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John play: Hero for hire
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<blockquote data-quote="megamania" data-source="post: 5056617" data-attributes="member: 9255"><p>JOHN PLAY</p><p>“Play To Win”</p><p>SEGMENT 011</p><p>“Rage Drakes”</p><p></p><p> Sypheros 10, 996 </p><p></p><p>Play marveled at the trees around him. No. Not trees. Monuments. They were over 20 feet thick and to gage the height meant looking straight up in a dizzying rate. Several hundred feet tall at least he felt. Many of these trees were as big and tall as the buildings in Sharn. It drove him to a near stunned state of mind when he reminded himself these were the small trees. The bigger ones were deeper in the forest.</p><p></p><p>The stream they stopped at to take a break was wild and free also. It was fifteen feet wide and generally only a foot deep but it had pools twenty plus feet deep. Large Mountain Trout swam within these pools. John avoided the deepest pools as something that could only be described as a Dire Trout charged him. It was not the fear of the fish that worried him but the fear of the bugs and other creatures needed to support such a fish.</p><p></p><p>His knowledge of berries and nuts was more limited than a druid’s but he was well taught both as a child within the King’s Forest and by several rangers within the Citadel. Though he knew which bugs could be eaten that was nutritious, he was happy to eat the stalling bread and the last of the cheese Shasta had brought along. Looking at the stall bread, he began to think again about the fish. Fish sounded good compared to the bread. Looking to see if Shasta was still bathing, he reached into his belt to a hidden pouch and withdrew a small yellow and brown bead. It was a waste in truth but he could not help himself. “Fire in the hole!” he yelled then spoke a two-syllable arcane word and threw the bead into the pool of water. Even as a streak of brown and green came at it (Dire Trout) the magic activated and a small electrical charge was released. The Dire Trout flopped about on the surface of the pool as a dozen smaller fish surfaced including a catfish that had tentacles like a Displacer Beast.</p><p></p><p>Using a stick, John collected three large “normal” fish then saluted the their dire cousin before going to clean and cook the fish.</p><p></p><p>Shasta came up wearing only an oversized shirt as she dried out her hair. “ummmm…. Fish. Smells good.”</p><p></p><p>Though no halfling, John knew a few things about cooking. He wished he had the seasoning he longed for. He had one that was a combination of salt, black pepper and two other spices the halflings grew and collected in the rain forests of the Talenta Plains. Good stuff.</p><p></p><p>Shasta finished getting dressed. She looked at the pool where a still stunned Dire fish occasionally thrashed before finally submerging itself leaving the mutated catfish and other stunned or dead creatures on the surface. “Problems?”</p><p></p><p>“Nope.” John says while turning the strips of flesh over.</p><p></p><p>Finishing their meal they follow the stream NW towards the Icehorn Mountains where the journal suggested the evil spirit wanted to go. Looking to better get his bearings, John stops his horse and begins to climb up a large tree with thick but rough bark. Many of the grooves within the bark could shield a man from view. There are no branches for the first fifty feet. He climbs out onto a branch to rest his arms a bit. He can just barely see Shasta below as the leaves are of an enormous size. The larger leaves measure about three feet by three feet. He could make a kite from one! He goes to climb higher up when he hears Shasta from above.</p><p></p><p>“How did you get up there ahead of me?!?” He calls up.</p><p></p><p>“Magic Silly.”</p><p></p><p>“Wait up a minute. I’ll be there in a moment.” And he begins to climb once more.</p><p></p><p>Once he reaches her he looks out and through the large leaves he sees more trees and even more trees. There is a slight hint of a mountain range in the faded distance. “There is the mountains.” He says nodding to it.</p><p></p><p>“What is that?” she asks pointing slightly south. “Looks like a tower… made of stone.” </p><p></p><p>“Or an observatory. Many people set up towers here to watch the stars. Some say the stars are part of the Draconic Prophesy.”</p><p></p><p>“Really? The Prophesy… what do you think it is?” She asks while looking at the stone structure in the distance.</p><p></p><p>“Words to inspire if not intimidate others to do what powerful people want others to do.” John says with little inspiration or emotion.</p><p></p><p>“You don’t believe in it? I’m surprised.”</p><p></p><p>“Why? I’ve never been much of a joiner. I’m always done my own thing.”</p><p></p><p>“But you…. Seem like one with such a better destiny than that. I assumed it was in part the reason you left the Government service.”</p><p></p><p>“I’ve been told one never leaves the lanterns. I’m just on extended leave.” He smiles and snorts in dismissal.</p><p></p><p>“Should we go there for the night?” She asks.</p><p></p><p>“We can scout it out anyway. The trick is… not your average people tend to use towers or observatories in the middle of the forest like this,” He turns and smiles at her, “Rumors have it dragons built the first ones.”</p><p></p><p>“I’ve never seen a dragon before. Let’s go.” She replies as she opens up another Dimensional Door.</p><p></p><p>John steps out of the magical doorway first. He notices immediately the horses are spooked. Even as she steps through next he castes a wary stare into the thick forest. “We are not alone. We better get going. Quickly.”