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i_love_freddieKeep Calm and...
The most successful adventurers, mercenaries and guild-masters all had one thing in common. Not age, or race, or their basic profession. Not even gender – though women being as good as men at things was still seen as quite surprising. No, each and every one of them had all reached the heights of success by following the unwritten but golden rule: Always keep calm.
Surrounded by monsters? Keep calm. Discovered an assassination plot on your life? Keep calm. Lost in the middle of nowhere and can't find the map? Keep calm. An invisible demon is causing havoc in your guild? Keep calm. Your party wizard just woke up five golems, your thief has his foot caught in a snare, and your ranger just fell down a bottomless pit? Keep calm.
Because in a world where monsters roam freely, bandits launch attacks on unsuspecting travellers, those in a position of power are frequently threatened, and every man must look out for himself... anyone who loses their head in a crisis stands a very good chance of physically losing their head. And no one wants that.
------
Situation 1 – Keep calm and kill zombies
“Benny?”
The shapeshifter was standing quietly at the far edge of the silent market square. Staring into the thick trees that surrounded the border of the town, his head was tilted slightly to the side and he seemed to be listening for something – not even responding to his friends. His expression was tense, wary.
“What is it?” Kane tried again. “Do you hear something?”
Finally Benny acknowledged them, but his first words were not what they wanted to hear. “I think we need to get out of here now.”
“Yes, that’s going to be really easy,” Jonas said immediately. “You know, what with the whole being on an island and not having a boat and all that, and - oww!” He broke off abruptly as something sharp jabbed into him, and turned to glare accusingly at Cory. His half brother managed to maintain an innocent expression, while discreetly passing a fairly pointed stick to a very amused Phellan. Valia giggled too - none of them quite taking on board the seriousness of the situation.
Only Kane, who knew Benny well enough to tell when the older assassin was worried, and Riandur, cautious and suspicious by nature, were concerned. Both the warrior and the wolf-man approached him, and he turned to meet them. “I don’t think we should stay here,” he repeated softly, his voice conveying a tone of urgency. “It’s too open.”
“Something's coming, isn’t it?” Riandur glanced towards the trees. He could hear the leaves rustling as something, many things, pushed their way through the undergrowth. The faint moaning noise on the wind. And that smell, what was that smell? “It smells like death and decay…” he said softly, more to himself than the two humans standing beside him.
“Undead?” Kane half stated, half asked. Benny inclined his head slightly. “How many?”
“It’s hard to tell. Most definitely a large group - so we could be looking at a hundred or so. They seem focused too, so it is possible that something is controlling them.”
“So what do we do?” Riandur asked Kane directly. “We need a plan – and the sooner the better.”
Kane looked around the ruined remains of the town, very much aware that he didn’t have long to decide on a plan of action. Zombies and skeletons weren’t fast, but they were coming at a steady pace and had the advantage of never getting tired. “The chapel up on the hill: it is the only building not in ruins. I think we should try and hold it, that might be our best move - depending on how many there are. What do you think?”
“I think it sounds doable,” Benny agreed. “I just hope there’s a reasonable number. These things have a way of just growing and growing to an unmanageable amount.”
Situation 2 – Keep calm and fight dragons
“Well, that could have been worse,” Kane unsteadily climbed to his feet, brushing dust from his shirt. “Those shadow things are pretty nasty, but at least we got rid of them. Is everyone okay?”
“Erm... Kane...” Cory tapped him on the arm. “Look...”
“Now we just have to find a way out of here... hey, what is that shuffling noise?”
He looked up to see that Riandur was frozen in a battle-ready position, while Benny had is sword drawn. Cory and Phellan looked utterly terrified. Only Valia – who was unable to see clearly in the dim light, had not yet registered that there was anything wrong.
“Jonas... the light...” Cory said, his voice trembling.
The wizard held up his staff with trembling hands. The red orb lit up, bathing the caverns in an eerie glow of strong light. And revealed the dark scaly hide, the sharp teeth, the glowing green eyes of an enormous beast, which was glaring down at them with unrestrained anger.
“A shadow dragon...” Benny murmured in awe, just as the beast violently swung its tail in his direction. He rolled out of the way just seconds before it hit the wall, the force of the attack sending bits of rock flying everywhere.
“Imagine what we could do with those scales!” Kane's eyes lit up as he drew his swords and launched himself into the battle. “Let's take this thing down!”
Situation 3 – Keep calm and... run away!
Within the stone walls of the abandoned and ruined temple, the werewolves prowled every corner. Massive beasts, seven foot of sheer muscle, yet with the ability to run fast and jump incredible heights, they had bred unrestricted. Now dozens of them walked the empty rooms, venturing out only to hunt, going insane every time the moon was full.
The group had only been looking for somewhere to shelter from the rain. All had been quiet until they entered the main hall – it was at that point that they became aware of dozens of malicious eyes glowering from all sides. Slowly the beasts advanced, saliva dripping from jaws lined with sharp and jagged teeth.
