he means? ~ Her eyes blinked away the rain streaming down mercilessly from her hair.

"How special is this... friendship... of ours?" ~ The voice which spoke sounded alien to her, it couldn't be her own! ~ "And what makes it special?..." ~ Helplessly, she clenched her fists and raised them to her temples, turning away slightly ~ Why torment yourself, Sorsha? Let go while you can... if it's meant to be, it will be... ~ Weakly, she sought to regularise her breathing as she gazed in the blurred, grey horizon ~ Be careful of asking too much; you know not what you'll get...