</p><p></p><p>“John…. WHAT is that?” She says motioning to the next tree over. A large red scaled draconic panther-like creature is watching them. Its tail flaps about in agitation. Its green eyes seem to pierce through their souls. Its Talons tear into the large roots of the tree it was stooping by. A long growl begins to come out of its throat.</p><p></p><p>“Uh-oh…..,“ Says John as he slowly reaches into a hidden pocket to extract a wand, “Nice kitty……”</p><p></p><p>The creature seems to stop time as it pounds over the root system and charges them. As it leaps at John he twists and drops to the ground. One claw rakes his back drawing blood. It lands lightly but skids to a stop as its legs pump to turn and charge again.</p><p></p><p>Taking no chances, John releases a blast from his Wand of Fireball. The green bead of energy rushes at the creature then explodes into a fireball as it bounces off of its forehead. It howls in pain and anger as at the fiery insult and injury. Another green bead of energy streaks at it from Shasta. The creature instinctively leaps to the side even as it bursts. Enraged, it charges again at the Hero for Hire. Once more a lone claw hits him as it leaps at him. More blood is spilt. </p><p></p><p>John completes his roll and points and fires at the enraged creature once more. The creature once more continues its momentum to avoid the worst of the blast. And runs directly into Shasta’s blast. Smoke and dust clouds the air around them. The creature snarls and charges again but this time it goes for Shasta. One claw strikes her arm as she raises it to defend herself then its sharp teeth clamp down on her shoulder. Its rear legs land on her legs and it pulls and rips at her. She screams in pain. </p><p></p><p>With the creature caught up in its raking attacks on the sorcerer John drops the wand and attacks with his dagger. It pierces the creature’s hide but does little to it. Still, in that moment his trained eyes scan and search weak spots on the creature. Shasta does her best to avoid the savage attacks she knows is coming. The creature lashes into her spraying blood everywhere. John goes into his own frenzy knowing she is going to die otherwise. The first strike hits a kidney, the second strike pierces a lung and the third shot strikes the eye and drives into the brain.</p><p></p><p>Wasting no time (leaving the dagger in its head) he pulls out a potion. “Comon comon hold on Shasta Hold on" (-8 and dropping). He pours the first potion into her mouth. Some of it seeps out of the corners of her mouth. It visibly washes down to her stomach and bubbles as it reaches where the stomach once was. The bloody ribbons begin to sparkle and lighten as they nit together. He grabs the next potion and pours that into her mouth also. The ribs nit back together along with the muscles of her chest. Next the flesh pulls together leaving angry looking scars and ripples in her once smooth skin of her chest and upper stomach. John nearly sobs in happiness and she lets out a harsh breath and sucks in more. In a weak voice she whispers “damn..… its….fast…..” then faints in his arms.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="megamania, post: 5056617, member: 9255"] JOHN PLAY “Play To Win” SEGMENT 011 “Rage Drakes” Sypheros 10, 996 Play marveled at the trees around him. No. Not trees. Monuments. They were over 20 feet thick and to gage the height meant looking straight up in a dizzying rate. Several hundred feet tall at least he felt. Many of these trees were as big and tall as the buildings in Sharn. It drove him to a near stunned state of mind when he reminded himself these were the small trees. The bigger ones were deeper in the forest. The stream they stopped at to take a break was wild and free also. It was fifteen feet wide and generally only a foot deep but it had pools twenty plus feet deep. Large Mountain Trout swam within these pools. John avoided the deepest pools as something that could only be described as a Dire Trout charged him. It was not the fear of the fish that worried him but the fear of the bugs and other creatures needed to support such a fish. His knowledge of berries and nuts was more limited than a druid’s but he was well taught both as a child within the King’s Forest and by several rangers within the Citadel. Though he knew which bugs could be eaten that was nutritious, he was happy to eat the stalling bread and the last of the cheese Shasta had brought along. Looking at the stall bread, he began to think again about the fish. Fish sounded good compared to the bread. Looking to see if Shasta was still bathing, he reached into his belt to a hidden pouch and withdrew a small yellow and brown bead. It was a waste in truth but he could not help himself. “Fire in the hole!” he yelled then spoke a two-syllable arcane word and threw the bead into the pool of water. Even as a streak of brown and green came at it (Dire Trout) the magic activated and a small electrical charge was released. The Dire Trout flopped about on the surface of the pool as a dozen smaller fish surfaced including a catfish that had tentacles like a Displacer Beast. Using a stick, John collected three large “normal” fish then saluted the their dire cousin before going to clean and cook the fish. Shasta came up wearing only an oversized shirt as she dried out her hair. “ummmm…. Fish. Smells good.” Though no halfling, John knew a few things about cooking. He wished he had the seasoning he longed for. He had one that was a combination of salt, black pepper and two other spices the halflings grew and collected in the rain forests of the Talenta Plains. Good stuff. Shasta finished getting dressed. She looked at the pool where a still stunned