“What... do we do?” Jonas whispered, gripping his staff so hard that his knuckles turned white.
Kane looked at Benny. Benny looked at Cory. Cory looked at Phellan. Phellan looked at Jonas. Jonas looked at Valia. Without a word, they turned and ran.
The werewolves gave chase.
******
As was typical of ancient temples, there were no doors – and nowhere to hide. But by chance, they encountered a small prayer room in which the doorway had been partly blocked by fallen rubble and bits of an old bookcase. The mercenaries just managed to squeeze through the small gap, just as the predators caught up with them.
Benny was last and one lunged forward and managed to sink its teeth into his arm. The assassin stabbed it in the eye with his dagger and it fell back with a loud howl. The others paused and circled warily, temporarily startled by prey that could fight back.
It was a brief respite, but gave just enough time for Benny to slip through and for Kane to throw the remainder of the debris in the room against the rockfall to further secure the room. It was not foul-proof, but it was a start.
“That hurt,” Benny commented, inspecting the bloody teeth marks in his flesh. “Bandages, Val.”
“Will you be all right?” she asked tentatively, as she handed him the first aid kit. “Do you think it will get infected or...”
“I won't turn into a werewolf, if that is what you are worried about,” he said with a ghost of a smile. “I have been bitten before and apparently you can't be a half-demon and a lycanthrope.”
“I hope Riandur doesn't catch up with us and wander right into those things,” Kane mused, looking at the blocked door. The creatures were getting restless, snarling and clawing at the rock. “Still, at least we are relatively safe in here for now.”
Jonas cleared his throat. “Guys... where are Cory and Phellan?”
Kane's loud and colourful cursing echoed through most of the ruined temple.
*****
Across the other side of the main hall, the young half-elf and his wolf-man friend had managed to find a small gap in one of the walls, and had squeezed inside it. The werewolves seemed to be mostly unaware of their presence, but Cory kept his sword to hand just in case.
“What are we going to do?” Phellan asked nervously, remembering to whisper. “Are we going to die?”
“Well... My teacher says sometimes when things look bad, you just have to throw your cards on the table and hope you have a bloody good hand.”
“What does that mean?”
Cory thought for a moment. “You know, I never quite figured that one out. I think it means that we stay here and just hide for a while.”
The most successful adventurers, mercenaries and guild-masters all had one thing in common. Not age, or race, or their basic profession. Not even gender – though women being as good as men at things was still seen as quite surprising. No, each and every one of them had all reached the heights of success by following the unwritten but golden rule: Always keep calm.
Surrounded by monsters? Keep calm. Discovered an assassination plot on your life? Keep calm. Lost in the middle of nowhere and can't find the map? Keep calm. An invisible demon is causing havoc in your guild? Keep calm. Your party wizard just woke up five golems, your thief has his foot caught in a snare, and your ranger just fell down a bottomless pit? Keep calm.
Because in a world where monsters roam freely, bandits launch attacks on unsuspecting travellers, those in a position of power are frequently threatened, and every man must look out for himself... anyone who loses their head in a crisis stands a very good chance of physically losing their head. And no one wants that.
------
Situation 1 – Keep calm and kill zombies
“Benny?”
The shapeshifter was standing quietly at the far edge of the silent market square. Staring into the thick trees that surrounded the border of the town, his head was tilted slightly to the side and he seemed to be listening for something – not even responding to his friends. His expression was tense, wary.
“What is it?” Kane tried again. “Do you hear something?”
Finally Benny acknowledged them, but his first words were not what they wanted to hear. “I think we need to get out of here now.”
“Yes, that’s going to be really easy,” Jonas said immediately. “You know, what with the whole being on an island and not having a boat and all that, and - oww!” He broke off abruptly as something sharp jabbed into him, and turned to glare accusingly at Cory. His half brother managed to maintain an innocent expression, while discreetly passing a fairly pointed stick to a very amused Phellan. Valia giggled too - none of them quite taking on board the seriousness of the situation.
Only Kane, who knew Benny well enough to tell when the older assassin was worried, and Riandur, cautious and suspicious by nature, were concerned. Both the warrior and the wolf-man approached him, and he turned to meet them. “I don’t think we should stay here,” he repeated softly, his voice conveying a tone of urgency. “It’s too open.”
“Something's coming, isn’t it?” Riandur glanced towards the trees. He could hear the leaves rustling as something, many things, pushed their way through the undergrowth. The faint moaning noise on the wind. And that smell, what was that smell? “It smells like death and decay…” he said softly, more to himself than the two humans standing beside him.
“Undead?” Kane half stated, half asked. Benny inclined his head slightly. “How many?”
“It’s hard to tell. Most definitely a large group - so we could be looking at a hundred or so. They seem focused too, so it is possible that something is controlling them.”
“So what do we do?” Riandur asked Kane directly. “We need a plan – and the sooner the better.”
