Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="megamania" data-source="post: 974373" data-attributes="member: 9255">UNDER A DARKSUNSEGMENT 085  “Death from Above”“Must you play that instrument of pain?”  Complained the elf to the ½ elf.“You do not like the harmonica my dusty cleric?”  Replies Glaze in a charming and sweet smile.“Though I enjoy the sound of it, it would be better to save it for later.  The sound carries.”Stonecrusher slows down once it occurs to him that the music has stopped.  “Stone like music.  Music make Stone Happy.” Says the ½ Giant.It has been an unusual first three hours of travel thus far.  Cosa and Mania are not use to traveling with strangers.  Especially strangers with no purpose or reason to be together than possible…fame, riches, fun and who knows what the elf wants.  Still, it has not been bad.  “How do you fare Cosa?” asks the elf.  “I hope traveling by day is not too much for you.  I do it occasionally but find the travel under moonlight better.”Cosa realizes now that perhaps he was right.  Travel in the salt is hard on one’s eyes and exposed skin by day.  However, creatures and marauders are more active by night.  She doesn’t want to trust the elf but may need to consider his ideas more in the future.  The trip was beginning to show the most on Stonecrusher.  His great bulk made desert travel difficult and hard to cover his body to avoid sun exposure.  He was already very red from the sun.Perhaps the elf could help him a bit when they rest.  Assuming the ½ giant would allow it.  Stonecrusher had an obvious dislike or distrust of the elf.  She assumed it was due to how many elves had treated him in Salt View.  Or perhaps, like some animals, he could sense something that could not be seen.  She would a spell or two in reserve just in case.She slowed down her pace to meet with Mania whom was watching the back.  “You have been quiet lately.  A ceramic bit for your thoughts?”Taking her hand into his, he smiles and makes eye contact with her.  “Just looking at the group.  It somewhat resembles the atypical adventuring group.  Stonecrusher the ½ Giant fighter is the brute strength of the team.  Glaze is a joyful ½ elf songwriter looking for adventure and fame.  Dessantee is the mysterious elven cleric of Silt.  You are a mage with talents to get things lost or required from others.”“You forgot yourself, a man of mystery with talented psionic fighting abilities in the search for his past.”“Perhaps Glaze is right.  This sounds like a story in the making.  Kind of funny.”“Almost as funny as Scot.  Quite the name.” Cosa says smiling.“It was on the spur of the moment- give me a break.”The day burns away and gives to night.  The elf hesitates only slightly to aid the ½ Giant with his sunburn.  Stonecrusher snarls but gives in as the burning heat on his shoulders and arms begin to ease away.  Glaze hums a merry tune as food is divided up for the evening meal.  Mania somehow feels…content.  Cosa makes sure her belongings are still there before settling in for the night.  Based on the map The Silent One gave them, they were still North of the Silt Basins that surrounded the ruins of Bodach.  Tomorrow they would begin to go SE following the silt inland sea.  The elf’s knowledge of Silt would be useful during this dangerous time.  The watch began with the elf.  Then came Mania’s turn.“Why is it always my watch?” he asked himself as he could hear a soft buzz from nearby. Listening more carefully, he decided it was coming from the silt basin.  There were three large flying things headed in their general direction.  Suddenly, out of the silt a large serpent like creature shot up and a loud crunch could be heard as it bite into the flying creature.  Serpent and flyer strike the silt with a puff of dry silt and sink out of sight.  So amazed by the sight he nearly forgot that two flyers remained.He hesitated awakening the group.  Most everyone was tired from the first day of walking.  He didn’t want to wake anyone unless it was required.  The creatures flew by about 100ft away.  He guessed them to be some sort of giant fly with a tuberous mouth.  Perhaps they were hungry and looking for rotten fruit.  He sat back down and waited for Glaze to awaken.  She was watching the stars and saying something to herself.  He couldn’t pick it up enough to understand.  She continued working out song lyrics in her mind until it was Crusher’s turn.  Stonecrusher was in a truly great mood having been relieved of his burnt skin and blurry vision.  He had a long drink of water before sitting down.  He looked at the stars and at the two moons.  A childlike smile of awe and wonder crosses his face then he goes about trying to draw the stars and moons in the sand.A gentle buzz comes from behind him.  He continues to draw Ral in the sand, salt and silt mix before him.  The noise becomes louder.  Everyone is sleeping through the buzz but one.  Mania sticks a finger in his ear trying to clear it of the noise.  He rolls over then suddenly shots to his feet “GET UP EVERYONE!”.  Crusher jumps.The two flyers are coming directly at the party.  They seem to be directing their attention on the party.  Mania grabs his large club thinking its reach would be better against these flyers.  Crusher looks at the giant flies trying to decide if they are a threat to him.  The flies make it clear that they are as one attacks him.  It tries to bite at him for his blood and moisture but he fends it off by rolling like a giant fleshy boulder out of the camp.  The fly follows him.  The other fly hovers over the party trying to decide as a fly would, which target would be the tastiest, to a fly that is.  Cosa awakens but doesn’t see the cause of commotion.  She is looking along the ground.  The others toss and turn a bit before opening their eyes.  Glaze screams out as the fly has seemly decided she would be the tastiest.Mania glows softly as he leaps up and swats the bug.  A loud audible crunch is heard as his magical great club breaks it’s thick shell and damages the innards.  It flies out of control as a wing spasm and it hits the sand.  Dessantee reaches for his club and hefts it.  His dark brown hair hiding his eyes from view.The Giant fly tries to walk out of the camp before further attacks occur.  Cosa now sees the cause of the panic and recognizes that Mania has it under control.  She decides to see how Glaze and the elf handle themselves instead.  Where’s the ½ Giant?Stonecrusher rolls onto a dune then down its face.  The Giant Beastfly follows him the whole way down.  At the bottom, he rises to his full height of over ten feet tall.  “Leave…me…alone!”  He swings at it with his hands missing the first few times then he lands a solid hit.  Its shell is crushed and a wing breaks off as it sails over the edge of the dune.  It hits the sand and finds itself helpless on its back.  Stonecrusher tries to climb up the dune but it just shifts under his great feet.  “Eh?” is all his mind can fathom.  After three tries, he backs up to the other side and tries a running start.  Again, he is stopped by the shifting sands.  “No like sand!” he bellows.  Cosa and Glaze move to the edge.  They call to him to calm him down.  Mania circles around to lead the gentle giant out of the sand dune.The elf just stands there.  His eyes burning with emotion are hidden behind his thick strands of hair.</blockquote>

Verification