Dire fish occasionally thrashed before finally submerging itself leaving the mutated catfish and other stunned or dead creatures on the surface. “Problems?” “Nope.” John says while turning the strips of flesh over. Finishing their meal they follow the stream NW towards the Icehorn Mountains where the journal suggested the evil spirit wanted to go. Looking to better get his bearings, John stops his horse and begins to climb up a large tree with thick but rough bark. Many of the grooves within the bark could shield a man from view. There are no branches for the first fifty feet. He climbs out onto a branch to rest his arms a bit. He can just barely see Shasta below as the leaves are of an enormous size. The larger leaves measure about three feet by three feet. He could make a kite from one! He goes to climb higher up when he hears Shasta from above. “How did you get up there ahead of me?!?” He calls up. “Magic Silly.” “Wait up a minute. I’ll be there in a moment.” And he begins to climb once more. Once he reaches her he looks out and through the large leaves he sees more trees and even more trees. There is a slight hint of a mountain range in the faded distance. “There is the mountains.” He says nodding to it. “What is that?” she asks pointing slightly south. “Looks like a tower… made of stone.” “Or an observatory. Many people set up towers here to watch the stars. Some say the stars are part of the Draconic Prophesy.” “Really? The Prophesy… what do you think it is?” She asks while looking at the stone structure in the distance. “Words to inspire if not intimidate others to do what powerful people want others to do.” John says with little inspiration or emotion. “You don’t believe in it? I’m surprised.” “Why? I’ve never been much of a joiner. I’m always done my own thing.” “But you…. Seem like one with such a better destiny than that. I assumed it was in part the reason you left the Government service.” “I’ve been told one never leaves the lanterns. I’m just on extended leave.” He smiles and snorts in dismissal. “Should we go there for the night?” She asks. “We can scout it out anyway. The trick is… not your average people tend to use towers or observatories in the middle of the forest like this,” He turns and smiles at her, “Rumors have it dragons built the first ones.” “I’ve never seen a dragon before. Let’s go.” She replies as she opens up another Dimensional Door. John steps out of the magical doorway first. He notices immediately the horses are spooked. Even as she steps through next he castes a wary stare into the thick forest. “We are not alone. We better get going. Quickly.” “John…. WHAT is that?” She says motioning to the next tree over. A large red scaled draconic panther-like creature is watching them. Its tail flaps about in agitation. Its green eyes seem to pierce through their souls. Its Talons tear into the large roots of the tree it was stooping by. A long growl begins to come out of its throat. “Uh-oh…..,“ Says John as he slowly reaches into a hidden pocket to extract a wand, “Nice kitty……” The creature seems to stop time as it pounds over the root system and charges them. As it leaps at John he twists and drops to the ground. One claw rakes his back drawing blood. It lands lightly but skids to a stop as its legs pump to turn and charge again. Taking no chances, John releases a blast from his Wand of Fireball. The green bead of energy rushes at the creature then explodes into a fireball as it bounces off of its forehead. It howls in pain and anger as at the fiery insult and injury. Another green bead of energy streaks at it from Shasta. The creature instinctively leaps to the side even as it bursts. Enraged, it charges again at the Hero for Hire. Once more a lone claw hits him as it leaps at him. More blood is spilt. John completes his roll and points and fires at the enraged creature once more. The creature once more continues its momentum to avoid the worst of the blast. And runs directly into Shasta’s blast. Smoke and dust clouds the air around them. The creature snarls and charges again but this time it goes for Shasta. One claw strikes her arm as she raises it to defend herself then its sharp teeth clamp down on her shoulder. Its rear legs land on her legs and it pulls and rips at her. She screams in pain. With the creature caught up in its raking attacks on the sorcerer John drops the wand and attacks with his dagger. It pierces the creature’s hide but does little to it. Still, in that moment his trained eyes scan and search weak spots on the creature. Shasta does her best to avoid the savage attacks she knows is coming. The creature lashes into her spraying blood everywhere. John goes into his own frenzy knowing she is going to die otherwise. The first strike hits a kidney, the second strike pierces a lung and the third shot strikes the eye and drives into the brain. Wasting no time (leaving the dagger in its head) he pulls out a potion. “Comon comon hold on Shasta Hold on" (-8 and dropping). He pours the first potion into her mouth. Some of it seeps out of the corners of her mouth. It visibly washes down to her stomach and bubbles as it reaches where the stomach once was. The bloody ribbons begin to sparkle and lighten as they nit together. He grabs the next potion and pours that into her mouth also. The ribs nit back together along with the muscles of her chest. Next the flesh pulls together leaving angry looking scars and ripples in her once smooth skin of her chest and upper stomach. John nearly sobs in happiness and she lets out a harsh breath and sucks in more. In a weak voice she whispers “damn..… its….fast…..” then faints in his arms. [/QUOTE]
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