Kane looked around the ruined remains of the town, very much aware that he didn’t have long to decide on a plan of action. Zombies and skeletons weren’t fast, but they were coming at a steady pace and had the advantage of never getting tired. “The chapel up on the hill: it is the only building not in ruins. I think we should try and hold it, that might be our best move - depending on how many there are. What do you think?”
“I think it sounds doable,” Benny agreed. “I just hope there’s a reasonable number. These things have a way of just growing and growing to an unmanageable amount.”
Situation 2 – Keep calm and fight dragons
“Well, that could have been worse,” Kane unsteadily climbed to his feet, brushing dust from his shirt. “Those shadow things are pretty nasty, but at least we got rid of them. Is everyone okay?”
“Erm... Kane...” Cory tapped him on the arm. “Look...”
“Now we just have to find a way out of here... hey, what is that shuffling noise?”
He looked up to see that Riandur was frozen in a battle-ready position, while Benny had is sword drawn. Cory and Phellan looked utterly terrified. Only Valia – who was unable to see clearly in the dim light, had not yet registered that there was anything wrong.
“Jonas... the light...” Cory said, his voice trembling.
The wizard held up his staff with trembling hands. The red orb lit up, bathing the caverns in an eerie glow of strong light. And revealed the dark scaly hide, the sharp teeth, the glowing green eyes of an enormous beast, which was glaring down at them with unrestrained anger.
“A shadow dragon...” Benny murmured in awe, just as the beast violently swung its tail in his direction. He rolled out of the way just seconds before it hit the wall, the force of the attack sending bits of rock flying everywhere.
“Imagine what we could do with those scales!” Kane's eyes lit up as he drew his swords and launched himself into the battle. “Let's take this thing down!”
Situation 3 – Keep calm and... run away!
Within the stone walls of the abandoned and ruined temple, the werewolves prowled every corner. Massive beasts, seven foot of sheer muscle, yet with the ability to run fast and jump incredible heights, they had bred unrestricted. Now dozens of them walked the empty rooms, venturing out only to hunt, going insane every time the moon was full.
The group had only been looking for somewhere to shelter from the rain. All had been quiet until they entered the main hall – it was at that point that they became aware of dozens of malicious eyes glowering from all sides. Slowly the beasts advanced, saliva dripping from jaws lined with sharp and jagged teeth.
“What... do we do?” Jonas whispered, gripping his staff so hard that his knuckles turned white.
Kane looked at Benny. Benny looked at Cory. Cory looked at Phellan. Phellan looked at Jonas. Jonas looked at Valia. Without a word, they turned and ran.
The werewolves gave chase.
******
As was typical of ancient temples, there were no doors – and nowhere to hide. But by chance, they encountered a small prayer room in which the doorway had been partly blocked by fallen rubble and bits of an old bookcase. The mercenaries just managed to squeeze through the small gap, just as the predators caught up with them.
Benny was last and one lunged forward and managed to sink its teeth into his arm. The assassin stabbed it in the eye with his dagger and it fell back with a loud howl. The others paused and circled warily, temporarily startled by prey that could fight back.
It was a brief respite, but gave just enough time for Benny to slip through and for Kane to throw the remainder of the debris in the room against the rockfall to further secure the room. It was not foul-proof, but it was a start.
“That hurt,” Benny commented, inspecting the bloody teeth marks in his flesh. “Bandages, Val.”
“Will you be all right?” she asked tentatively, as she handed him the first aid kit. “Do you think it will get infected or...”
“I won't turn into a werewolf, if that is what you are worried about,” he said with a ghost of a smile. “I have been bitten before and apparently you can't be a half-demon and a lycanthrope.”
“I hope Riandur doesn't catch up with us and wander right into those things,” Kane mused, looking at the blocked door. The creatures were getting restless, snarling and clawing at the rock. “Still, at least we are relatively safe in here for now.”
Jonas cleared his throat. “Guys... where are Cory and Phellan?”
Kane's loud and colourful cursing echoed through most of the ruined temple.
*****
Across the other side of the main hall, the young half-elf and his wolf-man friend had managed to find a small gap in one of the walls, and had squeezed inside it. The werewolves seemed to be mostly unaware of their presence, but Cory kept his sword to hand just in case.
“What are we going to do?” Phellan asked nervously, remembering to whisper. “Are we going to die?”
“Well... My teacher says sometimes when things look bad, you just have to throw your cards on the table and hope you have a bloody good hand.”
“What does that mean?”
Cory thought for a moment. “You know, I never quite figured that one out. I think it means that we stay here and just hide for a while.”
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Date: 2014-05-19 11:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-19 11:10 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2014-05-21 08:03 am (UTC)Well that's a relief. A half-demon werewolf seems kind of... excessive.
I thought this was a good way to cover a lot of ground and build upon the history of these characters, making the quieter moments that much richer.
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Date: 2014-05-21 01:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-21 05:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-21 08:58 pm (UTC)lol :-D
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Date: 2014-05-22 11:05 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2014-05-22 08:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-23 12:29 am (UTC)